The song from ch35 was Home by MGK, Bebe Rexha. The song in ch36 was Lions by Skillet.
"Noah and I haven't seen her in a while and we'll make sure she eats!" Bree laughs slightly as the door shuts behind them and Bree leads her down the corridor.
Issy was glad Bree had taken her away from the others. It had seemed like ages since they'd seen each other. They swapped stories of their training and Issy was pleased to hear Bree was loving her job. Issy had only ever seen a few younger dependants around the weekends but it wasn't until Bree explained the system Dauntless had, was she surprised. Bree told Issy that there were different areas for children of different ages when their families were working and Bree was placed into each area before Winnie found the place that Bree is best at. There was the Nursery for the babies, the Playroom for toddlers which Bree liked the best and then there was the School room where were children were taught a few minor lessons before they were accepted into the city's school. Bree had also told Issy that there were more apartments in the buildings around the main Dauntless compound for families with two or more rooms that were sectioned into blocks: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest.
Noah had joined them a few corridors away from the training room and greeted Issy with a hug. In all honesty, Issy nearly broke down. She wasn't normally one for being so emotional unless it was something to do with her family but she didn't realise how much she had missed her friends. When they finally pulled Issy knew she had tears in her eyes but a big grin on her face. She waved it off and linked her other arm with Noah's.
Once they began walking again, Issy told Bree and Noah about her own training, about her bike and the squad. The only thing Issy complained about to them was the hours. The Friday before Captain had mentioned how the rota worked and Issy wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Herself and Hec had been told that each month a squad was put in charge of the rotas but Captain never mentioned what shifts they did. There was Day, Night, and Morning shifts. The Day shift started at nine in the morning to six in the afternoon. The Night shift started at six in the afternoon to one a.m. and the Morning shift fills in the hours between Night and Day shifts. Issy didn't know which one she would prefer.
When they had gotten to the other side of the Pit and to E block Issy stopped them as they had started towards the stairs. With a laugh, she pulled them to the lifts that Dec had told he about.
"You're a fucking life saver Issy!" Noah exclaimed and he picked her up, spinning her around once. Issy laughed with glee while he put her back on her feet. "Morning shifts have been brutal. The cooks have to be at the kitchens by half four in the morning and that meant I had to be up an extra hour just to get there in time. And now, thanks to my beautiful golden eyed sister," He laughed as Issy blushed deeply. "I can have somewhat of a lie-in."
"Flatterer." Issy said as she pressed her hands to her cheeks.
"You love us." Bree laughed. "Who else knows about the lifts then?"
"Haven't got a clue." Issy removed her hands only to grin mischievously. "Maybe I'll wait until they find out for themselves." The lift doors opened and they stepped in, pressing the button of their floor. When the doors closed Issy turned to Noah. "So I'm guessing your training is going good since you've been helping with most of the main meals."
"Yeah its been great." Noah grinned. "It shouldn't be much longer until I've finished the training days and they put me on a specific section like breakfast, lunch, dinner or prep. Maggie said that once training is done that I'd choose two sections I want to work in and I'm thinking of lunch and prep so I can have a lie-in and I don't miss out on all the action at dinner."
Issy hums her reply. "Y'know I love what both of you do." She smiles as the couple exchanged confused looks. "I mean without the kitchen, I'm pretty sure we'd starve and without the carers, there wouldn't be anyone to shape the new generation of Dauntless. I think that's just as important as being a Leader or patrolling the factions."
The door dinged open but they didn't move. Her eyes flickered between them as they stared back. Bree opens and closes her mouth before saying anything. "I'm so fucking glad bumped into each other on that train."
"Me too chick, me too." Issy looks around the lift with the doors still open. "So are we gonna stand in the lift all night or...?"
"Right yeah." They lead Issy to their door in silence. Noah unlocks the door and motions for them to go in first. Issy steps to the side of the door as Bree wanders off through the other door opposite the front door while Noah heads straight to the fridge.
Issy looks around, amazed at how much its change from three weeks ago. When she first saw it, it felt rather empty but now it had this rustic homey feeling that Issy just loved. The main colours from what she could see from the kitchen and the living room was emerald green and dark oak. In their kitchen the countertops ran all along the wall to the other door on the opposite side of the room and were the same dark granite as her own but Noah and Bree had painted their cupboards an oak colour. Noah must love the amount of space he has to play with while cooking. All of the walls were emerald green but it was like a gradient. At the bottom of the walls the paint was really dark, almost black, and as it rises it gets lighter. In the living room there was a large TV sat on the wall with an oak dresser under it. A few paces away from the TV is a low oval oak table and on the other side of the table is a three seater leather sofa and a leather chair, both were tan brown and looked rather knackered.
As Issy took off her combat boots and placed them by the door she was suddenly reminded of her own flat and the unopened paint that sits in the spare bedroom. Between training, fixing up her bike and remembering to the basic necessaries of life, Issy had forgotten to start decorating her flat. Issy slumped into the leather chair with a content sigh.
"You like it?" Noah called from the kitchen as he chopped something.
"It's very homey."
"Yeah, that's what we were going for. Bree's actually the one that chose the colour scheme."
Issy perks up in her chair. "Really? It just seems a little –"
"Amity?" Noah offered when she paused. "Yeah I thought that too but Bree loves it and I find it quite relaxing."
"Find what relaxing?" Bree asked as she walked into the room in loose jogging bottoms, a tank top and her hair thrown up in a bun.
"The colour scheme."
"Ah. I've always loved green and it's just so much better than everything being white and black." Bree wandered over to the sofa and sat down close to Issy. "I remember Uri saying he and Zeke had to cart a load of paint up to your flat for you. How's that coming?"
Issy snorts. "Don't tell my brothers this... or Eric," Issy adds as an afterthought when she notices the mischievousness in Bree's dark eyes and her sister pouts. "But the only reason he and Zeke helped me that day was to save their own arses."
Noah stopped chopping and turned to them with worry on his face. "What did they do?"
"Uriah ran into me by accident and pushed me into the banister. They managed to pull me away before it gave way."
"Dammit Issy!" Bree hisses. "Dauntless only has banisters on the higher pathways of the Pit, you could have been really hurt. Your brothers –"
"– Are not finding out about this." Issy cut across her. "At all. As for my flat, I haven't even started." The couple still seemed shocked over the idea Issy could have been seriously hurt. "Hey Bree, what are you doing next weekend?"
"Uh, nothing as of yet. Why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to help me decorate?"
"I'd love to! What colours have you chosen?"
While Issy explains what colours she had got and what she wanted to do with them, Noah cooked dinner and often added his own opinions. Issy folded her legs underneath her when Noah came around with a tray in hand. Issy thanked him as she took the tray and placed it on her lap and she saw Bree do the same. She watched Noah walk back into the kitchen only to come back with three glasses of soda for all of them. Then he walked back and forth once again with his own tray. He sat down with a huff, oblivious to Issy's staring. It took a few glances from Bree when he finally noticed with his drink half way to his mouth.
"What?" His eyes looked down to her untouched plate and his face fell. "Do you not like it?" He sounded like a stepped on puppy and her heart clenched.
"Noah, throughout initiation how many times did I say I wanted sausage and mash? A lot. And its not that, I was just thinking why didn't you set up you own café or get a job at a restaurant or something?"
"I had thought about it, like, after our job selection but by then it was too late to pull out."
Throughout the whole meal Noah and Bree kept glancing in her direction until the point where Issy couldn't take it anymore.
"Why do I feel like we're having a family intervention?" Simultaneously the couple look up and exchange a glance that made Issy wary. She watched as Noah swallowed as he placed his tray onto the coffee table.
"Well we, uh, we wanted to ask you for your opinion on something..." He trailed off as Issy placed her fork down. "We were thinking about getting engaged and –"
Issy started to choke on nothing but air until she shouted out. "Wait, WHAT?" She looked between the two several times, her mouth opening and closing. "En-engaged?! But, but initiation only finished like three weeks ago and you're both still eighteen, isn't it a little soon?" Issy glanced between them again before she started to ramble. "I mean, I love the fact that you guys are thinking about it and I think you're great for each other but I don't want you to feel pressured by anyone to tie the knot this quickly. I think you guys should settle into Dauntless for at least a year before thinking about anything that serious... I love you guys but damn, I think its too soon." She watches a grin slowly form on Bree's face.
Bree turns to Noah with the grin still in place and growing. "And this is why I suggested we ask Issy."
"Wait," Issy holds her hand up. "I'm the first to know?"
"Mhmm." Bree hums. "We didn't know what was best and no matter what, you're always my first choice on advise Iss." Issy's heart clenches inside as Bree carries on. "There's a place in my heart for you Issy and you're never gonna leave it."
Noah nods his head along with what Bree was saying. "Same for me Iss." There's a moment before anyone speaks as Issy snuffles and dabs her tears away. After Issy composes herself, Noah gets back onto the previous subject. "If we were to marry, do you reckon it would be better to marry in private or just have a normal wedding?"
Issy snorts slightly. "You do that and Flare, Christina and Lilah will never forgive you if you did."
The couple groans at the thought, not having thought about that and Issy laughs at them. The rest of the night was spent creating ridiculous scenarios of what Flare, Christina and Lilah would do to the couple if that did happen, most of which sent them into laughing fits. When the clock hits ten o'clock Issy bids them goodnight, groaning about her early start but thanking the stars that it was her last week of training.
While Issy walks through the Pit she spots something in a shop window. Grinning, she goes in a pays for it before coming out of the shop with a small grey speaker that's no bigger than her fist. She throws it once in the air before she carries on walking back to her flat.
xXx
After her training had finished for the day, Issy had put away her stuff in her locker and quickly jogged back up to her flat. She showered and changed into a pair of leggings and a hoodie before she grabbed her phone, her keys and her new speaker. She left her flat, locking the door behind her and jogged back to the garage, eager to finish her bike today.
Issy swiped her keycard at the garage door, and once again at the S.W.A.L.T room. A few of the guys that were there last night were in again along with a few others but all of their heads perked up as they noticed Issy and if she looked close enough, she could see the pleading in their eyes. Smirking, she pulled out her speaker and places it on an empty station before she turns it on. It beeped three times before it connected with her phone and a song automatically started to play. Cheers go up making Issy laugh a little as she goes to where her bike is parked and she wheels it to her station.
That took a little longer than I'd like to write but I was in London this week and I've been writing more on one of my original stories.
I've gotta reply to awesome two guests that I can't sadly reply back to:
Superfan: I'm glad you love this story and double update! WOO!
Crazythinking: Your review made me so happy! Believe me, I'm only just getting started with this fic and I'm no where near finished... I have a feeling this is gonna be a looong story. It makes me giddy at the thought but if you're interested, I have two AUs of this story partly planned out but neither will be written fully or published until GF and GFO is finished.