Determinant: One choice will change everything

Chapter 5: Tris - Planning

Chapter 5: Tris – Planning

I wake up to the sound of Uriah laughing.

"No, there's no dash after it. You just spelled 'mina.'"

"What's a mina?" Christina asks.

Cara answers, "It's a type of bird" at the same time Uriah says, "It's less than maja."

I join them in time to see Christina smack Uriah on the arm. "Hey, some of us haven't had ten years to practice this! I think I'm doing pretty well."

Cara purses her lips and says, "Objectively speaking, I'm not sure I'd agree with that. The vowels are pretty basic, you know."

Christina's eyes land on me, and she says, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did we wake you? I mean it's only one o'clock."

"I had trouble falling back asleep this morning," I mutter. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Well," Christina says, "it turns out that Zeke and Uriah have been using this thing called Morris code to communicate secretly for years."

"Morse code," Uriah corrects her, rolling his eyes. "And it was useful. We could pass messages without Mom catching us." Looking at me, he adds, "I thought it might be good for us," and he gestures around the room, "to have another way of communicating. You know, in case someone comes into the building or something like that."

"Good idea," I say, and it is. We have no idea what we're facing, and having a backup means of communication can only help. With a pang, I remember Lynn and Shauna making faces to each other as we spied on Jack Kang. That was their secret code, and it worked, but it led to Shauna being paralyzed.

"See, I told you I'm smart," Uriah says to Christina. Then, he looks at me again and adds, "We ate a bunch of the food, but we saved you half a can of stew." He nods toward the kitchen counter, and I see the can sitting there with a spoon stuck into it.

"Mmm, appetizing," I comment, as I step over to pick it up. It tastes like tin and congealed fat, but I eat it anyway. We need to keep our strength up, and I won't do that by starving.

We spend the next few hours learning Morse code, and I begin to understand Christina's frustration. I may have an aptitude for Erudite, but that doesn't mean everything comes naturally, and I find it very difficult to figure out when Uriah is pausing between letters.

"Sorry," he mutters after what seems like the hundredth time we mistake "a" for "et." "I guess Zeke and I got really used to each other's timing. Siblings are good at that, you know." The moment the words leave his mouth, a stricken expression crosses his face, and he glances between me and Cara like he's sure he's offended one or both of us.

"Oh, relax," Cara says with mild irritation. "My brother's dead and hers is a traitor. Life goes on. We can stand it if you mention your brother."

I laugh. I'm not entirely sure why, but something about Cara's calm in-your-face answer appeals to me. A moment later, though, it sinks in just how many people we've all lost. Al. Will. My parents. Marlene. Lynn. And Caleb in a way.

"Yeah," I say quietly. "We have to find a way to keep going, don't we?"

Suddenly, I'm wondering when Tobias will be back, and I'm keenly aware that he didn't take a weapon with him. Alone among the Dauntless, he walked away from yesterday with two guns – his own and the one I handed to him when I surrendered. He left them here for us, and I know it was sensible. If he brought one to Erudite, it would just be confiscated, and then we'd have one less option. Still, I don't like the thought of Tobias being unarmed in that place.