HERE TO STAY

PART 1: Change

Summary: When all your life you've had nothing, what happens when you've finally got something worth losing—someone worth dying for? Tris is in her final year of college, a student who seems to have no past, and Tobias, a student professor fleeing from his old life. What happens when they meet? Will their pain make or break them? Forgotten memories may resurface, but so do old enemies.

Warning: Rated M for mature themes—proceed with caution.

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Veronica Roth. I only own the plot and the original characters that appear in this story.

Prologue

TRIS

Sometimes in life, you stop to wonder; what did I do to get to this point in time? What could I have done differently? It's enough to say that sometimes life doesn't go as planned. Despite all the times you've played the same moment in your head over and over, you still end in the same place.

That's what it was like for Tris.

Tobias, the man who changed her life, the one who made her experience all the joy in life, the one who made her question everything she did. He was her rock, and she was his light. The angel that made him learn to forgive himself, and his past. It's not your history that defines you, it's who you choose to be and the company you keep that shapes who you are as a person. Together they learn that life is not a golden road; there's going to be pain, heart-break and even loss, but in the end, they would always be here to stay.

...

It was the last first day at college; just one more year before she was free.

It was both exhilarating and scary. The thought of leaving what she had called home for the past 20 years of life terrified her down to the bone but at the same time, the feeling, the rush that would accompany leaving the hell whole and finding herself anew left her breathless. Leaving was tempting, very tempting.

Tris found herself waking in her dorm room, it was significant because today marked her last year at the University of Chicago. While it had been both enjoyable and unbearably horrible, she couldn't wait to start a life of her own. Of course, the school was great to her—it was the best in the whole state for crying out loud—but somehow, she felt tied down to the place and she wanted nothing more than to break free. Her studies had been almost perfect—hell, it was perfect—she aimed for all perfect scores and she got them, but it was not without sweat and tears. She worked her fingers and head to the breaking point and it was towards a good cause. She needed the perfect resume, the perfect score, the perfect ending to her studies, that would ensure a job for her in the future. Tris was relying on her excellent college results for a good job (that also comes with a high paying income). She wanted, no, needed, the financial security, it was the only way she could leave. Or else she'd be tethered down to her family -her parents- for the rest of her life. And only god knows what would happen to her then.

It only took her a short while to get ready. She never fancied the way she looked but she never tried to change it. It was her motto, beauty is more than skin deep. And so, she never spent a long time admiring herself in the mirror much like other girls her age would. She only spent long enough to make sure she looked... presentable for her lectures and tutorials. She didn't really want to walk around with toothpaste stuck to the corner of her mouth, although she wouldn't really mind if that was the case. It was only human nature right?

She grabbed her books on her way out, swinging her backpack on before she headed for the elevator. While waiting for the elevator to come to the tenth floor, she quickly ran her fingers through her hair, detangling any knots she came across. When the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened with a 'ding', she quickly entered, moving to one of the sides to allow others to enter and do the same. She placed her backpack on the floor, moving it aside so no one would accidentally trip, then stood back upright. She adjusted her leather jacket, then readjusted it the same before she was satisfied with how it hung around her shoulders.

The elevator came to a halt on the ground floor and everyone piled out, she waited until everyone left before she too, took her exit. She sighed as she took in her surroundings, a big building was directly in front of her but to the both sides, she could see parks filled with trees. Green and blue painted the scenery and it was refreshing to her eyes. That was the best thing about the campus she was staying at, despite all the cold, hardened brick buildings, she was constantly surrounded by nature. And it was comforting to her, as it reminded her of the good old days. Her once magical childhood.

Uneasiness settled upon her eyes as she reach her first lecture hall. There are so many people! She harshly thought to herself as she bit back the urge to turn away. It was a little daunting to be in a room filled with many people. I guess you could say, socialising and people wasn't her strong suit. Tris made a mental note to herself whilst entering the door: head down, books up. She planned to spend the year with her head buried in books, as it had always been for the past two years. She never really felt the need for friends, books were always comforting enough for her. (But it wasn't only that she liked being alone, it was programmed into her. Drilled into her nature, her unconscious, from the very beginning, from the time of her birth until now, she had been made to function like a machine and it was always to do one thing: Study, study, study. And that was what she did.) And she did that best.

"Just one more year Tris." She whispered to herself and she felt a little better inside.

A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to my new story. Don't worry, this is just the prologue, there will definitely be more. I want to say that no, I am not a major in Human Evolution and I don't even know if there is such a thing, but for the sake of this story let's pretend it does, okay?

Most of all though, I would just like say thank you, to each and every one of you, for taking your time to read this story and hopefully you won't regret it!

PS. If there are any spelling mistakes, please tell me!