Tobias Eaton

"Four! Come on, get out here!"

I groan. "Go away Christina, I'm not hungry."

"There's chocolate cake..."

"No."

I hear her sigh in exasperation and start whispering to someone. A second later I here a different voice. "Please come out, Four." It's Zeke.

"Why should I?"

"You have to eat."

"No, I don't."

"Tobias-"

"Don't call me that!" I shout angrily. Furious, I storm over to the door and open it. "Never call me that again. Never."

Christina looks almost desperate. "Please just come out. Tris wouldn't have wanted-"

"Don't tell me what she would have wanted! I don't care. She's gone!" That's what makes me break down. Those two words coming out of my mouth. She's gone.

I've been trying, in vain, to come to terms with what happened for weeks. I eat only what's necessary, and sleep as much as I can. But it seems that every time I close my eyes I see it.

Tris hurdles off of her platform, running straight for the Cornucopia. I see others, including Peter, doing the same. I pray to the God of the Abnegation that she makes it.

My girlfriend reaches the Cornucopia and I watch her sling a backpack over her shoulder. She grabs two knives off the ground and sticks them in the bag.

As she glances around her, Tris' eyes meet Peter's. She quickly looks away and grabs another small dagger before running for the woods. She doesn't see that another tribute, the boy from 2, follows her.

He has a bow and quiver of arrows, as well as a long knife. Nothing else. I remember him wearing hunting clothes at the tribute parade, and he truly has the look of a hunter as he follows her. He's so quiet I bet no one could hear him if they were a foot away.

I watch, nervously, as Tris sits down to take a breather. The boy steps into her view. To my relief, he doesn't even draw a weapon.

"I'm just passing through. I don't want to kill you."

Tris rolls her eyes. "A lot of good that attitude's going to do you in this arena."

He shakes his head. "Is it wrong not to want to murder someone?"

"That depends how you think about it. If you're murdering for your own gain, or just because you want to, then it's wrong. But if you're defending yourself, or someone you love, then it could be justified."

The boy raises his eyebrows. "And what are your motives? Because I'm not blind. I see you getting ready to throw that knife."

My girlfriend sighs. "I'm not fighting for myself. I have a boyfriend back in my district. Everything I'll do here is for him."

I see anger boiling in his eyes. "Be glad the person you love isn't in the games."

"The girl from your district... Are you together?"

The boy shakes his head. "She doesn't want me. I've accepted that. But I'm going to protect her with my life. That means killing anyone who stands in my way. Including you."

The knife is in her chest before she even has time to move.

That moment has been replaying itself constantly since it happened. I can't take it. It'll drive me insane. I don't want to stay here in my district, where everything reminds me of her, but where else could I go?

"I hate the President," I whisper, bringing my tear flooded eyes up to meet Zeke's. "She didn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this."

Christina nods. "Four, there's someone here to see you. I think it might help you to see her."

"Who?" I demand.

My two friends glance at each other. "You have to see for yourself," Zeke tells me.

I ponder it. "Fine, I'll see this mysterious person. But I need a few minutes to get ready."

I go into my room to change clothes and discover that my hair looks like a bird's nest. I also haven't shaved in a while and have a scruffy beard. Oh, well. It doesn't really matter.

When I come back out, Christina is waiting for me. I let her lead me to the roof, where a woman is sitting. Then my friend leaves.

When I see who it is, I freeze.

"M- mother?" I stammer, hardly believing my own eyes.

Evelyn smiles warmly. "It's been a long time, Tobias."

"That's all you've got to say? After abandoning me with Marcus?"

She shakes her head, something like an amused smirk on her lips. "You have a lot to learn, son."

Anger boils up inside me. "How can you even call me that? If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have left me with an abusive father. So don't you dare call me your son!"

"I was young. Frightened. Marcus hurt me, so I ran. I'm not going to apologize."

"You could've taken me," I say bitterly, "but you didn't. Why?"

"You were safer-"

"NO, I WASN'T! HOW CAN YOU SAY I WAS SAFE WITH SOMEONE WHO BEAT ME? HOW COULD YOU ABANDON YOUR ONLY SON?"

There is no sympathy in Evelyn's voice. "I did what I thought was best. It's dangerous to be factionless. Your chance of survival with the Abnegation was much higher."

I can't believe her. She thinks she can just walk back into my life like this after leaving me with Marcus? There was a time, before she left, when I thought my mother loved me. I will never make the mistake of believing her lies again. "What do you want, Evelyn?" I ask quietly.

"After I... left... do you know where I went?"

"To the factionless."

"Yes, and after that?"

I shrug.

"Tobias, what do you know about the Destroyed Districts?"

I think about it. "The Capitol bombed them after they rebelled. They're nothing but a wasteland now." Districts 13-16, known as the Destroyed Districts, are a mystery to most commoners in Fandom. They're a legend. Nothing more.

"Are they really a wasteland? Or does the Capitol want everyone to think they are?"

I stare at my mother in surprise. "What are you trying to say?"

Evelyn's bright smile makes me hesitant to believe her next words. "What I'm saying, Tobias, is that you want an escape, and I know how to give it to you."

I hesitate. Do I trust her? Not at all. But I can't turn down a chance for freedom from the memories surrounding me here. "Alright," I say.

"Good," my mother says with a smug look on her face. "Now go pack your things. We leave at dawn for district 13."

And that's all for today, folks. Some very interesting things await Tobias in the Destroyed Districts;) So I have a few things to say....
1) I literally hate the people who made the death cure movie so much.
2)DYLAN O'BRIAN CALLED THOMAS BRODIE SANGSTER'S HAIR SEXY.
3) Simon Spier and Bram Greenfield are just about the cutest freaking couple I have ever read about.
Okay, I'm done now. Okay? Okay.