Warning! Serious angst in this chapter.

Chapter Fourteen – Both

Tris

The floor is hard and the walls are rough against my skin. They took my jumper, supposedly to make sure I had nothing hidden underneath it. I think Eric just wants to see me suffer. They took my shoes too.

Even with my jeans pulled down as far as they will stretch and my feet curled up inside them, the floor has drawn all the heat from my body. I've started to shiver so violently that I'm not sure I could walk now without someone to hold me up. My butt's gone numb too and not just from the cold, I've been sitting on it for what has to be several hours now. You'd think a chair wouldn't be too much to ask for.

I squeeze my eyes shut and wrap my arms tightly around myself. I try to convince myself that it's Tobias' arms holding me, that we are in him room and everything that's happened is just one very long bad dream. It isn't though and I have a horrible feeling that the worst is yet to come.

Tobias

I'm pacing. I've not sat still since I heard what those bastards have done. They won't let me see her, won't even tell me where she is. And I'm barred from the control room so I have no way of finding out.

I've been and yelled at everyone I can think of, I don't think there is a soul left in Dauntless who doesn't know that Tris is being held in a cell somewhere by our leaders. They don't know why yet, though it won't be long before that information is 'leaked' to the rest of our faction.

Divergent. Is one word enough to turn friends into enemies? We're about to find out.

The only good thing is that I've made it impossible for them to make her 'disappear'. If Tris doesn't stand trial everyone will know they're being lied to by Max and Eric - I know they won't risk that.

Leaning my head against the wall, I try to calm my heart rate. I can't let the fear overwhelm me. The night is stretching to an impossible length and exhaustion is creeping up on me but I couldn't sleep now even if I wanted to.

Tris

"Aren't you going to question me or something? You're not just going to leave me here?" I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice, I really did, but this is the first time anyone has been in to see me and I can't stand not knowing what is happening. I have never been a patient person.

As the man who has brought me a bottle of water exits silently, a new silhouette fills the doorway. Eric.

"Oh you'll be questioned soon enough. We just need to clear the Pit to make room."

"m-make room?" Oh God.

"The interrogation will be public. All of Dauntless will hear you confess."

"I won't confess - I've done nothing wrong."

"Oh you will, I can be very persuasive. You'll say anything I want you to… eventually."

He smiles as he pulls the door closed. I hear the dull clunk of the lock as I slide to the floor, my arm catching on the stone wall and grazing my elbow as I fall.

Tobias

"So she got drunk and started mouthing off! That's not proof of anything."

"The evidence against Beatrice Prior will be shared with everyone at her trial this afternoon."

I look at Max closely; his face and expression gives nothing away. But I know what he's hiding, I know about the vials of fear serum hidden somewhere in the Dauntless compound. I'm sure there's a vial there with her name on it.

It feels like months since I sat with Tris, in what have could our Factionless home, and warned her about exactly this happening. If I could turn back the clock, I'd force her to stay there with me.

"Four, I had hoped you would prove loyal to this faction. You could be a leader but your…" he pauses, considering his words, "connection to Ms Prior is damaging your reputation. Our city is changing; there will be a new system of power soon; this is a great opportunity for you. Distance yourself from Tris now and I will find you a position high up in the new order."

"You really don't get it, do you? I've never wanted to be a leader less than I do now." With that I turn to leave.

"Watch yourself, Four. Anyone supporting a Divergent will be named a traitor too." I don't respond and let the door snap closed behind me.

Three hours to go until Tris' trial. Three hours of waiting followed by a life-time of living with the verdict.

Tris

I'm dragged up onto a platform and a sea of faces looks up at me. I've eaten nothing for 24 hours and the room is swimming in and out of focus. The soles of my feet are bleeding from the walk here from my cell - that, added to the dizziness, makes me grateful when I'm pushed down onto a stool. My arms are tied behind my back.

"Beatrice Prior, you have been accused by our faction leaders of being Divergent and working with other Divergent rebels to bring down the Faction system. You are facing execution under the laws of Dauntless if found guilty."

"I'm not guilty."

"You need to speak louder than that, so your faction can hear you." Eric can barely contain his smile as he taunts me.

I grind my teeth. Then I look up at the crowd and say it as loud as my dry throat will allow. "NO. I am not a threat to this faction or any other."

"You manipulated your way through Dauntless initiation, you have publicly mocked your faction leaders and you have used your position as faction ambassador to communicate with fellow Divergents in Abnegation."

"No, none of that is true."

"We had hoped you would co-operate Beatrice. It is unfortunate that it's come to this, but we need the truth from you now." I see the needle just before it enters the exposed skin of my neck.

A burning spreads out quickly from the injection site.

Then suddenly I see Tobias, standing right at the front of the crowd. And at the edge of the stage. And at the back by the wall... Every face in the crowd is changing into his and all of them are looking at me with hatred in their eyes. This isn't real.

I focus on the Tobias standing at the back of the Pit, he is pale and I can see the tension in his body as he watches me. He's real. I try to hold on him – both the physical version I can just about see and the memory of him that burns brightly in my mind.

Then a wave of crippling pain rushes through me and I fold in on myself, slipping from the stool onto the floor. I feel claws on my back and sharp beaks stabbing again and again. The crows attack me from every side and I'm too weak to even look up. This isn't real.

"Tris Prior, you are Divergent, do you deny it?"

His words barely register before the pain takes me again. I moan and rest my head against the ground.

"You can make this stop. All you need to do is tell us the truth."

A rush of cold air surrounds me as all the crows take flight together, a brief moment of relief.

I feel the vibration before I hear the footsteps approaching. In front of me I see three pairs of feet and bile rises in my throat as I recognise the middle pair of black sneakers. With the corner of my eye I scan the crowd, looking for him anywhere but in front of me. But now every face in the Pit is an expressionless, featureless mask. So I turn back and look up.

The Dauntless guards tower on either side of Tobias, who looks down at me sadly and doesn't even struggle as they hold a knife to his throat.

"No! Please, no." But they take no notice of my plea and with one sharp movement the knife breaks his skin. I watch as the person I care most about in this cruel, unfair world collapses to the floor.

I can hear him choking and spluttering on the blood now blocking his airways.

"No! No, no, please no," I moan. I always thought it would be me. That if either of us was going to die trying to end this war, I would be the one. I'd accepted that; there are worse things than dying.

This is worse than dying.

I could have saved him. We could have run away; we could have been safe.

"I'm sorry!" I cry. "You were right, I'm sorry," tears are clouding my vision but I can't blink fast enough to clear them and with no free hand to wipe them away all I can see of Tobias as he kneels on the floor is a dark haired blur and bright red blood.

There are no words.

I throw my head back and howl.

Review if you liked it (though maybe 'liked' is the wrong word)
Etta :)