A Different Divergent: A Better Tomorrow

~twenty~

Chapter 20

A/N: Bold quote directly taken from the book Four.

Tobias and I pack up the red blanket, numerous pillows, and ice bucket after disposing of the food trays, candles, scraped up wax, and rose petals. No one will ever know we were up here tonight, except for the two of us. We leisurely make our way down the dark tunnel to the Pit floor, which is unusually empty tonight. This must be what it looks like the night before the Choosing Ceremony. I'm used to the hustle and bustle of a rowdy crowd. Right now it's kind of depressing. We walk up the path side-by-side, each carrying a bag of supplies talking about what the past year has brought us. It's a nice conversation covering love, loss, joy, heartache, and so much more.

When we walk into the apartment, we find Avery sitting on the couch staring straight ahead, silent tears streaming down her pensive face. I secretly worried about finding her like this on our way home. She's so caught up in what's on her mind that she doesn't realize we've come home.

"Avery, we're home," I say as I put my bags down next to Tobias' by the door. She jumps to her feet, frantically wiping her tears away.

"Hi, guys," she says, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Tyler and Tessa are both upstairs asleep. They were perfect little angels like always. Tyler changed into his racecar PJs before I started Cars. I wonder if he'll ever get tired of that movie. He fell asleep before it ended so when I was 100% sure he was out, I carried him upstairs and put him to bed. Tessa was good all night but right before she fell asleep she got a little cranky but she didn't act like she didn't feel well, just like she was fighting sleep. Thanks again for letting me watch them. I'll go ahead and take off now."

"Actually, Tris and I would like to talk to you about something," Tobias says. I can tell this peaks her interest. Tobias speaks to her once in a while but it's me who mainly communicates with her about the kids. "Please sit back down." She slowly returns to her place on the couch, somewhat confused, and he sits next to her while I sit down on the love seat facing them. "Your parents stopped by yesterday afternoon. They were very upset." Her face falls at the mention of her mom and dad.

"They're worried about you, Avery and, by the way we just found you, rightfully so," I say.

"Zander and Stella asked us to talk to you," Tobias says. "The first thing I'm going to say is I don't want to influence your choice tomorrow. This isn't what this conversation is about. I want you to weigh what your aptitude test told you against what your heart is telling you and leave any unnecessary fear you're feeling out of it. We don't need you to give us any particulars of how today went, we just want you to listen." He gets up off the couch and starts pacing back and forth in front of the entertainment center like he does when he's anxious or upset so I take his place next to Avery.

"What did my mom and dad tell you?" she asks, her voice nervous and her eyes wide.

"They told us that they suspect you're Divergent," I softly say after a short pause. No one ever wants to talk about this difficult subject. It's never known how it will be received. I put my arm around Avery's shoulders and feel the tension rolling off of her in waves. "They told us they had a conversation with you, wanting to prepare you for what might happen during your aptitude test. They're rightfully concerned if you're Divergent. I wish someone would have had that conversation with me. I never even heard the word until Tori said it when my test results were ... not as expected." Her head whips around, and she stares open mouthed at me.

"My father coached me," Tobias says, gaining Avery's undivided attention and mine. He's never told me about this. "He wanted to make sure I would get an Abnegation result on the test. He told me I might be aware during the simulation and that someone would question me about it, which I was and they did. He told me to pick the food over the weapon and to throw myself in front of the dog to sacrifice myself for the little girl. He made sure my test wasn't inconclusive." How did I not know any of this? I wonder what faction or factions he would have gotten if his father hadn't intervened. He meets my eyes with an apologetic gaze and mouths, "sorry." I give him a smile back.