Tobias POV
"What does this mean?" Tris asks, her voice heavy with confusion after reading the note.
"It means," I say, "that my mother wants meet up with me to discuss something."
She looks at the ground, perplexed. "Your mother?" she asks, her tone distant. "I thought she was dead."
"I did too. Until a year ago when we came in contact. She told me how she faked her death with the assistance of Abnegation to escape Marcus. But-" I fall silent and for a moment, my face contorts, trying to hold back tears. I look down at the ground so she doesn't have to see me like this.
"She left you behind," she says, finishing my sentence.
I look up at her, my eyes holding back the tears and blurring what she looks like. "Exactly," I say quietly. "She left me with him."
Her arms wrap around my body, holding me to her. My head rests on her shoulder as we embrace. A single tear falls down my left cheek cascading downward and leaving a trail on which a second escapes. "I'm sorry," I say.
"For what," she asks innocently.
"That you have to see me like this."
"Tobias, it doesn't matter that you're acting vulnerable right now. You're hurting and I'm willing to help you through it. Plus, it makes you human. Honestly, I would be more surprised if you showed no emotion rather than this. I like seeing this side of you and I'm glad I saw it."
"I love you," I whisper into her hair. I've said it countless times to her before, but never when she could hear. I'm glad I said it now.
She squeezes me tighter and kisses the fabric on my shoulder. "What are you going to do about the note?" she asks, my arms still clinging to her back.
"Can you come with me?" I ask her.
She nods. "Of course."
"Thanks," I whisper.
+++
Tris and I arrive on the building over the net at 3:00 in the morning on the day Evelyn specified.
As she and her little band of factionless jump off of the train, I acknowledge her presence by saying coldly, "Evelyn."
She sighs and then says, "I thought I told you to come alone?"
"Yeah well," I say, "it's either neither of us or both of us, which would you rather?"
She doesn't answer, just moves to address Tris. "So, you must be Tris. I'm Evelyn, Tobias's mother."
Tris coldly stares at Evelyn as I speak up, "You're not my mother... At least not any more."
"Tobias, I will always be your mother and I will always love you. Nothing can change that," she says softly. I know better than to fall for the games of manipulation. I know what she wants and I won't let her use me as a pawn.
"Well maybe you should have thought harder when you left Abnegation," Tris says plainly.
Evelyn shoots Tris a glare and Tris stares right back into her eyes. Evelyn looks back at me and says, "Tobias-"
I cut her off with dangerous look and a rough voice. "DON'T call me Tobias. My name is Four. The only ones able to say my name are the people I care about," I say maliciously toward Evelyn.
"Ah, yes. Your beloved girlfriend Beatrice. Abnegation born, Dauntless transfer, daughter of Natalie and Andrew Prior, sibling of Caleb Prior. Seven fears, three tattoos, first jumper, and first ranked," she looks at me.
My breath falters; how does she know so much?
"I know more than you think, Four." She struts over toward Tris and looks her dead in the eyes.
"Leave her out of this," I say sternly, walking over to beside Tris and holding her hand.
She laughs a little and says, "What? Did you really think I was going to hurt her?"
"What do you want?" Tris snaps.
"What I want is for your boyfriend to join me so that we can collaborate on how to bring an end to this crumby faction system. The demise is coming soon and it's time you decide who you want to be loyal to. Would you rather be slaves of your faction for the rest of your life, or would you rather join me so we can usurp Erudite?"
I scoff and say, "And when we kill Jeanine, who's in power then?" Evelyn doesn't answer and I turn to Tris and say, "Isn't is convenient she doesn't want to answer?"
"I only want what's best for you son," she says, her hands raised.
I walk away from Tris and stand inches from my mother. I say quietly and low, so no one can hear but us, "What's best for me is Tris Prior."
"Hmph," Evelyn says indignantly. "I suppose your going to continue to be stubborn until you see what happens to your beloved faction system. You'll come crawling back, one day. But just so you know: my offer stands until factionless has taken power. We plan to act within the next few years, so contemplate my offer when hell breaks loose," she says, walking away. Then, she and her group jump back on the train.