"Truth"
The room in which I find myself is imposing, large, with tiered benches on either side of the room. The faceless people are intimidating and I wonder why I joined this faction, Candor, in the first place.
The room itself is wide and open, in the center of the room is a single chair in which all the new initiates will sit and are administered truth serum in which we will tell our deepest secrets. I knew of this, and I knew of this when I joined, but I still don't have to like it.
"Torr Kase." An older man calls, his name is Jack Kang. He has gray hair and is tall and thin and I know he's been the leader since like forever; at least that's what I am told.
I step forward, trying to contain the shaking in my limbs. I feel like I have a spotlight on me, and for the intention of this "test" I might as well have. Without saying a word I take a seat in the chair. Jack removes a syringe from a small box handed to him and inserts the needle into my neck; after the aptitude test I should be used to the needle… I guess.
He waits for a few moments before he speaks again.
"What is your name?" He asks firmly.
"Torr Kase." I say, but it feels as if the words are coming from somewhere beyond me rather than out of my own mouth.
"You transferred, correct? From Dauntless?"
"Yes." I answer flatly.
"Why?" Is his next question.
"I wanted the honesty," I answered, "I feel my old faction is corrupt."
The older man raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't speak.
"What is your relation to Jared Karr?"
"He is my best friend." I answer. I tried to picture his face, but the serum makes everything fuzzy and disconnected like I can't form my own thoughts.
Jared also transferred to Candor, but it was only because of me, we had made a promise we would join the same faction if we could. I had gotten lucky.
"You have a secret is that correct?" Jack continues, even under the influence of the serum I feel like I am drowning.
"Yes," I answer, dreading what comes next.
"What is that secret?" The man asks without preamble.
"His sexuality," I answer, my voice sounding short and flat. "He's bisexual."
There is a pause and then the crowd around me murmurs:
"Thank you for your honesty."
I don't want to be honest with this answer, I think, I want it to be private. Everyone deserves some privacy. Not everything unspoken is a lie.
"Does this bother you?"
"Sometimes." I answer, but then I can't really give a yes or no answer to that type of question.
"What are your biggest regrets?"
"Not telling my parents about Jared, I was afraid the guys at school were going to beat him up."
Then the crowd murmurs again:
"Thank you for your honesty, thank you for your honesty." Then the room is silent.
As the serum begins to wear off I finally look around the room, it is still mostly silent the only sound an occasional cough or the shuffling feet of the Candor initiates, most to look as nervous as I know I do. Somewhere in the second row is Jared, his face as impassive as the rest of them. His secret doesn't matter now, he's going to have to tell it anyway. I was lucky for the moment that they didn't probe deeper and reveal another secret I didn't want to tell, but that would be for another time and place, because in Candor there are no secrets.