Reawakening

Chapter Thirty

Tobias

Caleb has been glaring at me all night, but now, sitting in a corner of his jail cell at Candor, hugging his knees to his chest, he just looks defeated. His eyes aren't narrowed now; he's just studying me, though I have no idea what conclusions he has come to. A part of me hates him for what Tris told me he did to her, but this Caleb hasn't done all of that, and I know Tris still loves him. She would want me to show him at least some kindness, so I will.

"I sent word to your parents," I say, breaking the heavy silence. "I'd expect that at least your mother will be here soon. Your dad might be too busy with council business to come right away, given the circumstances."

Caleb shakes his head. "They won't come. They didn't even come to Visiting Day."

I snort. "I guess Jeanine didn't tell you that she banned Abnegation members from entering the Erudite compound." He looks at me in surprise. "Yeah, your mom visited Tris, so I'm sure she would have come to see you if she had the chance. Tris even said that your mom asked her to go see you when she could, since she wasn't able to."

Caleb shakes his head. "I didn't know. I thought they didn't care about me any more."

After another minute of silence, I sigh. "If there's anything you want to say to me without your mother here, now is the time. With the way you glared at me all night, it seemed like you had something on your mind."

He bites his lip. "I'm behind bars and I know I won't get out of this situation, so there's really no point in me making threats. I just don't want her getting hurt. You're older, you're Dauntless... it's different in Abnegation, you know. She's not used to... how things are there."

I laugh. "I'm not Dauntless born, Caleb. I'm not used to that either. She assumed I was experienced at first too, I guess, but I'm not, and I'd never push her into anything she wasn't ready for." He doesn't need to know how much she has been ready for, though.

Caleb's mouth drops open in shock. "Where are you from then?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm Dauntless now." People ask me my real name frequently and I have never caved in... but this is Tris's brother, and the point of this conversation is to be on good terms with him for Tris's sake, so when he gives me that irritated look... I actually answer. Maybe it's time I stop guarding that secret so fiercely, anyway. "Fine. I was from Abnegation. My name is Tobias."

I can see Caleb working it out in his head, Erudite mind at work, and before he can shout it out, I interrupt him. "I know you know who I am now, Caleb. I left for a reason, and I'd rather leave that behind. Like I said, I am Dauntless now, and my name is Four, but I didn't show up there any more comfortable with physical affection than your sister."

Caleb nods. "Well, there's nothing I can do about you two together, anyway, and I'm sure she'll never speak to me again, so just... take good care of her, okay?"

"Tris can hold her own, but I'll always look out for her. And she doesn't hate you. She'll be mad for a while, but she could never hate you."

Before we can say anything else, Natalie's voice is ringing out down the hall, bringing Caleb immediately to his feet. "Four," Natalie says as Caleb crosses his cell floor and grips the bars with both hands. "Thank you so much for sending word, dear. Where is Tris?" She reaches out and takes my hand for a moment-- the most affection she can really show, as an Abnegation, and even this is questionable.

"Uriah was seriously injured," I explain, "so she and Marlene-- Uriah's girlfriend-- took him back to Dauntless. We didn't want to trust the Erudite hospital right now, not with him. I think he'll survive, they should have been able to get him there in time."