Prior Rings

Chapter 14: Tris - Recruiting

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I always appreciate your support more than I can say. Thank you also to Rosalie and BK2U, who both reviewed this chapter at different points in time. You're truly fantastic!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14: Tris – Recruiting

Sometimes it amazes me how much this country has changed since the first time I saw it. It took an incredible amount of work, and ideas from everyone on my council, to get things to where they are today, but I think we're all very glad to have played a part in this. I know I never expected to be able to do something so worthwhile with my life.

I guess that's why I'm still afraid that we'll lose it all. That things will turn around as quickly as they did in Chicago, when Jeanine destroyed decades of peace for her own personal gain. It's all too easy to imagine some of the former NUSA families finding a way to do the same thing here, no matter how much progress Peter reports.

Still, I know we can't let that risk stop us. We have to keep moving forward.

Currently, that means finding candidates to run in the elections we'll be holding next month. I didn't expect that to be hard, since people are so anxious to help any way they can these days. But it seems that after a lifetime of being told by NUSA to mind their place, most people don't believe they're qualified to lead the government.

Margot has been struggling for the last six weeks to recruit candidates, so I'm not overly surprised when she asks me to give speeches in certain parts of the country where she's had no luck. She thinks that people will listen to me even if they don't believe her, and she's probably right about that. As Anna pointed out, they're still strongly affected by Tobias' broadcast.

So, for the first time since I took office, I find myself traveling around the country. It's an enjoyable change of pace, after spending so much time in meetings lately.

Nigel and Michelle come with me, of course, serving as my bodyguards the way they always do when I'm out in public. I find it unnecessary, personally, since I'm certainly not helpless – and since it's hard to imagine anyone trying to hurt me after Tobias' transmission. He made the entire population love me too much for that.

But I don't argue. They need the jobs, and it makes Anna feel better to have them with me.

Caleb comes too, claiming it will give him a chance to ensure everything is prepared for the elections. But I suspect he's still nervous about what happened in Morgantown and wants to make sure I stay safe. I can't decide if I should be annoyed by that or not. It seems hypocritical, with how much he's told me I shouldn't worry about that incident, but at the same time…it's nice to have my brother care about me again.

The first speech is in Stafford. The weather is even hotter than in Philadelphia, and sweat is dripping into my eyes by the time I finish. I try to describe what the different elected positions will be like, and what traits are needed for each one, and I encourage the audience to come to a follow-up session if they're willing to consider any of those jobs.

It seems to work, since more than a dozen people show up for the second session, and out of those, we end up with enough candidates for the area.

We follow the same model in Durham, Greensboro, Roanoke, and Harrisonburg, growing progressively wearier with each repetition. But even though it's tiring to be on the road, sleeping in a different place every night, there's something refreshing about seeing the excitement grow in each audience's eyes. They believe me when I tell them they can do this type of job – that they're worthy of it – and the Abnegation in me loves seeing that transition.