Simulations | "what if it was all a simulation..." | After Allegiant

2.

"You chose us. Now we have to choose you." 

Tris stood behind a door that lead to the future. That screamed hope. That meant moving on... but she couldn't bring herself to turn the door knob.

"You're supposed to be divergent right? Born Selfless. Choose Courage. Became Wise. So act upon who you are. What you are," she thought contemplating the fact that dinner was about to start, and a later entrance meant a bigger scene. She ran out of time to be decisive because someone decided to make the decision for her.

Peter shoved the door open, then looked at Tris saying, "They're not gonna wait for you any longer."

"They're waiting for me?" that's when she heard it... or didn't hear it. The sound of silence. Never in her entire life (or the life she thought she had) did she ever think the day would come where no one wanted to speak a word in the dining hall. 

"Yea princess. The girl who saved the world from Jeanine, and was in a simulation as long as you could be in a coma... well she has to get some sort of recognition right?" he grumbled shooting a few glares at her in the lack of space between them. Tris just stood there in shock, not knowing what to do, staring at the place where it all began. Where she had her first hamburger, that reality was enough right? Enough for her to grasp on to. Enough for her to know that it all wasn't fake.

Peter grabbed her arm and pulled her out plastering a stupid grin on his face, "Here's the princess!" She yanked her arm away from his grasp and stared down from the terrace looking at each and every one of the eyes boring at her, trying to read her like a book, fortunately for her, she wasn't open. There were no claps, there were no whoops, only a deafening silence that kept probing and prodding at her like a thousand needles. She swung over the rail and landed on the hard cement floor, their eyes still staring daggers at her. She scanned the room for the only person who could understand her, and her eyes laid upon Tobias, but she knew that the chemistry she thought she had with him ceased to exist. She slowly turned her head and caught Christina's eye. She hurriedly walked towards the table where she sat and took a seat in front of her, trying to ignore the people around her. 

As if on cue, Eric walked in his tattoos and piercings shining like stars from the dim lights above, it seemed like he was purposely trying not to also rudely stare at Tris, "Hello everyone! Today's a very special day," he nodded his head and widened his eyes, his voice in a sarcastic tone, "We have a trainee who's back from the dead. Such a noble death huh? Dying for other's seems a bit too abnegation for me." He paused as strained laughs filled the thin air.

"But we can't let that get in the way, can we?" he was now looking straight into Tris' eyes, penetrating her soul, "she showed her bravery in the simulation, even when her cowardice was evident. I will give her credit as so all of you should on one thing: The one thing the Dauntless and Abnegation have in common is that Death is not just the ultimate sacrifice..." his voice ringing throughout the tall ceiling bouncing off the stone walls, "but also takes a lot of guts to do so."

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