Briar sat up in bed that night, thinking about what Tris had
said. They had both gone through their day like nothing had happened, but
they avoided each other's eyes and had as little coversation as possible.
He knew he had heard her say, well, think, acctually, 'The nice kind,' but
he wasn't sure what it meant. 'Does she like me?' he wondered. 'Or was I
really just hearing things?' He didn't know why he would be hearing things
like that; Tris was his friend. But then again, he didn't know why Tris
would say something like that. 'And maybe,' he said aloud to himself as he
layed down and snuggled under the covers, 'I'm just taking this too
seriously. My mind hurts, and I need a rest, s I'm just going to forget
about it.' He kept repeating that over in his ead as he drifted into
slumber. 'Forget about it...forget about it...forget about it...tris...'
his last thought came out like a whisper, right before he fell asleep. What
hedidn't know is that someone was listening.
Daja skipped into the room and poked at Briar with her staff. "Wake up, stilly boy," she said. "Breakfast is almost gone and your lady is getting frustrated, and that's something we don't want to see." Briar looked up, still half asleep and cunfused. "I missedbreakfast..my lady..." his attempts at a sentance were innturuppted by a sharp bark from downstairs. "Boy, get down here! We've got a lot to do today, it's still weeding season, and you'll need your strength!" Briar groaned and got up, shooing Daja out and getting dressed. Inside, though, he felt releaved. He thought Daja had been talking about Tris when she had said, "Your lady," and that had alarmed him. How did Daja know about that? But as soon as it became clear the Rosethorn was the one to worry about, he became more cheerful and walks down to breakfast, to see Tris starting to clean up the dishes. "Hey, wait, I'm hungry!" Briar yelled, grinning. Tris looked up and then looked down again, pretending not to hear him. "Well, then, you shouldn't have slept in, should you? Hre, take this roll and some porridge. Hurry up, we haven't got all day. And you can clean your own dishes, but be quick with it, I'll be waiting," snapped Rosethorn as she headed out the door. "Hurry it up already!" Briar quickly sat down and started wolfing down his bread and porrisge, which was getting cold. He couldn't help but sneak glances at Tris, they were the only two in the kitchen.
"Hey, Tris?" he called out lightly, unsure of what he was doing. Tris still pretended not to hear him, so he finished his makshift breakfast and walked up beside her, starting to wash his bowl. Tris refused to acknowlegde he was there, and kept scrubbing at the plates vigourasly. Briar reached his hand into the water, looking for a rag and accidentally touched Tris's. She pulled back her hand quickly, and wiped it on a towel, then put the dishes away and hurridly left. Briar watched after her, then remembered what he was doing and finished washing and cleaning up, then he went outside to ROsethorn, who was already bending over a patch of flowers. All the while he thought, 'Did she pull her hand away because she was disgusted by me? If that why she wiped it and left so quickly? What did I do? We used to be such good friends,' He was startled out of his thought by a whack to his head, coming from Rosethorn and her gardening spade. "Are you going to stop spacing out and do some real work?" She glared at him, and he sat down on the ground, getting to the point and pulling out weeds, hard, so they wouldnt have roots to grow back, but making sure not to yank the flowers and plants out along with them. He working in a half-trance state, still thinking of Tris, when he realized his teacher was looking at his oddly. "What? Shouldn't you be working?" she scowled at her, trying to understand why she was looking at him like that. "Look down, boy," Briar obeyed without thinking. As he looked down he was shocked to see that all of the weeds but few were gone; he had been working hard all day without realizing it. He hadn't even been bothered by the sun...well, not too much anyways.
"What were ya thinking about, Briar?" Rosethorn inquired. "Thinking? What do you mean thinking? I'm just a hard worker, that's all." Briar protested. Rosethorn laughed. "Oh no you aren't. At least, not as much as you think you are. You would've been complaining hours ago about the sun and the heat and the dirt and that you were hungry and needed a rest....no, boy, you were lost about something." Briar looked astonished. Had he really been working all that hard without realizing it. But then again, he had been pretty lost in thought about Tris. He wondered why he was thinking about her so much. "Who's the girl?" Rosethorn asked, interuppting again. "Girl?" Briar scoffed. "What girl do you mean? There's no girl. Why would there be?" he knew he was speaking a little too quickly for comfort, but he didn't realize it until it was too late. Rosethorn was smiling that knowing smile she wore oh-so-often. "I'll find out who it is, boy. You can't hide these things from me. I am a girl, much to your surprise." She grunted as she got up, and dusted some of the dirt off of her clothes. "Are you coming? Supper's almost done. Sandry's helping Tris make something. I don't know what, but it sure smells good." She pretended to sniff the air, then walked inside, yelling out to him, "Go and take a bath! You're filthy" Briar yelled back in protest, "So are you!" "Yes, but it's okay for me to be dirty. I don't have a mysterious relation in my life." Briar went red. Who was she to think she knew everything in his life? There was no girl. Unless you counted Tris-but no, that wasn't a girl. It was his foster-sister, his mate, his friend. And his friend only. He walked off to the baths, where he took a relaxing, but quick, bath. He still wasn't quite used to them.
When he sat down at the table that night, they all ate in silence, until Daja started coversing with Rosethorn. "So, who's this 'mysterious relation' in Briars I heard you yelling about this afternoon. Daja asked, shooting a wicked glance at Briar. Briar started to argue, but Rosethorn cut him off. "He pulled out the whole bed of weeds today. Not one complaint out of him. Seemed pretty lost out there. Like he was thinkin. And what do you suppose would make my boy think that hard without it being required of him?" Everyone laughed but Briar, whos ears had gone red out of embarassment and of anger. As he glared at everyone he noticed Tris's laughter was a little strained. She looked plae. He wondered if she was ill. 'Tris?' he asked through her mind. 'Are you feeling alright?' Tris's laughing faded out, though no one seemed to notice. 'No' she answered. 'I'm not. I think I should go now' she said that last part both outloaud and to Brair. She got up and walked quickly out of the room and up the stairs. Sandy mutterd an,"Oh dear." and got up and went after her. Briar looked at Roethron, Lark, and Daja. They all looked as cunfused as he felt. They resumed eating in silence, and Briar knew that they were all thinking about the same thing, in different ways: Tris.
Daja skipped into the room and poked at Briar with her staff. "Wake up, stilly boy," she said. "Breakfast is almost gone and your lady is getting frustrated, and that's something we don't want to see." Briar looked up, still half asleep and cunfused. "I missedbreakfast..my lady..." his attempts at a sentance were innturuppted by a sharp bark from downstairs. "Boy, get down here! We've got a lot to do today, it's still weeding season, and you'll need your strength!" Briar groaned and got up, shooing Daja out and getting dressed. Inside, though, he felt releaved. He thought Daja had been talking about Tris when she had said, "Your lady," and that had alarmed him. How did Daja know about that? But as soon as it became clear the Rosethorn was the one to worry about, he became more cheerful and walks down to breakfast, to see Tris starting to clean up the dishes. "Hey, wait, I'm hungry!" Briar yelled, grinning. Tris looked up and then looked down again, pretending not to hear him. "Well, then, you shouldn't have slept in, should you? Hre, take this roll and some porridge. Hurry up, we haven't got all day. And you can clean your own dishes, but be quick with it, I'll be waiting," snapped Rosethorn as she headed out the door. "Hurry it up already!" Briar quickly sat down and started wolfing down his bread and porrisge, which was getting cold. He couldn't help but sneak glances at Tris, they were the only two in the kitchen.
"Hey, Tris?" he called out lightly, unsure of what he was doing. Tris still pretended not to hear him, so he finished his makshift breakfast and walked up beside her, starting to wash his bowl. Tris refused to acknowlegde he was there, and kept scrubbing at the plates vigourasly. Briar reached his hand into the water, looking for a rag and accidentally touched Tris's. She pulled back her hand quickly, and wiped it on a towel, then put the dishes away and hurridly left. Briar watched after her, then remembered what he was doing and finished washing and cleaning up, then he went outside to ROsethorn, who was already bending over a patch of flowers. All the while he thought, 'Did she pull her hand away because she was disgusted by me? If that why she wiped it and left so quickly? What did I do? We used to be such good friends,' He was startled out of his thought by a whack to his head, coming from Rosethorn and her gardening spade. "Are you going to stop spacing out and do some real work?" She glared at him, and he sat down on the ground, getting to the point and pulling out weeds, hard, so they wouldnt have roots to grow back, but making sure not to yank the flowers and plants out along with them. He working in a half-trance state, still thinking of Tris, when he realized his teacher was looking at his oddly. "What? Shouldn't you be working?" she scowled at her, trying to understand why she was looking at him like that. "Look down, boy," Briar obeyed without thinking. As he looked down he was shocked to see that all of the weeds but few were gone; he had been working hard all day without realizing it. He hadn't even been bothered by the sun...well, not too much anyways.
"What were ya thinking about, Briar?" Rosethorn inquired. "Thinking? What do you mean thinking? I'm just a hard worker, that's all." Briar protested. Rosethorn laughed. "Oh no you aren't. At least, not as much as you think you are. You would've been complaining hours ago about the sun and the heat and the dirt and that you were hungry and needed a rest....no, boy, you were lost about something." Briar looked astonished. Had he really been working all that hard without realizing it. But then again, he had been pretty lost in thought about Tris. He wondered why he was thinking about her so much. "Who's the girl?" Rosethorn asked, interuppting again. "Girl?" Briar scoffed. "What girl do you mean? There's no girl. Why would there be?" he knew he was speaking a little too quickly for comfort, but he didn't realize it until it was too late. Rosethorn was smiling that knowing smile she wore oh-so-often. "I'll find out who it is, boy. You can't hide these things from me. I am a girl, much to your surprise." She grunted as she got up, and dusted some of the dirt off of her clothes. "Are you coming? Supper's almost done. Sandry's helping Tris make something. I don't know what, but it sure smells good." She pretended to sniff the air, then walked inside, yelling out to him, "Go and take a bath! You're filthy" Briar yelled back in protest, "So are you!" "Yes, but it's okay for me to be dirty. I don't have a mysterious relation in my life." Briar went red. Who was she to think she knew everything in his life? There was no girl. Unless you counted Tris-but no, that wasn't a girl. It was his foster-sister, his mate, his friend. And his friend only. He walked off to the baths, where he took a relaxing, but quick, bath. He still wasn't quite used to them.
When he sat down at the table that night, they all ate in silence, until Daja started coversing with Rosethorn. "So, who's this 'mysterious relation' in Briars I heard you yelling about this afternoon. Daja asked, shooting a wicked glance at Briar. Briar started to argue, but Rosethorn cut him off. "He pulled out the whole bed of weeds today. Not one complaint out of him. Seemed pretty lost out there. Like he was thinkin. And what do you suppose would make my boy think that hard without it being required of him?" Everyone laughed but Briar, whos ears had gone red out of embarassment and of anger. As he glared at everyone he noticed Tris's laughter was a little strained. She looked plae. He wondered if she was ill. 'Tris?' he asked through her mind. 'Are you feeling alright?' Tris's laughing faded out, though no one seemed to notice. 'No' she answered. 'I'm not. I think I should go now' she said that last part both outloaud and to Brair. She got up and walked quickly out of the room and up the stairs. Sandy mutterd an,"Oh dear." and got up and went after her. Briar looked at Roethron, Lark, and Daja. They all looked as cunfused as he felt. They resumed eating in silence, and Briar knew that they were all thinking about the same thing, in different ways: Tris.