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"Beatrice," she whispers She runs her hand over my hair

Don’t cry, I tell myself I hold her until I can blink the ain I smile with closed lips, just like she does She touches my cheek

"Well, look at you," she says "You’ve filled out" She puts her arm across my shoulders "Tell me how you are"

"You first" The old habits are back I should let her speak first I shouldn’t let the conversation stay focused on

"Today is a special occasion," she says "I caift to you"

My selfless ifts, not after I left her andthat overlooks the chaslad to be close to her The last week and a half has been more affectionless than I realized At home we did not touch each other often, and the most I ever saw my parents do was hold hands at the dinner table, but it was more than this, more than here

"Just one question" I feelCaleb?"

"Ah" She shakes her head "Your father had to be at work"

I look down "You can tell me if he didn’t want to come"

Her eyes travel over my face "Your father has been selfish lately That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, I promise"

I stare at her, stunned My father--selfish? More startling than the label is the fact that she assigned it to hiry I don’t expect to be able to But she ry

"What about Caleb?" I say "Will you visit him later?"

"I wish I could," she says, "but the Erudite have prohibited Abnegation visitors fro their compound If I tried, I would be removed from the premises"

"What?" I demand "That’s terrible Why would they do that?"

"Tensions between our factions are higher than ever," she says "I wish it wasn’t that way, but there is little I can do about it"

I think of Caleb standing a the crowd for our ry with hi so many secrets from me, but I don’t want him to hurt

"That’s terrible," I repeat I look toward the chash he’s not an initiate anyether with their faether, or he wasn’t originally Dauntless Which faction could he have come from?

"There’s one of my instructors" I lean closer to her and say, "He’s kind of inti"

"He’s handso She laughs and lifts her arm from my shoulders I want to steer her away froo somewhere else, he looks over his shoulder

His eyes widen at the sight of my mother She offers him her hand

"Hello My name is Natalie," she says "I’m Beatrice’s mother"

I have never seen my mother shake hands with so stiff, and shakes it twice The gesture looks unnatural for both of theinally Dauntless if he doesn’t shake hands easily

"Four," he says "It’s nice to"Is that a nickname?"

"Yes" He doesn’t elaborate What is his real na her training"

Since when does "overseeing" include throwing knives at ood to hear," she says "I know a few things about Dauntless initiation, and I orried about her"

He looks at me, and his eyes move down my face, from nose to mouth to chin Then he says, "You shouldn’t worry"

I can’t keep the heat fro intoher because she’s my mother, or does he really believe that I am capable? And what did that look mean?

She tilts her head "You look faine why," he replies, his voice suddenly cold "I don’t ation"

My h, half air and half sound "Few people do, these days I don’t take it personally"

He seems to relax a little "Well, I’ll leave you to your reunion"

My mother and I watch him leave The roar of the river fills my ears Maybe Four was one of the Erudite, which explains why he hates Abnegation Or maybe he believes the articles the Erudite release about us--them, I re hen I know he doesn’t believe it

"Is he always like that?" she says

"Worse"

"Have you made friends?" she asks

"A few," I say I look over my shoulder at Will and Christina and their families When Christina catches , so et to Will and Christina, though, a short, round woman with a black-and-white-striped shirt touches e to smack her hand away

"Excuse me," she says "Do you know my son? Albert?"

"Albert?" I repeat "Oh--you mean Al? Yes, I know hi to a man behind her He is tall and as thick as a boulder Al’s father, obviously

"I’ Maybe you should look for hi above us

"Ohher face with her hand "I would rather not atteain I almost had a panic attack on the way down here Why aren’t there any railings along those paths? Are you all insane?"

I sht have found that question offensive, but now I spend too much time with Candor transfers to be surprised by tactlessness

"Insane, no," I say "Dauntless, yes If I see hi for him"

Mythe way so around at the Pit walls, at the Pit ceiling, at the chasation Curiosity is foreign to her

I introduce my mother to Will and Christina, and Christina introduces me to her mother and her sister But when Will introduces ives me the kind of look that would wither a plant and does not extend her hand for lares at my mother