Holding On||Peter Hayes (Divergent)

Chapter 30

Sleep was the last thing on my mind. I heaved a drunken Uriah to his bed that night and lay awake in mine, thinking. I thought of Marlene, handing myself over to Erudite, my mother, AJ and seeing my father. I don't know how I'm going to tell my father I want to see him, but I'll find a way.

AJ sits at my bedside the next morning, looking over at me as I lay silently. I don't look at him, instead I stare at the ceiling. "Didn't get any sleep, then?" He asks. I shake my head. "I - um - wanted to talk to you. I was gonna do it yesterday, but then Mar -"

"If it's about Dad," I begin, "you know well enough I want to go."

"Piper, you don't know what he's going to do," AJ says, exasperated.

"Zeke told us." I retort.

"So? It doesn't mean that it's the truth." AJ's tone of voice rose. I know this is going to turn into an argument, and I'm ready to fight back despite how tired I am.

"You don't know," I hiss. "The day I escaped Amity, the guards said that Dad wanted us at Erudite alive. If he didn't care he wouldn't have warned us about the attack simulation or told the guards pursuing me to make sure I get to the Erudite compound alive. You tell me that it doesn't sound odd that your drunk father cares about you after years of abuse."

I flicker my eyes over at AJ to catch a snippet of him glaring at me, defeat in his eyes. "Fine," he gives in. "Fine, but Piper Jones if you do go and see our father I'll disown you as my sister. I don't want that to happen, so promise me, no matter the circumstances, you won't go. For me, please. Maybe we can go together, later. But not now."

"I promise," I say without hesitation. What AJ doesn't know won't hurt him.

***

At breakfast I sit alone on a table in the far corner of the cafeteria. Four joins me, a piece of toast in his hand. "You haven't eaten and yesterday all you had was alcohol." He thrusts the toast in my direction. I push his hand away and frown at the table.

"I wanted to be alone, can't you see that?" I spit at him with with bitterness in my voice.

"Look, I know you're hurting, Piper, and everything's -"

"Shut up, Four," I shake my head. "I'm not in the mood."

"Neither am I but I still made an effort," he growls. "If you'd care to know Tris has handed herself over to Erudite." I look up at Four, my eyes widening.

"Four, I'm -"

"No, you're not." He stood up, walking away from me. I sigh and jumped up, running after him. Four left the cafeteria and was speed walking away from me. "Just go, Piper."

"Four, wait!" I yell. He stops and turns around. I run up to him and stand up straight. "You're not handing yourself over to, are you?"

"No, but I've got an idea," he explains. "I've got a lot to tell you and I've got a lot to tell the faction. Tell everyone you know to meet in the Pit in half an hour, and spread the message."

Half an hour later we meet in the Pit. Four stands upon one of the lowest Pit paths and over looks us all with Tori and Harrison behind him. "Right, I've got a lot to explain, little time so if you could all shut it, we can all get out of here quickly." He shouts. Everyone shut up and looks to Four. "Last night Tris handed herself over to Erudite in order to stop the simulations happening to the sim prone Dauntless, following the death of well loved Marlene." I feel a pang vibrate in my heart. No more tears, I remind myself. Murmurs wave through the crowd, and a few seconds later people are shouting. Four yells for silence and he's given what he's asked for. "I know you all are angry with what happened to Marlene and the other two children involved in the sim, Kee and Hector. The answer to our problem is not handing over Divergents.