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He chose to follow the group to this place. He had to give this a shot, if for no other reason than to honor his last known wishes. It’s not like they were holding him captive; if things didn’t work out, he would just leave and start a new life.
Krieger nodded. “An occupation?”
Samuel slapped him on the back as Eva let her hands fall away. “Of course, everyone here works. Eva, why don’t you take him to the dining hall, get him some real food?”
She walked over to the exit. “No problem. Krieger, shall we?”
Samuel walked him to the door. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask me. My office is always open.”
He walked out, letting Eva lead him to the food hall. This trek required going down a flight of stairs and across a bridge until they reached a large balcony covered in candlelight.
Darkness surrounded the tiny beacon of light, but he could imagine the view would be amazing. They had to be almost thirty feet in the air.
Leaves and branches surrounded the sides of the balcony, all but reaffirming the tree house feel. Why did they live in trees? What was wrong with the ground?
She walked through an open doorway into a large room. Wooden picnic tables lined the walls and made rows down the middle of the room. Back against the far wall was a long counter with a young woman, who seemed to be Eva’s age, standing behind it.
Eva approached the counter. “Hey, Sarah, this is Krieger. He’s new.”
The young woman behind the counter gave a shy smile and a wave. “Well, hello there.” She leaned toward Eva, a dark curl falling over her forehead as she whispered, “He’s cute.”
Eva laughed. “All right, can we get a couple of specials, please?”
“Coming right up,” Sarah said as she sauntered off through another doorway that led into a kitchen area.
Voices echoed in the back, and foreign smells filled his nostrils, but the scents were rich, sweet, and hearty.
His stomach growled and his mouth watered. He was hungrier than he thought. A few moments later, Sarah was back with two trays.
Eva smiled as she accepted the food platters. “Thanks.”
“Here, let me get that for you,” he said as he moved to take the trays from her.
She stopped, gave him a sideways glance, then let him take the food. He walked up to the closest table and sat.
He set her tray in front of her, then studied his food.
“It’s rabbit, turnips, and a hunk of bread. Grain is few and far between, but right now is the right season.” Eva picked up her bread and took a generous bite.
“Which season would that be?” He poked at his food with his wooden carved fork.
“Fall, we are in the midst of harvesting. We will be having our annual Harvest Celebration soon, on November seventh. It’s what we replaced Halloween and Thanksgiving with.” She used her fork to spear a hunk of turnip. “So, any idea what occupation you might like to join?”
He chewed a piece of rabbit, savored the taste, then swallowed. “I have a choice?”
She looked to him. “Yeah... we’re not dictators.”
“I-I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought—”
“What?”
“You know, you probably know me better than I know myself right now. What do you think I should do?”
She stuffed a juicy piece of rabbit in her mouth and shrugged. “Given your size, muscle tone, and age, I’d make you a soldier. You’re built for combat and young enough to learn to fight. Yeah, you’d make a fine soldier.”
He finished the food, thinking over what she said, then shoved his plate away. “Sign me up.”
“Really? Just like that, you agree? You don’t even know what the job entails.”
