They weren't even initiates, not even close to being members - although they had sworn to stay Dauntless in a three-way pact with Uriah Pedrad, something that involved cutting their pinkie fingers with a knife at the age of nine and pressing them together.
No, they were simply lucky to have been born in Dauntless, where they were meant to be, with eachother's friendship. Mar had told her that day - the first day of school - how sorry she felt for all the transfers who felt like they didnt fit in. Lynn never needed to worry about changing factions, she wouldn't break their pact, anyway, even if she wasn't ruthlessly daring and didn't have perfect aim with a knife at the age of twelve.
It was the first day of school, and as usual, the Dauntless were climbing the statue. She and Uri had dared Mar to climb to the top, and of course she'd done it. she'd also flashed her knickers on the way up, and left both Lynn and Uriah speechless on the ground.
Over the course of the next year, they both changed. Lynn shaved her head, began dressing in clothing more suited to the Dauntless boys - she wanted to stop being perceived as a 'girl', full stop. Her attractiveness didn't help - she refused to be seen as nothing more than a sissy girl, not a threat, to the boys. Marlene, on the other hand, grew from a gorgeous kid into a gorgeous teenager, long, lush brown hair, lightly tanned skin, bright brown eyes with flecks of green with long long eyelashes. She was the prettiest girl in Dauntless, and while everyone else adorned themselves with piercings and tattoos, she settled for a simple quote across one shoulder and a single ring in her upper left ear.
Lynn was jealous that even though Mar looked super girly next to most of the Dauntless, they all adored her, took her seriously, and never doubted her courage. Including Lynn.
When they were fifteen, Marlene got kicked out of class a lot. most days, it was for cracking jokes at the teacher, winding up Uriah, passing notes, or dissolving into fits of giggles. Yet every time she was banished from the room, she'd wink on the way out, and break into a massive grin. it almost stopped Lynn's heart every time.
They had began having sleepovers when they were young, and at that time, they'd hide under the covers playing Candor or Dauntless, or playing boyfriend and girlfriend. Lynn's best memories were those made under Marlene's purple duvet, and even as they got older, their games didn't change. There were also the times when Mar's bubbly, childish persona turned into sadness, almost breaking Lynn's heart. She would hold Marlene through all of her tears, like the time that dickhead Gabe suggested Mar was better cut out for Amity because she rejected him, or the time Mar cried and cried because she was ashamed of being 'too nice for Dauntless'.
At fifteen, when she opened up under the covers about having feelings for Uriah - Lynn realised she cared. She cared too much.
Soon, Lynn was sure her older sister Shauna saw more of Mar than she did. Shauna was dating Uri's older brother, Zeke, and the four of them hung out together often. Zeke was also known for throwing the best parties in the whole of Dauntless, and every time, Lynn would stand in a corner with a beer while Marlene went wild dancing on tabletops, grinding against Uriah, sneaking off to the bathroom occasionally, although Lynn didn't put two and two together until she heard the whispers of 'druggie' and promptly felt like punching the shit out of a wall.
She wasn't going to try and convince Mar to stop taking stuff. But Lynn felt like an annoying parent, and it bugged her.
Everybody loved Marlene.
Images of party-girl Marlene flashing through her mind from the past year - stumbling home, Lynn sleeping over, you can guess the rest. Marlene, drunk and high, going down on a fairly sober Lynn, Lynn doing the same. Mar swearing she wouldn't let it happen again, telling Lynn to push her off, telling Lynn she didn't have to stay over to keep an eye on her, yet Lynn would never let Mar go home with anyone else, not even Uriah, in that state (Uriah was usually passed out in a corner by the time they left, anyway). And Lynn could never push Mar off, not when she was looking at her like that, with utter lust. Not when she cuddled into her, whispering how much she loved her 'best friend Lynny'.
Once, Lynn, feeling safe under the same purple cover, showed Marlene her scars. Months of self harm. As soon as she realised she was a lesbian - really, really realised - she had slept with a handful of Dauntless guys since she turned fourteen, every time she lay still and silent - she had started cutting herself. Blades were pretty easy to come by in Dauntless.
She wished she hadn't when she saw the look on Marlene's face.
Lynn became familiar with that look over the next few months, the busiest few months in her life, the aptitude test, initiation, brain-dead war on Abnegation. In an attempt to rid herself of her feelings, she'd pushed Marlene away - sometimes literally. But she couldn't bear to hurt her, so every time she hurt Marlene, she'd hurt herself twice as much.
Lynn hated that she'd pushed Mar closer to Uriah in that time. The day she told them to kiss in the cafeteria - she'd told them to kiss - so why was she walking round the compound like an injured puppy - she realised she was way, way too in love not to tell Mar anything.
Like how she was so so confused that every time Mar got drunk, and sometimes, just occasionally, when they were both sober, she went home with Lynn instead of Uriah.
Mar had sworn her and Uri weren't serious, weren't exclusive - Uri was a player, like his brother, they had an open relationship, blah blah. Yet that evening, Uri looked like the cat who'd got the cream. He wanted to be exclusive - and Mar had pretty much confirmed their relationship by kissing him in front of the entire population of Dauntless.
That night, Marlene died.
Lynn told Uriah the truth in her final moments, but he didn't get it.