A Different Divergent: Everyday Love

47

The familiar buzz of my phone wakes me from a deep sleep. I try to pry my tired eyes open but I just can't do it, so I roll over and blindly feel around on the nightstand for the irritating offender. Once I have it in my hand, I switch it on. When I raise it to my ear, I can't help my frown. All I hear is a dial tone. I squint as I concentrate on the face of the phone, and I realize my mistake. The phone wasn't ringing, it was alerting me to an incoming text message. I chuckle and shake my head at my stupidity.

I open the message screen and confusion fills me as I scroll through the series of photos. That's it, pictures no message. There are four of them, one each of Tyler, Tessa, and Teagan and one of the three of them together but they aren't close up shots of them smiling and posing. They've obviously been taken from a distance. Tyler is on a swing, Tessa is on a slide, and Teagan is on a bridge. The one of all three of them together show them resting and drinking some bottled water. I study them closely. It looks like they're wearing the same clothes they were wearing yesterday. I automatically raise up on one arm and look over at my kids.

What the hell are these? Why would Bridget send me such odd pictures? I study each shot again, and in the photo of all three of them, she is sitting on the park bench almost out of frame. Obviously, she didn't take these. I exit out of the message and try to access the number attached to the text. Bridget didn't send them to me. It says it's from a blocked number. My heart rate picks up until it's beating violently in my chest.

I ease out of bed, making sure I don't disturb the kids. They're sleeping peacefully, and I wish I was as blissfully unaware as they are in this moment. I sit down in the rocking chair and open the disturbing pictures once again. I study every millimeter of each frame for any kind of clue as to who could have sent these but there is nothing. If I didn't know better, they look like your average snapshot. Should I disturb Tobias with this?What if they're nothing? The increasing panic subsides for a moment when I consider that they may be from Fiona. She and Liam usually go to the park with Bridget and the kids and yesterday was no exception. I'm dialing her number before I realize what I'm doing.

"Hey, Tris," Fiona says, answering on the third ring.

"Hi, Fi," I say trying to keep the panic out of my voice. My babies are fine. They're sleeping right in front of me. There is no need to alarm her. "I have a question for you."

"All right," she says. "Is there something wrong? You sound upset." I guess I'm not a very good actress when it comes to my kids.

"I'm sure it's nothing," I mutter even though I'm convinced it's definitely something, although what I have no idea. "When you were at the park with Bridget and the kids yesterday, did you see anyone lingering around who didn't quite fit?"

"Um, no," she says after a moment.

"Did you see someone with a camera?" I ask, trying a different route.

"No," she says, her interest definitely peaked. "What's going on, Tris?"

"I just got some odd pictures of the kids a little bit ago," I say.

"Pictures?"

"Yeah. One of each of the kids and one of the three of them together," I say.

"I didn't send you any pictures, Tris," she says, concern audible in her voice. "I took a few but I haven't even had time to look at them yet."