Tori Pritel

Tori Pritel on the covers of Masterminds and Payback

"*I notice things other people miss. I think it's because I'm an artist, so I have an eye for detail.*"
—Tori Pritel, *Masterminds*

**Victoria "Tori" Pritel** is cloned from bank robber and cat-burglar Yvonne-Marie Delacroix as a result of Project Osiris. She was raised by two Project Osiris researchers, Steve and Elizabeth Pritel, believing that they were her biological parents until learning the truth in *Masterminds*. Tori was brought up in the artificial town of Serenity, New Mexico, although she later escaped along with Eli Frieden, Amber Laska, Malik Bruder and Hector Amani. Tori now lives in internet billionaire Tamara Dunleavy's mansion in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, along with the ten other Osiris clones, and attended Jackson Hole High School as an eighth grader at the end of the trilogy.

## Biography

A sample of DNA was taken from bank robber Yvonne-Marie Delacroix by Felix Hammerstrom, who used it to clone her for Project Osiris. The result was placed inside Elizabeth Pritel, her host mother, and Tori Pritel was born around 2003 in the fabricated community of Serenity, New Mexico.

Tori became close friends with Amber Laska from a young age, seeing each other every day in Serenity. They worked on a book together called *Your Own Backyard*, which they hoped to present to the younger kids, although they argued about it with each other.

For her parents' fifteenth wedding anniversary, Tori created a stained-glass panel for the door, which took her almost a month. Her parents also spent a fortune on finishing the attic in their house, which became Tori's art studio.

Sometime before Masterminds took place, Tori went to collect wildflowers on the edge of town for a painting she was working on. Suddenly, she felt very ill due to Serenity's border and started home, but was fine once she got halfway to her house.

### *Masterminds*

When Tori was over at Amber's house, Amber wanted to show her a newspaper from outside town she had found. However, it had been taken by her surrogate parents earlier, and they went swimming instead.

During Randy Hardaway's goodbye party at school, Tori sat beside Eli to talk and reason about Randy’s departure.

Steve Pritel, Tori’s surrogate father, suggested for Tori to address him as "Dad", but Tori insisted on using his first name. She then begged him for them to go on a trip together, but he refused, instead opening a virtual tour of an art gallery on her computer.

#### Discussing suspicions of the town

Later that night, Tori saw Eli pacing outside and went to talk to him. She offered to accompany him to the Hardways' tree house, where Eli and Randy used to play together. They hoped to find a message from Randy, and Eli showed Tori the joke Purple People Eater trading cards he and Randy had once made. He then found a letter from Randy hidden in the pool filter, which told of his suspicions about the town. Eli believed them, although Tori tried to convince him not to.

At school, Tori shared the Purple People Eater cards with the other kids. The next day, she learned that Eli had been taken ill for a second time and realized it had been because of the letter. She told Amber, Malik Bruder, and Hector Amani about it, but they didn't believe Randy either.

Tori and Amber later went to visit Eli and gave him a get-well plant, although they weren't allowed inside. She was the most worried about him and was teased by Malik about having a crush on Eli, but he stopped after Amber stomped on his foot. When Eli finally returned, Tori jumped up to welcome him. At lunch, she learned that Eli had not been sick, but instead fed pills by Felix Hammerstrom, his surrogate father, and Henry Bruder, the doctor, to forget about the letter. They discussed their thoughts about the town, and Tori began to believe Randy.

#### Sneaking into the Plastics Works

Early in the morning, Eli, Malik and Tori met up to investigate the Plastics Works, the town's traffic cone factory, with Hector following. Just as Malik was about to open a door, Tori spotted an alarm system and stopped him. Eli then noticed Wi-Fi coming from the factory and found the password: Hammerstrom. There, they discovered Randy had been telling the truth.

Upon Tori's return home from a visit to the park with Eli, Malik and Hector, Steve playfully struck her forehead with popcorn. More soon followed, and when Tori finally caught one, her surrogate parents asked her where she had been. Along with the others, she worked to find a way to enter the Plastics Works. At Hector's suggestion, Tori built a kite, which Eli used to photograph the roof of the factory. When they retrieved the photos, Tori spotted a trapdoor they could use to enter.

Not long later, the four kids climbed to the factory roof. The rope Tori had brought slipped during her turn, but she managed to pull herself up. She attempted to pick the trapdoor lock using a butter knife she had practiced with, but it failed, and she realized they could enter through the air duct instead. Inside, they discovered monitors showing cameras around town, as well as the printing press for *The Pax*, Serenity’s local newspaper, and eleven whiteboards detailing the lives of each Osiris subject. When a Surety member approached, the kids escaped the same way they had come.

After that, Tori had trouble sleeping and barely worked on her Serenity Day project. Irritated, Amber went to her house, but discovered the photos of the whiteboards in the Plastics Works. Tori begged her not to tell and told her part of what they suspected, but Amber stormed away.

When researching Osiris one night, Eli discovered an article about the project, finding out that they were clones of criminal masterminds. Because of this, Hector came up with the idea to escape Serenity. Tori was upset upon finding out, not wanting to leave her home.

#### Escaping Serenity

Not long later, Tori climbed the wall of her home and stumbled upon Steve and Elizabeth Pritel talking about sending Malik away for the sake of Project Osiris, as he was supposedly a "toxic element". Tori then made up her mind to leave and apologized to Amber about fighting, although she didn't tell her of their plans. However, Amber realized Tori intended to escape town and followed her that night. Tori refused to stop, but all five kids fell ill from the border and were taken home by Mrs. Delaney, their water polo coach.

They told Amber about Project Osiris the next day, and Malik discovered that the satellite dish on a traffic cone truck had been the source of the barrier. Tori came up with the idea that he and Eli should learn to drive to help them escape, suggesting that they leave on Serenity Day.

They left the park during the fireworks. Eli and Malik attempted to destroy the satellite dish, while Tori destroyed the camera that would have watched them. They met up and boarded the traffic cone truck, but soon became ill again. Eli accelerated the truck by jamming a cone that Tori handed him against the gas pedal, and the kids jumped off.

Tori rolled down the hill, stopping at a bush. She found Eli, Malik and Amber, but they realized they hadn't seen Hector jump off, believing him to have been killed. After walking south for a long time, they stumbled upon train tracks and leapt onto a boxcar, where they were finally able to rest and hydrate. After the train stopped in a rail yard, the kids headed to McNally Academy in a taxi, where they met Randy in his dormitory.

### *Criminal Destiny*

#### In Colorado

Tori Pritel and Amber Laska stayed in room 122, the nurse's room, at McNally Academy. They had been listening in on the next room to figure out what was happening. Eli Frieden and Malik Bruder met up with them, having been in Randy Hardaway's room. While eating, they discussed their plans and what they’d heard, quickly hiding when a teacher approached.

They soon learned that the Surety had arrived at McNally Academy. Tori remained calm and caused a distraction by pulling the fire alarm, then hiding among the other kids. However, she was spotted and tried to run, only succeeding when Eli tangled five Surety members in the flag to save her. He got in the Surety's SUV with the others and, after Tori knocked Secret Agent Man, a Surety member, in the head with the car door, drove away. Tori guided them towards Denver, helping them blend in, and Eli parked in a Park-n-Ride. From there, they boarded a bus to the city.

The kids entered Bites and Bytes, a café where they researched cloning and ate. Amber attempted to report Project Osiris to a police officer but was driven away, as he found her to be crazy. After failing to follow, Tori went inside the precinct house of the district Amber had been taken to, lying to the desk sergeant to learn where Amber was. They then met her in a bathroom in the Medical Arts Center.

Tori broke through the paint gluing the window shut, coming up with a plan to escape out the window. After succeeding, they boarded a tree service truck, barely escaping the wood chipper it was headed for. Tori spotted an unoccupied house, deducing that the owners were on vacation, and climbed through the window to let the others in. Tori then cut and dyed Amber's hair to disguise her, as she had been photographed by the police.

In the morning, the clones woke up to the Campanellas (the family that owned the house they were in) returning. They drove to the bus station in the Campanellas' Jeep, then boarded a bus to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The man Tori was seated next to couldn't believe that somebody had sent her on the long bus ride alone, leaving Tori to invent an elaborate lie.

#### Meeting Tamara Dunleavy

After arriving in Jackson, the clones found a motel to stay in, and Eli researched Tamara Dunleavy, the billionaire who they planned to question as she had once been part of Project Osiris. They asked around about her and eventually found her outside the Jackson Convention Center. Tori led the others in asking about Project Osiris, although Tamara feigned ignorance and left.

Tori then noticed that they each had a bump beneath their necks, recognizing it to be a scar. Amber realized they were the computer chips that affected them past the Serenity border, and after injuring herself to remove it, she also extracted the chips from Tori, Eli and Malik.

Eli then spotted Tamara Dunleavy's driver going through their things, and Amber proceeded to knock him out. They took his keys and boarded Tamara's Bentley, realizing the driver had snuck them money. Tori reasoned that Tamara likely felt guilty and wanted to help, but didn't think she would ever back up their claim. As they needed proof of Project Osiris, the kids decided to return to the Serenity Plastics Works.

#### Returning to Serenity

After stopping at a McDonald's, they arrived at New Mexico. Upon spotting a Taos pool truck, Tori convinced the others to drive it to avoid suspicion. They took it to Serenity, but the town was deserted when they arrived.

The kids entered the Plastics Works, but all evidence of Project Osiris had been burnt down except for a sheet of paper. Since it had been soaked in water, Tori went to freeze it, and was able to make out the text. From there, they learned the names of most of the criminals the Osiris subjects were cloned from. Tori learned that she had been cloned from Yvonne-Marie Delacroix, though she was in denial at first.

#### Breaking out C. J. Rackoff

They drove toward the Kefauver Federal Detention Facility to meet C. J. Rackoff, Hector Amani's DNA donor, almost getting caught at a gas station for being alone. They were guided to the prison by a man at a 7-Eleven and, after Tori climbed through the window of the nearby Tumbleweed Inn, showered and slept.

Tori woke up early to see Eli awake, having spotted someone. Eli woke the others and Tori was ready to run, but they stopped upon realizing it was Hector, whom they had believed to be dead. They learned his story and headed to meet Rackoff, who asked them to break him out of jail in return for his help in proving Project Osiris’s existence.

Tori came up with a plan, taking charge of the breakout. When driving back to the motel, Tori spotted a mail truck in the parking lot of the Bearclaw, a local diner. They entered the diner to get information about George, the USPS worker who drove it, and his schedule.

That night, Tori again woke up early to spot Eli, at first believing him to be an intruder. After apologizing for attacking him, they enjoyed a moment alone. In the morning, Tori and Hector had a picnic with Rackoff, telling him of their plan while the others prepared for his escape. Rackoff feigned an allergic reaction, and Tori pitched a fake fit after they took him to the hospital, letting them have another moment alone. This allowed Rackoff to hide among the inmate-made mailbags that were sent out of the prison.

However, as they escaped, the Surety arrived. Tori learned that Rackoff and Hector had been working against them and was grabbed by Bryan Delaney. She had lost track of Eli, Amber and Malik, but just then, Eli knocked out her captor with a tranquilizer needle. Tori led him to the Surety helicopter, advising Eli to blackmail the pilot into flying them away. He succeeded, and after landing, Eli knocked the pilot out as well just before he and Tori took off running.

### *Payback*

#### At the warehouse

Tori and Eli Frieden took a bus ride from Lubbock, Texas to Amarillo. While looking at jewelry in a window display, Tori easily reasoned about how somebody could break in due to her criminal DNA. The two kids helped people with their groceries outside a supermarket to earn money. After she assisted somebody, two men in a dark sedan attempted to kidnap Tori, though she retaliated with a pickle jar, injuring one. She began to run from the other but was only saved Eli stole their car and escaped with it. After destroying the antenna to ensure they wouldn’t be tracked, Tori persuaded Eli to break into an empty warehouse and lie low.

They discovered the warehouse to be full of Girl Scout Cookies, which Tori went to sell around the neighborhood for money. However, somebody saw through her and Tori ran, returning to the warehouse to see Eli just having escaped two men who had spotted him. She joined him in the car, and they decided to meet Blake Upton, whom Eli had taken note of after seeing him on TV and realizing they looked identical.

#### Visiting Atomic Studios and Bartholomew Glen

While figuring out how to enter Atomic Studios, where Blake was, a guard mistook Eli for Blake himself and drove them to the soundstage, believing he had been showing Tori around. Kenny led Blake to them, and Eli claimed they and Bartholomew Glen were related. However, the clones were kicked out by the director, so Tori broke into a bungalow where they could stay.

Tori was able to leave the bungalow for food, and she constantly spoke of Blake Upton. She came up with the idea for Eli to pretend to be Blake, which got his attention. After the actor agreed to talk, Tori took him to the bungalow and convinced him to go with Eli to visit Glen in the Noranda State Penitentiary. While alone, the same men who had tried to kidnap her in Amarillo found Tori and tied her to a chair. When Eli arrived, he was captured as well.

#### At the Dunleavy home

The two kids were driven to a garage, where they met Tamara Dunleavy once again. They were taken to her private jet and reunited with Malik Bruder and Amber Laska, whom they had previously separated from. Tori leapt into Amber's arms, and they learned of Tamara and Project Osiris's history, also discovering that Eli had not been cloned from Glen, but from Tamara herself.

Tamara offered them a place to stay with her, and it was Tori who made the final decision and agreed. They began to enjoy her home, and Tori was able to paint every day. Later, from an article he had found online, Eli realized that the other clones were situated in Poseidon Resort and Water Park.

Tamara agreed to send a pair of investigators to Poseidon, and they came back with photos of the remaining Osiris subjects and other Serenity residents. Tori was shocked upon seeing Steve Pritel, whom she still loved. However, Tamara refused to let them take matters into their own hands, so Eli, Tori, Amber and Malik planned to sneak out and rescue them.

#### Heading to Poseidon

After Tori mapped out the house to find the cameras, Eli hacked into Tamara's security, allowing them to escape in her Bentley. They entered the airport but were nearly spotted by Gavin, who worked for Tamara and blocked their way. The clones went back and saw Boss Hawg's, a biker bar, at which point Tori realized they could steal the motorcycles for transportation.

They arrived at the Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport and Eli persuaded Pete Shanahan to fly to West Cay, Bahamas. However, they landed in Florida instead after Tamara revoked their clearance to land. The kids took a taxi to a marina, and Tori tried to help hot-wire a boat, but a fisherman spotted them. After Malik knocked him out, Eli drove the boat to the water park.

#### Rescuing the other clones

They stopped at a beach and were soon spotted by a guard. However, he didn’t stop them, and Tori stole swimwear for them to use, though she was nearly caught by a lady with insomnia. Robbie Miers was the first clone they told of Project Osiris, but they were only able to persuade him with the help of Hector Amani, who was also at Poseidon. They then spoke to Ben Stastny and Freddie Cinta.

Margaret Rauha and Penelope Sonas followed, with Tori telling everyone to spread out. They headed towards the boat but were detained by Mrs. Laska, whose phone Tori hurled into a pool. After escaping, they found the boat had sunk, so they ran to the beach. Shortly after recruiting Aldwin Wo, C. J. Rackoff and two Surety members stopped them, but Malik knocked out Rackoff, and after Tori helped them out of the lazy river, they ran into the hotel.

There, they met Felix Hammerstrom, who pointed a pistol at Eli and pulled the trigger just as Hector tackled and jarred his arm. As a result, the bullet shattered the lobby’s fish tank and a manta ray fell. Eli pushed Tori out of the way, and it crushed Hammerstrom, killing him.

When Tamara arrived, she took the eleven clones home on her private jet and forgave them for their actions, but although Project Osiris was over, they had to pretend it never happened. After talking with each other, Tori, Eli, Malik, and Amber ended up in a group hug.

#### After Project Osiris

In September, Tori attended the middle school in Jackson Hole as an eighth grader. After so many years in Serenity, Tori and the others were eager to learn more about the outside world and were content with their life in Jackson Hole.

## Personality and traits

Tori is curious, artistic, and optimistic. She's also logical and observant, a great climber, as well as a genius at getting in and out of places. She is a brilliant liar, being able to spin up good ones on the spot. Tori isn't afraid to help someone that needs help, but not as much as Amber, her best friend. When we first meet Tori, she's an artist, using her clever eye to make art pieces.

## Physical description

Tori is one of the youngest of the Osiris clones. She has medium-length dark brown hair, and is delicately pretty in a youthful artistic way. Tori is also sturdy and athletic.

## Relationships

### Family

"*I obviously hate what they did to me, but I can't bring myself to hate them. I know they loved me.*"
—Tori Pritel, *Criminal Destiny*

#### Steve Pritel

Tori is very close to her surrogate father, Steve Pritel. Along with his wife, Elizabeth, Steve spoiled Tori and told her that she was the princess of his heart. They are both very close; Tori calling him by his first name and him giving her the nickname "Torific". By the end of *Masterminds*, Tori realized that they lied to her, but still hasn't come to terms with the fact that they aren't her biological parents.

#### Yvonne-Marie Delacroix

Tori is cloned from Yvonne-Marie Delacroix as a result of Project Osiris. Because of this, Tori shares most of the same personality traits and looks almost identical to her. Delacroix is a skillful and athletic cat burglar.

### Friends

#### Amber Laska

Amber Laska is another clone in Serenity that grew up with Tori. She has been Tori's best friend since birth, and they are said to be closer than sisters. Amber and Tori were said to always get into little arguments, but they would never last for more than twenty minutes. Amber likes to make a big deal out of the fact that she's one year older than Tori.

Tori and Amber grew up as best friends, but there was a small period of time in *Masterminds* where they didn't talk. Amber had been angry that Tori believed Randy Hardaway's letter claiming that something "screwy" was going on in Serenity, though Amber and Tori expressed that they miss each other's friendship greatly. However, after witnessing Tori, Eli Frieden, Malik Bruder, and Hector Amani trying to leave town, she followed them and realized there really is something odd happening. They remained best friends and cared about each other a lot. In *Payback,* they were constantly worried about each other when separated and hug when reunited.

#### Eli Frieden

*Main article: Teli (Tori x Eli)*

Tori ended up becoming close to Eli Frieden after Randy was sent away to McNally Academy. When Eli fell ill, she spent those two weeks worried about him, constantly calling the Frieden household. Amber stated in *Masterminds* that Tori had been brewing kind of a crush on Eli, and that you'd have to have been locked in a closet not to notice it.

In the end of *Criminal Destiny,* the pair ended up being split from the rest of the group and stole a helicopter to escape. Malik Bruder teased them about liking each other early on, even though Tori denied it at first. On the night before the kids broke C. J. Rackoff out of prison, Eli and Tori shared a romantic moment where Eli held Tori’s hand comfortingly.

In *Payback,* Tori began to have a crush on the actor Blake Upton, who looks almost identical to Eli. She also claimed that Eli was very good-looking. Sometime before the end of the series, the two of them began dating.

#### Malik Bruder

Tori and Malik don't always see eye to eye with their differing personalities, but they definitely have a prospect to be closer. He teases her, but you can tell he cares about her, as he tries to save her quite a few times. Another thing that is easily overlooked is the fact that he calls her Torific; the only other people who call her that are her surrogate parents, which shows that though he appears to say it mockingly, he thinks of her as family.

## Trivia

* Tori often uses the word "obvious".
* She is Osiris 9, making her the third-youngest of the Osiris clones.
* Pritel is Czech for "friend".
* Her favorite food is mac & cheese with spicy bread crumb toppings, made by her surrogate mother, Elizabeth Pritel. She also enjoys Steve Pritel's Jalapeño meatloaf, as stated in *Criminal Destiny*.
* She is voiced by Tarah Consoli in the audiobook.