Chapter 49

The following day they are informed of an attack drill. Nothing to worry about, Zoe had told them. It should last an hour. Riley isn't concerned, but she is bored. Now that they were at the Bureau, she found her days becoming longer. 

The last few months had been busy. She spent ten weeks in Dauntless, a week on the run, less than a few weeks with Evelyn, and now she was here. There was nothing for them to do. At first, it was nice. She enjoyed having nothing to do. Now, it sucked.

Riley's eyes caught sight of someone. A boy named Matthew. He helped them on their first day. She pushed away from the table and chased after him. "Excuse me," she called.

The taller man spun around. "Riley, hello."

She shifted as he spoke. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"My father," she began. "Marcus Eaton." It seemed he already knew that. Right, she remembered, they have been watching them for years. "He's supposed to have a trial. Are there any updates on that?"

Matthew blinks a few times. "Tobias didn't tell you?"

"No. What would he have told me?"

"Weird," Matthew says. "Nita said she told him."

"Told him what?"

"About Marcus's trial. It was yesterday morning." Riley's lips part. She's shocked by the news. "He was supposed to tell you."

"He didn't." Riley's suddenly angry with him. "So, he's dead?" For some reason, she's hurt inside. Marcus was a horrible man. There was no good in him, but he was her father.

"No," Matthew says. "Evelyn spared him."

Riley doesn't believe him. "What?"

"He's been expelled from the city. She told him he can begin again outside the walls." Riley realized then that there was some humanity left inside of Evelyn. She spared his life. That had to mean something.

"Oh." Now she doesn't know how to feel.

"We have a security room," he begins. "The control room is full of cameras. You can watch everything happening in the city. Doors always open." Riley feels weird at the idea, but she knows she will eventually end up there. "Hey." Matthew places a hand on her shoulder. "The drill will begin shortly. You should head over to your bunk."

She nods, "thanks for your help."

"Of course."

Riley walks away from him. She isn't sure how she feels. Truthfully, Marcus didn't deserve a second chance. He was a horrible person. However, Evelyn deserved to decide what happened to him. If this was what she wanted, then it was what needed to be done.

But Riley feels angry. That anger is directed at Tobias. He tried to hide their father's trial from her. Maybe he was trying to protect her, but that didn't matter. She was tired of people trying to protect her. It only hurt her.

She looks up just as Tobias walks out of a room. His back is facing her. Riley doesn't think much about her next actions. She walks up to him and roughly shoves him. The man stumbles a bit. He turns around, an angry look on his face. That fades when he sees her. "Riley?"

"What the hell?" She shoves his chest.

"What?" He doesn't defend himself. "What are you doing?"

Riley glares at him. "Why didn't you tell me about Marcus's trial?"

His shoulders drop. "How-"

"I asked." That wasn't the point. "You didn't tell me."

"I was trying to protect you-"

She laughs bitterly. "Protect me from what? My feelings? It wasn't as if I was never going to find out." He doesn't say anything. "Every time you try to protect me, all you do is hurt me."

"Riley-"

"You need to stop treating me like I'm made of glass." She was just as strong as him. "You don't do it with Tris or the others."

"That's different-"

"Why?" Riley wanted to be treated as an equal. "Why Tobias? Why do you treat me like a child? Like I can't handle anything?"

"Because you're my sister," he yelled. "I promised mom before she died that I wouldn't let anything happens to you."

Riley glares at him. In her mind, his explanation is bullshit. It was just another way for him to control her. "If you really meant that promise, you never would have left me in Abnegation with him." Tobias never has a chance to answer. Riley roughly pushes past him. She's not interested in his half-assed explanations. Not this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The drill happened an hour later. 

It was loud, ear pinching loud. Riley sat on her bed, her body facing away from her brother. She sat with crossed arms and a scowl. Everyone else was doing everything they could to block out the noise, but they all noticed the tension between the siblings. Tobias glanced at her at least twice a minute, but Riley never spared him a second look.

Tris felt uncomfortable. She knew Riley and Tobias were closer than most siblings. They were bonded through trauma. Recently, life had been confusing for them, but they always relied on each other. Now, Riley refused to speak to him, and nobody had any idea why.

Riley realized that having a good heart didn't mean anything. She was entirely alone all of the time. No matter how good she treated others, they never picked her first. Her own family picked others first. She was alone. She was always alone. She would always be alone.

Tobias has Tris. Evelyn has Edgar. They all had someone they would pick over her. Her own family would pick someone over her. Marcus was the same. He picked alcohol. Christina had Will until he died. Now, it was a tie between her and Tris. Riley knew if it came down to it. Christina would pick Tris.

Riley knew it was her anger, but it made everything fall into perspective. She hated how everyone looked at her. They thought she was weak. That she was the weak link just because she had a good heart. Maybe they were right. Riley wasn't sure. She would never be sure.

The drill ends a few minutes later. The moment it does, Riley pushes off the bed. She slips out of the room before anyone has a chance to notice she is gone.