Away!

Chapter 34

Two weeks later

"And now the news." The woman in the TV says. I shift a bit and tobias wraps his arm closer around me. I smile. Zeke and Shauna sit on the floor on a few pillows. Uri and Mar sit on the other couch and Will and Chris cuddel together on the floor as well. And lynn, well lynn is being lynn and lays flat on the floor, directly infront of the TV and eats out a bag of chips. Its the perfect rainy saturday afternoon. "The recent elections for our new president have a new candiat." The camera switches to the picture of a man with grey hair. "Marcus Eaton." I nearly spit out my tea. I look at tobias in shock. Zeke is staring at the TV as well. He is the only other one who knows fours real name. When i look at Tobias i expect to see him shocked or scared but the expression he wears scares me even more. His face is blank. Emotionless. He is just staring at the TV as if his brain didn't really process what just happend. And then suddenly he jumps up. He starts running. I follow him. He runs out of the door and i still follow him. I only wear my pijamas and my favourite fluffy socks but i dont care. Outside i start callimg his name while i run behind him. The small rain drops hit me and the grey clouds hide the sun. He runs out of the city. Towards the woods we played paintball in. "Four!" I call again. He keeps running. I keep following him. My lungs burn after a bit of time and a bit later i am soaking wet. "Four! Please stop! I am going to collaps." I call out. I might know a tactic to make him stop. I fall to my knees and wheeze out a: "Four please!" He still hears it. "Tris?" He asks. I hear his footsteps coming closer. "Are you alright?" He asks and he sounds worried and panicked. Once i know he stands infront of me i jump up and hug him. He is suprised at first but then hugs me back. Tight. His arms squeeze me like he would die if he doesn't hold me. I hug him back just like that. My arms around his neck, his on my hips. "Its okay. He won't get president." I don't dare to say the name. I am afraid he will run away again. "Please lets go inside again. We will figure something out." He shakes his head no and just burries his head deaper in my neck. "You don't understand." He says and his voice sounds tight and pressed. "If he becomes a canidat he will start searching for me again." I hug him closer. "I won't let him get you. Never. I swear." He just nods. After a while i start getting cold. A shudder goes through my body. He notices and pulls away from the hug - now i am even colder. "Lets go inside." I nod and clench my jaw to keep my teeth from scattering. He easily picks me up and i press against his warm chest.
We arrive back at the house a few minutes later. He carries me inside and everyone looks at us. "What happend?" "Why did you run away?" "Why are you carrying Tris?" "Is she okay?" "Guys, guys!" Zeke intervines and jumps between the others and tobias and me. "Let them warm up and then we will see further. Okay?" Everyone mumbles an okay and Tobias carries me inside. He sits me on the toilet seat and smiles a bit. "No one ever followed me." I look up at him and frown. "What do you mean?" "When i ran away. The others never followed me." I hug him again and press my lips on his. He kisses back but pulls away after a bit. "You go shower first. Or you'll freeze to death." "Right now i am not freezing." I press my lips to his again. He smiles and kisses back and i tangle my hand in his wet hair. My shirt sticks to my body. So does his. After a while i pull away and just pull him into the shower with me. We both still have all of our clothes on. I turn on the hot water and when it first hits my skin it hurts but its warming me pretty fast. Tobias smiles down at me and grins. "I never imagined the first time i would shower with a girl would be like this." He points to our clothing and i blush a bit. Why can't i just undress infront of him? Why am i afraid? "But i always like happy surprises." He adds a few seconds later. I smile a bit and pull him down to me. He kisses me and so we keep kissing while the water slowly warms us.

Once i put on dry and warm things i walk downstairs again. Tobias waits for me at the top of the stairs. He reaches out his hand for me and i take it. Together we walk downstairs. When the others hear our footsteps they all jump up from where they were sitting but again Zeke saves us. He jumps between us and them and stops them once more. "Okay guys. Calm down. We will explain everything later." Tobias just says and then simply sits on the couch again. He pulls me next to him and i snuggle closer to his chest. We continue watching the news. Every time Marcus name is mentioned i feel tobias tense beside me. This will be hard for him. I can't imagine how it is to not be safe in you own house. Our house was my safe place. There was my home and will always be. I have two homes now. But he, as a child he never had a home. He only had his mother but she also died so in the end he had no one. I can't imagine living like that. But he made it. He is strong. Stronger than anyone else i know. I hold him closer. I am lucky to have him. So lucky. He kisses the top of my head and i rub circles on the back of his hand whenever marcus name is mentioned. One time they even talk about the accusation of him beating his son and say that it is lie. If i could i would run to this stupid TV-studio punch all of them and release the truth.
When the news are done everyone turns towards Tobias and me. He sighs. "Should i do it?" I ask him quietly. He shakes his head no. "No. Just stay here." I nod and take his hand in mine. "What is this all about?" Lynn asks after a bit of time. "Are you going to tell us know or what?" She adds. I glare at her. "Stop it." I just say. Tobias takes a deep breath. "I am Tobias Eaton. The son of Marcus Eaton." Everyone looks confused. "Whoa cool. Your dad is going to be president." Uri says and everyone turns towards him with wide eyes. "What?" He looks confused. Shauna directs Tobias again. "Are... - are these accusations... are they true?" Tobias slowly nods and everyone gasps. Finally uri also realises it. "Ohh! Oh i am so sorry. I didn't mean to..." "its fine Uri." Tobias says. "What did he do to you?" Mar asks into the silence that built up. Tobias chokes and i see him tear up. This is hard for him. "He beat me." "How?" Shauna keeps poking. And then i can't see him squirm under their questions anymore. "Okay no! This is enough. No more questions." I pull him with me and like a zoombie he just follows me. Lets me pull him with me. "I am sorry." Shauna says quickly and i give her a small smile. When we are on the stairs i wonder whether i did the right thing. Did he want the others to know? I shoot him a side ways glance. Once we reached his room i finally can't hold myself back anymore. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have stopped them like that, I just-" he stops me. "No. You have nothing to apologise for. I couldn't take their questions anymore." I wrap my arms around his torso. "I am so sorry. This is unfair." It is the first time that i told him that i feel sorry for him. He hugs me back but says nothing. I fear that i said something wrong but then i feel that he has my shirt curled between his fingers and realise that he probably is fighting tears. I stroke his hair and just hold him for a long time.