Dauntless- A fanfic of Divergent

Chapter 16- Tobias

A/N: I lied. New chapter today, You're welcome:)

Zeke sits with me after dinner. I casually lean into him, wanting to feel his closeness after my ordeal of a simulation. It scares me to lose him. I will admit that. “What was your fear?” I ask softly. He sighs, putting an arm around me. “I was set on fire.” His voice shakes slightly as he says it. It was probably a lot worse than that. I look up at him “I had to choose if Tyson would kill me or you.” I say, swallowing hard. Zeke stiffens “That shouldn’t be that hard of a decision. You aren’t that attached to me are you?” I sit up abruptly. “Actually I am. Do you think I’m the kind of person who lets someone she loves ide to save herself?” I say, flushing red. He chuckles “I was joking, Cal.” I look down, embarrassed. Of course he was. I’m an idiot. Leaning back into him, I mutter “I did pick for myself to die though.” Zeke stares at me “I would die for you any day.” I blink at a sudden rising of emotions in my throat. “I don’t want you to die.” I whisper, and kiss him, hard. He responds just as fiercely, and I like it. A lot, actually. I want something… I want him. I run my fingers through his short hair, pulling him closer to me. Then he pulls back, smiling. I shrink back in disappointment. “How do you do that Cal?” he asks. I’m officially confused. I raise an eyebrow. “Do what?” He shakes his head “Dissolve me into a helpless person willing to do anything for you.” I laugh “You’re anything but helpless. And if it makes you feel any better, you distract me enough that I didn’t notice Shauna standing over there watching us like a complete stalker until now.” He turns around to look at her. “My god, Shauna!” he yells, exasperated. She waves and runs away. We both break into uncontrollable laughter. I love the way his hazel eyes crinkle up. To be frank, I love him.

We run into Tori, the tattoo artist, as we walk back to the dorms before we go to sleep. She smiles at Zeke warmly. They must know each other. But the look she gives me is far from kind. It’s polite, but I can see a deadly jealousy beneath her eyes. I almost take a step back, she looks so intimidating. “Hello Tori.” Zeke says, obviously oblivious to our exchange. She goes back to her easy smile “Hey there. How’s training?” He shrugs “Fine I guess. You’ve met Cal?” She nods smoothly “Yes.” I wave quickly, not really wanting to stay here anymore. I’m not sure what her problem is. She looks back at him “Your brother wanted to talk to you. I think he’s at the chasm.” She says, glancing that way. “Thanks. See ya later.” He says, pulling me off toward the Chasm. I can feel Tori’s glare boring a hole in my back. I’m not sure what she hates about me, but it’s probably best to steer clear of her.

I can tell who Zeke brother is as soon as I see him. He has the same hazel eyes, the same radiant smile. He’s just taller. “Who have you brought for me?” he asks, eyeing me mischievously, and cracking his knuckles. I grin, liking him already. “Shut up Uriah.” Zeke says, letting go of me to pull him into a bro hug. They grin widely, obviously having missed each other. “Cal, this is my kid brother.” He says, keeping an arm draped over Uriah’s shoulders. I smile “I can see the resemblance.” Uriah glowers at Zeke “I’m only a year younger than you.” He playfully shoves him off. We talk for a while, and I decide that, while Uriah may be developing a slight drinking problem, I like him. He’s a mini-Zeke, pretty much. We wander back to the dorms late. I was glad to have kept my mind off training for even that little bit of time.

I toss and turn in my sleep, waking up every so often in a cold sweat. I can hear others around me doing the same, some are even crying. I just bite my cheek and go back to sleep.

My hands shake as we wait for the next simulation in the morning. Zeke grips one, steadying himself as much as me. I am up first today. Tobias gives me a sly look, one that I’m not sure is reassuring or intimidating. Either way, I follow him into the room, same as yesterday. The only difference is the simulation. “Do you want to inject yourself today?” he asks, offering me the syringe. I shrug. I know how, so why not? I will have to face it either way. I take the syringe, eyeing the deep blue liquid. It is the color of Erudite, which unnerves me slightly. But it’s part of my past, so I inject myself smoothly, ignoring the pinch of the needle this time around. The cold feeling spreads again and blackness takes over.

I am in a library. The Erudite library to be exact. I am surprised at how aware I am this time. I knew this one would come eventually. I blink. Why can I tell this is a simulation. It feels different than last time. My confusion is quickly ended as a cold voice shouts from behind me “Catherine!” Just like that, I’m pulled into the simulation, oblivious to the outside world. I turn around slowly. My mother holds a flat book. “I told you you had to finish this by today. You have a test next week.” She says, eyes  steely gray and angry. But what kills me more is the disappointment that she has in me. I stare at her. She holds out her arms, a piece of hair coming loose from her tight bun. My fear of failure. This one is harder to come to terms with. “I…” I don’t know why I didn’t do it. I knew I would be punished. So why do I insist on being rebellious? She raises an eyebrow. “I’m waiting.” A flare of anger strikes up. Maybe I will fail my test. That doesn’t matter anymore. “Maybe I wanted to have some fun.” I say smoothly, leaning forward a bit. Her eyes flash with fury, and my cheeks sting as she slaps me across the face with the book. I turn back to face her slowly, my eyes close and cheek growing hot. “How dare you speak to me that way?” she scolds, her voice threatening me with every word. This was a common occurrence in my house. My heart pounds, both in anger and fear. Fear that I will fail. Fear that she will be disappointed in me. I don’t know why that bothers me so much. My cheek burns, in a familiar way. My eyes flare to match hers. I suddenly yank the book out of her hands, throwing it to the ground. I step close to her, my eyes flashing in fury and my heart strong as I take my stand, one that I took on the Choosing day. One that I will take now. “How dare you treat me this way?” I respond, cold and angry.

The white light seems so bright after the soft light of the library. Four looks at me knowingly. “You saw all of that?” I say, slightly embarrassed. A flicker of pain flashes behind his eyes, one that he tries to hide by nodding. He sighs. “You did well.” He says, a level of understanding in his voice that I can’t quite explain. As he opens the door, he mutters under his breath “Not all of her reports were false.”

I sit outside the door, waiting for Zeke and Shauna. Four’s words keep playing in my mind “Not all of her reports were false.” That flicker of pain flashes before my eyes. It was brief, but I’m sure I saw it. I know it was there. Then it clicks. Jeanine had released reports claiming that Marcus Eaton was abusive to his son. His son… Tobias. I shiver, my heart aching for Tobias. He knows what I went through. He probably endured worse. I feel a new level of kinship with him. We are two members of a very small club, and he’s probably the only one that would ever understand my childhood. My conflicted emotions. It’s what makes him so strong, I’m sure of it. I’m also sure it’s why he left. But if he keeps my secret, I’ll keep his.

A/N: All is revealed. No I'm kiddin, there is so so much more to be revealed. Anyways, tell me what ya thought, slap dat vote button, and stay Dauntless:)