Divergent High

Chapter 8

[By the way, thanks guys for the 200 reads! sorry I haven't updated.]

Tris POV:

Shit! Now Tobias is going to get a real beating. I hope he doesn't get that hurt. I slowly turn around, revealing an enraged Marcus with a box of spaghetti. Oh I almost forgot that. Caleb is still expecting me home. 

"What the hell do you two think you are doing?!" he screams at us. I look over at Tobias and see that he isn't as scared as I am. Wtf! I am completely freaking out right now and he looks like he goes through this everyday. Wait, he does go through this everyday. 

My thoughts are interrupted by Marcus's threatening words, "Get the hell out of here Beatrice or I will show you what happens to Four here when he misbehaves." These are words I never want to hear again, but I can't just leave Tobias here, by himself with this monster. But I also don't know what to do. 

"Fine." I say emotionlessly and proceed to leave the room. I look back and see Tobias's face full of sadness and betrayal. I need to reassure him I am here for him. I turn back to the door and walk through passing the monster that doesn't have the right to be called a father. Marcus closes the door behind me. No noise comes from that room and I know that Marcus is waiting for me to leave. On that note, I run down stairs, to the glass door that leads to the pool in the back yard and open it slightly. Then I run to the front door and, surprisingly, I find two boxes of spaghetti. I stifle a laugh. I take the boxes and walk out the door and go to my house. 

When I look back, I see two figures looking out the window at me. Its Marcus and Tobias. Marcus says something to him and then he walks away from the window. Tobias hesitates though. I mouth 'Be brave Tobias. Be brave.' I know he's going to hate me for that. He nods and follows his father. Once I know that they won't be able to see me, I run up to the door and walk inside.

"Tris! Oh my gosh, I thought Marcus was beating you or something!" Caleb yells fear lingering in his eyes.  He also looks at me a little more relaxed than he did. I guess he thought I was beaten then taken to the hospital and someone was coming to notify him.

"I'm fine. He didn't beat me, but... wait," I say remembering Tobias, "I forgot my jacket. I promise I'll be right back." I lie, turning back around towards the door.

"NO! Tris stay. You can get the jacket back another day." Caleb says trying to sway my opinion. He grabs my arm tightly, making me stop in my tracks.

"No I have to go get it. Its the one the that... my old best friend gave me." I say adding a slight pleading look to my face. Besides, Caleb knows that everything that my old best friend gave me was like gold to me and irreplaceable. 

"Fine, but be back in a minute. Anything more than that and I am going over there." 

"Ok" I call back as I walk back out the door.

So how am I going to get back in? Oh yeah, I intentionally left that door open so I could sneak back in after I reassured Caleb of my well being. I make my way around the house and hear something I never want to hear again. Its a scream, but not a regular scream. One of those blood curdling screams. Tobias's scream.

I frantically make my way to the back of the house. Jump the wired fence and go towards the door. Its is still opened. Which means that Marcus is rather still beating Tobias or he is just sleeping, ] letting Tobias bleed out on his floor. I quietly make my way up to Tobias's room. I hear more whips but then they stop. 

"This is for your own good." In just those six words, all of my anger towards him is exposed. I march in the room and jump in front of Tobias who is now bent over. His back facing Marcus. Marcus brings his arm back and whips. He whips me. My arm. It stings. I allow one shriek of pain to escape my lips but all I can think of is to protect Tobias. I quickly unravel the belt and whip Marcus across the face. 

Next thing I know, Marcus punches me in the face. Twice. He smirks and says " Stupid girl. Now you will know what it feels like when Four gets punished."

Then I get pulled back by a strong hand. Tobias. He stands in front of me and yells at Marcus, "Leave her out of this!" His arms wrap around me as I stand behind him. He is shaking, not because of fear, that's ruled about because of the determination in his eyes, but because of the pain he just went through and the pain that I just received.

Marcus says "Four. Now you know I can't do that." He swings his belt and it hits Tobias across the face. A tiny drop of blood appears on his shoulder and I know it broke skin.

"Leave her out of this" Tobias growls. He can definitely be threatening when he wants to be. I don't know if I should be scared of him right now or safe. I pick safe. He's only acting like this to protect me. 

Tobias throws an upper cut at his 'father'. Marcus's eyes roll to the back of this head and he falls to the ground. I feel very weird. I feel sick. Light headed. I might vomit, maybe, but I don't know why. Then without a warning, I fall to the ground. My eye sight becomes darker around the edges but I see two dark blue eyes staring down at me. The mouth attached to them says something but I can't here it. All I can hear is my heart beating and how fast it's going. I focus on the lips and what they are trying to say to me. Right before the world goes black around me, I see him say, "Be brave Tris. The first time is always the hardest." 

Tobias PoV

I can't believe it. She took a whipping and two punches for me. No one has ever done that.

I look at Marcus's unconscious body and realize Tris is on the floor as well. I didn't hit her, did I? No I couldn't have. I didn't feel anything hit my elbow anyway. Of course if I am the cause of her unconsciousness, I will punch myself.

I try to talk to her. To tell her everything is going to be alright. That she is safe with me, but she says nothing. Her eyes just scan mine, questioning me. I'm pretty sure she can't hear me now. Then I look at her face, I don't know why she suddenly looks pale but I do know she isn't used to this, like I am. To the pain of being whipped. I need to think of something before she goes out.

"Be brave Tris. The first time is always the hardest." is all I seem to be able to say. I watch her eyes close. She looks peaceful. Well except for the huge bruises on her jaw and under her eye. Even like this, she still looks beautiful. What! No, not know Tobias. Besides you just made your father unconscious and might has well have been the cause for her being unconscious as well. She won't love you now that she knows how threatening you are. She might be frightened by you. But I want her to at least have a good memory of me. Just one.

I need to think of that one memory. I turn back to my father and think. I take the belt that he dropped on the floor when I punched him and looped it back on his pants. Buckled it up and lifted Marcus up over my shoulder. I take him to his room. Place him on his bed and go down stairs and get a bottle of alcohol. Pour half of it down the drain and then go back up stairs and put it in his hand. Hopefully he will think he passed out drinking and just came up here. Maybe he will forget all that happened a few minutes ago.

I head back to my room and find some guy over Tris's unmoving body. He touches her face to see if she's awake. Who the hell is this and why the fuck is he touching her! I pull the guy to his feet, well actually off of his feet. I bring him eye level to me and he is shorter than me, that's why his feet left the ground.

"Who the hell are you!" I demand. I say it more like a statement than a question. He looks intimidated but manages to whimper "I'm ....h-her....brother". He points to Tris.