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four . . . where loyalty begins ( october 17, 2149 — mount weather )
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"AND THAT'S CHECKMATE." Grinned Julian Vander, who had just won yet another game of chess against his daughter. His victory huffed Cullen, who pouted childishly as she fell back in her chair, arms crossed fervently against her stomach. "Come on, Cul, don't be a sore loser."
"I'll be a sore loser for however long it takes you to let me win a game." Stated Cullen.
"That's not the point of the game though, sweetheart. The point of the game is to—"
"Checkmate, I know." Cullen couldn't help but smile, reaching to collect the chess pieces from the board. "We've been playing this game since I was six, Dad, I know the rules."
"And yet every time, you say the same thing." Julian laughed, folding up the board once Cullen had collected all of the pieces.
The game was something Julian and Cullen had been playing for years, even then when Cullen was nineteen. She didn't like the game all that much, or find it even the littlest bit interesting, but it was the quality time with Julian that Cullen appreciated the most. It was on those rare occasions when the two remaining Vander family members had the same time off from their jobs that they played chess in the Mess Hall, right after lunch. Usually, Maya and Vincent joined them, sometimes with Maya being able to beat Julian, but neither of the Vie family members were present on that day.
"Where's Maya?" Julian had asked during their walk back to the residences from the Mess Hall.
Cullen looked up to her Father, a somewhat conversant look in her eyes. "With Jasper."
Julian emitted an inaudible 'oh', looking away as though he thought he should have already known the answer. Cullen had told her Father about Jasper, and Monty, and Clarke; not everything she knew regarding Clarke, but the basic things about the blond female that was still unheard of. She told him about how nice all three of them were, and how Maya had taken a strong liking to the tall boy named Jasper — she had pointed him out at dinner the previous day, and Julian had agreed he looked nice enough for Maya.
