To Save a City (Divergent/Eric) 2 of 3 COH Series

Chapter 122

(Hosanna's POV)

In the morning, Tris and my brother accompany us down to breakfast. They act as if they've known each other their whole lives—joking around and laughing.  I guess Tris has but Tobias just woke up and finally noticed her.  I really have never seen him like this and it makes my heart swell at the sight. 
The line is short today for breakfast. I put some eggs, a cup of fresh berries, a couple slices of bacon, and pancakes on my plate. Tris looks a little overwhelmed at the selection. I give her my tray and grab the same for myself.  I point to Eric and Tobias moving through the line. My brother puts two chocolate muffins on his tray.  Eric grabs one of Tobias's and puts it on Tris's plate, on top of her pancakes. She laughs as he notices and grabs another one from the basket. We come to the drink selection and Tris yawns. "Tired?" I ask her.
"A little. I stayed up later than I'm used to," she explains.
"Do you want to try a cup of coffee?" I offer.
She makes a face. "Christina had me try some before. I thought it was really bitter," she explains.  She must've had it black.
"How about I make you a cup and if you don't like it, I'll get you something else," I say.
She nods, "Alright."
I pour her a cup with cream and sugar—just the way Eric and I like it—passing it to her. "What do you think?" I ask.
She sips it. "This is delicious. It's like a dessert," she compliments smiling. 
"Come on. Let's go sit down," I grin. She smiles and follows.
We take our seats together. My brother quickly sits next to Tris and Eric joins us a moment later smirking.  "You can see the entire cafeteria from here," Tris comments. 
"This area is raised a little higher," I nod.  She must've not noticed the incline. 
I see Tobias holding her hand and eating with his left hand.  I smile at how adorable they are together. 
"This is really good," Tris tells me about the pancakes and bacon. 
"What'd you eat before for breakfast?" I ask. 
"Scrambled eggs, I tried some of the muffins, toast with butter," she lists off some of the food she's tried here.
I laugh.  "Once a Stiff, always a Stiff," Eric mumbles. 
I elbow his ribs.  He rubs them frowning at me.  'Be nice,' I mouth. 
"Why don't we get you acclimated to the diet here?  I can help you with that.  You'll definitely need more protein, fruits and vegetables," I say. 
Tris leans her head against my shoulder and gives me a side hug.  "You're such a good friend," she responds quietly.  "So what are we doing today?"
"You and Four will be assisting Lydia this morning.  You'll be setting up apartments.  The rest of us will meet with each of the new members.  We get to help them with the selection of their jobs," I say excitedly. 
Tris smiles.  "Is that all we're doing?"
"Um, afterward, I'd like to bring you to my apartment with Eric and get you up to date on some current issues dealing with leadership," I explain. "Four, would you be able to help Ryan with the security information after lunch?" I ask him. 
"Sure," he shrugs. 
"So what are we going to talk about?" Tris asks. 
"Some confidential things," I tell her. 
"Oh," she says nodding. 
Max kisses my head when he arrives.  I smile at him and pat his hand on my shoulder before he takes the seat beside my husband.  "I never realized you and Max were so close," Tris says quietly. 
"Oh, I've known Max my whole life, the same with my brother.  He was childhood friends with my mom," I explain. 
I glance at Tris.  She's staring.  "I didn't know that," she responds softly. 
"He's like a father figure for us," I tell her. 
"For all of us," Eric adds. 
"You all are making me feel old," Max comments. 
"Well, you are the oldest," Ryan points out. 
Max snorts in response.  "And the strongest," he mutters. 
We continue to enjoy our breakfast mostly in silence.  Mia and Ryan chat a little though.  She kisses him when we all finish our meals.  "Well, I'm going shopping," she says opening her hand in front of Ryan. 
He pulls his point card out of his pocket and sighs loudly as he places it on her palm.  "Don't spend all of it in the jewelry store again," he pleads.  She snorts.  As she walks away, she blows him a kiss over her shoulder. 
"I lucked out with you," Eric mumbles. 
"Why?" I laugh.  "Aren't you afraid I'm going to spend all your points?"
"No, it's just... girls who behave like Mia vex me.  Plus, points aren't an issue with you.  I like that," he says. 
I shrug.  "I'm from Abnegation.  A smile and kind words are all I need to make me happy," I tell him. 
"Does he actually give you those things?" Tris asks quietly. 
"Yes," I reply. 
She looks as if she doesn't believe me.  I glance at Eric.  He clearly heard that and does not look amused. 
"So, the cafeteria is beginning to clear out.  Let's make the announcement," Max says. 
We all agree.  Max stands.  "New members!" he shouts. "I want all of you to gather at these two tables." He points to the two closest ones. Everyone gets up and moves nearer. Even the two people sitting at the further table get up and move their seats wishing the new members luck.
I stand as soon as they're all seated. "Attention," I start. "We will begin calling out names in order of rank. You will come up to Max, Ryan, Eric, and myself for jobs. After your position is selected, you will see Lydia, Four, and Tris about your apartments. There are only so many single apartments available so I suggest you decide who you wouldn't mind sharing an apartment with before you come up here.
"Once you've finished here, everyone working in security—and by that I mean the fence, compound security, or the city police force—will remain in the cafeteria after lunch. Ryan and Four will walk you through where to go. For every other job, you will receive a map and a schedule for your first week of work. You all get the weekend to yourself but must report to work on Monday. Your schedule may change after that depending on the position and the amount of training.
"Also, on a personal note, all new members are invited to my apartment for dinner tonight. This is not required, it's just my way of congratulating you all on a job well done this year. You don't have to bring a dish to share since you're all getting accustomed to your new homes but you are welcome to. Usually there's quite a bit of leftovers that you are all able to take home. Are there any questions?"
Marlene raises her hand. "Yes," I call on her.
"I've heard you have these kind of parties pretty often. Are they catered or something?" she asks.
"No, usually Eric and I cook. A lot of my friends bring dishes and drinks to pass around, too," I reply. I hear lots of chatter about that.
Uriah raises his hand grinning. "Yes," I say.
"What are you making?" he smirks.
I laugh. "Um, we haven't decided that yet," I respond looking to Eric. He shrugs. "We usually decide at the store. Are there any requests?"
"Roast beef," Eric chimes in quickly. I see several hands raise.
I smile. "Too late, Eric chooses roast beef," I grin. I hear a few people grumbling. "What? I've got to please my man."
"Trust me, hers is better than the cafeteria's," my husband says.
"It is," Ryan and Max shout simultaneously.
Everyone looks to be smiling now, surprised, I think, by their leaders' casual attitude.
"Any more questions?" I ask.
Peter raises his hand. I call on him. "Where do you live?" he inquires. I look at him confused since he already asked before but I start to explain to everyone else. I tell them how to get to my building. "You can either take the stairs or the elevator up. It's on the top floor, last door of my building," I continue.
"The noisy place. I don't want you knocking on my door," Tobias smirks.
"We usually leave the door open. I suggest you ask a guard if you still don't know how to get there. They're all required to know where we live," I say. He nods.
"Alright. I think we're good on questions. Uriah, you're up," I call out to him. He stands and runs up. He sits in the chair before us. "You get first pick," I point out showing him the list.
"Are there any more leader in training positions?" he smiles.
"Nope," Max says.
"Shoot," Uriah jokes snapping his fingers in dejection playfully. He looks over the list I presented him with on the screen. "What's this control room and computer security position?"
"It's just like what Zeke does, only you can join the computer security team also. You would protect our compound from outside threats. Zeke wasn't interested in that," Eric explains.
Uriah nods. I think that would be the best position for him. "One thing I should mention is that you would deal with confidential information. You would not be allowed to speak on what you see at work. There are private issues you'll have to deal with. Would you be able to handle that?" I ask.
He nods his head. "Yes, ma'am. I'd like that one."
I smile and type his name in. Eric hands him his paperwork.
"Lynn," I shout.
She comes up and takes a seat. She chooses security. "Are you sure you don't want to choose something above that?" Max asks confused. "You're a three. Usually you would select something more fitting for your abilities."
"No, sir. I believe I'd be a good guard," she says.
"We do have one compound security position. She'd be better off there," Ryan says. We all nod in agreement.
"What's the difference?" she asks curiously.
"Those guards are often scheduled in the building and can eventually protect leaders when they've proven themselves," Eric explains.
Lynn actually smiles and nods. I think it's the first time I've ever seen it. "You have a beautiful smile," I tell her as I enter her name in the system. She winks at me after she takes her paperwork from Eric.
Marlene quickly chooses to work in the infirmary. I'm surprised by that. I never expected her to be interested in such a position. She did handle Lauren's uncontrollable bleeding really well though in the beginning of stage three.
Peter comes up next and I feel bad that even though he's a five, he has a very limited choice of positions. The only ones he's allowed to pick from is a fence position—the shift and location that Aaron used to work—working in the shops, or cleaning.
He frowns at the list. "This is all?" he asks.
"You have an unruly attitude, a history of disobedience, sexual harassment, and have caused permanent personal injury. What did you expect?" Eric asks calmly.
Peter sighs. "What would you choose?" he asks me.
"Well," I say looking to the others. Nobody is helping him out. "Aaron—your old guard—used to work that same shift and location. He moved up fairly quickly. The night shifts, from what I hear, are difficult to get used to though. The shops... you'd get discounts. There's a home store—Uriah's mom works there—and a clothing shop. At the home store, I think they get commission on top of the salary from what Zeke has told me. I guess you could meet a lot of girls at the clothing store but you'd have to be careful with your history. The cleaning... you've done. You can make your own schedule as long as you get your work completed," I say.
"Aaron asked for a promotion. He only received it after he proved himself," Eric points out.
"That's true. His position in the compound now is pretty prestigious among the guards. Since Aaron was monitored, we knew he wasn't causing trouble and proved himself fairly quickly," I agree.
Peter bites his lip. "I think I'll take the guard position," he says. I smile and write him in. Eric hands him his papers. He smiles at me before walking over to set up his apartment.
Will is next. He chooses to be an aid to leadership in our offices. "I look forward to working with you in the office," I tell him. He smiles widely as he leaves.
"Christina!" I call out.
She comes over, bubbly as ever. I present her with the list and she looks to me surprised. "I can really get paid to spend my days in a clothing store?" she asks. I giggle.
"You actually have to work, though," Eric points out.
"Of course I'm going to work.  I just don't think helping people pick out their clothes will feel like work," she says. 
She reads the paperwork Eric gives her and she smiles even brighter.  She walks away the happiest I've ever seen her. 
I'm actually having a great time assigning jobs.  Gabe decides to work in the control room.  Molly joins the cafeteria staff and looks excited about cooking.  Rita takes the home store position.  Angel joins the janitorial staff and I'm glad to have a female on the team so they don't have to shut down the restrooms every time they need to be cleaned.  There are a few other positions around the compound but the vast majority of the others become some sort of guard.
John selects the last position of fence guard and seems excited about it. He smiles as he walks away toward Lydia and the others. I listen in when he takes an apartment with Oliver. I'm so glad they made it.
Eric stands up and stretches. I rise with him. "I'm glad that's over," he comments.
"Me, too. But it was fun," I grin.
He puts an arm around me. "You enjoy everything," he laughs.
"What? You don't want to know where your initiates end up in life or help them get there?" I ask. "Besides, I don't enjoy everything," I say with a solemn voice.
"It's fine. You just seem unusually happy. I agree though, there are a great many things I don't enjoy," he tells me. I know he's thinking about what we'll be talking to Tris about later... and how to resolve it.

*****Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I love the interaction between Four and Tris. It's as if their affection for each other was instant.*****

Words of Wisdom:

""Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28 NIV

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT