"Tris!" Sandry said, pulling Tris into a tight hug. "It's been-"

"Only 2 weeks...." Tris muttered.

"So? Come on! I'm happy to see you! Where are Briar and Daja?" She said, as she looked around. But then dragged Tris with her to her workroom, where she started spinning, and motioned for Tris to join her. "Gods...how long has it been since we've been able to do this?" she said, letting the silk glide through her hands, onto the spool, and then back around her fingers. Tris just nodded, she had never liked spinning much anyways.

"So Daja and Kirel..." Sandry started.

"Old News." Tris said, voice bland, and monotonous, obviously not wanting to talk. Sandry just nodded, and kept on spinning, she was used to Tris's mood swings. Finally, after what seemed like a million awkward moments of silence later...Tris stood up, letting wool and thread fly everywhere, and left the room. Exasperated. She needed to talk to someone, but the only person she could really talk to was the one she wanted to about. The wind around her swirled...

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"Mmmm" Sandry said, as she buried her head in Briar's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, rocking slowly. She lifted up her head, after which he usually kissed her. But instead, he just looked away, listlessly stroking her hair. "Briar?" Startled, he pulled his hand away from her hair, quickly, as if he shouldn't be doing it, "Tr-" he started, then looked into Sandry's face. "I mean, Sandry...Sandry! Let's...let's go to the room ok? I need to rest, and I bet you do too..."

"You're acting really weird Briar? Is everything ok?" she asked, hands on hips, smiling. But instead of the joking tone she usually got from him, he just nodded, and trudged over to her room, which he was sharing with her. He peeled off his tunic, and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to relax himself, breathing in for 7 counts...and then out...but it didn't work. "Sandry...I...I have to go.." he said, bolting out of bed.

Sandry sat up, just looking at the empty space next to her, and the empty hallway in front of her. But before she could go up, to find Briar, she saw the little circle of thread, which was on her dresser, flare with light. But only two of the lumps did....Briar's and Tris's.

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TO BE CONTINUED...