INSURGENT: Tobias

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tris’s head rests against my shoulder. She’s probably asleep by now. And I’m glad. She deserves to rest and escape from the mess that has become our lives. Tonight has been hard on Tris and sometimes I feel like I’m not enough anymore. But I want to be enough.

My gaze falls on the members of our runaway group. I hadn’t anticipated any of them. I thought it would just be Tris and I. But I hadn’t thought about her family. It makes sense that she would want them with us, that she would want to keep them safe as well. I just don’t know the feeling. None of my family means anything to me.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Tris is my family to me and she means everything to me. And I plan to go wherever she does. Tris was my reason for staying with the Dauntless, but now that we’re gone, will we start our lives together somewhere else? Surely not in the Amity compound, though that’s where we’re headed. Will we leave everything behind and become factionless? That was my choice before I met Tris and now… now I think I could still be factionless, except with Tris this time.

Involuntarily, I smile at the thought of us being together without any interference. I catch Tris’s brother staring, more like glaring, at us—well just me—and my smile vanishes. The look in my eyes makes him turn away. What is his problem? I’m not hurting Tris, I would never. But it is annoying that I don’t know his name. I try to remember, long and hard, if his name ever came up in conversation with Tris. I don’t think it did. I don’t dwell on the thought. He really doesn’t matter at the moment.

I turn my head to Marcus, wary of the fact that he is so close to Tris. The vision from my fear simulation of Marcus whipping Tris’s hand comes to mind and I shudder. I lock my gaze on Marcus, once more, watching to make sure he stays where he is and doesn’t lay a hand on Tris. He may have been my biggest fear at one point, but I think it’s changed. Losing Tris has to be my biggest fear. I already caught a glimpse of what it would feel like and I know I could never survive if it actually happened.

I look past Marcus, to the night outside of the train car. I try to identify the buildings passing by, try to figure out where we are. The buildings are hard to distinguish in the night, but a red brick building with circular windows stands out in the darkness and I know where we are. Taking this train almost everywhere in the past two years has made me focus on everything around the train tracks and, right now, I’m glad for it.

But judging from that building, I’d say we have a little over five minutes until the fence, which will lead us to Amity’s compound.

“We need to jump off soon if we’re going to make it to the Amity compound.” I say, loud enough that everyone can hear me, but with no emotion in my voice. I don’t look at anyone in particular either, just empty space.

“How long do we have?” He – Marcus—asks, his tone full of authority and dominance, but it won’t affect me this time… I won’t let it.

“About five minutes,” I say, my voice dead…no emotion at all. Across from me, Tris’s brother stands and walks to the train car’s opening. Following his lead, Marcus stands, helping up Peter as well, and walks to where Tris’s brother stands, with Peter trailing behind. All of them have their backs to me.

I gently move Tris head from my shoulder and steady her with my hand on her shoulder. I crouch in front of her and stare at her sleeping form for a moment before I try coaxing her awake. I whisper her name softly, savoring the way it feels rolling off my tongue. After about a minute, she stirs and her eyelids flutter and I know she is waking up.

Her eyes open and land on me for a fraction of a second before they wander to the others in the doorway of the car, as if she’s looking for something…or someone. And then I understand why she’s acting this way. Her parents. It’s hitting her now. It must be hard to lose both parents in one day, but Tris is strong. I know she can pull through this. It just might take some time.