"Here's the part... where you figure out my name." The way his voice shakes only makes me worry more.
From the dark eyes they share–to the short hair... I realize what this might mean. "He's your father." It's a statement. I don't know what Four's real name could be–I don't know why he'd assume I'd figure it out, I've only ever met Marcus and that was one time.
Another thought grows–Evelyn Eaton. I've only met her a handful of times, I've seen her more than anything. But I remember what she'd say any time she spoke to any large group of Fractured.
"I lived in Abnegation–in chains for too long. The man in which I married turned out to be a viper in my own home, my own garden; if you will. I left for my own good. But I fear for the safety of my boy, Tobias."
I gasp and look at him, gaining his attention, "Your name is Tobias!"
Marcus Eaton presents us with a belt–what–he unwinds the leather, "This is for your own good." My skin turns a pale white as realization hits me. He seems to multiply 11 times and the light struggles to leak through.
I press my back into Four's side, not wanting to take my eyes off of Marcus. What I saw in his eyes at the choosing ceremony has been multiplied tenfold. Pure evil. My brain screams at me to get out of there but I won't leave Four to this. Not after he willingly brought me in with him.
I will protect him. I will. His father blinks and his eyes turn into black voids. The belts move across the floor and the way that they slide reminds me of garden snakes. But these aren't harmless.
Four is frozen beside me, he's in a state of pure terror. I can't believe I've gotten what I expected. I wish I could unthink that little question. One word comes to mind: karma.
Each of the Marcus' arm lifts and their belts fly back, Four–Tobias shrinks and looks so much like a child with the way he's lifting his hands to shield his face. Something inside me is suddenly awake.
I feel the burn of the belt before I can grab it but I refuse to cry in front of him–even if it's just a simulation. The pain is as real as anything else inside of me. And so is my stubbornness. I anticipate the next strike and duck, rushing toward Marcus just like I did so many times in initiation.
At this point, I know how to wrap my body around another human so well it's second nature. The Marcus in front of me collapses and so do the others. I draw my fist back and hit him once but before I can throw another–something hard wraps around my wrist–I look down and see it.
One of the many leather belts tightens around my skin and I follow the trail up into an unaffected Marcus. He's grinning wide and sinister... and he's dragging me toward him. I grit my teeth together as I fall onto the floor, my arm twisting because of my weight.
Just before I know my shoulder is going to pull out of socket–all tension pulling me disappears. I lift my head and see that Four has tackled the Marcus that was drawing me in. Like a lamb to the slaughter. Every other one had disappeared just as they came–in an instant.
Four lifts both of his arms and drops them onto Marcus' head, over and over and over again. There's something spreading on the floor and I think it's blood but the color is dark–too dark for blood, it looks black.
"Four." I say but he's not listening. I push myself up and carefully walk around him, "Four." I repeat, holding a hand out, he looks up, his arms pausing mid hit. "Hey, hey, look at me." I kneel in front of him as Marcus disappears, we're back in the room.
He falls back onto his folded legs and I grab his face, "Focus." I snap and it seems to get through to him. "Breathe, please." I hold one of his hands against his heart–forcing him to focus on himself.
The way he looks at me is like he's in awe, but I know that look. He's thankful. And when he hugs me, I almost fall over but he catches me. I feel his lips on my cheek and freeze, he does too. "I'm sorry–"
"No, it's okay. I wasn't expecting it." I say, feeling hot all over because I startled him so.
He settles with hugging me again, "Thank you."
"I didn't do anything. You saved me."
Four shakes his head, "No, you did."
I go to argue with him again but I cut myself off and just let myself live in this moment of this hug. In the moment where Four overcame his worst fear to help me. The very moment where I realize I might love this boy.
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