Revolution -Eric Coulter-

Chapter 51

The next morning Riley feels different inside. She's upset with Tobias, but that seems to be a reoccurring pattern. His actions lately were erratic. He was careless and selfish. The plan to take the memory serum seemed ridiculous. It was too simple. There had to be more. Riley had never seen her brother act so blindly before. There had to be something more. But Riley was too angry to think sensibly. As a result, she opted for ignoring him entirely.

There was a scowl on her face. She's annoyed beyond belief. Since arriving, everything had felt out of place. She rarely saw any of her friends. She felt alone. Riley never liked being alone.

Maybe there was some truth to words Tobias spoke the previous night. Maybe she did have the mindset of a child. Growing up, life was hard. There were many days when Riley felt like giving up. She thought it would be easier if everything stopped. Some nights, she would hope that when she went to sleep, her eyes would never reopen. That her dreams would bring her into another world. A world that was pain-free. A world where she was happy.

That never happened.

Then the world got darker. Tobias left her alone for a few years. She only had herself. She was entirely alone. So, Riley did what she had to do. She created her own happiness. It started with small things—one small accomplishment after another. No matter how small, she found happiness wherever she could.

Now, she smiled whenever good things happened. And good things happened more often, so Riley smiled more. That was why everyone thought she was happy all of the time. The truth was, she wasn't. There was a constant hole in her chest. A hole she had never been able to fill. Riley feared she never would.

Riley stood on the ledge of the control tower. Karen told them that a long time ago, when air travel was popular, they used towers for take-off and landings. The tower was over a hundred feet tall.

When Riley was a kid, she used to steal books. It was a nasty habit, but reading always felt like an escape. Tobias used to read to her at night. The two of them would hide in the darkness of her bedroom after Marcus passed out. He would read different stories from the books she stole.

She remembered a story about a girl who chased the moon. The world she lived in was not kind to her, but the moon always was. One day she got to the end of the world and fell. The moon, who had been watching her for years, gave her a gift. It gave her wings. The girl flew far away from the world. She went to the moon, where it was safe.

Riley loved that story. Maybe that was why she loved heights so much.

When Riley was eight, she stood on the roof of her house. She loved that story so much and believed it could be true if she wished hard enough. So, she fell. It turns out stories were just words on a page with no real meaning. Riley never liked reading much after that.

That was why Tobias hated when she stood on ledges. Because he remembered what happened that cold winter night. He remembered the sadness in her eyes when she explained that she tried to fly to the moon, just like the girl in the story.

"You're getting a bit too predictable," Eric says.

Riley stares at the horizon. "Am I now?" She sways on the edge.

Eric clenches his fist. "Would you mind getting down while I speak to you?"

There's a hint of a smile on her face. "Your Dauntless leader tone doesn't work on me anymore." The tower had been recently renovated, but the railing was older. It was rusted and wobbly. Maybe that's why she liked it. "How did you find me anyway?"

"Wasn't hard," Eric explained. "I just looked out the window and saw red hair."

She can't help but laugh at his explanation. However, it doesn't last long. She remembers what happened between her and Tobias. Eric's words from a few nights prior ring in her ears. He also saw her as someone in need of protection.

"There's a reason Tobias is scared of heights." The sun is right above them, but it isn't warm. Winter is approaching. "We used to sit on top of our house at night and look at the stars." Riley would hide there sometimes from her father. "He read me a story once. About a girl who chased the moon until one day she fell, but the moon loved her so much it gave her wings." Eric doesn't understand why she's telling him this. "When I was eight, I thought if I believed hard enough, the moon would give me wings too." Her eyes flicker to the ground below. "So, I fell." But she didn't fly. "God, my whole life everyone always thought I was perfect and happy. And I never was. Even now, all I have to do is plaster a smile on my face, and everyone thinks I'm fine." Riley wasn't fine. She hadn't been fine for a long time. She's hit a breaking point, and everyone was starting to notice. "Tobias was right. He should have left me in Chicago."

"Tobias is an idiot," Eric said. "You're where you're supposed to be."

She wants to believe him. "I'm just a burden to everyone." Eric suddenly feels uneasy with her on the ledge. Her words are alarming, and she's standing on a rusted metal ledge a hundred feet in the air. Rileys rubs a hand over her face. She's embarrassed about her outburst. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Now Eric will really see her as frail. "And now I know you're afraid of heights." Eric doesn't bother to respond. "You don't have to be here."

"Yes," he steps closer. "I do." For the first time, he knows where he is supposed to be. "Will you come down?" Riley hesitates. She isn't sure if she wants to come down. Her entire life, she felt like a problem. She was alone, but she caused problems. She felt as if it was her fault her father did what he did, but it wasn't. That was on Marcus, not her. However, she did feel responsible for Tobias. He was right. All he had done since they reunited was babysit her. That wasn't fair to him. "Riley, please." There's desperation in his voice.

Rileys sighs and turns around, but the sudden shift causes the rusted screws to bust. Eric sees it before it happens. He darts forward as the metal buckles. Riley barely has time to process what's happening before she's yanked onto the safety of the cement floor.

She's clutching onto his arms, a scared look in her eyes. But when she looks at Eric, she sees the same look in his eyes. The same fear. He was scared, but it wasn't because of the height they were at. He was scared because she had nearly died. Riley does something that shocks her. She pushes onto her toes and kisses him.

Riley pulls away quickly. "Sorry." She can't believe she just did that. "Sorry, I-" but Eric kisses her again. The world around them fades, and the beating of her heart returns to normal.