After they had walked for a while in silence, Briar finally asked the question that they were all thinking. "Tris, why did you do that? How could you take his magic like that?" Tris stopped, clearly shocked.
"He did the same to me." She said, as if it were obvious. Briar eyed her seriously.
"That's not an excuse." He told her. Tris opened her mouth to protest, but he kept going, "No. Let me finish." She shut her mouth and crossed her arms, waiting angrily. "Look Tris, I hate that guy just as much as you do. I want him punished too. But not like that. You know what it's like to have your magic ripped from you. Niko said that magic is just as much a part of someone as their arms or legs. You took that part of him away, part of who he is. No one deserves that. Not even him."
"Finished?" Tris asked in an impatient tone. Briar nodded. "You have no right to tell me what he does or doesn't deserve." Tris told him evenly. "He held me captive, not you. I know what went on and how hard it was to go through, so trust me when I say he deserved all that and more. Now, if you'll excuse me." Tris began walking faster but Briar grabbed her arm, or at least he tried to. His hand went through it.
"An illusion!" He fumed. "Trisana Chandler, when I get my hands on you!" Briar screamed, threateningly. "I can't believe she'd do that!" He told the rest of them before stalking off in the direction of Discipline cottage.
When Tris awoke the next morning, she was met with an angry glare from Briar and the rest of them refusing to meet her glance. She rolled her eyes. "Oh get over it thief-boy." She told him.
"I will not get over it. That was totally un-called for, not to mention immature!" He informed her. Tris gave an exasperated sigh.
"Oh please." She said in a bored tone. "You're just mad because I pulled it off and you didn't even see it coming."
"That's not true, you had no right." Briar told her, though he blushed furiously.
"Mm-hmm." She agreed sarcastically, beginning to eat her food. Briar glared at her as if he could make her fly out the window with the look before attacking his own plate.
"Hey." Adam said, greeting Tris outside after breakfast. She looked at him and smiled.
"Hey yourself." She answered back. Adam looked at her strangely. "What?" She asked.
"You've never greeted me warmly before. Not even after I came back from the dead. What gives?" She just smiled even more warmly at him.
"Nothing!" She said innocently. Then she sighed and looked down. "Well…maybe not nothing." She looked up at him again, sobered. "Look Adam, I have to tell you something." He eyed her seriously and waited for her to begin. "I've tried to fight it…Green Man knows I've tried. But I can't, so I figure I'd better just get out in the open, once and for all. I…I…I love you." He looked at her in shock and surprise. (A/N: is anyone else seeing John Edwards, the medium? Okay, never mind) He wouldn't have believed her if she hadn't looked so serious. "Well, say something!" She said, wringing her hands and looking extremely nervous. Adam stepped forward to kiss her, only to go right through her. He looked up in confusion and heard laughter. The Tris that had been in front of him a moment ago was gone. Instead another Tris-the real Tris-dropped down from a tree, laughing hysterically. Adam glared at her.
"Another of your illusions?" He asked. She nodded, still laughing. "It's not funny. I can't believe you'd do that. I knew you didn't like me, but I didn't think you really hated me. Obviously I was wrong." He told her, then stalked off. Tris stopped laughing. She felt a little guilty about that. Why? She asked herself. He's just overreacting. Let it go.
Adam went back into the house to get a book so he could go read outside, to clear his head and get away from what just happened. He met Sandry in the kitchen. "Hi!" She greeted him cheerfully, smiling. But the smile soon faded when she saw his red eyes. "What happened?" He just pointed to the door, trying to get himself under control.
"Ask her." He said. "Apparently she decided that it would be fun to toy with my feelings." He looked at Sandry. "You know, I don't know what I saw in her?" He told her seriously before going into his room. Sandry stood for a moment in the kitchen before exiting the room and going outside where she found Tris walking around the garden.
"What's going on?" She asked her.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Tris answered her, not looking up. Sandry put her hands on her hips and used her best noble voice.
"You know very well what I mean Tris and you'd better spit it out. What did you do to Adam?" Tris ignored her. "You aren't acting like yourself lately." Sandry continued, sounding concerned. "Briar told me you used an illusion on him yesterday when he tried to talk to you."
"You mean tried to lecture me." Tris remarked. Sandry ignored her.
"Now Adam comes into contact with you and you send him away crying. What's going on?" Sandry demanded, using her noble voice again. Tris sighed.
"They're overreacting. All I did was pull a few pranks.'' She laughed. "I actually got Adam to kiss me. The gullible little git." Sandry stood shocked at these words. (A/N: My, a lot of people are shocked in this story aren't they?)
"I don't know what's going on with you Tris, but I don't like it. It's just not you." Sandry told her. Tris finally looked into her eyes. Sandry almost took a step back when she saw the icy glare they held.
"It is me Lady Sandrilene, so you'd better get used to it." Sandry forced herself to hold Tris's gaze.
"I'd rather not get used to it Trisana Chandler-" Sandry was cut off by the fierce look Tris gave her.
"Never call me that." Tris said, her voice deadly. Before Sandry could react, she shot a lighting bolt at her. It struck her skirt and set it on fire. Sandry quickly stamped it out. She glanced at her friend before forcing her clothes to tie themselves in such a way as to bind her arms to her sides. It didn't work. Sandry looked confusedly at Tris, who flickered quickly and vanished. She got away! Sandry thought.
Sandry went up to the roof to think. She met Briar there. "There is something seriously wrong with Tris." She told him seriously (A/N: A lot of people are serious in this chapter too) before relaying what Tris had done to her a moment before. "Close your mouth Briar." She told him absently, as his jaw had dropped when she told him the story. He stood and began to walk towards the entrance. "Stop right there Briar Moss." Sandry ordered. "I know that look and there's nothing you can do. I don't even know where she went. Besides, what would you do? She could just set up an illusion and vanish on you without your even detecting it." Briar sat down again. He shook his head in frustration.
"I wish I knew what happened to her. I just don't get it." He said.
Author's Note: How about you guys? Do you guys know? I bet you do, I don't think I hide these things very well. Oh well, that's okay. I'll live. I don't know if Tris will though. I think everyone's just about ready to murder her. (Don't worry, they won't).
Joe: I'm proud of her. Everyone should tap into their pyro side every now and again. You go girl! Get that noble!
Me: Ignore him. He hasn't had his ridillin (spelling?) yet Better yet, Review! (Okay, reviewing has nothing to do with ignoring Joe, but do it anyway. Please?)
Eve of Mirkwood: Thanks again. I'm glad you review and you're right about how not getting reviews makes a person want to stop writing. I'll definitely read your friends story and review it.