Her First Mission

When the Daggers leave on a mission, Adelina goes to the Inquisition Tower to find Teren. There, Adelina confirms her sister's safety and tells Teren nothing but that the Daggers are planning something for the Tournament of Storms (page 152). Curious herself, she goes tot he Tournament to see what the Daggers have planned. Star Thief is revealed as Lady Gemma of House Salvatore, and competes as part of the green team. Adelina realizes that the Daggers' plan was to kill the king in public, at the biggest festival of the year. Just as Star Thief wins the race, inquisitors come out and try to kill her. Adelina creates shadow silhouettes to save her, and the Daggers attack (pages 161-163). Spider starts to suspect Adelina, and brings the question to Enzo. However, Enzo dismisses Spider's concern. A few weeks pass by, and Enzo decides to let Adelina take part on a mission at the Spring Moons. There, Adelina weaves illusions to cover up the deaths of inquisitors. The Daggers create chaos, and start killing every inquisitor in sight. Adelina, finished with her task, decides to head back to headquarters. Suddenly, Teren catches her out of nowhere and questions the Daggers' motives. She sees Spider's nocked arrow, staring at them. Incidentally, Enzo comes out and attacks Teren. When his flames do not harm Teren, Adelina realizes that Teren is in fact a Young Elite (pages 210-222).
The irony of betrayal has a significant presence within these events. Adelina has always sought friends and family, people who aren't afraid of her powers, people who can embrace who she is. She finally has what she wants, but she betrays the ones who cares about her for someone else who she cares about. Yes, it's a legitimate reason, to save one's sister - but at what cost to others around that person? The fact is that Teren, the Lead Inquisitor, is indeed a Young Elite. His power is recovery. His injuries are instantly healed, making him pretty much invulnerable. Teren is an Elite; even though he isn't part of the Daggers, he is betraying them by being one of their kind.
Marie Lu illustrates a strong opinion about trust and betrayal in The Young Elites. I can relate to it, because in my life, many factors lead to both betrayal and trust. Marie Lu really does put herself in the shoes of a person who's life is filled with hardships and difficulties.