I called my dad last night and sent him an image of the note. We're at breakfast waiting on Four to see how it went with Tris last night. They left the bar together after we talked. He figured that he ought to take her back before he loses his nerve and gets too drunk to explain. He didn't think anything of the contact at the time, but as I explained what Nita did to me, he realized that it wasn't just friendly contact. Each time she did it, she was telling him something that may have caused a response and that was probably her way of distracting from a negative reaction. It's just like she behaved with me and Sam apparently, but it was a red flag to a married man that she's nuts.
My dad said they'd look into the recordings from the other day and listen in closer to the conversations she had with everyone. He wants to make sure that she's not turning anyone against us. We're all going to the control room tonight and see what she's up to whether Four meets her or not.
I notice Four and Tris enter breakfast together. Tris appears really upset and Four looks guilty. It must've not gone well, like they had an epic fight similar to mine and Hosanna's. They help themselves to the breakfast buffet.
I cut into my pancakes and take a bite. They're really good. "Max would probably like these," Hosanna says. "He loves banana bread and these taste a lot like mine," she explains.
"They do," I comment. I thought they tasted familiar.
Four and Tris sit at the table beside us, but Four is to my right and Tris is next to Hosanna. It must've gone really bad. "The pancakes are good," Hosanna tells Tris.
"Yeah, they are," she responds softly after taking a bite.
"Did you sleep well?" Hosanna asks. Tris just shrugs.
My wife rubs her back and leans her head on her friend's shoulder. I look to Four in question. He's not even paying attention. He's just moving his scrambled eggs around on his plate. "I thought those were your favorite," I say taking a sip of coffee.
"Meh," he replies with a shrug.
"So we're watching what happens no matter what tonight. Have you come to a decision?" I ask.
"I told you I'm in," Four says solemnly. He glances at Tris.
"Alright," I respond. "You know, you don't have to if it's a problem."
A moment passes as he puts a bite of eggs in his mouth and masticates on it slowly. "No, the more I thought about it, the more it angered me. Now that I'm completely sober, I'm more irritated than anything. It was one thing when I was single and girls like Lauren or Rosie hit on me, it's something completely different when a woman knows I'm involved. She's seen us together on the screens and still tries to push herself on me. I didn't even think anything of it at first but you're right, she was trying to manipulate me. Now, I think I'm ready to manipulate her into finding out what the hell is so important to do that to someone," he says shoveling another bite in his mouth angrily.
"Language!" Hosanna whispers harshly at her brother.
He just looks at her for a moment. "Sorry," he says apologetically. "I'm just upset," he responds.
"So Max said last night that I'm going to something later about the genetic map on damaged and pure genes?" Tris questions confused.
"Oh, well we were invited to see Elliot's soccer game this afternoon. You're kind of covering so we can spend time with Eric's family," Hosanna explains. "Is that okay?"
Tris's expression softens for the first time since joining us. She looks to me and nods. "That's fine. I hadn't realized. I'm sure I'll understand better than the other Dauntless. Perhaps I'll sit beside Caleb since he's such a Nose," she smiles.
We continue eating quietly for a few minutes. Tris breaks the silence, "So did Nita really hit on you, Eric?"
"Yeah," I say looking up from my plate to meet her concerned eyes.
"When? You didn't have a test done the other day and that's what she was administering," she asks curiously.
Is that what this is about between them—trust? I explain that it was my first time here. I didn't like the way she looked at my wife initially which made me immediately dislike her. When she tried to touch me, I hurt her—not intentionally but out of anger.
"What'd you do?" Tris questions, practically on the edge of her seat.
"I grabbed her hands and squeezed, probably bruising them. I said if anything of hers ever came in contact with me again, I'd break it. That's most likely why she kept her distance from me last night and didn't come near to touching me. Every time she looks at me, she turns pale or shrinks away. She actually tried to grow a backbone last night and stand up to me but it only lasted about ten seconds before she scurried out the door," I explain.
Tris laughs. When she calms down she looks at Four. "See. He didn't let her touch him. He threatened her," she says irritatedly to him.
Four just stares at his plate, continuing to push the remaining eggs around.
"In his defense, he had several beers last night," I explain. "It dulls the senses somewhat. He hadn't even realized she put a piece of paper in his hand."
Tris looks to Four in question. He shrugs. "I just thought she was being friendly. I really wasn't paying that much attention to her. I was more interested in my beer since it was different from what's inside the fence... and she's not you," he explains.
That makes her smile. She leaves her plate and walks over taking a seat on his lap. She kisses him and wraps her arms around his shoulders. "I'm sorry," he says—clearly not the first time today.
"I know," she nods. She kisses him again and I reach out for my wife's fingers, stroking the back of her hand with my thumb.
Max approaches the table smiling at the two Stiffs kissing sweetly beside me at breakfast. He clears his throat. Hosanna takes Tris's plate and slides it over toward me. I push it closer to Four. Max laughs and sits in the newly vacated seat beside my wife.
"You didn't get the pancakes?" Hosanna asks him confused.
"No, why?" he questions.
"They taste just like my banana bread," she tells him. He stands quickly, walking back over into the line to get a second plate. My wife and I chuckle in response.
"Why is it that we're never alone?" Tris whispers to Four.
"There's a quiet hallway down around the corner if you two need some alone time," Hosanna laughs pointing to a doorway.
Tris rolls her eyes still holding on to Four. "Yeah, being broadcast for the entire Bureau to see," she says sarcastically.
"You know, George is working the control room this morning. He owes me a big favor," Hosanna says fiddling with her phone.
"What does that mean?" Four questions.
I laugh. "That means that he'll make sure nobody else is watching the screen but him," I point out.
"Privacy?" Tris grins snuggling up to Four.
"Privacy," Hosanna nods.
"How do you know he'd do that though?" Four questions.
"Because he already said it's clear," my wife grins showing us the response on her phone.
They both get up and walk away holding each other's hands, trying to give some semblance of nonchalance but failing miserably. I hear them giggling when they run down the hallway.
"What's going on with them?" Ryan asks taking a seat across from us.
"They're busy cutting each other's hair and tying each other's shoes," I chuckle.
Hosanna slaps my chest doubling over with laughter.
*****
I try to focus on the meeting this morning but I'm struggling, looking forward to this afternoon with my family. I attempt to listen in as David speaks on the imprisoned Divergent and Factionless that need to be released since this is so important.
He gives us some known locations on where there are holding facilities in Erudite and testing labs previously unknown by the entire room. He explains that their camera feed had been taken over by Jeanine and the Bureau is slowly gaining access back to some of them. He elaborates on how it takes time to enter the code for reentry into the surveillance system without complete authorization which they will need from Jeanine's office and computers. With Jeanine in power previously, they were instantly removed again upon reentry. Now, they are able to enter the system of each camera without trouble but it still is with great difficulty and staggered results.
I feel like he's leading up to something with all this and the room seems to be in agreement that they don't mind the city surveillance as long as everyone is kept in check. I've always noticed the cameras and didn't really care my whole life, with the exception of when Hosanna was in initiation. It was a bit of a nuisance when I wanted to be with her and I couldn't in public.
We're finally released for lunch. My wife and I are practically giddy with excitement. My family joins us for the meal before we head out to a part of the Bureau we've never been to. There's oddly a small train inside the building and we step on when it stops. Everyone takes a seat on the cushioned benches that span the walls inside. I laugh taking a seat beside my little brother. He's wearing his knapsack and sporting a clean soccer uniform—one much nicer than his other. It must've been a practice jersey.
I hear a recorded voice warning of danger as the doors close and to remain seated while the vehicle is in motion. I look to my wife and we chuckle in response. It kind of reminds me of the carrousel we went on once, like it's a ride for the enjoyment of children. We lurch forward slowly but then accelerate up to speeds far surpassing what our trains reach in the city.
"This is how I go to school," Eli explains.
I grin at him. "So, was everybody jealous of your pin?" I ask him noticing it stand out from the rest. The one my wife gave him is caste metal and quite detailed. The rest look to be just simple drawings covered in plastic.
"Yeah, they thought it was really cool. Nobody believes it was from the city though. They've never believed me about you. They think I'm just making up stories," he says sadly.
"Who? Your friends or your teammates?" I question.
He shrugs, "Both. Coach told me to stop lying or he's going to have to talk with Dad. He says lying is not something I should do, which I already know."
"Hmm," I say nodding. Perhaps I'll have to chat with him. "Well, he's right though. Lying isn't good, but I'm sure you've been honest. So, have they watched the screens?" I ask.
He nods like crazy. I chuckle at his reaction. "That's what everybody does when we have free time. It's like watching a movie," he explains excitedly. "You should see what happens when something inappropriate comes up," he grins whispering. "The control room gets all freaky and messes with the screens, removing anything nearby," he chuckles.
"Hey, my apartment isn't up all the time, is it?" I ask hoping they're not showing what my wife and I do in our living room to my baby brother.
"No, just when you have people over," he frowns. "Sometimes I ask to see what you're doing and they say you're busy," he says making air quotes with his fingers. Well, I'm glad they know better than to play that for a crowd.
There are several stops that the train makes and I'm surprised that we've never seen all of this. I can't believe this place is this huge. The first two stops look to be the labs and security. There are tons of stores and apartments past that. The last stop must be the school.
I notice families getting off the train and I hadn't realized how many people are watching my wife and I but trying not to stare. I resort to my typical expression in Dauntless but I can see my wife smiling and waving at the kids. She takes my hand and we follow my family out of the train and through the crowds. The traffic of people progress outside to a covered area. I can see the school building to our right. There is a glass hallway leading to the red brick school in the distance. The path we're on is made of cement pavers with open air on the sides and a metal shade covering the path. There are guard rails on the sides though with periodic openings.
I notice several kids looking back at me in awe. They eventually run off to a baseball diamond in the distance. It's far nicer than the field I played on growing up. The grass is well manicured and instead of mostly dirt on the diamond with grass in the outfield like the field I grew up with, it's primarily grass with some sort of white paint laid down for the actual baselines. The uniforms are green and white, similar to what I wore in the city but mine were mostly shades of blue—signifying Erudite. We wore sashes to distinguish between teams during scrimmages.
I realize now that Eli's school colors are the green and white while the team he's playing is red and blue stripes. I glance ahead to see my brother excitedly leading Lizzy to the game off the path. I notice our last name printed on the back of his jersey and it gives me a feeling of pride to know that he's representing our family on the field today. My dad told me before that he's one of the best players on his team and he's very competitive—just like me.
He runs our sister ahead. I can hear them giggling as they swerve between bystanders. My wife and I walk with my parents to the field before us. There are bleachers set up on both sides of the field and it reminds me of pictures I've seen in books, but I've never really been to an event like this. On a very rare occasion, my mom or dad would come watch one of my scrimmages but never together since they worked so much. I understand why though—to help our city requires an extreme amount of dedication and time.
We arrive at the field and I look behind us to see that people are still leaving the station, crowding around both the baseball diamond and soccer field. I guess they have simultaneous games going on.
My dad pats me on the back. "And this is just the primary school. You should see the crowd for the high school," he grins. I look to him confused. He clears his throat, "The first level and third level."
"Oh," I nod.
My sister joins us and I see Elliot running out to get ready with the other kids on his team. They're all messing around and look to be gathering for warm ups. I pull my wife along and decide to introduce myself to his coach. I see a man watching the kids at the edge of the field with a clipboard in hand. That must be him. He turns around and his shirt has the name Coach Smith written on the back.
"Eric? What are we doing?" my wife questions me.
"Excuse me," I say to the man. He turns around and looks surprised to see us here. I smirk. "I assume you're Elliot's coach," I say.
He tries to shake the shock off of his face and clears his throat. "Um, yes sir. That's me. I'm Lawrence Smith," he says reaching his hand out to shake mine.
"Eric," I respond shaking his hand. "And this is my wife, Hosanna, but I'm sure you've probably heard of us."
He grins. "As a matter of fact, I have. It's a pleasure to meet you both. I... I've heard some rumors but it's hard to weed them out from actual truth. You know how it is," he explains.
"I do," I nod. "I appreciate you trying to teach my brother right from wrong. It's good of you to step in and be a good role model, especially when we're separated. It's nice to know there are others that care for him in my stead."
He laughs appreciatively. "Um, it's nice to be there for such a good kid. It's also good to know that some of the tall tales I hear are actually true," he says grinning.
"I'll leave you to it," I reply as I hear a whistle blown nearby. "Good luck."
"Thank you. It was very nice to meet you," he says waving as we step away.
I see Elliot's teammates staring at us as we walk off the field. Eli runs up to me quickly and I bend down and hug him. "Good luck little man," I say patting him on the back.
"Thanks, Eric," he beams, laughing as he joins his team again.
Hosanna and I take our seats in the front row with my parents. Lizzy is seated between them and she looks really excited. The risers are fairly sparse around us but I can still see people pouring out of the entrance from the train station. We watch as the team stretches together, then practices drills. When it looks like it's about time for the game to start, the team huddles together near the coach. I look around to see the bleachers are packed to capacity and there are even people along the sidelines with folding chairs and blankets.
"This is really exciting," my wife says looping her arm through mine and leaning closer. "I've never been to anything like this before. I wish I could've seen you play baseball when you were younger." I grin at her and give her hand a squeeze.
We watch as the kids get ready on the field. I hear my dad explaining how the game is played to Lizzy. I listen in since I never was really much of a soccer player. I played a little in physical education but never anything serious with rules like this. I recall the Abnegation weren't allowed to participate. They just stretched and walked around the track or gymnasium. I smile down at my wife knowing how spectacular this must actually be for her.
As the game begins, the little kids mostly just fight back and forth for control of the ball. It's quite humorous to watch; they race around but both sides don't get very far. I see Elliot go out on the field after some time passes. He gets ahold of the ball quickly and moves it out of reach when someone tries to take it from him. He races down the field, dodging the other team and kicks it into the goal. Everyone on our side stands up and cheers him on—myself included. Hosanna stands and joins us. I see my brother in the distance waving to us.
We continue watching the game. There's only a few players on his team that get the ball anywhere near the goal—my brother does though several more times. Their goalie is pretty good as well as the other team's. He's even blocked a few of Eli's shots. The score is tied near the end of the game and it's pretty exciting to watch as they fight over the ball. Elliot gets the ball back and passes back and forth down the field with his teammate. The other player, Schultz, fakes a kick to the goal, actually passing the ball to my brother, sending the visitors' goalie flying after nothing. Elliot kicks the ball into the net scoring the winning goal. I jump up whistling for their team. Lizzy and my dad are whistling too, while my mom and wife modestly clap.
Eli gets in line with his team as they congratulate the visitors team for a good game, the same as I used to. When he's free, he runs to us and I hoist him over my shoulder. After a minute, I feel a tug on my shirt. I turn around to see the other boy that helped him win standing bashfully behind me. I grin, picking him up and hold him over my opposite shoulder as the crowd cheers for the two boys. I can feel them both giggling as I carry them triumphantly through the crowd.
*****Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this one.*****
Words of Wisdom:
I believe it's important to always be honest—even if people don't believe you, argue with you, or don't listen. If they argue, respectfully disagree but always try to keep the peace. Always do the right thing. If you're not sure what's right, ask God. Take a breath in the moment to think of kind words or ask for guidance. That bad feeling you may have probably is Him telling you to do this or that—or not to do it. For me, I should often hold my tongue. Listen. Be open to instruction and always choose what is right and good. In the words of Solomon: get wisdom. Teach those around you—those you influence—to be honest, true, respectful, and loving.
"let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—"
Proverbs 1:5 NIV
"I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths."
Proverbs 4:11 NIV
"let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless—"
Job 31:6 NIV