1 – Silent Night
It was snowing heavily in Chicago as the two siblings made their way home through the thick white layers. The streets were almost empty, only now and then a man or woman in thick grey clothes passed the two children, who had their arms wrapped tightly around themselves as they trudged along next to each other. Once in a while a bus rolled past them, packed, people pressed to the windows, some of them pointing at the two children and laughing, some waving maliciously, some even shouting curses. But the two children where used to behaviour like this so they just lowered their heads and stumbled on.
It had been the boy's idea to walk instead of unnecessarily taking up space in the packed bus. He always was the first in line to volunteer for charity work or selfless behaviour, unlike his sister. She walked several steps behind him, stumbling through the snow reaching up to her knees, trying to keep up with the boy, but she kept getting stuck with her small legs.
"Come on, Beatrice" her brother hurried her, looking up at the bleak sky. "You know we still have to a lot to do!"
"I'm trying!" the girl answered, making a face at the mentioning of their duties. "But I always get stuck!" she complained. Her brother sighed.
"Just try and walk in my footsteps, okay?" he told her and then resumed his pace and Beatrice had no other choice than to try and follow him. But even walking in the flat footprints her brother left didn't make it easier, and after while Beatrice stopped.
"Caleb", she said, waiting for her brother to turn around. "I can't walk anymore!"
"We're almost there", he replied, "Just keep on walking okay?" He wanted to turn around and continue walking, but Beatrice stopped him.
"But my feet hurt!" She protested. Caleb rolled his eyes, but he came back and extended his hand towards his little sister.
"Alright, I'll carry you. But you can't tell Mom and Dad, okay?" A smile crept on the little girl's face.
"I won't tell them!" she promised and hopped on her brother's back.
Caleb carried his little sister until they were only one corner away from their block.
"Alright, you'll have to walk from here or Mom and Dad will see", he told her. "Stay in my footprints, okay?"
Beatrice nodded and the siblings started walking towards their house, where their mother was already waiting for them. Natalie didn't ask why it had taken them so long to come home, she just led them to the kitchen, where she and her husband had set up two enormous pans with hot soup, a mountain of plastic bowls and spoons and three big sacks filled with warm clothes and blankets. She told her children to grab those sacks while she and Andrew loaded the heavy pans on a small carriage. Then she turned around and looked at the siblings, with a small smile on her face.
"Ready?" she asked and they nodded. "Let's go then!"
She put on her jacket and her scarf and then followed her husband who had opened the door, and the family stepped outside, Andrew pulling the small carriage after him. They started walking down the street, out of Abnegation and towards the quarter of the Factionless. Beatrice walked aside her mother, clutching her hand, and Natalie slightly pulled her, helping her daughter trudge through the heavy snow.
They walked in silence until they reached the Factionless quarter. There were people waiting already, and some of the earlier Abnegation people had started setting up two big wooden tables, one for the clothes and one for the soup. Natalie and Andrew nodded at them and silently helped them, then set up the soup pans.
"Come on, Beatrice", Caleb ordered and tugged at his sister's arm. "We have to unpack the clothes now!"
She nodded silently and followed him, dragging the sack behind her. They joined the other faction members at the second table, and soon after they had started sorting through the pieces of clothing, Natalie came over and took over Beatrice's work.
The first Factionless came and lined up, shivering, and the Abnegation had their hands full. Beatrice stood back, overwhelmed by all the people swarming around, and sneaked a yawn. She was really tired from all that walking. Her mother was the only one who saw it, and she came over after the greatest rush had passed and most of the Factionless were laughing and talking with each other, clutching soup and cuddled up in their blankets.
"It's over soon and then we can go home." She promised her daughter and smiled. Beatrice only nodded.
"You did well today", she said. "Next year you might even get to give away some soup yourself!"
At that moment, Andrew joined the two, and put an arm on Beatrice's shoulder.
"That was a success", he stated. "There have never been so many participants, on both sides!"
A smile crept on his face.
"Merry Christmas", he said, to no one in particular.