Pretty Little Divergent

Chapter 42 - Incriminate Him

I read the name on the sheet of paper over and over again as Elliot scans my face for a reaction.

"This can't be possible," I breathe out.

"I ran the test using the finger prints on the gun and I even got a few Erudite to check. It is possible."

"Well check again! This can't be right!" My hands are numb and my fingers squeeze and shake, creasing the paper.

"I checked three times, Tris. I transferred from Erudite and I know how these things work. It was him."

His words, "It was him," pulse around me like a second heartbeat. I flop back onto my pillow and it's cold with my recent absence.

"Elliot," says Christina. I forgot she was even here. "Can I talk to you?" Elliot looks at me with uncertainty written all over his face as he sets down the sheet of test results beside me on the bed— he knows I don't want to look at them. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to do so.

Tobias Eaton.

My lover.
My partner.
My blackmailer? No. That can't be right.

"Who do you think you are?" Christina's tone is hushed but harsh. "You can't just dump that kind of information on her like that!" she whisper-shouts.

"I just-"

"You just what, huh? You just came in here with your big head and your big ears and your big-"

"That's enough," I say quietly, but my words alone are enough to silence her. "Leave the kid. He's just the messenger."

"You can't possibly believe this." She looks stunned, but not the type of stunned when she finds out there's a sale at a store in the pit.

At first, I don't say anything. "I don't know what to believe."

Did I mean to say I that?

"Well when you do know what to believe," she says, eying me, "let me know." Christina scowls, turns, and leaves.

I close my eyes and sigh loudly. "What do I do?"

I don't expect to get a response, because I didn't say it to anyone in particular, but Elliot says, "He probably has a reasonable explanation for this."

"You don't understand." I push the back of my head hard into the pillow, wishing it could just swallow me up. "This isn't just a onetime thing."

Elliot shifts his weight to one leg, his arms crossed, his eyebrows tugged together. "What are you talking about?"

There is no longer any point in keeping this a secret. As long as I'm sure I know who A is, A can't hurt me.

But am I really sure?
I'm definite.
I'm positive.
I think.

I explain everything to Elliot. I tell him about Will, about the texts, about Christina hanging off of the chasm. Everything. And he just listens, with the occasional nod and the bite of his lip.

Elliot looks at me in awe. I don't like people looking at me in awe. "All this time."

"What do you mean?"

"A few days ago you were just an instructor to me. I mean.." Elliot pauses, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I just had no idea."

"It's fine." No, it's not.

His eyes drift from mine before looking down. "But you're not."

"So what if I'm not.. I just-"

I am cut off by a hand on my leg. Elliot squeezes, and the atmosphere turns from tense to pure awkwardness in a matter of seconds.

"As soon as we get to the bottom of this, it'll all be fine." He smiles warmly. "You'll be fine."