A Different Divergent: A Better Tomorrow

~fourty-four~

Chapter 44

Tobias, Brody, and I pull up in front of the Merciless Mart in Candor about 15 minutes before Brody's informal interrogation under truth serum is set to begin. Even though I have complete confidence that he did absolutely nothing wrong, this will let us know for sure, unless he's Divergent and can fight the truth serum but that seems unlikely to me. Tobias arranged for Purple-Hair and Snake-Tattoo to pick up Ana just after we left the training room and escort her here via train. She should arrive just before his interview gets underway, and I will admit I'm looking forward to seeing what it is that those two are hiding. The drive over was quiet and awkward. Brody broodingly stared out the window the entire time not saying a word, and because of his sour mood, Tobias and I didn't talk much either.

"Are you ready for this?" Tobias asks Brody after we get out of the car.

"I don't know," he says.

"Let me give you some advice," I say. "Four and I both have been where you're standing. Don't fight the serum. Answer immediately. If you stall for whatever reason..."

"You'll feel like you're on fire," Tobias finishes for me, looking at his watch. "We better get inside." We go through the large glass door and walk into the well-lit lobby.

"Beatrice?" I turn toward the sound of my name and find Peter's mother, Ruth, sitting behind the reception desk with a warm smile on her face. She looks a lot different than she did the last time I saw her. She's no longer the beaten down, timid woman she once was. There's an air of newly found confidence about her. It's showcased in the sharp business suit she's wearing and the shorter pixie cut in her shiny red hair. She looks like a brand new woman.

"Ruth, how nice to see you again," I say.

"It's so nice to see you," she says, getting up from her seat and walking around the desk. "You are just glowing. How are you and the baby doing?" For all the unforgivably cruel things that Peter did to me, he was just as heartless to his mother. To give her the hopes of having a grandchild when he knew it wasn't true is inexcusable.

"We're both doing very well," I say, returning her hug. "I'm getting closer to my due date. Only 11½ weeks to go."

"I hate to interrupt but we have an interrogation to get to," Tobias says not unkindly. We both know that Ruth had nothing to do with Peter's deception. "We don't want to be late."

"Of course. When I saw you, I wanted to make sure I said hello," she says. "I go to lunch at noon. If you're still here and would like to join me, I'll be in the cafeteria."

"Thank you for the invitation," I say. "We'll have to see how the interviews go. It was nice seeing you."

"Interviews?" Brody asks as we walk over to the elevators. I wondered if he would catch that slip.

"Yes," I say. "There will be two truth serum interrogations today." We step onto the elevator, and I hit the button for the third floor.

"Does it have anything to do with Sam's death?"

"I don't think so but we don't really know," I say. "Once the interviews are concluded, I'm confident we'll have some answers." I hope. We step off the elevator, and Tobias expertly leads us through the identical-looking monochromatic hallways like he belongs here to Dauntless' holding room, which is empty. "Go ahead and take a seat on the bench, Brody. We'll be starting shortly."

"If it's okay with you, I think I'll stand," he says, looking very nervous. I get dizzy watching him pace from corner to corner.

"You should sit down, love," Tobias says just as the door squeaks open, which makes all three of us turn and look.