Chapter Two: Chanukah
I thought Halloween was strange. I thought, "How can it get any weirder around here?". Why did I ask that? Why?! Of course when you ask something like that, it will always get weirder! I should have known that. And to think I tested for Erudite.
"Uh, Zeke? What are you doing?" Christina and I have been sitting in the Pit talking until Zeke comes up with candles.
"Where do I put the Menorah this year?! The other spot's been taken?!" He looks frantic, running around with a strange object and candles.
"Menorah?" Zeke stops looking around and sits with us. Oh great. Please don't tell me it another…
"It's for a holiday that my family celebrates!" He looks enthusiastic. Great, another holiday to learn about. Wait, he said his family. Does that mean it's not Dauntless?
"So, what's the holiday? I mean the others aren't running around." Christina smiles at him. It's easy to be calm around Zeke sometimes. He's crazy like his brother but he can also be normal and easy to talk to.
"It's called Chanukah. It's for our religion. Mom, Uriah, and I are Jewish. A few others around here are, but not many. It got passed down I guess." He shrugs, still looking around but also interested in explaining. We wait, expectantly. I really didn't want to know at first, but now I'm curious.
"So… What's Chanukah?"
"And what's Jewish?" Zeke laughs at us a little. He reminds me a lot of his brother.
"Being a Jew means you follow a certain religion. Dauntless aren't big on religion so there are, like, no Jews here. Chanukah is…" He looks deep in thought. "… Okay so a long time ago there was a group of people who wanted to practice their religion. Their rulers told them that they couldn't so they revolted."
"So what's with the Menorah?" I point to the candle holder. "I don't get it."
"You see, in my religion, I believe in God. The story goes that the Jew rebels took back their place of worship but were stranded. They only had enough oil to light a candle for one night or so but the light stayed lit eight days. We light this Menorah," He holds up the Menorah, "as a sign of worship since it was a miracle that our God did."
I stare at him and so does Christina. Wow. Could the God that my parents always talk about be real? He gets up looking frantic again.
"So now you get why this is so important! Where do I put it?!" He runs around making me laugh.
"Come on, let's go find the perfect place!" Christina grabs his arm, snickering. I laugh, too.
"Don't worry, we'll help!" I assure him, making him smile.
We run all around the Pit, but Zeke is way too picky. I mean, I understand that this is important, but come on! We spend all day looking. What's worse is that I missed my date with Tobias. Finally Zeke yells that he found the perfect place. It's a shelf in a secluded hallway near the Pit. He lights the first candle and I have to admit, it looks cool.
"Thanks, guys. It means a lot!" Zeke grins at us and runs off to find his family. Christina and I say our goodbyes and separate.
As I walk back to my apartment, I'm lost in thought. I wonder if Zeke is telling the truth. Did that really happen? Maybe that means that God is real. Maybe I have a part of my parents still with me afterall.
Outside of my apartment door, Tobias is leaning against it, waiting for me. I smile at him and am about to apologize when he cuts me off.
"Uriah told me what you've been doing to help out Zeke. I think it's really nice of you to help." He smiles and his eyes show pride. "You never cease to amaze me, Tris." I feel my cheeks heat up and he laughs. We walk into the apartment, just sitting and talking.
"So, Tris, what do you think about that Chanukah thing anyway?" He seems amused.
I decide not to answer. I don't know what to think. It sounds incredible, but almost too good to be true. I'm just not sure. Maybe I need to talk to Zeke more so I can learn about it and decide for myself.