Erudite's Experiments

We Know Nothing

POV Rosalie

I'm cleaning my equipment, being the only one left in the locker room, when the door slams open and I hear two voices.

"What's this about, SLAW?" Miles asks.

"Look, you need to get your shit together." SLAW snaps at Miles and he sighs.

"You're going to have to elaborate on that." Miles says tiredly.

"Your focus on Phoenix is excessive." SLAW says. A second later someone is pushed into a locker. I creep around the corner to watch them. Should I be eavesdropping? No. Is that going to stop me? Also no.

"That's my mate you're talking about! And if my performance was slipping Howdy or Wonderboy would talk to me. But you? If I recall, I saved your damn life earlier today!"

"You spend all damn day talking to your mate and you don't even question it." SLAW says, saying 'mate' as if it's a dirty word.

"What is your problem?"

"You don't even question this obsession you have with Phoenix. No one in this compound questions this match making! I mean, if you didn't have that alpha instinct in you, that voice in your head, would you even be with Phoenix right now?" SLAW challenges. I watch as Miles' face turns contemplative and wait for his answer. And wait. And wait. And continue to wait. "That's my point. It's been five minutes and you can't even answer the question. You can't answer the question, because you don't want the answer to the question, which is 'no'. You don't want to face the fact that, without that second gender this faction forces out of us, you wouldn't give Phoenix the time of day-that you're not making life choices, but your alter ego is."

Miles' body relaxes from his fighting stances as he thinks everything over. If SLAW had asked me it would have been an immediate 'yes', but there's a difference between Miles and myself: I had time to fall in love with him without the assistance of a second gender while he did not. I go back to my locker and quietly pick up my phone, still listening to the conversation while I move. I scroll to Eric's number to begin a new message.

R-Please don't ask why, I'll explain later, but can you get me a cheap, small one bed room apartment as far away from my current apartment as you can get me?

"Yeah, I mean, I guess I never thought of it that way." Miles admits. I bite my lip to hold back a sob while traitorous tears escape my eyes.

E-My old apartment is still under my name if you want that, but you're going to have to explain what's going on, Rosalie.

R-What apartment is it?

E-1053

The tenth floor? Talk about far from my current home. Jesus.

R-Can you meet me at mine as soon as you can as discreetly as you can? You can tell Tris, but she'll have to stay quiet about this.

E-Yeah.

"So what are you going to do about it?" SLAW asks Miles.

"What can I do about it, man? I've already claimed her. If I break the bond, she dies."

"Does that matter?"

"I may not know if I actually love her or not, but I know that I don't want her dead." Miles says in a hard voice. I quietly put on my lighter platoon jacket and lock up my locker as silently as possible before sneaking out the back door. I've heard enough.

When I get to my apartment I see Tris and Eric standing next to the door.

"What happened to you?" Eric asks. I just let them inside and head to the closet that holds the suitcases.