Chapter 14

I sigh. I have been faking emotions so that my family won't worry. "I am yes,.Tris' advice about my Aunt makes sense. I still look forward to seeing her again."

He nods and smiles sadly at me. Before we know it others are arriving to wait.

"Raven?" I hear the soft voice of my Aunt.

I turn to see her just walking into the Pit area. She breaks out in a smile and breaks from her restraint of emotions and swiftly walks up to me and pulls me in a hug. "Oh my beautiful girl."

I lose the death grip I had on my detachment and close my eyes. "I have missed you Aunty Genie."

She leans back to look at me "I have missed you dearly. You seem to have grown taller but I think it is just you looking more at home." She runs her finger over my ears and smiles. "I am so very glad you like them. They certainly are made more beautiful because you wear them."

I smile and a tear drops down my face. "It meant the world to me that you sent them." She gently wipes the tear and kisses my forehead.

She places her hands around my waist and me hers and we rest our foreheads together. Her blonde hair falling forward to meet my raven hair makes a picture I am sure. This has been our favorite form of comfort since I was very little. "How have you been Raven? Caleb said Tris had been worried for you these past few days."

We pull back and she links her arm with mine and we walk over to the rocks that serve as tables and chairs for Dauntless members.

"I am well. I have been a bit stressed with everything regarding Shane, training my father and brother. How are you Aunt Genie?" I try and change the subject.

She smiles at me softly. "I am well. I miss you but have found work to keep me occupied. I have been working on scanning equipment for diseases of the blood. Olson's wife became sick and it seems to attack her blood. I may not be able to find the cure but I am hopeful I can find a way to narrow down what is going on."

I frown in worry. I had been close to both of my Aunt's assistants. "Please tell Olson that I hope Marie will get better soon."

She nods and smiles ."Marie said to tell she misses you too. Olson said to tell you he is sorry he ever complained about you being around so much." She cups my cheek. "Are you happy here Raven?"

I nod with a reassuring smile to her. "I miss you terribly but I am happy here."

She nods. "May I see your tattoo then?"

I feel myself blushing. "I can show you what is readily visible."

She laughs and nods "I wouldn't dare ask you to strip for me in the center of the Pit."

I giggle, letting my dimple show. "I have played Candor or Dauntless before and had to run through the pit in boxer shorts and my sports bra."

She gasps in mock shock. "Wearing so much? A full sports bra and boxers? You aren't losing your touch are you Little Bird?"

I laugh, turning red. "Hardly, I just allow others to get all the glory." I take off my jacket and stand and turn to the side for her to see the arm part."

She smiles as her fingers trace the swirls around the shoulder. She has me to stand back and raise my skirt a bit and looks at the leg. "Very beautiful. I only wish I could see the Phoenix. The wrist cuff is very beautiful. Please tell Tris and Tori that I love the translation to such a beautiful canvas."

"Flattery will get you everywhere Aunt Genie." I smirk and she smiles.

"Jeanine, good to see you." I hear Max say genuinely and we turn to see him along with Andrea, Leo and Eric behind us.

Eric lets his gaze travel me and his eyes softens as he smiles at me and comes closer to me than my aunt. I smile back but I am hurt by him so I think it better to go back to he is my leader and instructor nothing more.

Eric tilted his head. "You look beautiful Raven." He said quietly and I smile despite trying not to.

"Thank you, sir" I look at my feet and I feel my Aunt lift my head and smile as she looked at me searchingly but I just shook my head and she nodded and turned to Max and the others again.

"Max, Andrea, Leo, Eric…thank you for allowing me to visit my Little Bird. I have truly been so very missing her." She turns back to me and beams. "I was hoping I could sweet talk her into letting me see the rest of her tattoo. She seems to suddenly have grown a bit bashful. A far cry from the little girl Marie and I had to chase around the Erudite grounds to wrestle clothes back on."

I groan "Aunt Genie, you're not winning those points in your favor you know. Talking about my bare six year old bottom running through the rain is not the flattery I think you were aiming for."

She laughs "No but I do have the prerogative to embarrass you if I would like. I never got to show any of those pictures to would be suitors."

I blush "Thank gods." I mutter and Max and everyone but Eric laugh. I didn't expect him to.

"Raven here is doing very well Jeanine. She really has found family." Andrea smiles at me and my Aunt smiles too.

"I never doubted that. She always scared me with how fearsome and Dauntless she was. But I wouldn't trade her or that for the world. What was it she said she wanted to do when she got older? Ah yes. She wanted to be Max but still keep Max being Max. She just wanted to the best Max she could be. She adored you apparently Max."

Max shrugged and would have blushed if his chocolate skin allowed it. "I have a way with the ladies. It didn't hurt she said I was beautiful as she climbed into my lap the first time I ever met her at the age of 6. Any other kid in Erudite would run screaming from me. Raven just smirked at me and climbed right into my damn lap. If I remember you found that extremely amusing Jeanine."

My aunt laughs "Well she had been looking forward to you coming. When I told her you wouldn't have your gun to play with she just rolled her eyes and said that of course you wouldn't have the gun but no self-respecting Dauntless would go totally unarmed. I have to say it was quite shocking to know she was correct and that she knew where you kept them."

I giggled remember the entire incident and Max's delight in putting his jacket on me and showing me his knives. "Yes you let me play with your knives and let me wear your leather jacket."

He shrugged with a smile at me. "I wasn't above a bit of bribery. Plus I didn't know exactly how to respond to your comment that you called me beautiful because I was. But because you had also heard some men say that when they tell women that it let them into their pants. And you needed to get to my knives which might logically be there too. I think I blushed apple red."

I really did blush as everyone laughed and Eric moved closer to me his head tilted as smiled at me.

"We are allowing tours into the training room areas this year. Raven was instrumental in helping to bring new training in the form of some very challenging and forward thinking obstacle courses. If you would like we could show you." Max invited my aunt smiling.

My Aunt turned to me and beamed. "I would love to. If that is ok with you Raven? I am here to spend it how you would like."

"Then maybe you would like to get a tattoo. She seems to love that activity." Eric remarks conversationally to my Aunt but keeps his eyes on me with a small smile.

There is a tense moment as they look at each other before she nods to him but then turns to me. "I would if it was one of her own drawings. Thank you for the gift of that before you left Raven. I wake up to the mural every day and…it gives me hope."

She cups my cheek then turns to the others. "She painted our city as if from a very great height with dawn just breaking through the horizon. It was so lifelike I almost feel like I am looking out of a window."

I smile sadly "I wanted to give you the view I came to know and love during my forays into the world of dauntless when I was rebelling. You always said you wished you could Zip-line and that is one of the views you get."

Her smile turns wide "So my Bird has flown for real now?"

I laugh "Well only when I was allowed to. Once initiation is over someone might have to coax me down with food or something. Did you want to see the obstacles?"

She hesitates "Could I see you do one?" She asks hesitantly.

I look to the others and Max nods. "Yes Aunt Genie, but I have to go change."

She smiles and winks. "Are you going to change into the sports bra and boxers, or is that only during Candor or Dauntless?"

Eric's eyebrows shoot up and his draw drops looking at Jeanine.

"Aunt Genie!" I yell smiling. "If you just must see the damn tattoo come with me to change and I will let you. And Shauna burned the boxers because that was all I wanted to wear and apparently that isn't proper even for a Dauntless woman. Damn shame too those were fucking comfortable."

She claps happily her lips turned into a mischievous smile. "That was too easy dear. You know they do make something called…" She snaps her fingers. "boy shorts. Very confusing because they aren't for boys."

"Good grief. And yes I know. I was bullied into buying several pairs, all in things like lace." I mutter and bite my lip and turn red. "Are you really going to go in there with me?"

She quirks an eyebrow and I sigh. "Fine, come on let's get this shit over with."

I hear laughter from the leaders, even Eric gives a chuckle. I wish I wasn't so aware of him.

She links an arm with mine and we walk along. Everyone but Eric went ahead to the training room. Eric walked with us.

It wasn't uncomfortable silence but I chewed my lip in thought. "Aunt Genie, you said Marie got sick and you think it is of the blood. What makes everyone think that?"

She frowns "Sepsis and other little things that add up. Like I said it is why I am working on the scanner to see if we can pinpoint it. Why do you ask?"

I shrug "I was thinking about something, well about the nano-serum after being reminded about it recently. There wouldn't be a chance she could get enough to cure it unless you knew it was affecting the blood, but you could test the blood with nano-serum. If it is in the platelets then introducing the serum to small batches should show them attacking those, and it will show you which platelets are the ones affected. You could also introduce dies or trackers to the nano-serum so that you can pick up those on your scanner that is calibrated to pick up the nano-tech and it will show what areas are being worked on as they go."

She pulls me to a stop her eyes shining with tears and pride "How was I ever blessed to have such an amazing girl in my life. Thank you Raven, I think those are very wonderful ideas and honestly I think those very well could work." She kissed my forehead softly. "You give me and one day this city hope Raven. Never let what came before confuse what you do from now on. This is your future to forge and no matter the shadows you live under I have no doubt your light will break free from it."

I nod and smile, blushing. "I just wanted to help. The dorm is just this way. Or did you want to send Olson…"

She tsked "Work and helping Marie later tonight. She will skin me herself if we don't take this day."

I grin "Want to watch me also try and run up a wall?"

"Run up a wall, or run Four and Tris up walls?" She snickers.

I shrug and giggle. "That too."