Sorry, this one is a bit short! I'll try and have Ch 32 up soon though to make up for it!
Tris POV
After looking around a bit more, I finally spot the flag. Pointing it out to Toby, he nods and starts to climb down. I wait a bit for him and then come down after him.
Halfway down, a rail breaks at my feet. A small scream escapes my throat as I dangle.
This is it. I can't hold on forever.
I jump in surprise as two familiar hands wrap around my waist.
"I got you," Toby
"What do I do?" Panic leaks through my voice. Stay strong, be strong, you're Dauntless. Prove it.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course," what kind of question was that? Would I have followed him to Dauntless if I didn't? Illegally train in the middle of the night for years with him if I didn't?
"Let go. I'll catch you and lower you where you can stand." Comprehending the plan, I slowly nod realizing that this scares him as much as it does me, if not more.
"Ok, one," Oh gosh, what if I fall? "Two, three!" I let go of the metal bar, relief flushing through my arms and hands. We tilt back a bit before Toby leads forward and guides my feet to a sturdy rail. We both breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," I whisper.
"Anytime," he breathes back, "now let's get off this damn thing." I chuckle, waiting for him to continue down before following him. Slowly, we reach the ground. After what feels like forever, my feet finally touch the solid earth.
"This is better. Much, much better." I give a light breathy laugh, still in shock from what happened. "Are you alright Bea?" I nod and brush my sweaty hands on my pants.
"Fine. I'm just a bit shaken up, that's all. I'll be ok. We have a game to win."
"You got that right," Tobias says, laughter evident in his voice. As we walk back, Toby's face morphs back into Four's. Cold, hard, calloused.
"Where were you?!" Christina demands, "and what were you doing with him? Are you ok? You're not in trouble are you?" I shake my head, a grin forming at her concern.
"I-"
"While you were twiddling your thumbs and arguing, Tris climbed the Ferris wheel." Pride leaks through his stern voice, my grin widens.
"What? Why?" Four ignores Christina's question, and the rest of the group turns towards us.
"We know where the flag is. B-Tris, why don't you tell everyone your strategy?" My mind whirls as I piece together my ideas.
"Let's split. Four of us will head down as a distraction and keep their team busy while three of us go and get the flag. Anyone left will stay here and guard our flag in case some sneak away." Slowly, everyone starts to nod. They mutter between themselves and begin to find their friends and group together.
I end up in the group of three with Christina and Uriah. We nod to the group of four and sprint off to our destination. The cool air bites my nose, waking me up even more. The burn in my legs is familiar, a good friend that I'm glad to see, or rather feel in this case, again. I make sure to stay with Christina and Uriah, only a few strides ahead.
It occurs to me that only one of us will get the flag. And no matter what I did to get us there, it won't matter when we get there unless I'm the one who captures it.
We reach the end of the pier, and I immediately scan the area for the other team's blinking flag. It isn't too hard to find. A chorus of yells and the splats of paintballs begins. I take it as my cue to go after the flag. Sprinting as fast as I can, we charge towards the flag. It's nearly unguarded. Uriah shoots the only guard in the knee, and they throw their gun to the ground in defeat. I smirk.
The flag hangs in a tree, just above my head. If it was only me, I could climb it and retrieve the flag, but Christina is taller. Without thinking, she jumps and grabs the flag with ease.
"Come on Tris, you've already been the hero today." She says. Turning away from me, she waves the flag and gives a big woop of victory. Shaking his head, Uriah runs up to her and joins in. Pushing away my jealousy I join in. It's probably for the best like Uriah said, I've been gaining a lot of attention lately. That probably isn't good.
The shooting stops and our group join together in a huddle cheering together. Their joy is infectious. I squeeze out of the close circle, standing on the side occasionally joining in with their cheers.
"I know you didn't get the flag, but that doesn't mean I'm not proud of you." Startled, I turn around. Toby stands behind me, smiling. "You were great back there. Well done." I smile back, thanking him with my eyes. He gives my shoulders a small squeeze before leaving.
Though I didn't get the flag tonight, didn't get to be my team's hero, my time with Toby tonight made it all worth it.