Nothing's Too Weird for Briar
(((This is a few years after Briar's Book, so Sandry and Briar are both about fifteen, and before Magic Steps.)))
Sandry narrowed her eyes at her drop spindle and spun it with a flick of her wrist, muttering, "You are GOING to work! You're going to work whether you like it or not!"
"Like this, dear." Lark gently corrected her, then returned to her stitching. Sandry pursed her lips and spun the wooden instrument again.
The Hub clock boomed out the hour. Lark set down her needlework with a sigh. "I'm off to the loomhouses," she said with a smile. "Try not to get too frustrated, and remember to take a break once in a while."
Sandry saluted her teacher and returned her concentration to her spindle. Niko and Tris passed the open door, discussing a new technique for using the wind as transportation; they were headed to the Hub to meditate. Daja was already down at Frostpine's, making—you'll never guess—nails. Rosethorn had taken a holiday, heading down to the public gardens to lend a helping hand and leaving Briar the day off.
Sandry unwound her thin, glowing thread and sighed. "I'd best take a break," she decided. She stood. Going to her room, she put her thread and spindle away, then went downstairs for a glass of water. Then she went up to the attic and climbed the ladder to the roof.
Briar was laying on the thatch, staring at the sky, a piece of straw sticking out from between his teeth. Sandry clambered up next to him and sat, drawing her knees up to her chest and gazing off toward the Hub without really seeing it. Her eyes glazed over. She was thinking…
Seeing the frown on her face, Briar tapped her knee. "What's up, Button-nose?"
Sandry scowled at him. "I'm just thinking."
" 'Bout what?"
Sandry was silent for a moment, staring back out over the wall that surrounded Winding Circle. "About us," she said finally, quietly. "You, me, Daja, Tris… Lark and Rosethorn, Niko, Frostpine…" She sighed. "Briar, we can't stay together forever."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because, Briar, everyone grows up someday." She smiled slightly, her eyes moist. "And everyone dies someday." She sniffled.
"Oh, you ain't gonna go all girlie on me and cry, are ya?" Briar demanded. "Why are you thinkin' about us dying? That won't be for a long time, and there's nothin' you can do for it, so why torture yourself over it?"
"Because Rosethorn almost did die!" Sandry flared. She softened when she saw Briar's expression darken. "You know how I feel. You feel it, too, every time you think of Rosethorn almost dying from the Blue Pox. It's just that—once we're grown up, we'll have jobs and families of our own, and…" she faltered and sniffled, quickly wiping tears off her cheeks. She didn't want Briar to tease her about being "girlie".
Briar sat up. "Sandry, don't think about stuff like that." He put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "We'll always be friends."
"What if something happens to one of us? I couldn't bear it. You and Tris and Daja—you're as much part of me as—as my arms. I couldn't stand it if I lost you." Suddenly she noticed his arm around her shoulder, and an odd, pleasant little shiver ran up her spine. She wiped her eyes again, trying to prevent the tears from spilling over.
Briar sighed. "Don't worry about crying, Sandry. I don't really mind. I just like to tease you about it."
She smiled gratefully at him and leaned against his side. Another strange, pleasurable shiver ran through her body.
"You okay?" Briar asked. "You're shivering."
"Fine," whispered Sandry.
The sun was setting. There was a minute of silence as they watched the colors play across the horizon, then Sandry spoke—quietly, hesitantly. "Briar… I guess I'd better get it out in the open so that we don't have any surprises later on."
Briar leaned away from her and stared at her quizzically.
Sandry drew a deep breath and plunged on. "All of the people in Discipline are important to me. I would be devastated if anything happened to anyone here, or to Niko. But… you… it's different…"
"You too?" Briar exclaimed suddenly, cutting her off. She looked up at him, surprised. He blushed and stumbled over his words. "I mean, I've just been having this feeling about you lately…" He looked away, blushing more deeply. "It's been weird."
Sandry buried her face in his side and whispered something.
He tilted her face up. "What?"
She reached up and brushed his cheek with her fingertips. "Too weird to give it a try?" she asked softly.
"I'm a streetrat-turned-mage, Sandry." He smiled slightly. "Nothing is too weird for me." He leaned down. Gently, timidly, he kissed her.
A surge of wild joy flooded her from the point of contact. With a soft gasp, she broke away. She pressed her right hand to her temple and gulped for air. It wasn't so much that she was out of breath as it was that the breath had been surprised right out of her.
Briar was gasping, too. When they had both caught their breath, he looked a question at her. She hesitated, then reached forward, pulled him toward her, and kissed him authoritatively.
When they broke again, Briar was grinning. "You know what, Sandry? This ain't near so weird as it is fun."
When they kissed again, Tris and Daja—both blocks and blocks away—wondered what had happened that sent such wild joy careening through their friends.