I don't know how long I've been sitting here, but I just can't stop crying. I didn't want to let people think I'm weak, but now Dean won't let me hear the end of it. I never expected Liam to say what he did, and I'm not sure I'll ever forgive him either.
I decide I don't want to stay in the compound because I know someone will see me here sooner or later tonight. I get up and stretch a little, my back hurting from sitting on rocks for so long. My eyes are still puffy and red from crying, and they feel dry now. I open the door and walk quickly along the hallways. I keep my head down so no one sees me. It's 11:00 by now, and the earliest people sleep is 12:00 so I have to try my hardest to avoid people. I walk a good distance without someone stopping me, but then I feel someone grab my arm and stop me.
"Hey," Jake says softly
"Hi," I say looking down. I don't want him to see what I look like when I cry.
"Rose. It's ok. I'm not gonna judge you, you know. I love you" Jake says
"I know," I say, still continuing to look down "I love you too"
"Come here," Jake says, pulling me into a hug. I wrap my arms around his waist and we hold each other for a minute before letting go.
"We're ok, you know. No matter what happens. We're always gonna be ok" Jake says
"I know that," I say. He kisses my head and I say "I just wanna get out for right now. I don't wanna risk seeing Liam."
"Ok, where are you gonna go?" Jake asks
"Probably gonna jump on a train or something." I say
"Ok. Want me to come with you?" He asks
"Sorry Jake, but I need to show her something," Tobias says coming up from behind me. He hugs me around the shoulders and says "Guess I always am everywhere" while smiling
"Maybe it's not such a bad thing after all," I say, hoping he won't hear me. He laughs a little and hugs me tighter, till I feel like I can't even breathe anymore.
"Ok, come on I need to show you something. Or someone I guess" Tobias says
"Ok then," I say "bye, love you," I say giving Jake a quick kiss on the cheek
"Love you too," Jake says
"Nice seeing you Jack," Tobias says, starting to walk away
"It's Jake" Jake smiles
"Right. And I'm Five" Tobias says
I laugh a little and follow Tobias, waving at Jake. They always know how to make me feel better.
We walk out the compound and Tobias says "We're gonna jump on the train"
"What I was planning to do anyway," I say
He smiles and we break out into a run to get to the platform. I realize when I get there, I don't feel as tired as I used to. Tobias looks at his watch and says that it's time. The train then comes and Tobias jumps into a car, and I follow in behind him.
Inside people are on both sides of the car. All wearing different colors. A red shirt, and blue jeans with a gray robe. All Factionless. Why would he bring me here?
"Oh, looks like Dauntless are on their fun spree," A factionless man says
"Tobias and Rose Eaton," Tobias says
"What did you say?" The man says
"You heard me." Tobias says "And I'm guessing you know who wants to see us. Don't you?"
"Very well then," The man says scanning Tobias and me "She'll be very happy to see you"
Who is she? Who is he talking about? Why are we even here?
"We were on our way back to the warehouse. She's there." The man says
"Great," Tobias says.
We stand on the side of the car, feeling the stares on us. Some glancing away when we meet their eyes. Finally, a boy my age comes up to me.
"So, your Marcus Eaton's kid." The boy asks
"Yup," I say, not looking at him
"Did he really beat you?" He asks. I know Tobias is trying hard to not hit him right about now.
"What do the papers say?" I say coldly, looking into his eyes
"Ok then. Just making conversation" He says
"You can't blame the kid. Not like he talks to Dauntless much" The man from before says
I don't say anything, and keep my gaze on the floor.
"You've been crying, haven't you?" He asks
I look at him, keeping my face straight, and whisper "How would you know?"
"I'm factionless. I have nothing. I have many reasons to cry" He says, going back to where he was before.
I swallow and keep looking down with my arms crossed. A part of me can't help but feel sad for him. Eventually, we reach where we're heading, though I don't know what that is, and Tobias and I jump off first. When I jump off, I run a few steps so I don't fall over. Something about jumping off excites me.
"Tobias" I whisper. He looks at me "Why are we here?"
"You'll see." He says.
We walk inside the warehouse, and It's giant. The walls are all a dark gray and there's a sort of balcony on the top. Like a stage, for whoever needs attention. More and more factionless are inside, and I stay right behind Tobias.
"I'll go get her," The man says. He walks over to the other side, and Tobias and I wait.
Then a woman with curly black hair, a hooked nose, and a strong jaw stands in front of us. I immediately know who she is.
"Mom" I whisper.
Tobias puts an arm around my shoulders and I feel like crying all over again.
"Rose" She whispers
She comes closer, trying to hug me, but I back away.
"No" I whisper "There's no way you're here"
"I am, honey," she says "I always have been"
I can't say anything else, and I just stare at her. How is it that my mom who was dead is here right now, standing in front of me?
"There is a lot I need to explain," She says "Come"
I feel like I can't move, so Tobias pushes me along lightly. We sit at a table with food on it, but I'm not hungry.
"You both should eat," She says, acting like she hasn't been gone all these years
"I'm not hungry," I say still looking at her
"Right, I'm sure Dauntless has lots of food at your disposal-" She says
"How are you even here right now?" I interrupt "You're dead."
"I was never dead, Rose." She says "I escaped. Your father wanted to exile me from Abnegation, so I faked my death in order to leave."
"So, you left us, on purpose?" I say
"I thought it would be better for you two to believe I was really dead. And I thought you would have been better with Marcus" She says
I scoff, "Better? You thought we would be better with him?" I feel my words getting ruder. "And you didn't bother to tell us after all this time?!"
"I was going to tell you when I thought you were old enough to know," She says calmly.
"Old enough to know?! How is there a certain age for a kid to know her mother's alive?! Didn't you think I needed you, that we needed you?!" I say motioning to Tobias
She looks down and says "I know. And I'm sorry."
"Your sorry." I scoff "I can't believe this".
"I know. I didn't expect you to know about this, Tobias didn't at first either." She says
At first? How long has he known? I look over at Tobias confused, but he keeps his gaze down and bites his lip.
"How long have you known?" I ask him
"I found out halfway through initiation" Tobias mumbles
"2 and a half years. That's how long you've known" I look down "You never thought to tell me before today?
"I didn't think you were ready to know yet," Tobias says
Then I snap. "Why does everyone think they know me so well?! You didn't think I would want to know our mother is alive?!" I yell
"How would you have reacted if I told you before initiation?!" Tobias yells back "I felt the same way you do! Part of me still does, but I brought you here didn't I?!"
"You lied to me. About all of this. " I say, my voice going back down again, soft as a whisper. "You were the last person I thought would lie to me, and you did." My voice breaks as I say that last sentence.
Tobias's facial expression goes from mad to hurt and he looks back down. At first, I think he's going to cry, but he's too strong for that.
"I'm gonna go," I say getting up.
"Rose-" Evelyn says
"Don't," I say snatching my arm "Maybe someday I will be able to talk to you. But definitely not today".
The factionless crowd parts for me, forming a sort of path. I walk through and the factionless boy from before asks "Would you like me to take you back to Dauntless?"
"I'm not headed there," I tell him "Thank you" continuing to walk
"Ro!" Tobias calls out "At least tell me where you're going, just in case"
"I don't think you're ready to know yet, maybe in a few years?" I say back, sarcastically
He sighs and I walk out quickly. I jump on the train and sit against the wall of the car. Liam betrayed me, so did Tobias. Who's next? I feel like crying, but I already used up all the tears I had earlier tonight. I don't feel like going back to the compound tonight, I'm still not ready to face Liam and now Tobias. If he's even going back. I decide to jump off when I'm close to Millennium Park. I sit on the metal structure, where it's flat and lay down facing the stars. It's warm outside tonight, so I don't have to worry about feeling cold. I close my eyes and then drift to sleep.
~Tobias~
I make it back to the compound, hoping Ro is there anyways cause she needs food and a place to sleep. I see Jake walking on the way and stop him.
"Have you seen my sister?" I ask him
"No, not yet. Didn't you both go somewhere together, why isn't she with you?" He asks
"We got into a....disagreement," I say
"Oh. Well if I see her I'll tell you" He says
"Ok, great," I say walking away.
I go over to the chasm and see everyone standing there. Tris smiles at me and I go to stand next to her and kiss her head.
"Have you guys seen Ro?" I ask them
"No, why are you looking for her?" Marlene asks
"We got into an argument and I wanna make sure she's ok. She said she's not coming here tonight though" I say
"She'll probably be back. Where else would she go?" Zeke asks
"Well, she can be stubborn sometimes. If she's mad you can't convince her otherwise" I say smiling
"Well where ever she is, she'll be fine," Tris says, putting a hand on my shoulder. I smile and nod at her, and hug her around her waist. At least we don't have training for the next 3 days, so she won't be late. I hope.
Authors Note: Hey guys! What did ya think? I really hope you liked this chapter and I wanted to give a quick shout out to TPJKT1984. She's been reading, and is going through a hard time right now, so I wanted to say thank you so much to her for continuing to read my story. Like always please make sure to comment, vote and share, and stay tuned for a new chapter soon! Love you guys! ❤😁
-Violet