“
What is it?” she says. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah, I’m…” I have to lie, or she’ll try to stop me. “I’m going to see my brother. He’s with the Abnegation, remember?”
She narrows her eyes.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” I say. “But there’s something I need you to do. It’s really important.”
“Okay. Tris, you’re acting really strange. Are you sure you’re not--”
“I’m not. Listen to me. The timing of the simulation attack wasn’t random. The reason it happened when it did is because the Abnegation were about to do something--I don’t know what it was, but it had to do with some important information, and now Jeanine has that information…”
“What?” She frowns. “You don’t know what they were about to do? Do you know what the information is?”
“No.” I must sound crazy. “The thing is, I haven’t been able to find out very much about this, because Marcus Eaton is the only person who knows everything, and he won’t tell me. I just…it’s the reason for the attack. It’s the reason. And we need to know it.”
I don’t know what else to say. But Christina is already nodding.
“The reason Jeanine forced us to attack innocent people,” she says bitterly. “Yeah. We need to know it.”
I had almost forgotten--she was under the simulation. How many Abnegation did she kill, guided by the simulation? How did she feel when she awoke from that dream a murderer? I have never asked, and I never will.
“I want your help, and soon. I need someone to persuade Marcus to cooperate, and I think you can do it.”
She tilts her head and stares at me for a few seconds. “Tris. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I force a smile. “Why do people keep saying that to me?”
She grabs my arm. “I’m not kidding around.”
“I told you, I’m going to visit Caleb. I’ll be back in a few days, and we can make a strategy then. I just thought it would be better if someone else knew about all this before I left. Just in case. Okay?”
She holds my arm for a few seconds, and then releases me. “Okay,” she says.
I walk toward the exit. I hold myself together until I’m through the door, and then I feel the tears come.
The last conversation I’ll ever have with her, and it was full of lies.
”
”