Chapter Zero / Prologue {BOTH CHAPTERS ZERO AND ONE ARE ON THIS PAGE}

By Muslima (Muslima: The one and only!)

Zakyu: And ME!

Muslima: Bad sidekick! (throws pots and pans at Zakyu).

Zakyu: Mercy!

Reader (you): What is this crap?

Muslima: (*Sweatdrop*) Oh! Yeah on with the story! But wait! The disclaimer! Zakyu!

Zakyu: (clears throat) WE DON'T OWN ANYTHING (characters, etc) [or at least in this chapter!] EVERYTHING BELONGS TO THE GENIUS TAMMORA PIERCE!

Muslima: =] Good!

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"You be on your best behavior, Tris. I don't want to come back to a wreck." Said the elderly man named Niko Goldeneye. He was tall and seemed to loom over a redhead girl with tangled curls. Tris looked back at the table stealing a glance at her sub, Rosethorn who was barking orders at her pupil, Briar to wash his hands.

"Yes, Sir." She said quietly looking down at her feet, a dread feeling coming over her stomach and weights on her shoulders.

"Good girl." He said. "I'll be trusting that's a promise." Although Tris didn't look up from her clean feet she could sense Niko smiling. He put a frill hand on her shoulder. It seemed shaky, light: old. Tris had never thought Niko as 'old' and it surprised her. Tris looked up. Niko did seem old. 'Of course his old, you twit.' Commented her mind. She ignored it and made herself smile even if was a weak one.

"Just come back soon." Tris said.

Niko's smile became wider. "Strong girl, I guess that's why Rosethorn needs you so."

"I need nobody!" Snapped Rosethorn from across the room, limping. She had fell and broke her ankle, the healers said in a two weeks it would be healed and that she should keep off it. However, Rosethorn paid no heed to no one. She hopped on one foot or used a cane on her worst days although everyone knew she had it to hit Briar on the head when he wasn't paying attention to his weeding. Niko grinned at his friend's reply.

"I best be going." He said in a solemner tone.

"Right before dinner?" Tris said in a desperate tone, she wanted to postpone any horrible task Rosethorn had in store. "I made it myself." She added quickly. Rosethorn smirked, she looked right through Tris.

"The sooner he goes the sooner he'll be back." Rosethorn said sharply.

Niko looked at Rosethorn than at Tris back again. "Warp some for me, I'll eat it on the way. I would never miss a chance at eating your cooking." Rosethorn shifted a laugh. Tris wanted to glare. She was good cook and all of them knew it.

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Five Minutes Later, Niko has left and it's dinner time.( I wrote this during a storm, kool uh?)

Tris sat in her sit next to Briar who as always looked at the food with a starved, greedy puppy, hungry face. She felt weird. I just miss Niko she thought. Niko had always sat in the chair between Briar and her. She sat in the chair next to the window, usually it was open but now it wasn't. Tris looked out the window, it looked like it was going to rain. Thick, huge dark clouds were in the sky. She couldn't sit still in her chair she felt excited.

"What's the matter Coppercurls, need to pee?" Briar asked mockingly. Tris glared at him. She was about to say something nasty back to Briar, like the way he ate or something of the sort but was interrupted.

"Briar how could you say something like that?" It was Lark. Briar rolled his eyes he knew what was coming. "Did you know Tris went out of her way to cook this dinner?"

"Then I won't eat it probably tastes or is poison." Briar said. Something hit his head. It was Rosethorn; he had not seen her come in. Behind her, a clean good smelling Daja (she had been to the baths earlier) and Sandry who sat herself down next to Tris and Lark.

"Smells good, I am staving," said Daja "it's been a long day." She stretched and sat beside Rosethorn and Lark who put the last bowel of food on the table.

"We feast!" said Briar with a menacing look in his eye ready to pierce the hunk of meat that was on his plate.

"So first it's poison and now it's a feast." Tris said with a smile. Briar wonder at this oddity then realized why Tris was in a good mood when he spotted the cloudy sky through the window. Everyone looked at Briar and his plate which somehow he had already filled to it's peak.

"Boy don't you have any manners? Your 17!" Rosethorn muttered under her breath. She had a hand to her forehead, Sandry guessed she had a headache maybe that's why she didn't yell at him to put the food back.

Maybe it's because you haven't taught me any Briar thought to Daja but she knew he had accidental thought it to her when he had thought about saying it to Rosethorn.

Lark said blessings and everyone started eating like horses. How do they get so slim? Tris thought to herself.

Briar was determine to make a gentleman out of himself. He was tired of every person he meet say he ate like a slob. He was too proud to really knowledge his decision himself, but he figured he could at least observe how others ate so he could know what was wrong with his manners. His first instinct was to look at how Tris ate; she wasn't eating but staring. He than looked at Daja she had clearly been with Frostpine too long. Than Sandry, she ate quickly but elegantly. He tried to copy her.

What are you doing? asked a crisp voice, it was Tris.

Briar made a mental frown What does it look like, Coppercurls? I thought those glasses of yours worked? (I didn't know to spell segmenwhatyamcallit- or whatever, and just saying glasses are a lot simpler!)

You need to improve your other manners before you can even think about table manners. retorted Tris.

Briar felt embarrassed than angry that Tris could read him like an open book. He spend too much time with her. Mind your business.

Only people who don't know what to say back use-

Oh really! Stop it you two. Sandry said with disapproval.

"Is something wrong?" asked Lark. Rosethorn lifted an eyebrow, of course, suspecting something.

"Uh, may I go to my room. I don't feel like eating." Tris said polity at ether Lark. She sorta lied. One of the reasons was she wanted to cut back on eating, but boy was it hard! Her stomach seem to protest as it made a slight noise. She prayed no one heard that. But, Lark heard.

"Why of course Tris, should I save some food for you?" asked Lark.

"YES! YES! Your HUNGARY!!" screamed one part of Tris's mind. "no." said the other part of her mind meekly. She was about to say yes but something was nagging in her mind like an itch she couldn't reach. The storm. Excitement ran through her body, tingling with sparks. Tris no longer felt hungry. She realized she just had wanted something to taste in her mouth.

"No thank you." She said trying to hide how she felt with a solemn face. She pushed her chair in and quietly and quickly run up the stairs.

"Poor child. She misses Niko." Lark said.

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Chapter One!

Muslima: Mahmawhahahahaha! (Laughs insanely).

Zakyu: Your disturbed.

Muslima: And proud of it too!!! ^_*

Zakyu: That's what disturbing.

Muslima: Shut up before I put you back to my other story! [Holds up a pot.]

Zakyu: SORRY! OK, here goes! WE DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! BLAH, BLAH, BLAH... BASICALLY, PLEASE DON'T SUE US WE HAVE NO MOOLAH!!!8[)[everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.]

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Tris went up the stairs, which made a slight cricking noises. It was cooler upstairs away from the hot kitchen where all the cooking was done. The cold air made Tris's ankles feel exposed. It was always a little cooler in her room. Tris opened the door to her room where as usual, it was neat and clean. Even if all the things were out of order the room always looked spacious and in a good way, bare. Tris had few belongs, all which had sentimental value in one way or another, none she had from her past life. Tris breathed in the air it reminded her of water; cool and freshing.

She walked across the room clam yet excited. Her feet making a rich thumping sound on the cold, solid, smooth wood. Tris went to her window which smoothly opened, she then put it in such a way that it wouldn't slam down. Strong winds greeted her. Tris knew she would need to do this fast, if she didn't the wind would be felt downstairs. Tris stuck her head out of her window the wind pushing hair out of her face.

Tris! Lark's going up stairs! Surprised Tris jumped up, her head hit the window. The window now ajar slammed on top of Tris head.

"Oww." Tris moaned as rubbed her head, "that hurt." A soft knocking noise was heard upon her door. "Yes, come in." Said Tris when she had sat on her bed acting as if she was in deep thought.

"Hello. Tris, are you alright?" Asked Lark in the standing in the middle of the doorway.

Tris blinked "Yeah I'm alright is something wrong?"

"No," Lark said starting off slowly "um, if you ever need to talk to anyone, don't hesitate to come to me." She was about to go but seemed to remember something. "By the way," Lark said smiling "Briar ate three bowls. Everyone else ate two. " Tris smiled. I eat a piece of meat and gain five pounds, they eat an elephant, and they gain an ounce, she thought. (Is there any elephants in this world/realm?) Then when Lark went Tris closed her eyes Thank you, Sandry for warning me. She could feel Sandry smile.

Then she hoped up, The Storm. She stuck her head outside her window. Well its now or never she thought. She haled herself up on the wide windowsill. All she needed to do now was climb on top of the window and a few feet up was the roof. She had seen Briar do it hundreds of times always passing her window. She had also done this before. Yeah! When you were 12! What are you now, 16? Mocked that horrible voice.

"Coppercurls, we don't want to see that." Tris turned around; of course, it was Briar. She put her dress between her legs embarrassed. His shirt off and his hands were dirty. He was obviously weeding. Rosethorn always did make him weed all the weeds before a storm in summer, saying the weeds would sock up all the water and leave the plants to die.

"I wouldn't be talking Briar." Tris said curtly with a critically look in her eye.

Briar looked up her in the eye and smiled, saying, "Don't lie Coppercurls."

"It takes a liar to know one." Tris said brutally. She was expecting him to say something back but he blushed and turned his head away. She lifted an eyebrow, puzzled. Oh well, she thought. However, that horrible voice spoke again, Maybe he really did want to see you. Tris shouted at herself mentally for thinking like that. Next time I'll do that I will go over a cliff, she thought. Tris got on the roof. She looked over, about to asked Briar what was that was all about but he was furiously working and blocking all thoughts but his own. He seemed to be in his own world.

Pushing that aside, Tris centered her thought on the storm. It seemed to be hesitating however, that's what all big storms did, like a volcano it was all bottled up then exploded. She put herself in deep concentration, blocking all sounds except her heart beat. Tris listened and listened very hard until her heart beat was beating like the wind. Soft, smooth, calm yet a powerful force. She had been trained to do this and it was probably one of the hardest things to learn, to BE the wind.

She let the wind play with her for a few moments then played with the wind like ribbons. The wind suddenly made a violate turn pushing her spirited self a length away. The wind press into her ears, it almost hurt. It urged her to hear on.

She heard many voices, one crying, a baby, a man as if she was speeding through a market place. She could no longer distinguish any voice. Then it came. ~ ........Did you get it? lifeless voice....It's old man, he knows, he has it.... ....Yes, I know him from somewhere..kill him...and get it back!.......... Yes, your grace............~

Tris drew a shaky breath. WHAT IN HELL WAS THAT? (I wonder if they have a hell?) Of course she sometimes listened to the wind but she hadn't heard something like that sin- since.... painfully memories were unwillingly brought up.....since last time. Rain started coming down hard like bullets or nettles that brought up those memories making her flinch. Her head felt compacted and tight like the piecing rain. Usually she felt free and wild she now, the first time felt she just wanted to lay down in the sandwich of died wood and sleep on her bed.

She now walked down the catch feeling mute and dumb, not caring if Rosethorn saw her come down from there. Fibrant red hair was wet and pasted on her pale face. Daja was the first to catch her in the hallway.

"What was THAT?!" Daja asked in a harsh whisper. She than back one step away, a very-un-Daja- thing. Tris had just realized she was sparking up.

"Nothing just a bad dream." Tris had said blandly, not wanting her friend to be upset, not knowing, really if she was lying or not. All she could see was those bodies floating in the sea. That little boy and girl holding hands, they were all died because of HER. The memories still had the same sting.

"Tris, tell us the truth," Tris looked up, it was Sandry hands on her narrow hips "we felt SOMETHING." Tris bit her lip unwilling to let tears come to her eyes.

"I don't what you are talking about." Her voice even eyes cold steel.

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Muslima: Ha! Like it?

Zakyu: Let me see...NO!

Reader: (Please review and tell me)

Muslima: (Ignoring him) Good, no? (Indian accent)

Zakyu: You have sad issues.

Muslima: And you have white hair.

Zakyu: (Sticks out tongue).

Muslima: (Ignores him) Well, PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

Well, I hope you liked it! =] Tell me what you like or didn't like, I'm open eyes and ears. This is after all about writing even better and entertaining you Readers! I am going to try this..uh...romance thing. (*shy*)

Please tell me what YOU want to see. What style of writing YOU like. In addition, YOUR ideas, Your review and time [that you spend on it] will be greatly appreciated.