ATTLYWYLLB (With more Eric)

Part 22

"Maybe. I guess I don't see a reason to believe in genetic damage. Will it make me treat other people better? No. The opposite, maybe." Tris said.

"You don't believe things because they make your life better, you believe them because they're true," she pointed out.

"But isn't looking at the result of a belief a good way of evaluating if it's true?" Tris asked.

"Sounds like a Stiff way of thinking." She paused. "I guess my way is very Candor, though. God, we really can't escape factions no matter where we go, can we?"

I shrugged. "Maybe it's not so important to escape them."

Four walked into the dormitory, looking pale and exhausted. His hair was pushed up on one side from lying on his pillow, and he was still wearing what he had worn last night. He'd been sleeping in his clothes since we got to the Bureau.

Christina got up.

"Okay, I'm going to go. And leave you two in all this space. Alone."

She gestured at all the empty beds, she grabbed my arm and tried to pull me towards the door with her and winked conspicuously at Tris as we walked out of the dormitory.

"Actually I need Bri here." Four said.

Tobias smiled a little, instead of sitting next to Tris, he lingered at the foot of her bed, his fingers fumbling over the hem of his shirt.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," he said once the door was closed.

I stayed by the door in case I needed to make a swift exit.

"Okay," Tris said

"I want to ask you to promise not to get mad," he said, "but . . ."

"But you know I don't make stupid promises," Tris said.

"Right." He sat down and avoided her eyes. "Nita left a note under my pillow, telling me to meet her last night. And I did."

I stiffened, and I could feel the angry stare Tris was trying to burn into my skull.

"A pretty girl asks you to meet her late at night, and you go?" She demanded. "And then you want me not to get mad about it?"

"It's not about that with Nita and me. At all, besides Bri was with me." he said hastily, finally looking at her. "She just wanted to show me something. She doesn't believe in genetic damage, like she led me to believe. She has a plan to take away some of the Bureau's power, to make GDs more equal. We went to the fringe."

He told her about the underground tunnel that led outside, and the ramshackled town in the fringe, and the conversation with Rafi and Mary. He explained the war that the government kept hidden so that no one would know that "genetically pure" people were capable of incredible violence, and the way GDs lived in the metropolitan areas where the government still had real power.

When he finished, he looked at her expectantly, and she pursed her lips, trying to decide.

"How do you know she's telling you the truth?" she asked.

"I don't," he said. "She promised to show us evidence. Tonight." He took her hand. "I'd like you to come."

"And Nita will be okay with that?"

"I don't really care." His fingers slid between hers. "If she really needs my help, she'll have to figure out how to be okay with it."

"Okay," Tris said. "I'll go. But don't for a second think that I actually believe she's not interested in you for more than your genetic code."