Stiff Romance ~•Completed•~

Twenty

Tobias
A loud voice talks from above me, "Tobias Eaton. Abnegation, child of Marcus Eaton and Evelyn Johnson, deceased." Well I'm not dead if thats some higher power he'd know she was alive, so at least I'm not dead. The voice continues on "Negative for divergence." Is a computer just listing facts about me? It's quiet for a moment then I hear a few clicks then the voice says something interesting "Commencing reexamination." The floor drops out from under me and the light surrounding me falls away and I'm falling off a building, the most unhuman scream escapes me. As I scream I think of what I'll land on cold hard concrete perhaps, I look down at the ground racing toward me then I imagine the ground as a soft pillow caressing my body as i fold into it and that's exactly what happens. Odd. Next I'm a child again shoved in my father's closet. I yell "You are a horrible man you'll never get away with this!" I bang once on the locked door and it breaks without me trying. What is this twisted simulation this most certainly isn't "intuition"  testing. Before I finish my thought   I see Beatrice. She is at gun point then a man shoots her I have to watch her die the life falls from her eyes but I blink and she stands there with the man pointing the gun at her still i jump on the man and tackle him. Then I fade into my father's house, he's about to hit me for my selfishness, again. I cower, and cover my face with my arms but then as he's about to strike i imagine him shrinking into nothingness and that's exactly what he does. I end up in the white room again with the mix of confusion and a pang of fear in my chest. The voice cold and mechanical booms above me, and something tells me I wasn't supposed to hear this voice at all. "Tobias Eaton Divergence re-examination: Positive."
~~~~Tris~~~~~~~~
We sit staring at the huge makeshift computer screen, Evelyn explains to me that her and the Factionless have been stocking and preparing weapons for months and since so many Factionless dropped out of Dauntless when it was "fair" we know that their allegiance lies with us. Never would I have thought the Dauntless to be fair but I have no other choice but to trust her because I must find my parents and we have to save Tobias. Oh the thought of him makes me warm all over I hope he's okay. The screen is filled with red Xs marking off each place where the small bands of Factionless will meet all around Dauntless and Erudite headquarters. She warns me there will be things I'm not used to seeing and that my Abnegation instinct may kick in but that I have to suppress it. I'm very scared Ive never seen or touched a gun before and I don't want to. But this is what I've gotten myself into I just hope I can get myself out unharmed.
A factionless boy and a few of his friends possibly my age. The main boy who has an eye patch, leads me to an area with makeshift targets and guns laid out on a table. Edward is his name, i didn't catch the others'. The ex dauntless teach me how to fire a lethal shot and while the gun feels heavy and clunky in my small hands its sense of power gives me a feeling of naturalness like it was made for me. That scares me but I know I'm doing it for he ones i love, right? After what feels like an eternity of shooting lessons, i go back to Evelyn hunched over scribbling something on paper in front of the same massive screen  only theres a different map up. The map of Chicago's underground and the Dauntless HQ? It's the only underground faction. Evelyn turns around, an urgent look upon her face as she says "I found him." The spies are now confirmed to be dauntless rather than my suspicion and here i am thinking they took him to erudite while they had him there the whole time! But still how are we going to save him? "Well," I say, " let's get our boy back."
~~~~~~~~~Tobias~~~~~~~~
The voice rings in my head long after everything around me fades to black, and fear still courses through me "Positive." It occurs to me that this must be why I am here. I am just like Beatrice but how? I never showed any signs I never... A door slams open and I'm wrenched out of the chair I'm sitting in. Startled I realize i cant open my eyes and someone holds me by the arm then rips something off my eyelids, tape. Two dauntless guards. They take me by both arms, and escort me to my cell. I never saw the aptitude test lady again I wish I could ask someone, anyone, what being divergent is. Though I do know one thing, being divergent helped me hear the test result and computer command so it might be a good thing or was i supposed to hear the computer voice? But I'm only abnegation as far as I've known. Did Beatrice have to face the same confusion as I? Does she know more than me? Oh I wish I could see her one last time, this place gives me the feeling that I wont make it out of here, alive at least. I don't know how long I lay in my cell but eventually i fall asleep the fears showing up in flashes of nightmares and I'm woken up by the cell door opening its some new guard "Wake up Sleeping beauty, someone wants to meet you" he says with a smile of malice. Im terrified but I can handle this I am strong if i can survive my father and remain in the faction that holds so many terrible memories from him then i must possess an undeniable strength and I cant be scared because i have to think of Beatrice and be strong for her too.
I'm lead into a room with computers all around and the only lady in blue turns around to look at me. She looks at me through small glasses and nothing behind her cold grey eyes, dull, lifeless, robotic. In an accusing tone, she says  "Tobias Eaton, you've tested positive for divergence. Could you explain to me how you managed to fool the system?" I realize it's the leader of the Erudite Jenny? Jeanie? I'm not sure. All i know is that she's my enemy as much as Marcus is. "My apologies I'm not usually this pretentious I'm Jeanine Matthews. And you're probably wondering why you're here?" Now she sounds almost condescending, like she's holding a candy over a child's head. I remain silent and look at her as blankly as I can. "Your records show you're healthy and clearly you're not deaf, it's very disrespectful to remain silent." I finally open my mouth "Asking for any information for my own personal gain is forbidden and against my faction, surely you being the leader of ERUDITE would recognize that." Maybe that jab will take her down a notch or two. But she continues speaking unfazed, "Well, Tobias, you are the only divergent I've seen besides Beatrice Prior to blatantly show the signs of divergence." Oh no, she knows about Beatrice. I try my best to show no concern or any attachment to Beatrice's name. Jeanine keeps drilling me, "Did you know your fellow faction member was divergent? I know you supervise the incoming members of Abnegation." I respond quite frankly, "No. I know of Beatrice, she is a promising Abnegation member following in her parents footsteps quite well. I don't become personal with any of the new members. Nor do I pry information from anyone, that would be selfish." Jeanine seems very displeased with my answer, good I'd rather have this conversation end quickly. Just as Jeanine opens her mouth to say something we hear a dull explosion outside the makeshift office that we are in.