As always a big thanks to bahrfamily for her help in both editing and ideas.

Characters:

Sultana (introduced this chapter): control room supervisor

Carly: Hana's co-worker in the control room

Isaac: Hana's younger brother (still in Abnegation)

Grace (Introduced in this chapter. This character is mentioned in Allegiant, but very small part so I thought I'd mention it): friend of Hana's from Abnegation

Leeann: Hana's best friend in Dauntless

Chapter 14 Control Room

My first week on my own in the control room is a blur: a blur of sights and sounds. But I'm told that because I didn't see anything to report, that it is a good week. "A little boredom is good on this job," Sultana, who is currently the shift supervisor, informs me when I tell her I am worried because I haven't seen anything.

The second week, Carly moves from days to afternoon/evenings. It's nice having someone I know, at least a little, in the control room.

Carly's message pops up on my screen. "Think anything will happen tonight?"

I shake my head. I haven't known her long, but I have no idea why Carly works in the control room. From what I've noticed, between her training me and what we've worked together this week, she gets bored easily and hates sitting still. Not a good combination for a job where you watch people go about their daily business. I type back my response, "Does anything ever happen?"

"Not often," is her response.

I chuckle to myself and settle in. To me, it will be an interesting shift. Today I have Abnegation and the factionless feeds that go with it. I always pay a little more attention to the cameras when I have Abnegation. There's always a chance that I'll see someone I know.

In the first hour, I see Isaac getting off the bus after school. It's the first time I've seen him since Visiting Day. Without thinking it through, I pull the camera and watch him. He's grown. His pants are a couple of inches shorter than they were when I last saw him. Could he have really grown that much, that fast?

"What do you see?" Carly is looking over my shoulder.

Why did she get up from her station? How long has she been standing here? My fingers fly over the commands to release the feed.

I look around. Sultana is filling out paperwork. Everyone else is hunched over their screens. "My brother," I answer honestly.

Carly gives me a long look. "You transferred?" It sounds like a question even though it feels like a statement.

I nod.

"Did you pick the control room to watch them?" Carly's voice is wary.

I shake my head.

"Then why?"

"Carly!" Sultana must have looked up. "Why are you away from your computer?"

Carly holds up a bottle of water I hadn't seen. "I needed a drink."

Sultana sighs. "Get back to your computer."

Carly nods and walks back to her desk.

I'm not surprised when the dialogue box pops up. "So why did you pick the control room?"

I think about ignoring her. I'm not sure my reasons are good to type out where they might be keeping a record of them.

"Didn't want to do Factionless Patrol," I lie. "Want to grab some cake after we get off?"

The kitchen may be closed when we get off this shift, but they always seems to leave a cake or two laying out for those of us who work late, so we can have a snack after work.

"Sure!"

The dialogue box goes dead. I have until end of shift to decide if I'm going to tell her the truth, or make up a good reason. I'm pretty sure Carly will corner me then.

I lose myself in my feeds again. The second hour, I see nothing. The third hour, I see Natalie.

In her gray, she almost blends in, almost. There is just something about her that makes her stand out, even in gray. I don't pull the feed, but I watch her for the short time she appears on screen.

It's not the first time I've picked her out. I seem to see Natalie everywhere she is. Even in a throng of gray I can pick her out. Why is that? I sometimes wonder if it is because we traded places. Because I wonder, if she and I had both stayed put, would I be living her life? Somehow her life in Abnegation seems more interesting than mine ever did when I was there.

Carly manages to wait until we get to the cafeteria before she asks her question again. "Okay, so really, why did you pick the control room?" She grabs a slice of cake for each of us while I grab forks and milk. We sit down at a vacant table, a little ways from the cake, in case anyone else comes in.

I shrug. "It's a little Abnegation of me," I start.

Carly smiles. "Yeah, about that. Abnegation is where you transferred from? Really?"

I'm finishing a mouthful of cake so I nod. Once I swallow, I ask, "Why?"

"Because I never figured you for Abnegation. Candor or Erudite, maybe, but not Abnegation."

I chuckle. "Now you see why I left."

Carly laughs at me. "And yet your reason for picking the control room is a little Abnegation?"

I shrug. "I thought from the control room I would be able to watch people and send them help if they need it."

Carly shakes her head. "Doesn't happen often, but at least your reason is better than mine."

"Why did you pick it?" I've wanted to ask her that before.

Carly sighs, "Tradition. My parents met working in the control room."

"Does either of them work there now?"

"No," Carly gets a far off look in her eyes. "Dad died jumping off a train when I was twelve. Mom couldn't make the schedule work with us kids so, she quit and went to work in the kitchen." Carly stops talking and the silence stretches out while we finish our cake.

"I'm sorry about your dad," I say when we finish.

"Thanks, but it was a long time ago. Over ten years." Carly stands up. "Thanks for the idea of cake. We'll have to do it again sometime."

I nod. "Sounds good."

I notice the new barrels first in Amity. They are red and yellow, and placed in the cafeteria and the headquarters. I watch, puzzled, as a couple of people walk up to them with stacks of clothes in their hands. They deposit the clothes in the barrels and then walk off.

Next I see them in Candor. The barrels in Candor are black and white. I notice them in the Gathering Place and the cafeteria. No one goes near them that night.

It makes more sense the next day when I have Erudite. There is a group in gray bringing them in. I recognize Grace, my childhood friend. I pull the feed. Surely I can justify figuring out what these barrels are for. I've asked around and no one in the control room has noticed them but me. They should give me the excuse I'm looking for, if anyone notices.

Then I see the rest of them. It's Natalie and the boy from Erudite. They leave the blue barrels in the library. I let the feed go when they leave the first one. It's a service project. They must be collecting clothes for the Factionless.

Leeann is off early today. She had to go in early today to get things ready for a breakfast meeting, so we have an hour to hang out before I have to be at work.

We're in the Pit, trying to decide what to do, when I see the small group in gray.

"Let's check that out," I point to them.

"Why?" Leeann wrinkles her nose.

"Because I've been trying to figure out what those barrels are for, and I might know them."

Leeann looks at me sideways.

"Oh, it's not like that. I don't want to go back." I pause for a second, and then tell her the rest, "One of the people I've seen with the barrels is Natalie."

Leeann is thoughtful for a second. "Let's go see."

I can tell from the back that I'm right. Her blonde hair is not as noticeable in the bun as it was loose, in Dauntless, but there is still no mistaking Natalie.

"What are you doing?" Leeann asks.

Natalie turns around. "Leeann," she smiles, "it is good to see you."

"Natalie!" Leeann smiles brightly. "How are you?"

"I'm well, and you?" Natalie is quick to change the focus of the conversation.

"Doing good. I'm working for Ava now."

Natalie smiles a small Abnegation smile. "How is she?"

"She misses you."

Natalie nods. "I miss her too."

Suddenly the boy is at her side again.

"Leeann, let me introduce you to Andrew and…" she motions the other girl over.

"Grace!" I can't keep her name from escaping.

Grace smiles, and we exchange nods.

"You know Grace?" Natalie asks me.

I nod. "I'm Hana."

Natalie nods her head at me. "I've heard of you." She smiles. "People in Abnegation miss you."

"I miss them too."

"What are you doing?" Leeann asks again.

"We're doing a service project," the boy named Andrew answers. "These barrels are to collect used clothes for the Factionless."

I look at him for a moment and decide he is the boy from the Choosing Ceremony. He looks at Natalie with a mixture of pride and awe. Whatever reason she had for changing factions at the Choosing Ceremony, it is now obvious to me that he left Erudite for her.

"I can think of an outfit or two I have for that barrel," I mutter.

Leeann raises an eyebrow at me. "You do not! That dress looks perfectly divine on you. You just need to wear it."

I shake my head. I'm not about to start on this argument again. I'm not going to wear that dress she picked out for me. It might as well go to someone else.

I see a twinkle in Natalie's eye, and I smile my old Abnegation smile at her. Evidently we both know Leeann's taste in clothes, and it doesn't match ours.

"We need to go." Grace's soft voice breaks in.

I walk closer to her. "It's good to see you, Grace."

Grace smiles at me. It's a soft, comforting smile. Nothing like Leeann's wide one.

"Tell my family 'hi' and that I'm doing well, if you get a chance."

Grace nods. "Take care, Hana."

I nod back. "You, too."

The three of them walk off.

"I'll make a deal with you," Leeann tells me after they are gone.

"You wear that dress to dinner tonight, and if you don't like it, you can donate it tomorrow."

"How about I just donate it tonight?"

"Let me finish." Leeann gives me a little shove.

I automatically stiffen up. She doesn't seem to notice.

"As I was saying, you wear that dress to dinner tonight, and if you don't like it, you can donate it tomorrow. If you do that, I'll donate some of my old clothes too."

I sigh. Leave it to Leeann to figure out a way to get me to wear that dress. "I won't have time to change before work if I do that," I complain.

Leeann shrugs. "That's the deal."

"Fine," I roll my eyes. "It's almost time for dinner. I'm going to go change now."

Nervously, I pull at the hem of my skirt as we get ready to walk into the cafeteria. Leeann sighs. "Quit fidgeting with it. The more you pull at the hem, the more attention you're going to draw to it."

"It's too short," I complain.

"Why did you buy it then?"

"If I remember right, I bought it because you managed to talk me into it without trying it on."

Leeann grins. "Oh, yeah."

We walk over to our table and I sit down at the first seat I see. It's only after I sit down that I realize I should have looked more carefully before I sat. The empty seat I claimed is across from Jude.

Eli sits down next to her. She turns to him and kisses him on the lips. I quickly look down and start filling my plate. I will never get used to the public affection in Dauntless. Eli is closest to the rolls. It registers that he has picked up the basket, and I look up. He puts one on Jude's plate, and one on Leeann's, since she is sitting across from him. Suddenly there is a roll on my plate, too.

"Thank you," I automatically respond and look down at my plate. Why did he do that?

Jude glares at me. I look back down at my plate and start eating.

Great, one more reason for her to hate me.