D I S C O N T I N U E D
❝Yes, I have been told I'm too rude to be from Amity. Has anyone ever told you that you're an asshole?❞
In which a girl who was meant to be kind must fight for her survival while also trying to keep a secret that could c...
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THE TANK
Christina hung from the railing. The time read 2:51, but Camilla wasn't sure how much longer her friend could keep her grip. The redhead could see the sweat glistening on her friend's hands and watched as they began to slip.
"Come on, Chris!" Camilla called, trying to encourage the girl in some way, but sadly, it didn't work. The brunette's fingers slipped from the railing. Her screams echoed through the chasm as she fell.
"No!" Camilla rushed to the edge of the chasm, a hand clamped over her mouth to suppress her screams, as she watched her friend hit the rough waters below.
Teary-eyed, Camilla turned around and came face to face with the other initiates. They stood, unmoving, staring at her with unreadable expressions. Tris suddenly stepped forward, her face was beaten and swollen --- far worse than how she looked after her fight with Camilla --- and the two locked eyes.
"It's your fault." She said flatly.
Camilla shook her head. "No. No, it's not."
"It's your fault!" She repeated. Her voice was loud, clear, and uncharacteristically vicious.
Taking a step back, Camilla shook her head again. No, she muttered, over and over. Her stomach churned as she wiped her palms against her thighs and gazed at the other initiates.
"It's your fault." They said together. "Your fault. Your fault. Your fault."
Each time they repeated the chant they took a step closer, forcing her to take steps back until a spike from the metal fence poked against her lower back. Her hands shook. She was terrified.
"No. No, no, no, no, no!"
With one last step, the horde of initiates reached out and pushed her over the metal barrier. Camilla's screams cut through the air like a knife. The fall reminded her of falling from the tree, from jumping from the building and into the net, yet she knew--oh, how she knew--that unlike the previous times, she wouldn't survive.
Hair whipped around her head, wrapping around her neck and flicked into her eyes. Her arms flailed wildly and her legs kicked out. Screams ripped through her throat, echoing off the walls and rattling her skull. The roar of the rapids reached her ears, a spray of water hit her neck, and —
Camilla awoke with a sharp gasp, a sheen layer of sweat coated her sunkissed skin. Her heavy breaths sounded throughout the otherwise silent room. She ran her hand down her face, trying to steady her shaking hands and control her rasping breaths.
"It was just a dream." She muttered quietly before she rolled onto her back. "Just a dream."
She tried to fall back to sleep, but it did not come easily to her. The nightmare that had woken her from before was playing on repeat, and many other thoughts occupied every corner of her head, ranging from what she was going to have for breakfast all the way to her divergence, so while her body was still dead tired, her mind was now wide awake.
