Emergent: A Divergent Fanfic

Caleb

            I turn around, face to face with Peter. He's holding his head, red and swollen. I struggle to think up an appropriate response for this moment. "I-I," He narrows his eyes. 

            "Don't 'I' me. Come here before anyone sees us. I glance around, and pull him into gate B14. 

            "What are you doing here?" I ask, trying to fake casualty. If he asks, I was on my way back from the bathroom, but I got lost. 

            "You're going to ruin us all." He hisses. 

            "I don't know what you're talking about." I do, though. My momentary pause was too long, and he figured out I was going to go back for the backpack. "Don't try to hide it, Stiff. You already betrayed your sister. Can't find enough guilt to satisfy you?" I shake my head. 

            "I'm not trying to hurt anybody. I know that Beatrice will never forgive me, and as a brother you don't know how much that hurts. If there's one thing I want to do before I die, it's to prove my worth to my sister. Before, that wish might be different, but because of my mistakes I couldn't wish for anything more. Peter, you have to let me do this." He looks at me for a minute, then shakes his head. 

            "You're not as Erudite as you think. What makes you think that you'll make it through security without our help?" I stand tall, adjusting my posture so I tower at least two feet over him. I really am the tall one in our family, I think. Tris is so small, so fragile. I can't figure how she managed to get through Dauntless after living an Abnegation life. 

            "What makes you think I can't?" Peter snorts. 

            "Give me a break, Caleb. You have the strength of an 80 year old man, and you don't know how to shoot, and you don't know how to defend, and you don't know how to run, and what else? Give up. You had your chance to prove yourself, and you ruined it. Good luck keeping that reputation. Come on, lets go find your Stiff sister." He wraps his hand around my bicep, keeping a tight grip, and drags me forward. I wrack my mind frantically for an idea.

            "But wait! Wait, Peter, I have an idea." He stops, and looks back at me. 

            "What?" I struggle to get the words out of my trembling lips. This is my last chance. I can't ruin it, not again. "What if, what if I stay behind and make sure nobody follows us, and you can deactivate the serum. You know, since you're Dauntless and all. Because you're right. I know I'd have no chance of survival getting through there."

            "And what would I get in return? Nothing, right? Death. Just death, Caleb. You're out of luck." He shakes his head. I know I'll have to try harder to persuade him.

            "But what if you make it through? Through the death serum? I know there are things, choices you've made, that'd you like to forget. So why not? A free chance at leaving it all behind, to start over again. It's worth it, Peter, for both of us. I need a chance to start over again, too." He loosens his grip on my arm, and I see him wipe a tear from his eye. He looks up at me, and nods. 

            "Alright. Let's go." We both look behind us, making sure nobody's following us, and we go.