Familiar

0.8

Tris' POV

I numbly walk down the carpeted steps, my eyes still slightly hazy from sleep, even if I've already splashed cold water on my face and changed in the freezing morning air of my room.

"Good morning." I mumble to my family sitting at the table, waiting for me.

"Morning, dear. Come on, sit down." my father smiles at me. We say grace like every other day, and eat the same breakfast foods we do every other day, and Caleb and I stay quiet at the table while our parents talk like every other day, but today is not going to be routine like always.

Tobias will send another letter. I know it. I mean, he sent the first one, he must at least want to talk more.

At least that's what I comfort myself with at the moment, anyways.

I wash the dishes and Caleb dries them, and with him helping me we get done a few minutes earlier than usual, and end up sitting on the porch outside waiting for Susan and Caleb to meet us here.

"You know we have science tutors today." Caleb reminds me, checking his watch briefly.

"Luckily they're not mixing factions for this. I don't know how'd I survive if I got a Dauntless tutor." Caleb jokes, and I laugh a little, the mental picture of Caleb getting frustrated that his tutor isn't teaching him sticks in my head.

"I wonder who my partner is." I say. Caleb nods his head and makes a noise that sounds like agreement. I can't help but wish Tobias would end up being my tutor, but that seems a little far fetched...

I turn my head to the right as the sound of a door opening and clicking shut draws my attention. Robert locks the door and Susan waves at us, which Caleb returns happily.

"Good morning, guys. Excited for science?" Robert asks once we start walking.

"Surprisingly, yes. As long as I get a partner that actually stays to the topic of science." Susan groans. Robert laughs and gently claps her shoulder in mock pity.

"I remember her! I think her name was Holly. When she was over I could hear from my bedroom, and she would stay on topic for awhile, but it always drifted off to a story, or what job she'd want to work at, or what she would name her kids. Stuff like that." Robert laughs. I do too, and I hope I don't get a partner like that.

"Could your tutor hear Holly from downstairs too?" Caleb asks.

Robert shakes his head. "No, he didn't come over after school. We finished everything in class." He grins.

Susan, Robert and Caleb continue to discuss the types of partners we could get while I admire the sky-scraping glass buildings around us. The tallest one is about two thirds of the way to school, and we pass it now, the black glass reflecting a faded view of the darkening sky above. I hope it doesn't rain too hard, the cotton cloaks Abnegation wear aren't much good in wet weather.

"So, Beatrice. How was Mrs. Roberts yesterday?" Robert asks politely.

My eyebrows scrunch up. "Mrs. Roberts..?"

Caleb gives a confused look. "The lady who works at the Post Office. I thought you were visiting her yesterday?" Robert answers. Oh crap.

"Oh yeah! I did visit her yesterday, just forgot her name for a second." I nervously laugh. I change the subject back to school and they launch right back where they left off about tutors.

I open the glass double doors to the school for us and a couple more passing students, who don't even mumble a thank you, and follow them up the crowded stairs.