A Different Divergent: A Better Tomorrow

~thirty-one~

Chapter 31

Tobias and I decide to take the kids to the cafeteria for lunch after we pick them up from daycare. Tyler was so excited to see us get there even earlier than expected. I talked to Christina on our way home from the fence about what Olivia did and asked her advice. She told me to keep my eyes on her and trust Tobias unless he gives me a reason to doubt him. I had to grin at her. That was the exact same advice I gave to her about Will on multiple occasions. Uriah overheard our conversation and was aghast at what she did. He, too, gave his two cents worth, saying that she needs to go sooner than later, that she isn't the type of Dauntless member we want. He's absolutely right. My biggest concern is that she's up to something and by the time we figure out what it is, all hell will have already broken out.

"When we go to pool?" Tyler asks when we finish our lunch of burgers, fries, garden salad, and small slivers of cake. He's so excited that he's nearly bouncing off the walls. He is bouncing in his seat.

"Soon," Tobias says. "We have to wait for a little while after we eat before we can get in the water."

"Otay," he says.

"Anything exciting happen at the fence?" Zeke asks. My mind automatically goes to Olivia and her antics and I scowl menacingly. I may not know what she's planning but her endgame is my husband. That will happen over my dead body.

"No, just the usual," Uriah says. "Oh, I thought Callen was going to throw Alec from the train. That was exciting."

"I'd pay to see that," Zeke mutters. I understand their grudge. It's perfectly natural. I would feel the same way if someone attacked my mom but Alec's already been punished for his crime. It's time we all accept it and move on.

"I told them I'd let them beat the snot out of each other but it had to be in the training room on the mat," Tobias says.

"If that were to happen, Alec wouldn't have the slightest idea why they were fighting," I say. Zeke and Uriah look at me disbelievingly. "I'll tell you two like I told Callen, the Alec Parrish who participated in the attack on your mother died alongside all the others. He has no memory of what happened. I know what he did was wrong, and I don't expect you two to get over it anytime soon but maybe you should try forgiving him."

"Forgive the person who almost took our mother away from us?" Uriah scoffs. "I don't think so."

"It may be him in body but it's not him in spirit," I say.

"He really is a nice kid," Tobias says. "That being said, we're not telling you to forgive and forget but maybe give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves to be untrustworthy." That's good advice.

"We'll try," Zeke says but Uriah just mumbles incoherently under his breath. Christina falls into the seat next to me looking upset. I wonder where she's been.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Will!" she says. "He's driving me crazy. I caught him texting someone, and when I asked who it was, he changed the subject. I tried to get into his phone while he was in the bathroom, and it was locked. He never locks his phone, Tris. He's cheating. I just know it." Not this again. I have to admit, his behavior looks bad but I'm not going to tell her that. There has to be a rational explanation for what he's doing.

"Talk. To. Him," I say. She has to be getting tired of me telling her this over and over. "Don't jump to conclusions. I know from experience that doing so will only get you into trouble."

"I wanted to talk to him but he said he was busy and left," she says. "I think we're done but he hasn't figured out a way to tell me yet."

"Come to the pool with us," I say, wanting to distract her for a while. "Have your nanny bring Liam down, and we'll make an afternoon of it."