Holding On||Peter Hayes (Divergent)

Chapter 46

Yass guys I'm so glad I've reached Allegiant! Things won't be too depressing (until the end as MOST of us knows what happens then😪) and Peter will be involved more than he was in Insurgent. Please comment any ideas you have, and I'll take them forward!❤️❤️❤️

"This is Amar," Zoe inclined her head towards the driver - a dark skinned man with a bun flopping on the top of his head. Amar gets out of the truck and walks toward Zoe.

"Amar is dead." Four deadpans.

"No I'm not. Come on, Four." Amar looks at him, reproachful. Amar's eyes scan over all of us, landing upon me. "Holy shit, Zoe, it's Ariel's kid."

"What?" I furrow my brow. "What's going on? How do you know my mum?" I then realise: my mother was from outside the fence. If Amar knew Four and he was from inside the fence, then could my mother be out here? Could she be alive? Who am I kidding, I saw her jump and hit the water... I can't relive that moment. I need to let go of these weaknesses, just as I've been doing for the past months.

"Amar," Zoe scolds. She clears her throat and addresses us all. "We work for the same organisation that founded your city. The same organisation Edith Prior came from. And..." Zoe reaches into her pocket and pulls out a photograph. It's torn at the edges and crumpled all around. She holds it out towards us, looking between myself and Tris. "I think you girls should look at this, Tris and Piper. I'll step forward and leave it on the ground, then back up. Alright?" My breath catches in my throat. She knows me name. They know my mother. How much more do they know?

"Alright," Tris whispers hoarsely. She walks forward slowly, her eyes on Zoe. All eyes are on me now. I gulp, holding my gun beside me and
moving one foot in front of the other. Tris has already grabbed ahold of the photograph and is examining it. I walk towards her and peer over her shoulder at the fragile paper. In front of a chainlink fence sits rows of people, arms slung around each other. Among those people sits a young Zoe, identifiable by her freckles. Then, another woman catches my eye. Her chocolate brown hair falls perfectly at her shoulders, her eyes a warm brown. She looks just like me, except for the eyes. It's my mother. I gasp, biting my lip.

"There is a lot to explain," Zoe says. "But this isn't really the best place to do it. I'd like to take you back to our headquarters. It's a short drive from here."

The pair of us walk back to our friends, Tris showing Four and Caleb the photo while I walk towards Uriah and Christina. "My mother's in that photo. She came from out here. They know her." Their eyes widen. "They aren't lying." Everyone starts lowering their guns. Mine is already at my side from when I went to retrieve the photograph. Christina still has hers up, warily scanning the two strangers.

"Wherever we go, we have to be free to leave at anytime," she says as her gun lowers to her side. "Okay?"

Zoe places a hand over the left side of her chest. "You have my word."

***

We're whisked into the truck, me sitting right at the back in the corner. I begin to think about my mother and where she grew up, why she was put into our city and why she wanted to escape to this wasteland. No one approaches me, and I'm glad as all I can do is think about all the lies I've been told. Now I'm out here
I'll be able to figure out the truth. Though I wish AJ would understand and would have come with us. While I'm gone, I can only hope that AJ finds that sliver of sense to open his ears to Adam. Everyone engages in small talk or discussing the photograph. I want to look at it again, but I feel Tris needs it more than I do.

The walls lining the train tracks disappear and we're surrounded by flat land, with dilapidated buildings of all sizes on either side of our truck. There are even more overgrown trees, stretching up and curling like the claws of a monster. I feel a hand tap my shoulder. I look away from the canvas wall, staring at Uriah. "What?" I say softly.