~Jade's POV~
All five of them start bickering, either at us or, at each other. They were upset that we rounded them up just for us to expose them to other initiates, that they don't even know. I peek over at both my brother's, we're we like this to Tobias? When he rounded us up to do the exact same thing? "All of you, shut the hell up!" Tobias yells at them, and they jump and do as they're told.
"Why should we?" Elijah eventually asks, obviously the most upset. "You just put both me and my little brother in danger. We don't know these transfers, and no offense but, we don't know you people either." He says, and I roll my eyes. "You don't know us but we sure as hell know you. All of you." Lauren says, "Did you even hear Jade? Majority of your instructors are just like you. One of your new leaders is just like you! We separated you from all the other initiates to speak privately, so we can tell you there's nothing to be afraid of. The only danger you'd even need to worry about is the alpha leader, and if he wants to get to any of you, he'll be forced to go through us, and he likes us." Lauren goes off, and I'm taken by surprise. I see what she's doing though, coming off bold, proving she's trustworthy to them. Because she knows she'd be questioned next, due to her non-inconclusiveness.
"But even then, sooner or later, the alpha will be the last of your problems. He's old, almost too old, for the position." She adds, and Tobias agrees, "She's right, he's already been preparing me to take the position." He says, and I did not know that. I try my best to contain myself at the exciting yet questionable news. "And I'll definitely be the least of your worries when I become alpha." He says, and he gestures to himself. "In my year, I got more than just one faction on my aptitude test. I have people that I care about that got more than just one faction on their aptitude tests." He also says, gesturing to me and my brother's, while pulling me close. "We're not what you obviously expected, and we never will be. You've should've guessed that when we shoved you out the back doors and put in fake aptitude test results for all you." I say, and I watch all of their expressions change.
I look over at Bell, "And you," I say pausing, "You should know better, your brother would want me to protect you, no matter what. And even if for some reason he didn't, I would protect you anyways." I say to him and he nods understandably. I notice other initiates are coming out of the sleeping chambers now, and I send Lauren to take them to the cafeteria. I tell her to make up a reason as to why we're talking to our group of five. "Can you handle fifteen initiates all by yourself?" I ask playfully, and she rolls her eyes, "Can you?" She questions back, playful as well, "Touché." I say. She heads off and gathers the rest of the initiates and leads them in the other direction.
"Do you understand now though?" I ask, and they all nod slowly. "Yeah, we understand you guys are cool but, what about these other transfers? How can we trust them?" Nehemiah asks. "Simple, if you're worried about them using it against you by going to the alpha, he'll require whoever does to take a truth serum, and you'll snitch on yourself." Tobias explains, "So unless you have a very strong urge to die, I suggest you all get along." I continue for him. The initiates look at one another, unsure. "Can the five of you do that? Can you just, get along?" I ask, and they all nod.
"Good." I say, "Now, this Saturday is an off day, I want all of you to meet us in the training room at 12 o'clock that day. There's something else we need to discuss." I say, and they nod once more. We then lead them into the cafeteria, and us instructors head up to the balcony. When we get up there we spot Max talking to Dauntless members off the to side, and one of them points in our direction, mainly at Tobias. Max turns around and meets us half way, I study his appearance. His black beard had turned slightly gray, and his posture seemed different.
"Just who I was looking for, I was going to ask, would you like to give the first speech for the new initiates?" Max asks Tobias, and I gasp a little. I look up at my love, and I watch him scratch his head, "Ehh, I don't know, I'm no good when it comes to the whole speech thing. Not yet at least." He says, and I roll my eyes. "Oh please, you can do it babe." I say latching onto his arm. "Yeah come on Four, all that lecturing you put us through will finally pay off." Miles jokes, "Ha. Ha. Very funny." He says, "But still, I don't know, maybe next time Max." He tells him, and our alpha leader nods. "Alright, I'm taking you up on that. Can't chicken out." He says walking towards the railing of the balcony, when he gets there the people below start banging their cups against their tables, just like last time.
I wrap my arms around my boyfriend, and I feel how tense he was before I hugged him. I look up at him, "It's cute when you get nervous," I say. "Four? Nervous? Unheard of." Lauren says, approaching us. Liam gets excited and goes to hug Lauren, she kisses his cheek and hugs him back. "Oh no, I've definitely seen this guy nervous. Remember when he first met dad? He was shaking in his boots." My older brother says, and I laugh a little.
Only because it was even cuter that day. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you, because I can clearly recall the day I sized you up, when you first got to Dauntless. You may have opened your mouth but, I could see it in your eyes, I made you nervous." Four retaliates, and I clamp a hand over my mouth, stifling a laugh. I definitely remember that, since I a got a front row seat to it. "See now that doesn't count, at the time, I was under the impression you were this rock-hard, emotion-less, dead inside, intimidating transfer instructor. But now, I can see you're just a big softie, especially when you got her attached to your hip." Miles says referring to me, as Max's voice, and cheers from below could be heard. I snuggle into him closer, "See now that? Is something I can't help, this beauty right here," he says kissing my head, "Has me wrapped around her cute little finger." He adds, and I look up at him smiling.
We kiss once, and I snuggle back into his chest. "It's no surprise you two are gonna be the first to get married and have kids. Speaking of which, I wonder how soon I'm gonna have little nieces and nephews runnin' around." Miles says, and we all look over to Liam. He pretends to zip his lips, "Now if I tell you the answer to that, it'll change a lot of things." My brother says, and I nod, retracting my curiosity. I don't want anything to change. "Very soon." I hear Tobias mutter, I look at him with squinted eyes.
"Can you tell me which comes first? Our babies or our us?" I ask my brother, and he closes his eyes for second. "If I tell you that, the when and where for both changes. Nothing too drastic though so, its up to you two." He tells us, and I look back up at my beloved, and we both come to an agreement. "Tell us." Tobias says, and Liam laughs a little bit. "Alright, your wedding day does, but now since I've told you, its coming a lot sooner rather than later." He says, and my eyes widen at him, then at Tobias. "Oh and uh sorry but, your kids are gonna come like clockwork now. Instead of coming at reasonably separated times." He adds, and I gasp.
Oh fuck. I question how he could tell us that but not how soon, without changing anything. And all he does is point at the man I'm hugging. "I can tell you cuz there's no drastic change. And that's because of him. My ability is confusing because it varies, as the future should." He answers, and I smile. "So you really do want us as much as I do." I say to Tobias, and he nods.
"I want it more than you." He says and I scoff, playfully. "As if." I say and kiss him once. "You guys may be cute and all but, me and Lauren are wayyyy cuter." Liam says, "okay sure, you guys are cute but, I think neither of us couples take the cake on who's cutest. I think Chris and Will do." I say, and Tobias gasps. "Oh so, you don't think we're cute together?" He asks me, obviously hurt. I shake my head, "No, of course I think we're cute, I just think Chris and Will are adorable. Plus their one year anniversary is coming up." I tell him, and he pulls away from me.
"Our one year is coming up too, in September remember?" He asks, and I nod. "Yes I didn't forget, I'm just saying they are cuz they've been together longer. Longer than Liam and Lauren, and longer than us. They turn a year this month." I try to explain, but all he does is pull away from me more, prying me off while pouting. "Tobias no wait-" - "No don't Tobias me." He cuts me off and stands next to Miles. My brother's start giggling like two little school girls. Lauren just shakes her head, as I cross my arms and huff.
I hate when he gets difficult like this. When we disagree on something silly and he throws a fit. But I have learned, over the months of being with him, that all I need to do is wait. I lean up against the nearest wall and roll my eyes. "Okay fine." I say, "I'll wait for you to stop throwing your little temper tantrum." I add glancing over at him while picking at my cuticles.
But now, my brother's have decided to instigate the situation by 'ooo'ing' Tobias, with the addition of more laughing. I couldn't help but mutter, "And you're supposed to be older and more mature than me." And oddly, I don't look but, I feel Tobias coming over to me. Lauren and my brother's get out of his way and head off in another direction together, as they always do when we start to fight in front of them. He gets in my face, and I meet his hard gaze. "What did you say?" He asks me, pressing me up against the wall, yet, without laying not a hand on me.
"You heard me." I say, and even though I stood my ground, my knees were starting to shake in reality. He has this effect on me when he gets like this, it's a feeling I can't fight. "Yeah, I did. Now I wanna see if you're gonna repeat yourself with me right here, in front of you." He harshly whispers towards my ear, and it sends chills down my spine, regardless of the situation. I want to repeat myself but the words wouldn't find their way out my mouth. He starts to smile after a while, "That's what I thought. And by the way," he grabs my chin with one hand, "I am older and more mature than you. And I'll always will be." He says, and unfortunately I'm still speechless.
He lets my chin go and tries to walk away, before I grab his hand. He looks back at me and I stick my bottom lip out, before giving him the look. This look usually works on him, depending on how "mad" he is. I tug him and he walks back over to me, meaning it's working. I go underneath his leather jacket and wrap my arms around him, eventually coming off the wall to put my head on his chest.
He doesn't immediately embrace me until I pull him even closer to me. "Can you please stop being upset? You know I hate it when you do that." I say releasing him a bit, "when I do what?" He asks, and I sigh. "When you get upset with me for something silly. This started cuz you don't like that I think Chris and Will are just a tad bit cuter than us." I say, and he pokes his lip out at me again, slowly pulling away. I love and hate this, how he becomes a big man-child when he doesn't get his way with me. I pull him to me, and wrap my arms around his neck, snuggling into it.
He slithers his arms around me, going underneath my jacket, just like I do to him. "I'm still not okay with it." - "I know you aren't, now shut up and just hug me." I nearly interrupt him, and I make him laugh a little. "How about," he says pausing, "I do you one better." He releases me a bit and places his forehead gently onto mine. He gazes into my eyes and I smile when he puts his hand on my cheek, and runs his thumb over my bottom lip. He goes in to kiss me, ghosting his lips over mine for a just a moment before. I am in love with this man.
I know I'm getting a bit repetitive but, I am. Nobody could ever take his place in my life. I wouldn't want any other man as much as I want Tobias. And I'm so glad he feels the same about me. "Oh good you two stopped fake fighting," Lauren walks up saying, and we stop kissing.
"They stopped fighting guys, you can come back now." She calls to my brother's, and they walked back over together, just as Max finishes his speech. Me and Tobias noticed that he gestured for us to come to the railing of the balcony. Me, him, my brother's and Lauren head over and watch as the new initiates are crowd surfed by the existing Dauntless members in the cafeteria. I flash back to the time the same was done to me and my older brother. I also remember the end of initiation, after Max showed us the final rankings.
When I stayed to talk with Miles, Chris, Will, and Ben while Four left back to his apartment. I remember how me and Miles felt someone looking at us in the pit. Curly brown hair, Dauntless attire. "In three, two, one." My little brother says just as I realize, that was him! "You knew!" I ask aloud walking over to him, "woah woah woah, knew what?" My older brother questions.
"Miles, do you remember when we felt weird, as if someone was watching us in the pit after we saw the final rankings?" I ask him, and he nods. I look over at our brother with my arms crossed, Miles sees that I'm looking at him and gasps. "That was you?" Miles asks, and Liam scratches his head. "Okay yeah that was me, took you guys long enough to figure it out." He says, and I smack his arm, "So you knew we were family before we said anything and instead of coming to us you decided to stalk us? Weirdo." I ask, and he shakes his head. "No no its not like that, at that time I was only suspicious of such. I've never told you guys this but uh, Jane use to tell me a story when I was little, just before she passed." Liam says, as we traveled away to this small little table up on the balcony, far away from the railing.
"What story?" Miles asks, "It was our story actually, but she'd always tell me it was made-up since I was too young to understand. I got curious about it after she had passed, and our aunt continued to tell it to me every night over the years." He explains, just as everyone took a seat. There where three seats and one table, Lauren took a chair and so did Miles, Liam jumped up to sit on the table. Four offers me the last chair but, I push him to sit down in it, and I sit on his lap. He puts his hand on my waist, mighty inappropriately. Before I could say anything, Miles snaps his fingers in front of his face, "hands off or all the way around when in my presence. That's still my sister man." He says, and Tobias snaps out of it and nods, wrapping his arms around me.
"Duly noted." He says, and I noticed Liam looking at us, then back at Lauren, then back at us. "Get up babe, sit on my lap." He says, and Lauren shakes her head. "Let's not rub our couple-ly-ness in your brother's face. He already snapped on Tobias." She says, while Liam stands up from the table. "Oh he's fine, and anyways, the most he'll do is avert his virgin eyes while advising you not to give me a lap dance." Our little brother says, and while everybody else laughs, I sat there confused.
"What's a lap dance?" I ask aloud as my brother sits in the chair and Lauren sits on his lap. I know it sounds pretty self- explanatory but, I wanted to be sure so, I asked. "Lauren can show you better than I could explain, why don't you go ahead and show her babe." Liam obviously jokes around, leaning back, putting his hands on his head. Lauren laughs but ends up pinching my brother. "Ow! Okay okay it's a joke. That'd be weird, you know what it is Four, explain." He says, and Four moves my hair and whispers in my ear what a "lap dance" really is.
He finishes and looks at me, and I look back at him with my jaw dropped. While they all laugh at my reaction, I lean back onto him and whisper into his ear, "Well, if that's the case, I might just give you one later." I lean forward again and take off my spikey leather jacket, leaving me in my tube top and skirt. I lean even more forward and rest my elbows on the table, and rest my head in my hand. And yes of course, I did this on purpose, since the fucker I'm sitting on decided to tease me not too long ago. It was quiet but, I hear Tobias sigh as he leans back, and his hands find their way back onto my waist.
I smack his hands away and look back at him, and his eyes don't lock with mine until after he's done looking me up and down. I can feel my brothers eyes on us so I casually lean back onto him, wrapping his arms around me again. I look to my brothers, and they're both looking at Four with furrowed eyebrows. He was kissing on me, so I squeezed his hand. He stops and notices my brother's too, "Oh shit, sorry. I'll stop." My beloved says, and snuggles me tight, resting his chin on my shoulder.
"Please do," Miles says, "And now, if I may, I'd like to address the fact you referred to me as a damn virgin." He adds, looking over to our little brother. Liam starts laughing, "You aren't one?" He asks, and Miles shakes his head. "I haven't been one for nearly two years now." He tell him, and I'm taken aback. "So wait a damn minute, Tris wasn't . . . ?" I ask, trailing off. He shakes his head, "Hell no, and I'm thankful she's not. Remember your friend I had a crush on and you pranked me in front of her?" Miles asks me and I gasp.
"My friend?! Really Miles?" I say in disgust. "Hey! Tris was your friend and you had no problem with me and her. You helped us get together in fact!" He argues, "See now that's different, A. She was our friend first, B. You guys were an actual couple, and C. I knew! You guys were together so I assumed of such actions being done! I had no idea with Gen. She stayed in Amity, y'know." I state, and he looks at me in shock. "Genevieve's still there? But she told me she might choose Erudite before we left. How do you know she's still there?" He asks me, and I look my brother over, I see how excited he got. And how curious he got. He still cares about her, and I can see it.
"I hung out with her a couple times when I'd visit mom and dad with Tobias. I introduced them." I say to him, and for a second my brother became incredibly tense. "Okay yeah no, that's what we're not gonna do." Miles says, and his tone had changed. "What? What's wrong Miles?" I ask him, and he sits up in his seat. "He's what's wrong, and I mean that in the most nicest way possible." My brother points to my boyfriend, and I see what the problem is. "I'm sorry Four but uh, I know you're with my sister, and I know you love only her, which you're supposed to but uh, you tend to uh . . ." He starts intently yet trails off, "I tend to what?" Tobias asks him, sitting up with me still leaning on him.
My brother and him make eye contact, and Miles hesitates, "You tend to make girls fall in love with you. Specifically, girls that are friends with the girl that you actually love." He finally says, and Tobias nearly says something in return but, "Now, before you say anything, I want you to answer three questions." He adds. My love agrees and Miles clears his throat, "First question, when you first stepped into a room with Gen and my sister, and shook her hand, who pulled their hand away first, you or her?" He asks, and Tobias thinks for a moment, "I did. Duh." He answers, and Miles nods his head. "Alright second question, where were her eyes most of the time?" He asks, and Tobias sits back again with a sigh. "On me." He answers, Miles smiles, "And lastly, When my sister was introducing you two, and she told her your name, your real name, how did Gen react?" He questions one last time, and Four thinks again, before letting his head fall back in defeat. "She lit up like a fucking glow-stick." Tobias answers, "Alright I see your point. I'm very interesting when it comes to young women." He adds and I laugh scoff, "Interesting?" I ask rhetorically, "No. Appealing? Yes." I pause, "These females that throw themselves at you, don't know not a goddamn thing about Tobias Eaton so no, you're not interesting when it comes to young women. You're appealing to them, you're tall, handsome, deep-voiced and well-mannered. You're appealing when it comes to them. You're interesting, when it comes to me." I correct him and even though I was still laying back on him, with my eyes straight ahead, I could tell I made him smile.
He kisses my cheek, and holds me tighter. "They want me but, you already have me. Is that what you're saying?" He asks, and I nod. "That's exactly what I'm saying. And I swear to god, if I ever find out," - "Don't," He interrupts me, "finish that sentence, cuz it'll never happen." He adds. And I smile, snuggling back into him. "Good. See Miles? You have nothing to worry about, Gen's all yours lover boy." I tell my brother, and he shakes his head.
"All due respect sis but, him loving you isn't gonna stop your friends from loving him. You gotta put your foot down, y'know? Like you did with my god forsaken Ex." Miles says, putting his feet up on the table. "Why are you talking like this is going to be a reoccurring situation?" - "Because! It just might be a reoccurring situation, the mans a babe-magnet. And besides Lauren and Chris, you have really bad taste in girl friends." Miles points out, and even though I'm a little appalled at his word, he's right. Lauren and Christina have been the only two female friends of mine that have actually been there for me, like I've been there for them. And who also haven't been blood thirsty for my man's love. "I mean you're not wrong but, jeez Miles, where is this coming from?" I ask, he suddenly seems like he wants Four to stay away from Gen.
Or, at least, doesn't want her to fall for him. I squint my eyes at my brother, "it seems like Tris wasn't really your first love. If you want him to stay away from her all you gotta do is say the word." - "Yes." He nearly cuts me off. "No offense Four." - " None taken. I already got my lady." Tobias answers, kissing my cheek again. "And it's the least I could do, since my presence hasn't really done you any good." He adds, and Miles thanks him. I get confused though, since not too long ago my brother was obviously interested in the first jumper.
"Wait a damn minute," I say aloud, sitting up. "What happened to the heart eyes you had for Grace?" I ask, and he furrows his eyebrows at me. "What? I never said I liked Grace!" He says defensively, and I laugh. "Yeah cuz you never had too, I saw the way you looked at her when you helped her up onto the ledge." I tell him, and I remember what I heard when I listened in on their whispers. "Oh and by the way, which one of you is taller? I used my freakishly good hearing and I heard her whisper she hoped that the taller brother of mine was single." I ask, and Miles stood in an instant, and started shooing Lauren off of Liam.
She gets off his lap and my brother's stand back to back. Miles. Miles was the one she was talking about. "Well big bro, you're in luck. She was talking about you." I tell him and Liam start's lightly punching him. "I say you should go for her bro, red-heads are crazy though so, watch out." Our younger brother says, and Lauren scoffs. "And how exactly would you know that?" She asks him angrily, and Miles sits back down, laughing at how our brother snitched on himself.
He stumbles on his words when she stepped right in front of him, and it was an highly amusing sight for Miles, and for both me and Four. Eventually though, I decide to save him, "Rosemary Jackson. I don't know if you knew her but, she was an initiate along with us in our year." I say, and Lauren snaps her head in my direction. She looked angry. "Wait, I know what you're thinking, and no I'm not snitching on my brother. He didn't cheat or nothing like that. She was a friend of his, and she was also another female that, and I quote, 'wanted to get into number dudes pants'." I say, remembering when Liam said those exact words to me. Liam laughs at our inside joke but uh, that just caused him to get smacked on the chest by his girlfriend. "What I'm trying to say is, he was friends with a red-head; and I can definitely agree that that bitch? Was crazy. I made him tell her to back off for me." I explain, and Lauren relaxes. She makes him sit back down and sits on his lap, and I notice a mouthed 'thank you' coming from behind Lauren.
I give him a wink. "Oh god don't remind me of her." Tobias says, pinching the bridge of his nose, and I look back at him. "She was trying so hard to get my attention when I'd test her alone. I got irritated with her, I even told her about you myself when I tested her for Leadership. But did she care? Of course not." He adds, and I roll my eyes. My gold eyes. I dislike that female very strongly.
Let her try something again. I might just turn her hair from red, to black, to dust. Along with her. "Woah Nat snap out of it, we're in public, your eyes." Miles snaps his fingers in front my face, like he did to Tobias. I blink and breathe, and the arms that are wrapped around me, pull me to lean back again.
"Calm down, feisty one." My beloved whispered in my ear, and that reminds me of Travis. Since he had used that same word, right after smacking my butt. "Oh I'm the feisty one? So, if I told you, Lamont touched me on the train back to Dauntless, you wouldn't get 'feisty' because of him?" I ask, and he tenses up as I watch his eyes shine a bright silver. As I expected. I laugh a little, "did he really?" He asks me seriously, and I nod.
Tobias laugh-scoffs, "the audacity this boy has." He starts, "Yeah he's not gonna like me. At all." He adds, and his eyes turn back to the lovely shade of brown once again. All conversations cease for awhile and I suggest we all head down for something to eat, since the initiates were done being crowd surfed. We all head down together, get our food together, and sit down together. We happen to sit down next to some initiates, and I smile when I hear them getting along and talking about their old factions. I listen in while I eat, "why did you leave Erudite Stephanie? Your mom is probably livid." A male initiate says, I forget his name.
"I left because I can't stand know-it-all's. And Erudite's full of them. My insufferable mother included. But mainly, I left for my sister. She left Erudite years ago and transferred here. Can't find her though." She explains, "I just asked around for her but all I got was the name of her boyfriend. Tobias Eaton. Can't find him either though. This place is way too big." She continues and I look over at her at the sound of his name. I forgot, Stephanie is Elaina's little sister. "Ex-boyfriend." I blurt loud and clear, focusing on my food again. Stephanie looks over at me, and scoots closer. "You know him?" She asks me, and I nod.
"I do, very well in fact." I answer, "do you know where he is? I'm trying to find my sister. Her name's Elaina." She questions and I look beside me at Tobias, -who of which was deep into a debate with my brother's- , then back at Stephanie. I lean back out of her view and gesture my thumb towards him, "but uh, I know for a fact he wouldn't known where she'd be. They haven't spoken in years." I tell her, and she looks confused. "But wait, that's Four and, isn't he your boyfriend now?" She asks, and I nod. "He sure is, and Tobias Eaton is his real name." I tell her, and I figure she could know since she's trying to find her sister, and once she does I'm pretty sure her sister was going to let her know if I hadn't. "Ohhh Okay I see. Well, thanks anyway Jade. Let me know if you ever see her." She says nicely, before scooting back over to her friends. "Will do." I say just before going back to eating my food.
I look back over at Tobias, and he's still talking with my brother's and Lauren. Well, one of my brother's at least, Miles was a little too busy flirting with Grace. I take in her features, bright green eyes, rosy cheeks, sun kissed freckles dotting her whole face and of course, her curly auburn locks. Pretty as can be but, I can tell she's not from here. I can tell she's from Amity, even though she wears Dauntless attire now.
I can't wait to see and help her transform, and grow stronger, both physically and mentally. Just then, I notice Miles standing up to throw his plate away, "Where are you going Miles?" I ask him, "I'm gonna go see mom and dad, you wanna join?" He asks me, and I nod. "Don't lie. Mom, dad and Genevieve. But I'm coming with too, me and dad have unfinished business." Liam says, and I remember how our dad and him were arm wrestling the last time we all visited together. Our dad won of course so, they planned a rematch the next time he decided to visit again. I kiss Tobias goodbye while Liam does the same to Lauren, and me and my brother's head off together.
***
"Oh honey could you be a dear and put some water in the tea kettle for me?" My mother asks of me, and I take the tea kettle. I stick my finger in and fill it up for her, "Hun, you could've just used the sink." She mentions with a laugh, getting her tea things organized. "Now what fun would that be mother?" I ask her, and I make her laugh some more. I set the kettle on the burner and turn the nob to lite, and ignite the gasoline stovetop myself. She smiles at me, "You know what? You're right." She says, "That would be no fun." She adds.
Suddenly someone swoops in-between me and my mother, and kisses her on the cheek, just before opening the fridge door right near the stove. It's my dad, he pulls out a bottle of wine."Lemme guess, he finally beat you?" I ask him, and he sighs while going into the cabinet for a wine glass, "The little bugger sure did, he's finally bested his old man. And I know what you're thinking, no, I am not drinking due to the sting of defeat. I'm celebrating. He's a man now." He tells me while pouring his glass, and I laugh. I go into the cabinet for a wine glass as well and I set it down next to his but uh, before I could grab the bottle from off the counter, my dad snatches it. "What exactly do you think you're doing young lady?" He asks me, and I smile at him.
"Having a drink with my very handsome and oh so loving and caring father." I say, and he squints his eyes at me for a moment, before pouring the tiniest bit of wine in my glass. I look back up at him, "Really dad?" I ask him, and he huffs, before pouring some more in. In fact, more than I expect. He curses under his breath and takes the glass before I could, and drinks some. "Heyy! Not fairr." I say to him, and he hands me the partially drunken glass, "Life's not fair sweetie." He tells me before taking his glass and going out into the living room.
I chug what's left and notice he forgot about the bottle, and I pour me a real glass, before putting it away. I follow him out the kitchen and sit down next to the very prideful little brother of mine, while our dad sits in his recliner seat. "Heyy I wanna try some." He says and he starts reaching for my glass, and I pull it away and drink some more before handing it to him. "Thank you." He says, and he tries it but, he immediately hands it back to me with dissatisfaction all over his face. "Its fancy and all but whiskey tastes wayyy better." He says aloud, and I watch dad widen his eyes at Liam.
"You've had whiskey before?" He asks my brother, and he stutters trying to find the right words to answer that. "Don't worry I'm not mad, I was actually about to offer you some." He says, and Liam sits up excitedly, and I find myself drinking my wine faster. "How do you have whiskey? Isn't that against Amity rules?" He asks, and dad laughs. "You three being here is against Amity rules, and yet thankfully, here you are." He points out, "Johanna loves us son, when it comes to the Harris family she'll bend any law. And turn a blind eye if need be. She told me and your mom herself that first night you came back to us." Our father also tells us, and me and my brother look at one another. So that's why we've been able to disregard the faction rules and the cities law, because of her.
I see why she does though, because of what she thinks she's done. Just then, the front door bursts open, and our brother Miles comes barging through the door. I remember he went to go talk to Gen, but uh, his face held the exact opposite expression of what I expected. He looked like he seen a ghost, "Holy fuck." He says, running his hands through his hair. "Miles what's wrong?" Liam asks him, and Miles looks straight up at me.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asks me, totally disregarding Liam's question. "Tell you what? What are you talking about?" I ask him standing up, he seemed really upset. "Yeah what happened son?" Dad asks as well, setting his glass down on the coffee table. He looks like he's about to burst into tears any minute so, I set my glass down too, and place my hands on his arms. "Look at me Miles," I say and he does, as a tear falls down his cheek. "Tell me what happened. What didn't I tell you?" I ask, and he lets out a shaky breath and sniffles, "She . . ." He trails off, but he clears his throat to continue, "S-She has a kid Nat, Gen has a kid."