Chapter Twenty-One: You'll be missed!!!
Chapter Twenty-One!
That night I can't sleep. My head is turning, and I feel like I'm about to puke. Al tried to kill Tris, Tris was almost killed. Drew looked like an attack dog ripped him appart. I try to get all the thoughts out of my head. If so much is happening here I sure hope that in Candor everything is good. Even though I left I still hope that my famiy is fine, and protected.
I try to rest, I lay my head on the pillow I lay down, and do what my mother told me once would help me fall asleep. I count sheep. One sheep. I imagine Al hanging Tris over the chasm. Two sheep. I picture Peter stabbing Edward in they eye. Three sheep. I picture my family dead on the pavement of the chasm.
"That's it!" I murmur quietly, and under my breath. I look around everyone is asleep. Will is sleeping. I look at Tris she look slike she managed to sleep. All though his bunk is empty, I wonder if he is okay! No Christina Al is not your friend. It could have been you that he was planning on killing! I get out of bed I put my shoes on, and quietly go outside.
It's dark, but there's enough light for me to see where I'm going. I walk twoards the pit. I stop as I hear a noise coming from the bunk. I hide, but then I realise that this Dauntless there is no tree to hide behind. That's when I see Will. He spots me, and starts to walk over.
"Couldn't sleep either?" He asks, he wears a goofy smile. I can tell he's just smiling to try and make me feel better. I shake my head.
"is it even possible to sleep after something that crazy happened?" I just continue shaking my head. I feel the tears in my eyes, but I don't want to cry, I blink a few times trying to get the tears out of my eyes, but more just come.
"Are you okay?" Asks Will. I stay still, I continue blibking, but I can't do it anymore I cry, I try to stop, but I can't stop. Will walks forward with a concern look on his face. This makes the crease beetween his eyebrows show. He walk twoards me, and fold me into a hug.
"It's okay to break down once in a while." He says I let me fall into his arms. His arms are so strong, I feel safe inside of his arms. I love him! We break away from the hug. He then looks at me his pale-celery-green eyes looking at me with a twinkle in them. He leans forward, and I don't stop it. Then our lips meet. At first I'm a bit stunned, but then I press myself against him.
His arms slide down and hold my waist. We stay like that for a good few momments, then we let go he still holds my waist. For a momment it's quiet, but then his eyebrows forrow, and his crease beetween his eyebrows show again.
"I love you!" He says hesitatly. I wait for a momment my lips curl into a smie, I've been waiting to hear that from him.
"That's kind of unfortunate," I say he looks down. "Because I love you too!" He smiles, and we kiss again this time I'm already familiar with him. I can already see him with me in the future as parents with our kids married, and happy!
*****************************************
We break apart, and hug, we continue walking to the pit. It's so dark, but we see a figure standing at the edge of the chasm, the figure looks like it's been there for a while. Will and I share a look, and walk twoards the figure that's when we discover it's Al.
His eyes are beat red, his hair is messy. He scartches behind his ear. He looks like he's hesitating about something. Then suddenly he looks serious like he has made his desicion. He looks serious, and weak at the same time, he bend ready to jump...He's going to kill himself!
"Al don't do it!" Shouts Will we sprint twoards Al. He just looks at us, and shakes his head.
"I'm sorrry he says!" Then he looks back at the edge of the chasm, I run faster I can't let him do it, he bends his knees and jumps. I reach the railing, and I stop. I yell I begin to cry tears streaming down my face, because I rememmber what Four said. A dare devil jump like this can end your life.!
"You go wake up everyonr in the dormitory, and I'll go try to find memmbers of Dauntles to help!" He says. Then I run to get help. I don't know any other place to go to except for the dormitory. I sprint faster than I thought I could when I get there I turn on the lights.
"Al!" I yell. everyone begins to wake up. They all stare at me.
"Christina what's wrong?" Uriah rushes to my side.
"Al, he juped off the railing into the chasm. He killed himself!" Everyone gets dressed, and they all run to the chasm. That's when I notice that Tris is still asleep. I shake her shoulder.
"Tris." I say, but she dosen't answer. "Tris" I say again, and still I hear nothing. "Tris!" I say, and this time she wakes up. "It's Al." I say. "Come on." She gets up. I wait for her some of the initiates are awake some aren't. I grab her hand and pull her out of the dormitory.
We run across the Pit floor, and then Christina stops. A crowd has gathered around the ledge, but everyone stands a few feet from one another, so there is enough space for me to see two men stand next to the ledge, hoisting Al up with ropes.
They both grunt from the effort, heaving their weight back so the ropes slide over the railing, and then reaching forward to grab again. A huge, dark shape appears above the ledge - Al - and a few Dauntless rush forward to help the two men haul it over. Al falls with a thud on the Pit floor. A pale arm, swollen with water, flops onto the stone. I pull myself tight to Tris's side, clinging to her arm.
I turn my head into her shoulder and sob. A few of the men turn the body over, and the head flops to the side. The eyes are open and empty. Dark Doll’s eyes, and the nose has a high arch, a narrow bridge, a round tip. The lips are blue. The face it self is something other than human, half corpse and half creature.
My lungs burn my next breath rattles on the way in. Al.
“One of the initiates,” says someone behind me. “What happened?”
“Same thing that happens every year,” someone else replies. “He p itched himself over the ledge.”
“Don’t be so morbid. Could have been an accident.”
“They found him in the middle of the chasm. You think he tripped over his shoelace and…whoopsies, just stumbled fifteen feet forward?” I tighten my hands around her arm. Someone kneels next to Al’s face and pushes his eyelids shut.
Trying to make it look like he’s sleeping, maybe. Stupid. Why do people want to pretend that death is sleep? It isn’t. It isn’t. Something inside me collapses. My chest is so tight, suffocating, can’t breathe. I sink to the ground, dragging Tris down with me. The stone is rough under my knees. I hear something, a memory of sound. Al’s sobs; his screams at night.
Should have known. Still can’t breathe. I press both palms to my chest and rock back and forth to free the tension in my chest. When I blink, I see the top of Al’s head as he carries me on his back to the dining hall. I feel the bounce of his footsteps. He is big and warm and clumsy.
No, was. That is death—shifting from “is” to “was.” I wheeze. Someone has brought a large black bag to put the body in. I can tell that it will be too small. A laugh rises in my throat but comes out a sob. Al’s too big for t he body bag; what a tragedy. Tris laughs, but she sounds hurt, strained. She pulls her arm free, and I'm to weak to stop her. She runs, I don't know wher, but right now I don't care!