Tris's parents were humanitarians, traveling the globe doing good things for people who couldn't afford to do those things for themselves. Tris knew this, knew she should be admiring them for it, and knew she should even be aspiring to be like them, but all she felt at the moment was resentful. With Caleb off at Harvard and her parents off in India, she was utterly and completely alone, meaning only one thing: she had to live with Aunt Jeanine until the foreseeable future.

The brilliant and renowned scientist wasn't really Tris's aunt, but she had went to college with her father, where they became quick rivals and close friends. Honestly, Tris didn't even really know Jeanine. She'd only met her twice, once at a college reunion with her father when she was eleven, and once two years before at a convention discussing scientific breakthroughs used to help developing countries. What Tris did know was that the woman was kind of a creep, even if she'd never tell her dad that. Other than that trivial observation, Tris knew the woman had two adoptive sons, but she knew not their ages or names.

With exasperated annoyance, Tris rested her forehead to the cool bus window, internally wondering why she even had to take the bus when Jeanine could have just as easily sent a car with some kind of paid driver. The woman was rich after all. With a halt, the unceremonious lurch of the public vehicle caused Tris's head to leave the window's surface and reconnect with it, rather painfully, might she add. With gritted teeth, the disgruntled teenager reached for her suitcase, an old beaten thing with wheels only still with her out of sentimental purposes. She and that suitcase had seen some serious mileage together.

Swiftly, Tris, with luggage in hand, exited the bus. She was left standing in a cloud of dust as it sped away, clearing her throat while gawking at the large house before her. She and her family definitely weren't hurting for money, far from it actually, but this colossal structure was something else entirely. If she'd learned anything from social studies, Tris could easily see the home was meant to be Gothic Victorian, its large dark frame looming over the expanding yard and driveway enough to cast quite the sizeable shadow. The large green yard was bordered by a tall black iron fence on all sides, an enormous, elaborate gate standing proudly in the center. Tall and twisted oak trees stood guard on all sides of the house, branches ready to impale any unwanted guests. By God, this place even had a freaking tower with a black pointy thing on it.

Tris gulped. "Ok. We got this." She said to herself, beginning the slow trek to the scary gate. Once there, she didn't know if it was locked or what, but to her relief it came right open with a light push. Dragging her suitcase up a short trail never felt more ominous.

By the time she reached the hulking black double doors, Tris was ready to bolt, run all the way back to the airport and then fly all the way back to Chicago. But no, she had to face her fears. How bad could these people be, anyway. At any rate, she'd probably be the strange one, no matter the fact their house looked like it belonged to Dracula. Steeling herself, she grasped the knocker in her hand, bringing it down three times before she waited. For like, three minutes. Looking around, she wondered if anyone was even home. She didn't see any signs of someone being there, no people, animals, or cars.

Drawing her lips into a tight line of annoyance, Tris reached for the knocker once again, pondering if a doorbell was too much to ask for. But just as she was about to grab the odd looking thing, the door slid inward, her hand dangerously close to hitting someone in the face. She draw it back quickly after letting it linger there under the scrutinizing stare of some dark, tall, and grumpy stranger. Clearing her throat, Tris waited for him to say something welcoming, or something at all. But he said absolutely nothing, just looking at her expectantly and rather blankly.

Feeling what little confidence and comfort she had about this place slowly rinse down the drain, Tris said, "Uh… I'm," But for some reason she stuttered. Inwardly, she cringed.

The boy gave her an odd look, like he thought she was the most idiotic thing he'd ever seen. "Is it a hard one?"

"Uh, no. I'm Tris." God, she wanted to die on the spot. The (rude) stranger said nothing in response, only opening the door wider and stepping away so she could come inside. At least she knew they were expecting her.

The indoors of the house looked much like the outside: large, dark, intimidating. Kind of like a certain someone standing behind her at the moment.

"So… is this where you live?" Tris said, turning to look at him, but then realized too late how retarded of a question that was, turning a bit pink in embarrassment. The boy looked like he thought the same thing, giving her another one of those looks.

Finally, he replied, "Yeah." He'd said it slowly, like he thought she was so stupid she wouldn't understand it otherwise.

Since this person obviously didn't want to be around her and she shared his sentiment, Tris wanted to escape his presence as quickly as possible now. "Is Jeanine here?"

The boy walked farther into the room, heading toward a large and domineering staircase, gaudy in its gothic embellishments. "Yes," He said, "But she's working in her lab now. She'll see you later."

Tris slowly nodded in response, even though his back was turned now, feeling very uncomfortable. She was still idly standing there when he spoke again, an even harder sound to his voice than before.

"Are you coming, or not?" He sounded pretty vexed, and this pissed Tris off. It wasn't her idea to come stay with these weird people she barely knew, and she was not happy about it either. If anything, this was more of an inconvenience to her.

Glaring at him, she followed him up the stairs. From there, they walked down a dingily lit hallway in stony, uncomfortable silence until he abruptly stopped at a dark wooden door.

"This is your room." He said simply, turning on his heel and walking away without saying anything else.

Annoyed and offended, Tris muttered, "Weirdo." Shoving into the room, she added, "Pissy weirdo."

The room was nice, if not overdone. A large, dark four-poster bed stood in the middle, burgundy and plum colored silken pillows swamping it. Directly across from the bed, a window seat situated into the wall at an octagon shape drew in the sunlight, particles floating through it. To the far right, two doors were placed in the wall, and upon further investigation Tris pleasantly discovered it was a spacious walk-in-closet. Another door on the opposite wall led to a bathroom, steps at an upward incline leading to a dark marble walk-in-tub shaped like a giant oval. Tris could get used to this, if the people who lived here weren't eccentric jerks of course.

She made short work of putting her things away, and gazed distastefully at all the open space the closet had left to offer. Next, she plugged in her iPhone charger, and then plugged that into her phone because it was getting dangerously close to 1%. Even if she wasn't nearly as attached to her phone as most sixteen year olds, Tris still wanted to be able to receive calls from Caleb and her parents and, most importantly, her best friend Christina, who was probably already ready to cry at the loss of her. A knock on her bedroom door startled her, casting an unsure look at it. If it was the boy who'd answered the front door earlier, she didn't want to get it. But instead she found herself relieved when it was a woman's voice who called.

"Tris? Are you in there?" Tris put down her phone, going to the door.

Throwing it open revealed a middle-aged woman with shiny blonde hair, dressed in an immaculate blue business suit. Jeanine smiled at her warmly. "I'm sorry we couldn't pick you up at the airport; I was working."

"It's ok." Tris said, shrugging. Jeanine smiled again, and for some reason, it made Tris weary.

"Well then," The older female said, clasping her hands together in front of her, "Dinner is ready downstairs, if you'll join us."

By us, Tris figured Jeanine meant that extremely rude boy would be there, and she contemplated flat out saying no, but one look at the scientist's face told her the invitation hadn't been a request anyway.

"Sure." Tris wondered if her smile appeared as fake as it genuinely was.

"Excellent." Jeanine quipped, smiling wider.

The dining room was much too large for just the three of them—Tris, Jeanine, and her adoptive son. But apparently it's where they always ate. Truthfully, Tris would've been happier and more comfortable eating in her room alone. But, once again, that's not how things work in the Mathews household.

"Tris, I assume you've met Tobias?" Jeanine prompted.

"I have." She replied stiffly, looking down at her over-piled plate.

Just then, someone else burst into the room threw the doors, pushing them both in and swinging them wildly. Everyone turned to see who this disturber was.

"I'm terribly sorry to be late for diner mother, but traffic was an absolute bitch today." Boomed the voice of another boy, who Tris guessed was Jeanine's other son, who she had forgotten about until now. Something about his completely indifferent and slightly smiling face told her he was not sorry at all, and perhaps this little upstage had been rather intentional. His eyes fell on Tris, dark brows furrowing slightly.

"Who's this?" He demanded to no-one in particular, but at the same time to everyone in the room.

Jeanine smiled sternly, looking ever-so-slightly displeased. "Eric," She said, stressing his name, "This is Tris. You remember, the girl who's going to be staying with us for a while, until her parents come back from India."

Eric plopped down in the chair directly across from Tris's, his expression turning to one of coy interest.

"Oh," He drawled, "That Tris." His gaze was on her the whole time since he'd first seen her, and it was a tad unnerving.

"Yes, that Tris." Said Jeanine, sounding exasperated, but then she fixed her expression back to its original chipper-ness. "Tris was just telling us about her school, weren't you Tris?"

The girl in question looked up, surprised and caught off guard. "Um no, but I can, I guess." She said, getting off to an awkward start, earning an expectant look from Jeanine.

"Well, I go to William McKinley High School in Chicago. It's nothing special really, just a big government building." Tris said, adding as an afterthought, "Kinda looks like a prison."

Jeanine made a face, but Eric seemed to think what she said, or something about her, was amusing.

"Does it?" Eric said, eyes twinkling mischievously as he tilted his head slightly.

"Um, yeah." Tris said uncomfortably.

Tobias made a huffing sound. "You know all about what a prison building looks like don't you, Eric." His voice was detached and sarcastic, but Eric sent him what can only be described as a bitchy smile in return.

"Yes, and all of us here can be glad that you don't know what one looks like. If you'd ever been in prison, you'd have gotten raped."

As soon as those words fell from his mouth, Jeanine threw her silverware to the table harshly. "Enough! Both of you." She said, her words a threat and a warning. It was like she turned into a whole different person.

Tris tried to sink lower in her chair, as to not harness Jeanine's wrath in her direction. In response to Jeanine's words, Tobias looked like a kicked puppy, but Eric seemed quite happy with himself.

"Anyway," Said Eric pointedly, fixing his blue gaze back onto Tris, "I just came for the chocolate cake," He said, standing and taking a plate of cake with him. He rounded table and walked toward the doors, but stopped just behind Tris's chair. "You should try it sometime."

His smile was wry and his eyes were turbulent, and Tris had completely no idea what he was talking about. "What?" She asked confusedly.

Eric's grin broadened, and it could now be classified as a grade-A smirk. "Why, the cake of course." He winked, and Tris really didn't think he was talking about the cake. "It's mouthwatering." And with that, he turned on his heel and disappeared between the double doors of the dining room, leaving them swinging in his wake.

Tris found herself still staring at the spot Eric just vacated, and when she turned back around Tobias was glowering at her strangely. She forced her eyes back to her plate.

What the hell was wrong with all these people, Tris thought. It was going to be a long stay in Cleveland.