Devious | Eric Coulter

34

UNEDITED

Two Months Later

"Charles, get the fúck up. You're in my spot!"

Groaning, Charlotte rolled over her back and glared at Peter. She hissed when he pushed her to the edge and made her fall to the ground.

"What the heck, Peter! You have enough space in this bloody mattress!"

"It's not even a mattress," Peter shrugged, "And besides, I need all the space I can get. My back was aching from all the work we had to do."

"I don't know why I agreed to sleep beside you." Charlotte muttered angrily, "And you didn't even do a damn thing yesterday."

"That's what Caleb is for. He does all the heavy-lifting for me."

Charlotte muttered under her breath, stood up and dusted her clothes. She might as well get to work now that Peter has ruined her rest.

"Where are you going?" Peter shouted after her retreating figure.

Charlotte fought the urge to flip him the bird, "Get your beauty rest, Peter. You look like you really need it."

The youngest Eaton went through her usual way, passing by a row of strawberry bushes and a small lake that had a number of fishes swimming in it. She kept her head down as a group of Amity women walked by, their gushes about how the day was great reaching her ears.

"This day is so nice!" A red-haired woman rambled, "And it's going to be extra nice because Caleb's helping me harvest later!"

"Caleb?" A girl asked, "I thought I made it clear that I called dibs on him!"

"Stop that, you ninnies. Who would want to be with that Nose?" A burly man slung his arms around their shoulders, his facial expression showing he didn't like the ex-Erudite that much. 

Charlotte quickened her steps, she wasn't interested in their gossips and whatnot. She also couldn't stomach the way they talked about Caleb. Just thinking about their words made her cringe.

"Good morning, Charlie!"

Snapping out of her daze, Charlotte looked down and saw a small boy holding a basket full of apples. Charlotte smiled and crouched down in front of him, "Good morning, Dylan. Did you sleep well?"

Dylan nodded eagerly, "Uh huh! And Momma made me pancakes this morning!"

Charlotte ruffled his hair and stood up from her crouching position, "That's good! Do you want to help me pick strawberries later?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna give some to Penny, is that okay?"

Smiling at the mention of his younger sister, Charlotte took the basket out of Dylan and took his hand, "We'll give some to her as soon as we're finished. Now, let's go get Four to help us before we lose our spot."

Charlotte ended her sentence with a wink and together, her and Dylan went to the swings where Four was playing with Amity children. Dylan disentangled his hands from Charlotte when he saw the brown-haired man, jumping to his arms as soon as he could. Dylan let out gleeful giggles as Four tickled him on the sides, his laugh could make anyone's day brighter. 

We're in Amity after all, Charlotte mused as she sat on one of the big boulders scattered around the area.

When she connected eyes with her brother, she waved at him and continued watching him interact with the kids. As she gazed at Four, she couldn't stop herself from daydreaming about a certain blue-eyed man. 

What if he went with me? She thought, Would he play with those little children, too?

Charlotte sighed and leaned her elbows on top of her knees, her hands supporting her face. For two entire months, she hasn't seen or heard anything about her... fellow leader? former instructor? cheat mate? She didn't even know where they stood now. When she ran away with Tris and Four, it was basically an act of betrayal.