Revolution -Eric Coulter-

Chapter 31

They were headed for Candor, but the walk would be long. Tobias was almost hesitant to let her go, but staying behind really wasn't an option. Riley assured him that she was fine, but that wasn't true. The pain she felt was almost intolerable, but Riley had to act as if it wasn't. Causing unnecessary worry wasn't going to help anyone. Tobias didn't need to stress about anything else. "Are you okay," Tobias asked as Riley stumbled over a piece of rubble.

"Peachy," she pushed herself up.

"I can carry you," Tobias offered.

He extended a hand, but Riley slapped it away. "I'm fine, Tobias. Just a little weak, but I can do it on my own."

He watched her carefully climb down the slab of cement. "You know, when you were younger, you never declined an invitation to be carried. Sometimes you didn't even ask. Just jumped straight on my back and demanded to be carried home."

"Well," Riley remembered those times in Abnegation. "That was when my older brother used to walk me home from school."

"Well," Tobias stepped over a pipe. "Walking home. Walking to Candor. What's the difference?"

"Well, about five years, and double the danger waiting for us." Tobias snorted, shaking his head at her. Riley's mind flashed back to dinner the previous night, a statement Tobias made sticking in her mind. "Does it bother you that I call you Tobias?"

"No," he stared at her. "Why?"

Riley tried to ignore the pain in her side. "Because last night you screamed at mom for calling you Tobias."

He seemed to understand where she was coming from. "You can call me Tobias. Not her or Marcus. Just you." Riley still didn't understand. "You're the only part of my past that was good and that I want to remember." She grew up calling him by that name, and changing it was hard. But if he wanted her too, she would. His name was what he wanted to be called, not what she wanted to call him by.

"I can call you Four. It is your name now."

"Don't," he stopped her. "Call me Tobias."

"Are you sure?" Riley wanted him to be positive.

"Yeah," he promised. "I am."

"I'm not coming with you guys," Caleb's voice caused the conversation to change.

All three of them stopped moving, turning back to look at him. "What," Tris asked him.

"I'm not coming with you to Candor." Riley couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Tris moved closer to him, "what are you talking about?"

"What's your plan," Caleb asked her. "You'll find the rest of the Dauntless, and then what? You attack Erudite? Kill Jeanine and start a civil war?" Tobias stepped down a ledge. "I'm sorry. I'm not cut out for his. I'm not like you guys." That part was true. Tris moved closer to him. "I need to go back to Abnegation. See if I can help out there. Sort out what our parents left behind. I can be helpful there."

"Abnegation is gone," Tris tried to reason with him. Caleb nodded, seeming to agree. Yet his mind appeared to be made. He would be leaving. Nothing more was said as he turned away from Tris, walking through the rubble in the direction they had just come from.

~~~~~~~~~~

Walking towards Candor caused Riley's heart to race. The white building was full of Candor members walking around in business attire. They were several Dauntless sitting outside, and they noticed them. "Four!" The group began running towards them, and Riley beamed seeing Christina.