Rowan

"Here, let me help," I offered.

She hesitated, then nodded, prematurely thanking me in the traditional way of Abnegation. I knelt down to gather the remaining items that had fallen from the picnic basket.

"Can't let your good cooking go to waste," I said with a grin, in an effort to cut the awkward silence.

Emboldened by her shy smile, I pressed on:

"Especially the bread. Yours is fantastic, you know. I hadn't had any in years…that is, until our mischievous little friend, Grace, shared her contraband with me."

I chuckled, busying myself with retying the kerchief around the rolls in order to appear nonchalant. After a momentary, wide-eyed pause, she caught herself and gave a small, noncommittal laugh in return.

"Yes, I suppose the regular bread can be quite hard and stale at times," she replied carefully.

I scoffed. "Well, that and all of the Appeasement serum they've added in." This time, I met her sharp, quizzical gaze for a moment before standing and returning the twice-packed wicker.

"Thank you, kindly." We paused for a moment, both holding the basket, before she glanced down and then quickly averted her gaze.

I suddenly became aware that I was without a shirt, water still dripping from my nape onto my back. I quickly turned and started back towards the lake. "Let me get my things, I'll be out of your way soon," I called over my shoulder as casually as I could.

My cheeks burned as I hastily pulled on my shirt and gathered my things. You oaf. You've ruined her entire day—and you've given yourself away in the process. You'd better hope she doesn't tell the Heads about this. You can never come back here, now.

How stupid of me. I couldn't believe I'd let slip that I knew Amity's biggest secret. If they ever found out, I'd be done for. What would Wade say? Wade. My heart contracted in my chest as I realized that I'd now implicated him, as well.

That was it. I could never return here again. As anxious and angry as I was at myself, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of self-sorrow for having lost myself the last remaining sanctuary in this godforsaken Faction. Oh, well. Life goes on.

I made my way back up the slope towards the wooded path, cursing myself for being so reckless and praying that this incident would go unnoticed.

Suddenly, a clear alto voice rang out, resounding across the lake. I felt a familiar flicker against my ribs.

"Would you like to stay?"