"Hey, baby," I say as I stick my head through Tobias' office door. It's almost 11:30, and I'm beyond starving. Unfortunately, the two huge cinnamon rolls I had this morning didn't hold me as long as they normally do. If I don't eat soon, I can't be held accountable for my actions. I'm going to gain so much weight this pregnancy, I just know it. Tobias is sitting at his desk intently staring at his computer screen, and I'm not sure he knows that I'm standing here. "Yoo-hoo! Do you want to have lunch at home or would you rather go down to the cafeteria and eat with our friends?" I've spent the past few hours reading over the incident reports from the fight in the Pit this morning that Will and James sent up just like Tobias asked me to and logging them into the official record. That technically didn't need to be done until next week but I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and get a head start for once.
"Can you lock the door, love?" he asks instead of answering my question. "I need to show you something and get your take on it."
"Okay," I say as I step through the door, close it behind me, and flip the lock.
"No, come here," he says as I start to sit in one of the office chairs across from him. I straighten up then join him behind his computer. I glance at the monitor and on it sits a frozen picture of Hector and a person I don't know but who looks oddly familiar. "Watch this video then tell me what you see."
"Okay." He pulls me onto his lap, wraps his arms around me, and rests his chin on my shoulder. He reaches forward, presses a button on the keyboard, and the still picture on the monitor rewinds then comes to life right before me. Unfortunately, this particular camera doesn't have sound so we have to guess what precisely is going on. The video looks to be taken in one of the many hallways that vine off the Pit floor but it's hard to say exactly which one since they all look alike.
Hector leisurely rounds a blind corner into the camera range followed shortly by a tall, broad man with sandy blonde hair and no visible tattoos or piercings. Hector looks relaxed until he sees the obviously unwelcomed company then he visibly tenses. The big man invades Hector's space, talking at him quite animatedly, waving his hands around but he never touches him. It's hard to guess what's going through Hector's mind because his back is mostly to the camera so we can't see his facial expressions. Is he frustrated, angry, frightened, nervous? I can't tell by his body language alone but nervous seems high on the list of possibilities. Suddenly, the big man steps forward and pushes his index finger into Hector's chest three times then turns and walks away. When he's out of frame, Hector's shoulders sag and he collapses against the wall. It looks like he's trying to catch his breath. When he turns around, his face is set in determination but I definitely see anxiety, fear, and fury in his eyes. He takes a few steps then disappears from view.
"This was approximately 45 minutes before the fight by the chasm took place," Tobias says. "What do you think?"
"Can you play it again?" I ask.
"Of course," he says as he reaches out and hits the replay button.
"If I'm reading this situation correctly, I would say Hector is being bullied," I say after letting the video fully sink in. "I'm not entirely sure why but it kind of reminds me of when Tyler was bullied by Bobby. He relentlessly picked on poor Tyler so Tyler took his frustrations out on his friends. Do you think Hector is feeling powerless against whoever that is and is taking his frustrations out on us?"
"That's exactly what I thought when I saw this," he says.
"Do we have any idea who that is?" I ask.
"No clue," he says, "but don't you think he looks a lot like the eye witness descriptions of the man who fell into the chasm. He's even wearing the same kind of shirt that was fished out of the river."
"Maybe that's why I thought he looked familiar," I say. "Hopefully, we'll get some answers from Hector once we show him this."
"That's what I'm hoping."
"Who else has seen this?" I ask. "Zeke?"
"No. I thought Zeke was too close to this," he says. "I enlisted Nathan's help this time."
"That's good thinking," I say. "We don't want Zeke choosing sides because we know where his loyalty would lie."
"I don't want anyone choosing sides," he says. "We should be working on this together."
"I think lines have already been drawn, Tobias," I sigh, "especially given Shauna's behavior this morning. She's never spoken to me that way. I've always thought we were friends."
"She is your friend, love," he says. He turns me on his lap and gives me a soft kiss. "You know that. She's just upset with Hector and everything that's been going on."
"And took it out on me," I murmur barely above a whisper.
"I know. It sucks but she apologized," he says. "I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"I know."
"Did you mention lunch?" he asks.
"Yes. I'm starving," I say. "Do you want to go to the cafeteria or would you rather go home?"
"Let's go home," he says. "We can spend some time with the kids."
"They might not be there. Bridget mentioned taking them to the park with Fiona and Liam."
"If that's the case, we can have a nice leisurely, uninterrupted lunch just the two of us."
"That sounds very nice," I say, knowing what he's getting at. We get up after another unhurried kiss then move toward the door but before I can unlock it a knock scares the crap out of me and I jump backwards, bumping into Tobias. "Shit!" He manages to steady me as I put my hand over my heart, willing my racing heart to slow. Behind me I hear Tobias chuckle as he flips the lock and opens the door to Shauna, James, and Will. Crap! Now I'm never going to get to eat.
"Tris and I were just headed home for lunch," Tobias says. "Can whatever this is wait?" They all look at each other.
"You're welcome to join us," I say. "We can talk there."
"We don't want to disturb you," Shauna says, looking embarrassed.
"It's no bother," Tobias says. "Come on." We leave his office and make our way upstairs to our apartment. After telling our guests to make themselves comfortable, I head into the kitchen to see what we have. There aren't enough leftovers for everyone and not enough time to fix something from scratch, so I look through the freezer at the few meals Bridget has prepared and frozen for emergencies just like this. The lasagna appears to be large enough for all of us if I pair it with a tossed garden salad and some mixed fruit.
"Tris?" Shauna timidly says from right behind me. The unexpected voice catches me off guard and a startled squeal bursts through my lips. "I'm sorry I scared you. I just wanted to talk to you."
"It's okay," I say. "I'm just jumpy today for some reason." I preheat the oven then give her my full attention.
"I need to apologize to you."
"You already apologized," I say.
"I need to do it again. I didn't mean what I said, Tris. I have no idea where those hateful words came from. I don't care that you came from Abnegation. I never have. You've never been anything other than my equal. I don't know what came over me. Will you forgive me?" I start to say there's nothing to forgive but the truth of the matter is her words hurt not because of what she said but because they came out of her mouth. Tears prick the back of my eyes, and I quickly blink them away. Now is not the time to let my hormone-riddled emotions get the best of me.
"I forgive you, Shauna," I say, smiling up at her. "I know this has been hard on you, too. Who knows what any of us would say or do if it were one of our family members in trouble?" She beams back at me then lunges forward, wrapping me in a tight embrace.
"Part of me wants to beat the shit out of the little asshole and another part of me wants to hold tight and protect him," she says. "He's my baby brother, and I don't even recognize him anymore. I'm scared."
"We found something on video from earlier today," I say when she lets me go. "Four will let you view it later but it appears that your brother has a bully." The stove buzzes letting me know it's time to reheat the lasagna. I set the timer for 20 minutes after putting it in the oven.
"A bully?"
"We can't confirm that without corroboration from him but, yes, that's the impression Four and I both got independently."
"Bully. Who is it?" she asks.
"We didn't recognize him," I say, "but he looks a lot like the description of the man who supposedly fell into the chasm this morning. Is there anymore news about that?"
"No, but we have several patrol members still looking," she says then her thoughts turn back to her brother. "A bully, huh? I can't imagine my brother being intimidated by anyone. He's always been so strong."
"A couple years ago Tyler was being bullied by a boy at daycare," I say then I convey to her the entire story. "He took his frustrations out on his friends instead of standing up to Bobby or telling us. Four and I recognize the same behavior in Hector. It could explain his outbursts and his recent behavior."
"How did I not know about Tyler!" she mutters. "Poor little guy."
"We got to the bottom of the bullying rather quickly so it didn't do any lasting harm," I say. "Bobby, unfortunately, was taking his frustrations out in Tyler. It was one big vicious circle. He and his mother were abused by his stepfather. It was a sad situation all around. I'm glad Four and I were able to help Jennifer, Bobby, and Becca."
"Jennifer from the boutique?"
"Yeah."
"I guess we all have our secrets," she mumbles under her breath.
"What are you two talking about in here?" Tobias asks as he comes into the kitchen.
"I was just telling Shauna about the video you found of Hector and the suspected bullying," I say.
"Zeke is having a couple of his men set up the conference room to view the videos," he says. "Once lunch is over, we'll convene there and go over all the video. Maybe you can tell us who the man is. It would be nice to get an ID before we talk to Hector."
"It's always nice to know the answers to the questions before we ask them," I say.
"That reminds me, if we can't get him to talk, Shauna, he will be taken to Candor for an interrogation under truth serum. We need him to talk and we need it now."
"I totally understand," she says. "He's trying everyone's patience including mine. I want to get to the bottom of this just as much as you do, Four."
"I'm glad you understand," he says.
"Let's hold off on anymore office talk until after lunch is over," I say.
"Sounds like a plan," Tobias says. "What are we having anyway? It smells good."
"Lasagna, garden salad, and some mixed fruit," I say. I turn to get five plates out of the cupboard and the edges of my vision goes black and the room slowly starts to spin. I sway into Tobias and he gives me a funny look before putting his hands on my waist to steady me.
"Are you okay, Tris?" Shauna asks.
"Dizzy," I murmur as Tobias leads me to the dining room table to sit down. He kneels down in front of me.
"What can I get for you?" he asks.
"I'm really hungry," I whisper, the spinning giving way to a rolling stomach. "I need something to eat."
"Shauna, can you get her some cheese out of the fridge?"
"Of course," she says. She brings me back a piece of string cheese and hands it to Tobias.
"Here you go, love," he says. I nibble on the snack and start to feel better almost immediately. "You're getting your color back." He glides his knuckles down the side of my face, worry on his.
"I'm feeling better," I softly say, embarrassed. "I shouldn't have let myself get so hungry."
"It's my fault," he says. "You told me you were hungry when you popped your head in my office. We should have come home immediately. I won't make that mistake again."
"I didn't think you heard me," I say.
"Oh. My. God!" Shauna excitedly squeals. "You're pregnant!" Tobias and I freeze. How the hell did she figure that out? I furrow my brows at her. "Come on," she whines. "Four has had his hand on your stomach since you sat down. That's a dead giveaway. He did that all the time when you were pregnant with Teags." We both look down and, sure enough, his hand is splayed protectively across my lower tummy and neither of us even realized it. I meet his eyes in silent communication and shrug my shoulders. Christina knows, we might as well tell Shauna, too.
"You're pregnant?" James asks. I look over my shoulder and find him and Will standing there wide eyed.
"Yes, I'm pregnant," I finally confirm. "We weren't going to say anything for another few weeks so please don't say anything to anyone."
"Congratulations but how am I supposed to keep news like this from my wife?" Will asks.
"No worries," I say. "She already figured it out. She's very intuitive."
"I call it nosy," Tobias whispers against my ear causing me to chuckle then he kisses my temple. "Are you sure you're okay, love?"
"I'm fine," I say. Tobias makes me relax in the living room with Will, James, and Shauna. I tell them everything about our unexpected news except for the fact that it's twins. They each congratulate me and inquire about how the kids took the news.
"They don't know yet," Tobias says as he comes into the living room. "When time comes to announce it to the public we'll tell them."
"It would be just like one of the girls to innocently blurt it out in the middle of the cafeteria or start fighting with Tyler because they want a little sister instead of a little brother," I say. "And that definitely will be a fight."
"Yeah, one we've already heard before," Tobias says with a chuckle. "Lunch is ready by the way." Just as we sit down at the table, our front door opens and the kids and Bridget come in.
"I smell something yummy," Tyler says.
"Me, too," Tessa says.
"I hungwy," Teags adds.
"Come have some lunch then, guys," Tobias calls out. Immediately we hear three sets of excited footsteps coming our way.
"Dadda!" Teags yells and runs up to his chair. "Up!" He lifts her onto his lap and gives her a bite of lasagna. She smacks her lips then asks for another bite.
"Hi, Mommy," Tyler says, hugging my side then he climbs up on the chair right next to me. "I didn't know you was comin' home."
"Mama, up peas," Tessa says.
"Come here, little one," I say as I lift her onto my lap. "We didn't want to go all the way to the cafeteria. I'm glad we got to see you."
"Me, too," he says. The girls nod in agreement.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Bridget says as she comes into the dining room.
"Do you want to get the kids' plates or do you want me to?" I ask Tobias.
"I can do that, Tris," Bridget says. "That's what I'm here for."
"Thank you, Bridget," Tobias says. "And get yourself a plate, too."
We sit around the table eating the delicious lunch and listening to the kids tell us about their visit to the park. Will excuses himself after cleaning his plate and goes to his apartment to spend some extra time with Liam before our meeting. When the kids finish their meals, Tobias and I take them upstairs and put them down for an afternoon nap. I thought they would fight against it like they normally do but they must have worn themselves out playing because they go down without a fuss.
"Bridget, thank you for the wonderful lasagna," I say when we get back downstairs. "It was handy to have it in the freezer."
"You're welcome."
"We have to go," Tobias says. "We'll be in and out of the conference room this afternoon. Call if you need anything."
"Of course," she says. When we exit out into the hallway, Will is leaving his apartment, too. It's a quick trip to the conference room.
"Before we delve into the details of this morning's incident, we need to make a decision about Hector," Tobias says as we gather around the huge table in the center of the room. "This is his third serious infraction since initiation started. We need to come up with a plan, and we need to stick to it. I want to hear all your thoughts. Shauna, since you are closest to this situation will you please begin?"
"Thank you, Four," she says, nervously tapping a single finger on the wooden tabletop. "I want you all to know that I'm well aware of the fact that my brother has been extremely difficult and highly disrespectful lately. I won't make excuses for him mainly because I have no idea what the hell has gotten into him. I've thought about this long and hard and have finally come to a decision. As Hector's sister I think he deserves another chance. There obviously is something going on in his life right now that he's either unable or unwilling to share. But as a leader of this faction, I think he's had more than enough chances to change his ways. We can't allow a rogue initiate to skirt the rules just because he's related to a leader, so I pose a compromise to you all. If he refuses to talk, if he refuses to cooperate in any way, or if he refuses to acknowledge his wrongdoings … he's out, factionless. But if he comes clean and gives us an explanation as to why he's been acting the way he has and if it's a credible reason, we give him one final chance."
"That's exactly how I feel, too," Tobias says. "I recognize that there's something terribly wrong with his behavior and making him factionless without trying to get to the bottom of it is a mistake. James, Will, Tris, do you have any objections to this plan or anything to add?"
"I'm concerned with perception," James says.
"I agree," Will says. "No offense, Shauna."
"None taken," she says, her index finger still nervously drumming a rhythmic beat.
"I don't disagree with the plan," James says, "but if this was one of the other initiates, he or she would have been booted immediately after the train incident no questions asked." I shudder remembering Hector's hurtful words to Tobias. "I'm concerned because he's the brother of a leader, and I'm afraid it looks like we're showing him preferential treatment, making up the rules as we go." Tobias runs his fingers through his hair, leaving it as unruly as ever and slowly bobs his head up and down.
"Tris and I had almost this exact same conversation," he says. "She was playing devil's advocate and had the same concerns. I think that's why, moving forward, decisions about a person's member or initiate status needs to be a team effort not just mine. We'll discuss the situation, lay out pros and cons, vote, and majority wins. There should never be a tie since there's five of us. As for perception, James," he sighs and leans back in his chair, "I honestly don't care what people outside these walls think as long as we all agree on a subject. We're the ones doing what we think is right for this faction, and I've learned that there's no making everyone happy."
"You're right," James says. "We're ultimately responsible for this faction. As long as we agree and we show a united front, we shouldn't have to worry about perception."
"Maybe we … no. Maybe I should have done things differently with Hector but none of us have been in a situation like this before," Tobias says. "Will, Tris, are you in agreement?"
"Yes," Will says as I say, "Yeah."
"Okay," Tobias says looking pleased. "Before I call Simon and Tony to bring Hector up there are a couple videos we need to watch. The first one Zeke cued up is from the fight this morning and then there's one Nathan and I found from approximately 45 minutes before the fight."
"That's the one I want to see," Shauna says. Tobias picks up the remote in front of him and hits the play button. The large television screen attached to the wall flickers to life revealing a frozen aerial view of the Pit floor near the chasm ledge. He hits play and it comes to life. Because of the angle, faces are impossible to see. I'm honestly surprised at the number if people milling around at that time of day. I half expected the Pit to be nearly empty and that Tobias was exaggerating with the riot talk. Soon Hector and four others, two male and two female, come into view from the left side of the screen. They stop when something or someone just out of camera range does something. Whatever happens grabs the attention of the passersby and they stop to watch. Soon punches are being thrown and instead of trying to help or walking away the spectators join in the fight. Idiots! Hector didn't incite a riot. Dauntless' way of life did.
"Is this the only angle we have?" I ask when I finally realize that this video is a bust. All the action is happening just out of camera range.
"Yeah," Tobias says. "The other cameras caught less than this according to Zeke."
"Shit!" Will mutters. "That one girl with Hector looks like Rose. Christina is going to flip."
"I'm fairly certain the other one is Maeve," I say with a humorless laugh. "Didn't we just suggest to Hector that he could be friends with Oliver, Rose, and Maeve?"
"Yeah and now they're all getting into trouble together. I wonder who the other boy is," Tobias says. "How did we not know this?" He pulls his phone out.
"Members don't pay attention to transfers," James says, "but they do know Hector."
"I didn't read a single incident report mentioning four other initiates," I say.
"Is it possible they thought they were just four random members?" Will asks.
"Why is it that we have even more questions now than we did before?" I mutter.
"Let's watch the other video," Shauna impatiently says.
"Okay," Tobias says. He picks up the remote again, changes the input, then plays the second video. I sit back wanting to witness the recording with fresh eyes. The minute the bully comes into view Shauna gasps. We all look at her instead of the screen.
"Oh, my God," Shauna says as her hands fly to cover her gaping mouth. She slowly gets to her feet and stands directly in front of the TV. She stares at the screen with wide transfixed eyes. When the altercation stops she has Tobias rewind it and quietly watches it again. "This can't be." We all ask several times what's wrong, who that is in the video but she doesn't seem to hear us. When the video stops she rushes out of the room with the four of us on her heels. "Unlock the door, Four," she insists outside his office. He lets her in and she runs to the file cabinets and starts digging through the personnel files. "Four, cue up that face for me." I meet Tobias' eyes and he shrugs. We all want to know what's going on. He turns on his computer and finds the video file then freeze frames the strangers face. She holds up an old photo beside the still video. The picture in the file she plucked from the cabinet is at least 20 years younger but it definitely looks like the same man. "This is Terrance Samuels … my father."
