Chapter 10 - Sister I See You

Kat

Tris is flushing red and slightly sputtering in disbelief as we walk from the dining hall towards the training room after dinner.

The cause for this is me having just told her my theory about what could be causing Peter looking like he's constantly sucking lemons after last night. I hadn't even been able to actually come out and say it but even just implying was leaving her speechless.

"Guys do that?" She asks in a scandalized whisper. "I mean, get piercings….you know...there?"

I bite my lower lip to keep from laughing but I also have to admit that I'm turning pretty red myself. "Apparently, it's not just guys that get things like that and in places like those. Girls get piercings, in...you know, their princess parts."

My sister seems to be as mortified by that imagery as I was when I first heard about it myself. She also seems to be torn in wanting to laugh until the laughter wins out. That was a tidbit provided to me by Lynn, who had looked on smugly when I couldn't contain bursting into flaming red colors after she did.

"Princess parts?" She gasps out loudly while laughing, bending slightly with her arm over her stomach and trying to walk at the same time.

We just got to the Pit and she picks this time to get all loud on me. Her not so quiet exclamation has a few heads turning our way and my blush deepening me. I glance at her and smirk as I figure I can mess with her a bit for that.

"Well, what would you like me to call it?" I pause wickedly. "Nether regions? Cave of wonders? The Abyss?" I inhale deeply when a perfect one comes to me. "Oh! I know!" She looks at me and groans as my smile gets bigger. "How about…" She doesn't let me finish before she claps a hand over my mouth and shakes her head, red as a beet and eyes wide.

"Princess parts works just fine. No need to go any further down that train of thought you just boarded." She says but it's more of her pleading with me to not push this further.

I laugh into her hand and nod, my eyes dancing with amusement and happiness. Although it is strange to be able to act with my sister like this again, joking and showing affection freely, I realize I missed it so much.

I missed my sister.

It wasn't until years later and gaining other friends that I also realized that I missed my best friend. Because that was what we were to each once upon a time; before time and secrets changed that. I know now that Tris had always been my first friend, sister or not.

She pulls her hand away, smiling, and moves it to tug my hand into hers. "Come on. Let's get to the training room." She is already pulling me along with her as she speaks.

We don't walk sedately like we might have before, not when we are feeling so free in this moment. We race down through the Pit and down the hallways until we reach the training room and burst through the doors, laughing.

Everyone is already here. Chase is leaning against a wall casually with his ankles crossed over each other while he has his phone in his hands.

Lynn is typically over at the knife throwing station and had been in the middle of letting one go.

Mar is sprawled out on the ground with some kind of magazine in front of her that probably has to do with fashion or makeup or sex….or all of that combined.

Uri is sitting beside her looking tortured but perked up when we came in. He jumps to his feet and is already heading to us quickly.

"What's so funny? What did I miss?" He asks hurriedly and with a slight pout. Uri does not do well with being left out of jokes or anything he thinks might be fun.

"Nothing!" Tris and I yell at the same time, look at each other, then bust out laughing again while turning red.

"Awww. Come on! That's not the look of nothing." He pouts.

"Nothing we want to or can relay, Uri. Drop it." I command him as I try to get my blushing under control.

"Two formers stiffs red as hell? Has to be something to do with s.e.x." Lynn says with a smirk as she walks over to us, spinning the knife in her hands idly.

"You would be wrong." I correct her with a sniff. "It had nothing to do with the act of sex." I reply and see out of the corner of my eye Chase is watching this exchange with a growing smile. I turn towards him and shoot him a pleading look to rescue me before Lynn points out my wording. "So what are we starting with first?"

He pushes off the wall with a chuckle and puts his phone away. "You can start with laps first." His smile turns a little wicked as soon as we started to groan. "Hey, I don't have to be here. Do what I say or I leave and lock this place up for the night."

The reminder that Chase doesn't have to be here right now when he could be out partying and hanging out with his friends, straightens me right up.

I grab Tris' hand pull her along with me to the lap area.

I know tonight is going to be hell, but it'll be worth it come the morning. At least, that's what I try and tell myself.

It's a very sweaty and exhausted group that lay sprawled out on the training room floor a few hours later. Tris and I are beside each other. I turn my head to check on her. She's still trying to catch her breath and looks on the edge of passing out, but she's also wearing a smile.

Tonight really was a great training session and Tris did amazing. Having Chase as the person working with us seemed to help but Lynn was just as helpful in her own way. I guess from knowing me so well and what can motivate me like nothing else, Lynn started to employ those same tactics with my sister to see if they would work.

They did.

Tris and I both share the major flaws of too much pride and being as stubborn as hell. Lynn could and would not show Tris any slack. So Chase pairing my sister with my friend, she didn't pull her punches when going at Tris.

At first, I almost lost it when watching my sister taking hits that I knew had to be hurting her. The first time one of them drew blood I barely restrained myself from barging in and tossed my sister aside to take my friend on. I honestly didn't realize how obvious all that had been until Chase clapped a firm hand on my shoulder and gave me a look telling me to back down.

He was telling me without words that Tris needed to do this on her own, and I knew he was right, but it was so damn hard to watch. When I started to think clearly again, I focused on the fight and tried to look at the two people on the mat in an objective way.

What I saw surprised and pleased me.

Tris has always been made of sterner stuff and people have always underestimated her because of being a girl from Abnegation. But that was always more in the strength of her character. Now, I can see that she is or has grown tougher than even I realized. She is also showing some surprising fluidity of motion.

All this makes me think that maybe Four did decide to help her out as much as he could before she transferred. I don't know that for sure. The last I heard from another source, Four was still trying to talk her out of transferring at all.

One thing is clear though. I lost sight of who my sister is and began to doubt, even resent her, because of my own feelings about Four. I resolve as I lay here looking at that smile to not let that happen again.

I know I will need to tell her about things, and soon. But not now, that I would wait to tell her when we both made members. I don't want her to lose focus right now.

"Kat," Tris calls my name and turns her head to look at me with a smile. "Would you be willing to do me a favor?"

I had just caught my breath and was licking my lips that were extremely dry, as well as my throat. "If the payment for said favor is water, then count me in."

She laughs and shakes her head. "That does sound wonderful. I'm not sure water would be enough for what I have in mind."

"Go get that water regardless." Chase orders as he passes us on the way towards the door after putting away some equipment we used. "We're done for the night but I suggest you all go to the dorms shortly. Lights out is coming up fast."

He doesn't even look our way since he has his phone out again but he tosses us a wave over his shoulder just before he pushes out of the doors.

Around us, everyone is starting to rouse themselves. I push myself up, and beside me, Tris groans in protest.

"Up you get," Lynn orders her with a grin and holding her hand down for my sister.

"What's the favor?" I ask my sister, wincing as I pull the material of my shirt from my chest only to find that it, as well as the rest of me, is a disgusting sweaty mess.

"I want to get a tattoo….together." She replies shyly, a small flush on her cheeks.

Her request surprises me a little and it shows because she shrugs. "I already wanted to get something I just wasn't sure what. But I was looking the other night and I found something. You don't have to get the exact same thing...but when I saw it...I just knew I wanted us to get it together. It would….I would like it if you did."

Her asking this of me plus the feelings I've had since after dinner, just confirm for me that I wasn't alone in what I was feeling. And that she missed all that too.

I smile and reach to link my arms with hers. "Tris, I would love to and I'm sure that Tori and Bud won't mind working on us at the same time either if you want."

Her answer was the beaming smile on her face and once again pulling me along with her. All my friends joined in the excitement but Mar decided this was cause to take it even further.

She decided it was time to take Tris to the shops too. It made me happy that they were making a point to welcome her into the group. I had worried if they would get along but even Lynn is accepting her pretty easily and that can only mean she genuinely likes my sister.

By the smile on her face even when shopping is mentioned, I can tell this makes her happy too.

Bud started to clean the skin of where I got my tattoo and I looked over to see that Tori is finished with my sisters as well.

Tris is a bit pale from the process. She refused the numbing cream after seeing me do the same, even though we all tried to tell her that I was just a bit sadistic and she didn't need to follow my madness. But she insisted.

She smiles at me. "Do you like it?" She asks with uncertainty.

"I'm waiting for us to be finished being cleaned up then we can go look at them together." I reply with a soft chuckle.

She waits impatiently for Tori to finish cleaning hers up. When Tori gives the all clear, she leaps up from the chair and drags me to the mirror with her. We go to the floor length mirror attached to the wall and stand side by side in front if it, looking at our reflections. We're standing in our sports bras and leggings, having had to take our shirts off to get the tattoo where we decided to get them placed. On our left shoulder, following the line of our collar bone but just slightly under it.

The tattoo design is a simple design really. The lines are delicate and fine, done in black ink and form a feather with a long stem. The stem of the feather is broken in the middle with the phrase 'alis volat propriis'; which means 'she flies with her own wings'. This is done in a delicate flowing script that matches the lines of the rest of the tattoo.

The feather begins to break up towards the end of it where the shape of four ravens take form from bits of the feather. Two of the ravens are smaller than the other two and are taking a flight up and away from the larger two who are taking flight towards the heart. These ravens represent our family with our parents being the larger of the birds flying towards where we know we will always hold them, our hearts. The birds that represent us aren't so much flying away, as spreading our wings.

It's perfect. The entire thing is, and what makes it even that much more special is that we picked it out together. Even suggesting our own personal touches to the original simple feather. Tris suggested the ravens while I provided the quote. Together we decided the placement after some suggestions from Bud and Tori.

Those two had known the significance of the tattoo and suggested that we show them proudly.

I can see Tris looking at me through the mirror. Her expression one of apprehension.

I smile at her through the mirror and slip and arm around her waist. "I love it, Tris. It's perfect."

Behind us, Mar and Lynn nod their approval with Mar clapping happily and smiling.

"Now to shopping." Mar says without hesitation and a manic gleam in her eyes.

I barely get to throw my shirt on before she's herding me and Tris out of the parlor. There's only an hour or so before lights out and she is determined to get Tris all new and better stuff for tomorrow.

Tris seems to finally catch on that this isn't going to be a pleasant experience and sends me a pleading look. I reply with a wicked grin and chuckle, looking forward to her being subjected to what I was just less than two weeks ago.

That strikes me as odd, thinking that I haven't been here a two full weeks yet. It makes me realize how fast things move here and how quickly things can change. I wonder if that's because this is Dauntless that makes it seem like I've been here a lot longer.

It can be hard to separate one day from the next when you don't get to see the passing of those days. We hardly leave the compound and the few times we have has been to go to the roof to do weapons training and another time on a run outside.

It could be that or it could be there is an air of danger and menace that lives under all the loud parties, raucous laughter, and acts of daring.

When we pass people in the Pit on the way to the dorms, there is this look in their eyes that I've seen but haven't been able to place before. Now it feels like it's a warning from those grizzled and men and women who have seen initiates come and go over the years.

Live it up now rookies, you might not be here tomorrow.

I squeeze Tris' hand as that runs through my head and resolve that we will prove them wrong.

I'll prove them all wrong. But mostly, I'll make sure no one ever looks at me with the disgust that he looked at me with.

Never again.