Chapter twenty-one – Calm before the storm

Today I was leaving to Candor, starting my first day as a patrol agent. I knew I wouldn't do much my first shift, Wes had assigned me to Bryan and he'd guide me around, show me the ropes. I was looking forward to it. It was a nice change, distracting me from all the bad things that were happening in my own faction right now. I was zipping up my military jacket, looking in the tall mirror while Eric was moving around behind me, getting ready for his day as well.

"I'll walk you to the train."

I spun around, watching him sit on the edge of the bed to slip on his boots, "I'm meeting up with Four, so don't bother. I know you're busy so it's okay."

He looked up, his look so intense I backed up a bit, running into the tall mirror behind me, "Rose, it's nice of you to think about my schedule, but I'll decide if I'm too busy or not." He got up and stepped toward me, grabbing me by the back of my head while he titled my head back to look him in the eyes, "Like hell I'll let Four see my girl off. So you tell him to fuck off."

I pressed my hand against his chest, "I'm not telling my friend to fuck off."

Eric's grip on me tightened, "I don't like you meeting up with him."

I fisted the fabric of his gray shirt tightly, "Four is just a friend." I whispered, hating how small I sounded.

He didn't seem to buy it, "Yeah, and I actually originated from Amity."

With all my might I pushed him off me, "Very fun." I narrowed my eyes on him, folding my arms across my chest in defense, "I wouldn't do that to you Eric."

He held my gaze for a minute, his shoulders slumping which told me he gave up on the subject, "Fine, but I still don't you hanging out with him that often. So you let me walk you to train, yeah?"

"Yeah."

We left the apartment together, heading to the dining hall to have breakfast. Eric reached for my hand when I was about to leave his side and sit with my friends. He dragged me to the leader's table instead, keeping me beside him. I noticed the looks my friends threw me, but all I could do was shrug my shoulders. I guess me leaving for three weeks bothered Eric more than he let me believe. He was being possessive and I liked it. It made me feel secure about our relationship.

"You ready for your first shift?" Wes asked me.

"I think so."

"That doesn't sound very convincing." Wes' eyes were dancing with amusement.

"I guess Bryan will report to you if I royally screwed up during my first day."

Wes shrugged it off, "I'm sure you'll do fine."

His praise meant a lot. I grew a lot closer to Wes and I honestly liked him. I got the feeling that he knew what was going on, but he wasn't as serious about it as my boyfriend. My boyfriend was at the frontline, there was no denying that. Wes gave me the feeling that he didn't give a shit about it, that he just wanted to focus on his tasks as a leader and I admired that.

Eric and I were walking out of the compound, he was carrying my duffel bag when Max called his name. Both of us turned around, watching the older leader make his way toward us.

"Morning Rose."

"Morning."

He shifted his gaze to Eric, "Erudite wants a conference call." His eyes travelled to the bag Eric was holding, then his gaze shifted to me, "Sorry Rose. We need him right now."

"It's okay." I turned to my boyfriend and held my hand out, "I'll see you in three weeks."

Eric didn't release my bag, instead he leaned in and captured my lips for a kiss. Max cleared his throat, muttering some excuse as he left us to it. Eric wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately.

"See you in three weeks." He told me as he pulled away, "Behave."

I took the bag from him, "You too." I warned him.

He chuckled, "Bold." He looked amused.

"If I have to behave the same goes for you." I reminded him.

He reached for me, his knuckles gently brushing over my cheek, "Cute." He gave my head a gentle kiss and walked past me, "We'll see. I might behave I might not."

"Jerk." I muttered loud enough for him to hear.

His chuckle was the last thing I heard before I headed forward, stopping in front of the tracks. I dropped the bag in front of me, glancing at my watch. The train would be here in five. It made me wish Four was here so we could have our private conversation. Eric didn't leave my side for a second though, so we couldn't actually meet like we promised each other. Four got the hint the minute I entered the dining hall. I was glad he was that observant.

"Rose!"

Glancing over my shoulder I watched my mom approach me, worry vivid in her eyes. Turning around I dropped my arms to the side and waited for my mom to speak first.

"When you get back from your first shift we should talk."

"I'd love that." I told her quietly, "I miss you and dad."

The worry faded from her eyes, a small smile spreading across her face, "We miss you too. There has been a lot going on right now and I feel like we should openly discuss it." She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the area, "Things are going to change though, I'm going to make up for the damage I've done."

That worried me, "Mom!"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be okay."

I doubted that, the things I've read so far scared me. I didn't think it was wise to mess with things we had no knowledge of. I knew mom knew a lot more than I did, but that wouldn't keep her safe. The order was to take care of everything which was a threat to the project Erudite was working on. If mom was a threat they'd take action.

I reached out for her, grabbing onto her hands, "Mom, we'll talk when I get back. Don't do anything rash, it won't end well." I whispered to her.

Mom squeezed my hands tightly, "I'm not going to do anything rash." She promised me.

She didn't tell me she'd stand down either. The sound of the train rushing over made me panic. I knew my mom was going to something stupid which would get her in trouble. I couldn't miss this train though. I was out of ideas. Pulling her into a hug I begged her to stay quiet.

"Please, just stay away from them."

"I'll be okay." She whispered back, hugging me tightly, "It's not right that my daughter worries over me." She pulled back and smiled at me, "I'm the mother here, let me be a mom, okay?"

The panic wasn't fading, but I had no time to wonder about that when my mother grabbed my duffel bag and handed it to me, "Don't be late on your first day." She warned me.

Jumping onto the train, I stood in the doorway glancing over at the platform. My mom waved at me, flashing me an encouraging smile. I knew she promised me everything would be okay, but the upset feeling in my stomach just wouldn't go away. Heading inside the compartment, I leaned against the steel wall, let my duffel bag drop to the floor next to my feet and took out my tablet. I couldn't do anything from Candor, but I had friends in Dauntless who could watch over my mom for me. I knew they'd do it. I couldn't be obvious though, I knew I was being paranoid, but I had a feeling that people were monitoring the compound, making sure there were no loose ends. So I sent for a cryptic message, hoping he got it.

Talked to my mom this morning.
It didn't go so well.

Which wasn't a lie, but I assumed if someone did read my message they'd think I had a fight with my mother.

Can you check up on her, make sure she's doing okay?
I'll owe you.

Rose.

I really hoped he understood that message. Four wasn't a mind reader, but he knew enough about the situation. Hopefully I could go through my three weeks at Candor without any problems. I'd rush back home and try and talk my mother out of whatever she was trying to fix. We might not see eye to eye, but she was still my mother. I wanted my family to be safe.