Prior Rings

Chapter 24: Zeke - Fun and Games

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! This chapter overlaps part of Chapter 47 from "Determinant" but then skips ahead. It's my first try ever at writing from Zeke's POV. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 24: Zeke – Fun and Games

When I get home from work, Shauna is in the gathering room with Cara and Christina.

"They're talking," she tells me as I give her a quick kiss and plop onto the sofa closest to her.

I don't have to ask who she means – I haven't forgotten that Tris was due to arrive this afternoon.

"That's a good thing, right?" I ask uncertainly. "I mean, they have to talk at some point, so it's better to just get it over with, isn't it?"

She shrugs, looking nervous. I kind of know how she feels. Four's tough, and he can certainly take care of himself, but he's not exactly experienced in the art of love. And Tris gets to him in ways that no one else does.

"How long have they been at it?" I ask, looking between the three women.

Christina glances at her watch. "Almost half-an-hour." She sounds anxious, but excited too. I know she wants the two of them to get back together as much as the rest of us do, though she never admits it. It's about the only thing her Candor instincts let her hide.

"Mmm." My lips press together. "Has there been any yelling?"

"No," Christina answers, studying her fingernails. "At least not loud enough for us to hear from all the way over here."

"I wouldn't let her eavesdrop," Cara quips, giving her friend a caustic look. The comment makes me laugh. We Pedrads have a long history of successfully overhearing conversations, but even I wouldn't listen to something that private. And not just because Four would kill me if he found out about it.

"Well, if they don't come out for dinner," I offer, "we can always send a sacrificial lamb to knock on the door. Like Uri."

Christina snorts, and Shauna smacks my arm.

"What about me?" my brother asks, stepping into the room with his usual perfect timing.

"We were wondering if you had dinner ready yet," I answer, deadpan.

His eyes widen in panic. "It's not my turn tonight," he says quickly, looking at the others for confirmation. "Is it?" It's not, I'm sure, but he's so easy to play with….

"Yes, it is," Shauna insists, her tone conveying just the right level of irritation. "Are you telling me we'll have to wait while you make it now?"

"And on Tris' first day here, too," Christina scoffs, adding a nice edge of disappointment. "You have got to start paying more attention to the schedule, Uriah!"

As usual, it's Cara who gives the joke away. "You can smell the casseroles cooking, you know," she says, rolling her eyes at Uri. "Seriously, just sniff the air."

I suppose it's my own fault for not noticing what Uri had in his hands when I started the joke, but I still jump when he throws his lunchbox at me. I catch it automatically, but the latch unlocks from the movement, and the lid flies open, allowing the dirty dishes to fling themselves at me.

"Oops," my brother says calmly as I stand, trying to brush the crumbs and sauces from my entire front. I leave his possessions scattered across the sofa and floor as I launch myself at him, chasing him into the dining hall before managing to tackle him to the floor.