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

Chapter 90

(Hosanna's POV)

Jeanine wanted to meet with us immediately after the seminars ended, but we at Dauntless have our own business to attend to. We were gone for two weeks and the work has been piling up. We decided a short conference call with our leadership was better. We briefly discussed with her about the food shortages and solving the matter. There really was nothing new that we hadn't already discussed and we'll just have to see what Abnegation will do with the information. I personally figured that was enough for one day so we all left it at that.
The following Wednesday was extremely hectic. We'd barely made a dent in our workloads by then when we had to leave the offices for the meeting. We all drive to the Hub in two vehicles since the train doesn't arrive close enough to the desired time. And who knows when this meeting will end? I always remember Marcus working late and this was his most irritable day of the week, hence the reason for my mother writing about the day we hated most.
Even though only the five of us were invited, we bring my brother. Since he's preparing to become a leader, this experience is something he should be a part of. We arrive at the entrance and take the elevator up to the top floor. We walk down a familiar hallway to the entrance of the council meeting room. I stare at the chairs on either side of the hallway—the waiting room. It feels weird to be invited inside since I always had to remain here as a child. 
We enter the chamber.  There is a circle of chairs and a table taking up most of the room.  All fifty seats are mostly filled with Abnegation members.  I recognize many of them from my childhood and the recent seminars.  I notice the table has been separated in part.  There are some new chairs placed in the open location and an added table for us.  There are only eight additional seats available so Tobias will probably have to stand behind us.  Jack Kang is seated in one of those additional seats.  Johanna Reyes is here as well.  She's standing and conversing with a few Abnegation on the other side of the room. 
We approach the given area and take our seats.  Tobias stands behind me.  We greet those nearby.  They seem to have mixed expressions on their faces.  Some appear happy to have us here but others make it look like we are a nuisance. 
I hear additional footsteps clatter in the chamber and I turn to view my father striding in along with Andrew Prior, a few other familiar men as well.  I see Robert Black, Sr.  He smiles and nods to me, I return the gesture.  Everyone takes their seats and it appears that all are present except for one person: Jeanine Matthews.  I look to my watch and notice she has one minute to arrive or they will probably start without her—not to mention that she was the one to suggest this meeting and she, herself, is not present. 
"Don't worry," Eric says leaning over and whispering to me.  I turn to him.  "She likes to make an entrance."
I nod and hope she actually does show up or it would look really bad on our part.  The people around the room continue to chatter quietly with the sound bouncing off of the walls and floor.  I hear the familiar chime of the elevator, followed by the clacking of high heels in the distance.  The sound echoes in the hallway, growing louder as she approaches. 
"Told you so," Eric nudges me. 
"I'm glad you were right," I respond. 
She enters the room and stands at the entrance.  She smiles slightly as she views the entirety of the room.  Her eyes land on me or perhaps the vacant seat beside me and she walks over to take her place at this meeting. 
"So glad you could join us, Ms. Matthews," Marcus says.  He's trying for professionalism with that statement but I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's irritated she arrived at the last moment—or possibly because we're here at all.  He nods his head at the two men on either side of the doorway who must be guards.  They rise to close the doors.  "This meeting is now in session," he starts.  He glances to Andrew.
Mr. Prior stands.  "We would like to thank all of the factions for joining us today.  We usually begin our meetings by discussing current issues we're having—the most important ones being first.  Then we list off possible solutions, take a vote on which are best, delegate who will be responsible for the actions and move on.  We make sure the most dire circumstances are completely solved as quickly as possible then move on to what's next," he explains.
We all nod and begin.  A man named Frederick Brice stands and begins with the issue of the Erudite and Candor who are going hungry.  He asks if Amity, Dauntless, or Abnegation have issues with this problem that they are aware of.  We each discuss that we're all unaware of such a problem if it exists in our faction. 
We speak of possible solutions to solve the problem now, going around the room in a clockwise rotation.  Ideas like taking up a census within each faction where we learn of the details of each family, including number of people, age, type of vocation the parents hold, etc. are shared so we can figure out if the quantity of food sent should be adjusted from previous years.  We discuss collection of non-perishable foods and distribution to solve the immediate need as well as increase in the number of farming fields, trials of some of the newer fertilizers within some of the greenhouses for crop production, additional volunteers in Amity to help when food is ready for harvest since summer months they are short on hands with some produce going to waste in the fields.  So many ideas are shared and I can see an overall change in the attitude around the room.  The Abnegation as a whole seem more enlightened by our ideas on courses of action than they were at the beginning of the meeting.  My father still holds a hard look on his face as well as some of the older gentlemen at the table. 
After everyone speaks, there is a vote held to determine what to do.  Even though we were all invited to attend, our vote is not counted.  Apparently we are only here for advice, not to be involved in decision making.  Jeanine is extremely irritated at that, her expression easily gives away her frustration at the dismissal.  I find it sad as well but I'm glad the vote reflects what we probably would have decided on. 
It's determined that we will take a census within our factions over the next two weeks.  The forms will be distributed tomorrow afternoon.  There is apparently a standard form that is used but it has been several generations since it's been implemented.  The leaders of each faction are responsible for making sure each household is represented.  In the meantime, anyone with a surplus of non-perishables is requested to donate whatever they can do without.  Each faction must organize their own donations and collect the goods.  Abnegation will be available to collect the donations daily and distribute the food to the two factions in question until the census is complete and evaluated.  The meeting is adjourned and we are invited back every Wednesday until our list of issues have all been decided upon. 
When we all rise, I realize how late it is.  The sun has already set and I'm exhausted from sitting here all afternoon.  I notice my brother leaning up against the wall behind me.  "Next time, drag one of those chairs from the waiting room in," I tell him. 
"Good thinking," he says.
We begin to walk out of the room when I see my father and Mr. Prior walk by.  "Daddy?" I call out to him. 
He turns to me, a look of surprise on his face.  "There is an extra bag of oats in the basement.  I put some bags of flour in a sealed package beside it and there are several cases of caned vegetables down there, too, unless you've used them," I explain gently.
"Oh.  Um... I haven't been down there since before... the last Choosing Day. I could do without them," he replies. 
"I could have Natalie and Caleb come and take care of those for you tomorrow evening," Andrew offers. 
"That would be fine," Marcus replies. 
"Thank you, Hosanna," Mr. Prior says appreciatively.
I smile slightly and nod.  Eric takes my hand and we walk out together.  "Do we have anything you want to give?" Eric asks quietly placing his hand on my back and leading me to the elevator with the other Dauntless leaders. 
"I think I've opened just about everything at home but I'm planning on emptying our points on food," I tell him. 
"That's fine with me.  We don't need all that, unless you want to save up for a house," he replies. 
"Maybe some day, but I think the need is greater for this now," I respond stepping in the elevator. 
I turn around and realize some of the older Abnegation must've been listening to us.  Their faces hold confused expressions.  "Would you like to join us?" I ask making room for the three men. 
One clears his throat.  "No, we'll catch the next one, dear," he responds.

*****

We make the announcement about the census and donations for Candor and Erudite the next evening at dinner.  We begin having people turn in their papers as soon as they can so it doesn't effect our amount of goods received.  I compare what was previously listed on our last census and realize that it's quite different.  So far, there are more households but less children in each.  I look back at older records and see that the quantity of children used to be higher as well.  This must explain why the compound of Dauntless is practically full and homes around the main buildings are getting repaired and used as of late. 
My brother helps us out with our workload of paperwork, well... the parts he's studied on already.  We definitely appreciate his help.  He's taking longer than I expected to complete his training but he was never the quickest person in school.  He always did well when he took his time.  He's been doing amazingly physically when we workout and spar together but the paperwork is taking him longer. I guess it doesn't matter how long he takes to train though since he won't technically be considered a full leader until we add another. 
As the time approaches for the census to be due, it seems that everyone in Dauntless has received and completed the proper paperwork.  We send our findings to Abnegation and attend the next council meeting.
Andrew begins, "Welcome and thank you all for your support. The donations went wonderfully. After comparing the census taken over the last few weeks with the previous one, we have agreed that there have been some errors in our population counts. Quantities of goods distributed between each faction is not adequate. We currently do not produce enough goods to sustain the population if we count the Factionless that actually registered."
"How have you counted the number of Factionless?" Jeanine asks, speaking out of turn.
Andrew looks surprised at the interruption. "We have done a small census within the ones we feed and others that work. It however cannot be accurate since there are many more that live in Factionless and have not registered in the census," he responds. "We will continue to share the food supplies equally based on the registered population. The issue with..."
"Why don't we just stop feeding the Factionless? They're a drain on our resources," Jeanine interrupts.
Andrew blinks at her outburst. After moment, he composes himself to answer the question. "The Factionless are still human beings that live within our walls. We must take care of all life within our boundaries. It has always..." he responds.
"I don't see why we should feed them. They make no contribution to our city," Jeanine snaps.
"Miss Matthews, if you do not stop interrupting this meeting. You will be removed," Marcus says. He looks exceedingly irritated but is attempting to sound calm.
"Factionless do, in fact, contribute quite a substantial amount to our society. They drive our buses and trains. They clean our factions with the exception of Dauntless and Amity. They work in our factories and produce our clothing as well as canned and frozen goods among other things," Andrew counters calmly. "Now, we all will have to divide..." he starts again.
"Why don't we distribute the supplies based on jobs then?" Jeanine says irately. Marcus signals for his door guards to remove her. She stands and walks out. That whole situation felt wrong, like it was forced. It was almost as if she was picking a fight.
Andrew sighs heavily and begins again. He speaks of how the food and other supplies will be dispersed. Dauntless will still be receiving the first and most supplies since we all will need our strength with our responsibilities in physical professions as well as Amity next. The two factions provide the most physical labor within the city. Beyond that, everything will be dispersed based on population. The Factionless will still receive sustenance. The winter months will be used as a trial period in some of the greenhouses for the ideas of fertilization that Erudite has come up with.
After the decisions are made and voted on, we move on to the additional issues. Jeanine will have to present her other ideas next week.  We leave the meeting and notice that Jeanine didn't even wait to see what was discussed. She's gone.  I have a bad feeling about this.

****Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed this chapter.*****

Words of Wisdom:
"The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly."
Proverbs 18:23 NIV

"Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life."
Proverbs 22:22-23 NIV

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land."
Deuteronomy 15:11 NIV