Revolution -Eric Coulter-

Chapter 2

Riley was nervous, that was much obvious. She was trying her best to hide it as she made her father dinner, but her hands were shaking, and she kept dropping the spoon into the pot. Her father hadn't noticed, too busy drinking to pay her as much as a second glance. It was always that way at night, he would come home and drink and sometimes things would get worse. Some nights were worse than others. It was easier when Tobias was here, he would make nights like these much more manageable.

"Riley," her father's sharp tone caused her to jump and snap back into reality, "how long does it take to make soup?"

"It's coming," her tone was gentle and kind like it always was because that is who Riley was around her father. She grabbed the two bowls from cabnet and began to fill them up. Once she was done, she swiftly made her way into the other room. There she noticed her father leaning back in one of the chairs. "Here you go," she placed the bowl in front of him. She always played the sweet card for him, it worked many times in the past. Her father hummed and began eating his soup without a complaint. Riley sat across from and placed her bowl a soup down before she had a chance to take a bite her father spoke. "So," his voice was low, "how was your aptitude testing?"

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat knowing where this conversation was going, "it was fine."

"Was it," he smiled at her. Riley knew by his smile that something was off. "Because I heard that you left."

"Oh," her heart stopped. "Yes, I felt a little nauseous. I think I just got myself worked up, you know how I am." The lie came out without a single hiccup and she was impressed with herself.

Her father, however, didn't seem impressed, he had a nasty scowl on his face. One that Riley knew far too well. "So, they just let you leave?"

Riley remembered what the girl Tori had told her, "no. I asked."

"Oh," her dad laughed in a mocking way, "you asked?"

"Yes," Riley felt her voice waver slightly, "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry, I just thought-"

"You thought that you could just go because you're the daughter of the leader," Marcus taunted taking a sip from the bronze bottle.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again her mind becoming hazy with fear, "I know you are under a lot of pressure with the rumors because of Tobias defecting and-"

"Don't," Marcus slammed his hand on the table stopping her sentence. Her father, although a man who was, far from good, changed with the weather. With Tobias, he was physically abusive more than verbally, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. With Riley, it was the other way, he was more verbal, but after Tobias, it became more. She knew that Tobias took several beatings for her growing up.

"I'm sorry," she whispered not wanting to start anything, not tonight. He wouldn't do anything tonight not with the choosing ceremony tomorrow.

Her father, however, didn't seem to care about the choosing ceremony, "what did you score?"

"Hm," Riley said still on edge, "oh, Abnegation." She was concerned about setting her father off that she didn't want to talk. She just wanted to get through the rest of dinner in silence like they normally did.

"Abnegation," her father spoke knowing that was going to be her answer. "And tomorrow you'll be picking Abnegation?"

"Of course," Riley answered without hesitation, "what else would I pick?" Her father nodded before looking back at his soup and she knew that her evening was far from over.

~~~~~~~~~

The following day Riley's nerves were at an all-time high. She hadn't slept for more than an hour. After her father went to bed, she climbed up onto the roof to think. Riley let her thoughts get the better of her like she always did. She had a tough decision to make, and she had no idea what she was going to do. Tori had told her to trust in herself, but that seemed to be easier said than done. Riley didn't know herself, she didn't even know the person staring back at her in the mirror. She saw the ghost of a person, a person that had been beaten down her entire life. A person who was going to die if she stayed in Abnegation.