Tris Prior's Selection

Chapter Twenty-Two - The Fall

TRIS' POV

With the ball tomorrow night, all five of the Elite, including myself, are practising our table manners. Due to the heat of the day we are out on the largest roof garden, near the one I was on what feels like years ago. This one has beautifully primped flowers and bushes in all colours of the rainbow; paving stones and fountains with lilies and lily pads in a small ponds around them.

A dining table has been set up in the centre and currently me and Christina are trying to remember which spoon Ms Pedrad told us was for pudding.

"Ladies." She claps her hands near our heads. "Hurry up, at this rate of eating you'll have offended the host." She snaps, picking up and planting on of the spoons in our hands. "Chop chop."

Patricia of course has the whole idea down, picking up and placing her cutlery in all the right positions as she pretends to eat since there is no real food in front of us. Ms Pedrad sighs.

"Molly, I specifically said that we were eating a soufflé, you've picked up a butterknife." Ms Pedrad snaps, and a coldness over takes my body.

"Stop it." Christina snaps. "It's just a piece of cutlery Beatrice." She uses my full name as a weapon and it makes me wince. "You should be glad at least someone is doing worse than you." I growl, picking up the new piece of cutlery that Ms Pedrad tells us too.

"Yeah. I'm doing better than you." I snap as she scrambles for the right spoon. Ms Pedrad sighs.

"Let's take a break Ladies, I'll return in fifteen minutes." She says, walking off down the stairs shaking her head. Patricia gives me a wry smile, glancing at the butterknife in Molly's hand.

"I don't really understand Beatrice, how of all things your own weapon of choice makes you uncomfortable. But I suppose, for a Stiff like you anything is possible, oh, except anything useful." She says with a laugh.

"Leave her be." Christina says at the same time I tell her to shut it.

"Oh," I growl softly to Christina. "Defending me now?" I snap, standing from the table to storm over to the far corner of the garden and stand looking over the wall. Behind me I can hear whispers and laughs; I know they are talking about me.

"Do it." I hear the familiar voice of Christina say with a laugh, not hearing the rest of her sentence. It's not long before I understand what she was edging on.

Molly sits on the wall to the side of me with a fake smile.

"Hey Tris." She beams. "I was thinking that it's probably best if we all just made up and become friends." Patricia sits herself on the other side with the same smile.

"Leave me alone." I mumble, shrinking into myself and my former Abnegation shell. "Please." Patricia shakes her head.

"No Tris, I really think it's time you left us alone." She says sweetly. "Molly now!" She snaps, Molly instantly grabbing my wrist and pulling me forwards toward the wall. I struggle back but she lifts me clean off my feet, trying to haul me over the small wall.

"Get her over." Patricia orders, looking bored as I scream and struggle. While throwing a dodgy punch that catches Molly in the nose I hear a guard shouting. Peering over my shoulder, I recognise them.

"Robert!" I scream, he stands, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry Tris." He roughly grasps me, dropping my body over the wall so all I stay up by is my arm in his grasp. "If you win you're going to lose me a lot of money." He says.

The bet. I think, remembering what Will told me.

"Robert please!" I shriek, my legs dragging painfully across the brick as I struggle. With a cruel laugh, Patrica makes Robert yank on my arm, pulling me around as I cry out in pain.

"Bitch." I snarl as I feel my arm start to dislocate.

"Such Ladylike last words Beatrice." She mocks, patting my wrist. "You'll always just be a Stiff." She says smugly and asking Robert to release my hand.

I scrabble at the wall while I fall, ripping my skin on the harsh brick. Finally, my fingers meet something and I grip, groaning at the jolt it gives my body. Gasping, I pull myself onto the balcony and my vision turns black while screams sound above me.

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Okay. That was absolutely shitty writing at the end. Ugh.