Alina

"Five students! Five!" growled Rosethorn angrily as she hammered at the wood as it twisted and bent under her control. Lark looked up lazily from sewing the girl's carpet.

"Don't get so worked up about it." said Lark soothingly. Rosethorn shook her head, she didn't particularely feel like fighting right now, she was putting all of her power into building this room for this girl.

"But Lark," said Rosethorn some what put off, "What if we get another student, and then another? It's ridiculous!" she growled. Lark shrugged.

"There's nothing we can do about it, we can hardly deny them of an education." Rosethorn agreed with her begrudgingly.

"Rosethorn?" called out a young voice from the shadows. Plants leaned in towards him, as though wanting to get closer to him. Rosethorn murmered in acknowledgement of his presence. "Could I help?" Rosethorn glanced up at Briar from her work.

"Of course you can." she said handing him a hammer.

"Won't it hurt them?" he asked.

"Not if you do it softly." she replied. Briar nodded and did as she directed. It wasn't very hard, and it took his mind off the day at hand. Sandry had been with Alina all day while Tris had been with Niko and Daja at Frostpine's forge. And there was absolutely no way he would come even close to her. The night before she had been glaring at her like he was the devil himself. 'Course, he could say he was devilishly handsome, but he was hardly the devil. He had been clean for a while now. The only person who had anything worth stealing was Dedicate Gorse, but he gave it to Briar for free, and why steal something when you can get it for free? Then there was Crane, and he hadn't been allowed anywhere near his glass building since he had taken his shakkan.

"Briar? Come with us." beckoned Sandry cheerfully. Briar looked at Rosethorn as a futile last attempt to stay away from the strange new girl. Rosethorn merely smiled at him. It might be good for him to get to know the other girl. To Briar it looked as though she were putting him on a silver platter to be eaten savagely and chewed, then digested until he came out. He glared at Rosethorn as fiercely as he could, but she just smiled at him.

Lark suppressed a laugh from behind him. He scowled. Was everyone out to get him? What had he done to... everybody?

"See, Briar!" said Sandry as she dragged him into her bedroom. On her bed lay a shirt and a pair of breeches. He looked at her suspiciously. "Try it on!" she said happily. Briar was about to refuse when Alina stepped into the room, and his mouth stopped altogether.

Flashack

"You promise, Roach?" asked a soft voice, a voice so soft and calm, you could have mistaken it for the voice of an adult.

"I promise." said the boy as he let the two unfamiliar words roll around on his toungue. His vision creeped up from her hand, getting closer to her face.

End of Flashback

"NO!" he screamed. His hands covered his ears desperately, his eyes scrunched up. He couldn't! Of all times not now! A hand touched his back, and a cooling sensation trickled through his boiling skin.

"Briar? Are you okay?" asked Sandry worried. She seemed higher than him. Briar opened his eyes widely, he hadn't noticed falling to the ground... had he? He had. What had made him fall to the ground? He caught a glance of Alina's feet and remembered in an instand before he pushed it out of his mind once more. He would have to control himself around her. He couldn't let her see his weekness.

He looked up at her once more. She was looking straight ahead, her expression as hard as ever. This was going to be a long period of time. He couldn't wait to leave. Until then he would be stuck with this. . . Girl. He looked up at Sandry wryly. "Yeah I'm okay. Just had a bit of a spell there." he lied.

Why was it that every time he came close to remembering he felt like he was about to explode? Like something was very wrong and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Something that was so terrible, even he, someone who had survived everything that the fates had thrown at him, could not handle it? There was one thing for sure, he would not, could not let this control his life. All he had to do was try not to get too close to her, then nothing like this would happen again.

He strolled over to where Lark and Rosethorn were working, and picked up a hammer and went back to work. Rosethorn looked at him oddly. There was something different about him, he seemed afraid, and the Briar she knew wasn't afraid of very much. "What just happened back there?" she asked him.

"Nothing." said Briar determinedly. This was something he wouldn't-couldn't even share with Rosethorn. Rosethorn knew he was lying. It was so obvious, it screamed and shrieked it to her. She looked over to Lark who, sensing the eyes atop her head, looked up in confusion. Rosethorn directed her eyes to the hardworking Briar and Lark furrowed her brow. She too sensed something was not right.

Sandrilene fa Toren watched them from up on the roof. Alina had decided to go off on her own to explore the place. Sandry thought it had something to do with what happened, and whatever had just happened felt foreign to her, as though she would not be a part of it. She didn't know why, was Briar not one of them? Whatever happened to him happened to the others as well. She would have to talk with the others. She had never seen Briar this distressed before. Had it something to do with Alina? It seemed to, why else would he try and run away every time he saw her? But Alina seemed perfectly nice. Quiet, maybe, but nice.

Alina felt a quiet rage burn inside of her. It had been burning for so long... and then her mother, and now this? Why did all the damage seem to head in her direction? What had she done so awfully wrong in a past life that had put her in for a life of torture in this one? A calm wind tousled her hair gently. She wanted to hurt something so badly, but every time she had, she had regretted it deeply afterward. This would no likely be no different. But Briar? Surely he deserved some punishment. But no, if anyone found out, they would kick her out. Of course, after which she could always go home... but was that really an option with her and the duke being together? The man was the worst kind of man. He was the essense of evil. As is Briar Moss, she thought.

No he isn't. A small voice in her head whispered. You know he isn't. It's just the only reason you can think of why he would do something like that to you. That's not true! she countered, ready for a full on battle. Yes it is. Said the small part of her head. She shook it and blocked that part of her brain out. She would not think that.

But now that the seed had been planted, doubt began to fester in her mind. Was she merely making excuses?

Authors Note:

It's turning out a bit more angsty than I'm sure I intended... but then again, who can write a fluffy story? I sure can't. At the moment I haven't the faintest if Briar is going to turn into a whisp of smoke or if he and Sandry/Tris/Alina will get together. On that thought, I ought to get Tris in more, no? And no, Sandry and the others aren't going to be excluded from the story at all.

R/R!