Bare Hands (Sequel To No Sympathy)

Secrets: Part 2

Above is another video done by Yours Truly!  Hope you enjoy it! It took a tremendous amount of editing so I hope it pays off!

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I stand up on wobbly legs and walk out of the circle and go to where Tris is standing, ready to await her interrogation.  Our legs meet at the same time that our hands do and I give her a reassuring squeeze, wishing I could do more.

And then she's gone to stand before Niles as I move to stand beside Christina.  She might be talking to me, but I'm much too focused on Tris to hear.

I observe as Niles approaches Tris with the needle, but she shrinks back.

"I'd rather do it myself." She says, her voice echoing around the room.

"Do you know how?" Niles asks, still holding the needle.

"Yes."

Reluctantly, he hands her the syringe filled with the blue liquid and she lifts it and plunges the needle into her neck in a matter of seconds. 

Almost instantly I see a change in her.  Her body seems to become heavier.  She hangs her head and has some trouble getting to the chair. But once she's in it she seems fine.

Except for the fact that her face is blank.

"What is your name?" Niles asks.

"Beatrice Prior." She answers instantly.

"But you go by Tris?" 

"I do."

"What are the names of your parents, Tris?"

"Andrew and Natalie Prior."

I can't help but feel slightly envious that all of the questions I had problems with Tris is answering like it's nothing.  But I stop it from going any further.  This is going to be hard on her too.

"You are also a Faction Transfer, are you not?" He inquires.

"Yes." She says, her face contorting a bit like she's contemplating something in her head.

"You came from Abnegation? And chose Dauntless?" 

"Yes." Her voice is becoming tight and she's not looking at him anymore.  Her head is turned to the floor.

"Why did you transfer?" I know the answer to that question. 

But she doesn't want to say it.  She's moving in her seat, trying her best to resist the Serum but it's winning.

"I wasn't good enough for Abnegation," She begins hesitantly. "and I wanted to be free, so I chose Dauntless."

"Why weren't you good enough?"

"Because I was selfish." But you're not. I try to convey with my eyes, but she's not looking at me.

"You were selfish? You aren't anymore?" Niles asks her.

"Of course I am.  My mother said that everyone is selfish," She tells him, and I am shocked by the lack of sadness and distress when mentioning her mother. "but I became less selfish in Dauntless.  I discovered there were people to fight for. Die for, even."

I will her to look into my eyes or at least my way, but she doesn't.  What is going on in her head?

Niles moves on to the most important question here, "Tris can you please tell us what happened the day of the attack?"

"I woke up." She starts, her eyebrows pulling together. "and everyone was under the Simulation.  So I played along until I found Tobias."

"What happened after you and Tobias were separated?"

"Jeanine tried to have me killed, but my mother saved me. She used to be Dauntless so she knew how to use a gun." 

I study Tris's face and see that the sadness is starting to seep through and I fight the urge to grab her off the stage and take her somewhere safe, away from these stranger's gazes.

"She distracted the Dauntless soldiers so I could get away, and they killed her." Her voice hitches slightly, "I kept running and..."

She trails off and closes her eyes, seemingly remembering something.  But what? The death of her mother?  The death of her father?

"We infiltrated the Dauntless compound and my father and I went to the control room. He fought off Dauntless soldiers at the expense of his life. I finally made it to the control room and Tobias was there."

My spirits lift slightly, hearing her say my name like there's nothing to it - like I'm not the weak coward I am.

"Tobias said you fought him, but then stopped.  Why did you do that?" He asks.

"Because I realized that one of us would have to kill the other and I didn't want to kill him." I take a deep breath at her words, imagining what would've happened if she hadn't been able to snap me out of it.

"You gave up?"

"No!" She yells, shaking her head at his misunderstanding. He doesn't get it, and he won't ever get it because he isn't me and he isn't Tris, the only people that understand. "No not exactly. I remembered something I'd done in my fear simulation...A woman demanded I kill my family and I let her kill me instead. I worked then, so I figured..." She puts her hand on her  head like she isn't thinking straight. "I was so frantic, but all I could think about was that there was something to it, a strength in it.  And I couldn't kill him, so I had to try it."

Her eyes are glassy and I wish I could wipe the tears that I know will come next.

"So you were never under the simulation?"

"No." She says, swiping at her eyes to stop the tears. "No. I am Divergent."

"Just to clarify, are you telling me that you were almost murdered by the Erudite...and then fought your way through Dauntless, and eventually shut down the simulation?"

"Yes," Tris says, obviously glad he understands now.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that you earned the title Dauntless." says Niles.

The Dauntless raise their fists at her and shouts their agreement, but Tris doesn't acknowledge them.

"Beatrice Prior, what are your deepest regrets?"

I can hear my heart beating rapidly in my chest.

Do I really want to hear this now, when she's being forced to say it?

"I regret..."

She finally meets my eyes from across the room but I might as well be paralyzed. The veins in her neck are coming out and she looks scared.

"Will." She gasps out. "I shot Will while I was under the simulation.  I killed him. He was going to kill me, but I killed him. My friend."

I don't think I'm seeing straight anymore, or hearing straight one.  She's never mentioned this to me before.  Why don't I know about this?

All around me, the crowd whispers, "Thank you for your honesty."

But I don't say anything.  I can't possibly say that, can I?! Is this the secret she's been withholding from me? all this time?! 

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Hey guys! THANKS FOR READING! I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday.  It was really hectic for me...But yup I'm doing it now because I have a test for a High School I applied to today at like 10:00 AM yup they want to torture me. >.< Anyways, happy reading!