Divergent: Unleashed | ✓

Chapter 21

The next day at Animal Kingdom, it's hot. As in, really hot. And since no stores have air conditioning and there are trees everywhere preventing air flow, it's about 100 degrees out, not even counting the humidity.

Ashlyn had been texting someone all morning, though Four didn't question her. Then he gets a text from Zeke. Where are you?

Four replies quickly. Animal Kingdom. Asia maybe? Why?

In answer he feels a tap on his shoulder. Zeke, Uriah, Lynn, Shauna, and Lauren stand behind him, grinning. "Hey." Shauna grins. They all hug and say hi, and then they all greet Ashlyn, Bryn, and Ronny.

"Would you guys hate it if we hung out with you?"

Ashlyn looks at her mom, and they seem to have a silent conversation. Then she looks at Bryn. "Alright with you?" She asks. Bryn smiles.

"Well, I guess that's settled." Lynn says, then claps Ashlyn on the shoulder. "How you been, kid? Haven't talked to you in a while."

Ashlyn shrugs. "I passed seventh grade, shockingly. I might be taking Spanish and French next year and dropping stupid Music if the schedules don't clash. And I'll be in all advanced classes next year."

Four smiles down at his cousin and ruffles her hair- which messes up her ponytail- and earns a glare from her. "This kid got all A's both semesters." He seems proud of her.

"Oh, so we've got a little Erudite among us." Zeke grins.

Bryn shoots him a look. "I hate Erudite." she says.

"Now Bryn. That's not a very Amity thing to say." Her sister chides her.

"An Amity?" Uriah snorts. They keep walking towards Dinoland U.S.A.

Ashlyn makes a shushing noise. "It's her favorite faction. Don't trash talk them." They all laugh.

"So have you talked to Tris lately, Four?" Shauna asks, oblivious to the whole conversation. "We've all tried calling her, but she absolutely refuses to pick up or text back."

It was obviously the wrong thing to say. Four tenses up, his hands tightening into fists. "Do you want me to explain?" Ashlyn asks quietly. He nods. "Him and Tris, uh, aren't...together anymore."

"What? Why?" 

"Well, um..." Ashlyn searches for the right words. "When she pulled him aside in Abnegation, she told him that something came up or something like that."

Lauren looks up at Four. She's only two or three inches shorter than him, but still. "Four? Is this true?"

He gives a quick nod. "She tried breaking up with me in Dauntless. When we went back to my apartment. I didn't let her go then, but...I didn't have a choice in Abnegation."

"So that's why she just left." Uriah says, putting the pieces together. "Tris never leaves without saying goodbye."

"With the exception of when she went to Erudite." Lynn reminds him. "But cutting everyone else off?"

"She told me something." Ashlyn says quietly.

That gets their attention. "What did she tell you?" Zeke asks.

Ashlyn shakes her head. "Something about Caleb. I can't really remember." It's obviously a lie. "And then there was something about...something about her Divergence. Something about how she never should've come to Dauntless, that none of this ever would of happened. She also said about endangering others." Ashlyn bites her lip. She doesn't like lying to them, especially not Four.

The others exchange looks. They know that she's hiding something. "So she chose that moment to act like the Abnegation." His tone is cold and slightly distant.

"Would it kill her to be selfish just once?" Uriah adds. You couldn't be closer to the truth. Ashlyn thinks.

They get in line for the Primeval Whirl. They then move on to a lighter subject- home. What it's like for them where they live, how the others are doing- keeping their minds off of Tris. Ashlyn talks to Bryn in hushed tones, the others catching snippets of their conversation. Something about some guy that Bryn has a crush on, but can't date because they're not allowed to date until they're sixteen.

Shauna, Lynn, and Lauren exchange glances. There's something that isn't right about Four's cousin. Her words fit almost perfectly, and yet...something was wrong. But of course they couldn't share their suspicions with the guys. They would think that the girls are paranoid.

But whatever's going on with Tris and Ashlyn, they'd figure it out. They may not be Erudite, but that doesn't mean that they need to figure out what's going on, and why Four's cousin feels the need to hide something.