How Allegiant Should Have Ended

Chapter 20

Tris:

Today is the day that I become Mrs. Beatrice Eaton. I will walk down the aisle and meet the love of my life on the altar. We will say our vows and become husband and wife. I will be with Tobias forever.

I sit in front of the mirror in my apartment's bathroom, with Christina hard at work on my hair and makeup. Tobias is at Zeke's place getting ready. His "process" is probably a lot less painful than mine.

"Stop moving your head so much," says Christina.

"Then stop yanking all my hair out!" I say back.

"I'm trying," she says. "Geez, Tris! When was ,the last time you put a brush through this?"

"Yesterday," I reply.

She's attempting to put my hair in a bun, like girls in Abnegation used to wear it, but she insisted that we curl it first. She told me that she didn't want to make it too extravagant, but it shouldn't be too plain.

She puts in the last bobby pin. "Done!" she says happily. "See, it wasn't so bad."

"No, it really wasn't," I say sarcastically. "Thanks Christina."

"No problem." She sighs, and then says, "Time for makeup!"

"Do we have to?" I groan.

"Yes!" she says, like the answer was obvious. "Don't you want to look pretty on your wedding day?"

I sigh, and then nod.

"Yay!" she squeals.

"Just, promise me that I won't look like a freak when we're done."

"Oh, Tris," she says dramatically, "do you honestly think I could make you look ugly? Even if I tried, you're just too pretty that you could wear a mop on your head, and make it work."

"Thanks," I blush. "Well, let's get this over with."

"Right," she says. She runs out of the room and comes back a few minutes later with a makeup bag, probably from her room.

She adds mascara to my eyelashes, making sure that it's even, and that there aren't any clumps. She dabs my cheeks with foundation, rubbing it all around my face, and uses a brush to apply a light shade of blush to my cheekbones. She puts a light pink lipstick on my lips and a slightly darker lip-liner. Lastly, she puts a layer of eyeshadow on my lids to make them pop.

"Okay," she says, "open your eyes!"

I do, and in the mirror, I don't see Tris. I see a girl who couldn't be happier today. A girl who is about to live happily ever after with her soulmate. A girl who has managed to survive every bullet ever shot at her to be able to live this moment.

I no longer see Tris Prior.

I see Beatrice Eaton.

***

Christina helps me slip on my dress, being careful not to ruin my hair and makeup. She zips me up in the back and then leads me to the full body mirror on the wall. My dress is long-sleeved and has very intricate detail surrounding my neck and shoulders. It has a long, detachable, train that Christina adored. It was simple, yet it was beautiful.

"Tris, you look gorgeous!" says Christina.

"Thank you," I say. "Where's your dress?"

"Oh, yeah!" she says. "I knew I was forgetting something!" She runs back into the bathroom and comes back out wearing a purple, strapless, form-fitting dress with diamond decal leading from behind her shoulders to in front of her chest.

"Now you look beautiful, Christina!" I say.

"Oh, why thank you, Tris!" she says. "Shall we go?"

"We shall."