Chapter 86

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Trying to sleep was hard, I tossed and turned all night. I grab the wedding ring from my pajama pants pocket and rubbed a finger against the silver. I put it on my finger, it was way too large to fit even my fattest finger. I fall asleep with it on.

I wake up from a dip in the bed, it's Eric.

"Hey."

"Hey," I look up at him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, better than I have been, but there's still someth-someone missing."

I nod my head. "I slept terrible." I hated this small talk.

"Plus, I need my ring back and it wasn't on the counter so..."

I hold out my hand, his ring on my index finger. "Sorry. I took it."

"I know." He gives a little smile.

"Eric, I didn't mean to disrespect or disobey you," I frown.

"I don't understand how you just allow a child so much freedom where she basically pushed you around."

"I thought we could trust her in a public area, I-I thought...I know, it was stupid."

"It was. There's too many people out there in this compound and out of it that want to take me down and you all with me."

"I'm sorry," I say to him once more. "But, my apologizing isn't going to take back what Eloise did. What Liam did."

"I dealt with Liam, but I don't know how I'm going to deal with her."

"I tried, I tried to deal with her but she likes to throw back what a slut I am to my face. I can't get through to her." I propped myself up on my elbow.

"You're her mother." He says through gritted teeth and clenched hands. "That kind of disrespect to you in unacceptable."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, tired, tired of fighting, tired of constantly doing the wrong thing. "I'm trying not to lose her in the meantime. I-I'm trying to punish her and I feel like a hypocrite and-and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say back."

"She needs to learn respect."

"I know, Eric," I raise my voice.

"Let's make a soldier out of her."

"What do you suggest?"

"You run the initiates. You know how to run them by now, do the same with her."

"She won't listen to me, I'll tell her to run and she'll laugh in my face. She knows she has immunity."

"She won't respect you either if you keep going to her and letting her walk all over you. And no she doesn't have immunity. Not anymore."

"Fine. I'll run her to the ground, hang her over the chasm if that's what you want."

"Do what you must. Anyone who acts like that isn't part of my family."

I nod my head and look over at the time, seven. "Want me to start today?"

"Yes. I'll write her a note telling her that until she shapes up she is no longer my daughter."

Eric gets up grabs and pen and paper and hands me the note before heading to work. I pound on Eloise door. Locked. "If you don't unlock this door I'm kicking it down." No answer, so I preceed kicking it open.

"Mom? What the fuck?" She says still in bed rubbing her eyes.

"New orders from the Dauntless leader," I hand her the note.

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