Her Secret

Natalie

    When the group exits the Dauntless compound, Caleb runs over to them. "Where's mom?" he asks.
    Andrew stares at the ground, and Beatrice starts crying again. Jeanine tries to comfort her and places an arm around the girl's shoulder. Tris leans into Jeanine, sobbing.
    Caleb then looks to Andrew. "She didn't make it, did she?" he asks. Andrew sadly shakes his head. Caleb looks immediately saddened.
    "Is it selfish to cry in Abnegation or something?" Jeanine mutters. It is a half attempt at a joke, but it doesn't lighten the mood at all.
    Marcus looks up at her. "You really don't get the concept of humor, do you?"
    "Tris thinks I'm funny," Jeanine mumbles.
    "She's obligated to," Marcus says with an eye roll.
    "Please don't fight," Tris whispers, looking between the two. "I hate fighting." Jeanine nods and whispers something into the girl's hair.
    Marcus stares at them. "I still can't believe it."
    "Marcus," Tris says.
    He sighs. "Chill, kid. I've had too many shocks today," he replies.
    "What an idiot," Jeanine tells Tris. The girl smiles for two seconds before seeming down again.
    "I just can't wrap my head around the fact that she's truly gone," Tris muses.
    "And it will be like that for a while. But eventually, we'll accept it. It's hard, but I know you're strong," Jeanine says, trying to be encouraging.
    Marcus snorts. "We're doing heart-to-heart pep talks now, are we?"
    "Dad, they're having a moment," Tobias says harshly. Marcus looks over at him, seeming scared for a second before quickly covering it up. He then quietly wanders off from the group.
    Jeanine smirks at Tobias. "Thanks," she says with a nod.
    "Don't mention it," he mutters, turning around and stalking off.
    Iris awkwardly places a hand on Caleb's shoulder. The couple was quite the opposite of the Erudites. For Tris and Jeanine were sitting on the ground. The younger girl was hysterically sobbing into Jeanine's chest as the elder blonde tried to make her feel better.
    "Maybe if I would have chosen Dauntless, then I could've been able to save her," Tris whispers.
    Jeanine winces at the thought of not having ever met Tris. "You would've been properly trained in combat, but I don't think that you could have done anything to save her," Jeanine says quietly.
    Tris looks up at Jeanine. "This is all your fault, isn't it?" she asks. Jeanine seems surprised but looks away from her. Jeanine had blamed herself even though she hadn't done anything. "It is!" Tris bursts out. She stands up and slowly walks away from Jeanine. Jeanine stands up and catches Tris' arm. The girl pulls it away. "You're right. I'm not the one who holds the blame for my mother's death. You are."
    Jeanine looks hurt, and she visibly starts to shut down, as if reverting back to her previous machine-like self. "Fine. I don't care. Blame whomever you'd like. Just know that it wasn't me," she snaps, an icy edge to her voice. Jeanine then walks off, clearly upset.
    "Somebody is being mature!" Tris calls after her.
    Andrew looks over at Tris. "Can I give you some advice?"
    Tris shrugs, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath.
    "Well, I might not be an expert on, uh, what's it called?"
    "Relationships?"
    "I was going to say . . . well, yeah. That works." He sighs. "I don't blame her," he says. "Natalie didn't die at Jeanine's hands. Yes, she had a part in the attack, but she wasn't the reason Natalie is dead. She helped stop the attack."
    "But the soldier that killed mom was under her command!" Tris bursts out.
    "The soldier that killed her was a Dauntless traitor under Eric's commands," Andrew insists. Tris stares down at the ground.
    "Listen, if you really love her, I would go fix things. I don't understand how you two ended up together, or what you see in her, but she cares for you. A lot. I know you don't see it, but the way she looks at you is . . . What I'm trying to advise here is that it isn't in your best interest to stay mad at her for everything that happened today. It's not Jeanine's fault."
    Tris nods and gives her dad a hug. He freezes slightly, having been used to showing no public affection. He smiles at his daughter. "Go. Make things right." Tris walks off in the direction Jeanine had walked off in, and Andrew sits down.
    "How are you holding up?" a familiar voice asks from behind them.
    "Jeanine," he says, turning around to face her. He could tell that the subtle traces of emotion- that he could have sworn he had been hearing all night- were gone. Replaced with her normal cold, emotionless voice. "Don't ask things that you don't care to hear the answer to," he mutters.
    Jeanine lets out a laugh. "Oh, Andrew Prior . . ."
    This was the kind of laugh that sent shivers down one's spine. Her laugh almost sounded evil, and almost robotic.
    "Jeanine. You're acting differently. What the hell happened since your fight with Tris?"
    Jeanine's face softens and she stares at the ground. "If you want to cry, we can go inside," he offers.
    "I don't want to cry, Mr. Prior," Jeanine says with a sigh.
    "Than what do you-"
    "After you left for Abnegation, I felt betrayed," she says, her voice coming out in a whisper. Andrew opens his mouth to speak, but Jeanine continues talking. "I thought that I had been the cause. That maybe I was the real reason you left. I thought I did something wrong. You were my only friend, Prior," she says, finally looking up at him.
    Andrew seems to be deep in thought as he leans back against the tree. "Remember your thirteenth birthday?" Jeanine asks.
    "The one where mom thought I got a girl book and gave it to you?" Andrew asks with a chuckle.
    "I mainly meant the part where you face-planted into the cake."
    "Darn it. I thought you had forgotten about that," Andrew mumbles.
    Jeanine smiles. "Your face was covered in cake! And Beatrice started yelling at you because your clothes were covered in frosting," she says with a smirk.
    Andrew looks over at her. "We had some fun times."
    Jeanine meets his gaze. "We did," she whispers. "We had a lot of fun times, Prior."
    "I would stop making fun of my last. name if I were you," Andrew teases. "You are currently standing on questionable ground, Matthews."
    "It's not like I'm proposing to her any time soon," Jeanine says with an eye roll. "Besides, she's currently refusing to talk to me."
    "She's actually currently looking for you," Andrew says. "I told her to apologize because you weren't to blame."
    Jeanine stares at him. "Thank you. Although I guess it would be preferred that she takes her own time to apologize. I get she might want time to process it and whatnot."
    Andrew smiles at her. "I know I had doubts about you at first, but I think that tonight you've proven to me that you really do care about her."
    Jeanine smiles. "Very much so, Prior."
    Andrew nods to her. "Great. Now I'd advise you to go look for her. Don't want her looking forever," he says with a smile.
    Jeanine nods at him and places a hand on his shoulder. "Your approval means a great deal to me, Prior," she whispers before walking off.