CHAPTER FOUR
TOBIAS POV
I wake up the next morning and I am feeling really sore from the beating I got yesterday but for the first time in years I have had a good night's sleep. I look up and see Mrs Prior in the kitchen with Tris and Caleb helping her.
I walk into the kitchen. "Do you need any help?" I ask.
"No Tobias I think it would be better if you just sit and rest today," Mrs Prior tells me.
Mr Prior is sitting at the dining table reading the paper so I go and sit next to him.
"Tobias you will be staying here with Natalie today. I think it would be good for you to get some rest after what happened yesterday," Mr Prior says.
I just nod. I'm not going to argue with getting a day off school.
"Can I stay home to dad?" says Tris.
"No Beatrice you need to go to school," Mr Prior says.
I have spent the morning helping Mrs Prior pack up their belongings. She wouldn't let me do too much; she said that she didn't want me to hurt my back, that it needed time to heal.
Mr Prior comes home at lunchtime and says, "It has all been arranged. We can move into the new house tomorrow. Marcus has agreed that Tobias can live with us from now until his Choosing Ceremony."
"Tobias I know you don't want to be near your father and I will make sure you will never be alone with him but you are still going to see him around Abnegation."
"I understand Mr Prior. I am really happy that I can live with you," I say.
Mrs Prior comes over to me and gives me a big warm hug and says, "We are really happy you are too."
I feel like crying but not from being sad from being happy. I could never imagine that I would get a break from Marcus beating me. I thought I would have to spend the rest of my life with him hurting me. Now I get to live with my best friend and her family.
Tris and Caleb get home from school and Mrs Prior tells them how we are all moving house tomorrow. Tris and I are really excited but Caleb doesn't seem to be as happy. I walk into Caleb's room and say, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he says. He doesn't sound very happy.
"You just didn't seem happy about the move. Are you sure you want me to live here?" I ask. I hope he is okay with it. I don't want to go back to Marcus because Caleb is unhappy.
"I would never want you to have to live with your father again," Caleb says. "It's just; you and Beatrice are best friends. I'm not going to be important to her anymore."
"Yes you are. You're her big brother. big brothers are way more important than best friends," I say.
"So what does that make us then?" Caleb asks.
"I can be your big brother," I say.
"Okay. But doesn't that mean your Beatrice's big brother too," he says.
"Well yeah I suppose," I say.
"So you are going to be as important as me?" he says.
"Caleb let's just be friends. I've never had a brother or a sister so I don't know how this all works," I say. I don't know what else to say to Caleb. I just want us all to be happy.
"Okay, friends," Caleb says. "Do you think you could help me with something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Mum gave me these boxes to pack up my stuff. Could you maybe help me hide my books in my clothes?" He says.
I laugh I never knew Caleb liked to read. He starts to pull books out of all different hiding places in his room. They are behind his dresser, under his bed, at the back of different drawers, they are everywhere. It's nice to be able to share a secret with Caleb. When my mum was alive we used to hang out together but he would get bored with Tris and I running around, now I know why, he loves to read. Maybe he will even lend me a book to read. Marcus would have beaten me if he had seen a book in my room, other than school books. I don't think Mr Prior would do anything like that.
We get up early the next morning so that we can start moving everything to the new house. Mr Prior took us to look at the new house last night. He decided to get the last house in the Abnegation sector. He said it was for two reasons, the first, because it had two bathrooms and the second because the house was next to the meadow where we used to go and play.
I was really surprised that Mr Prior would want us to be in a house near the meadow. It isn't very Abnegation to let your children run and play games. But he told us that he thought it would be good for us to have privacy to play in the meadow.
Abnegation like their members to have children. They actually say it is selfish not to have children but they also say that it is selfish to have lots of children. Which is all a little confusing for me. But it does mean that there aren't many families that have enough children to fill the houses near the meadow, which is a bonus for us. It means that we will be able to run around outside and Tris can run around and pretend to be Dauntless. She used to always like to do that when our mums took us to the meadow before.
Caleb, Tris and I are in charge of the smaller boxes and Mrs Prior is carrying the larger boxes. Mr Prior has been carrying the furniture we will need. There is some furniture in the new house but there are a few pieces that he would like to take with him.
We have nearly finished moving everything when there is a knock at the door of the old house. Mrs Prior opens the door and gasps. We all turn around to see my father standing at the door.
"Good morning Natalie," Marcus says. "I thought I should come and offer to help you move. It seems it would be the right thing to do when you are helping me out by looking after Tobias."
"I'm sure we can manage Marcus," she says.
"Nonsense, please let me help," Marcus says. I can't help but to cringe at the very sight of him.
Mr Prior comes to the door and he sees that it is Marcus and he does not look happy. Then he puts a smile on his face. "Marcus I think it would be good if you could give me a hand. Maybe while you are helping me Natalie could take Tobias to your house and they could collect his things."
I let out a sigh, a good sigh. Mr Prior is very smart. Now I won't have to go back into that house with Marcus. I see Natalie smiling I think she might be thinking how smart Mr Prior is too.
"Oh no, that is alright. I can take Tobias to collect his things," Marcus says. No please don't let him do that I am thinking to myself.
"Marcus I will go with Tobias," Natalie says in a very firm voice. "I'm sure Andrew has some of the heavier items that you can help him carry."
Marcus nods his head but glares at me with anger in his eyes. Even though I know I don't have to live in the same house as him anymore he is still scaring me.
"Come on Tobias, we will go and collect your things now," Natalie says, holding out her hand for me to take.
I put all my clothes, which aren't that many, into the box that we bought with us. I am looking around the room and I feel like I am missing something.
"Is there anything else you want to bring with you Tobias?"
I pick up my school bag and I am about to walk out of the room when I remember my blue sculpture that my mum gave me.
"Wait!" I call out.
I pull the trunk out from under my bed and I open it. I don't care about the other little knick knacks I have in there but I do care about my sculpture. I pull the sculpture out and just stare at it.
"Where did you get that from?" Mrs Prior asks me.
"My mum gave it to me just before she died," I say.
"It is very beautiful," she says.
"Can I bring it with me?" I ask. I know it is not something that is allowed in Abnegation but I am hoping that I am allowed to keep it.
"Of course you can. Put it in your school bag I don't want the wrong person to see it," she says.
With that we walk out the door and I can only hope that once we get back Marcus has decided to leave.
We walk back to the new house so that I can put my things straight into my new room. I'm glad Mrs Prior told me to hide my sculpture because Marcus is still at the house when we get there.
"Marcus you are still here?" Mrs Prior says.
"Yes I would like a word with Tobias before I leave," he says. I gulp.
Marcus walks over to me and he bends down to my level and he says, "Now you be a good boy for the Prior's son." He then hugs me. I stand there and can't move, he has never hugged me before and it actually scares me more than his beating ever did. He then whispers in my ear, "I will kill you one day for this Tobias. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow but one day it will happen. Do you understand?"
He stands up and pats my shoulder and says, "I can't thank you enough Andrew, Natalie. He is such a hand full, I hope he isn't too much trouble for you." And then he walks out the door. I stand there shaking. I have never felt more scared in all my life. Then I feel her arms wrap around my waist, I don't have to look to know that it is Tris. I feel my body start to relax.
