It's been two days since I made the truce with Codie. I'm still never exactly nice to her, and sometimes Mara has to remind me to keep my cool. I try to include her in our conversations. I ask her opinions. Sometimes it's hard to do and it feels forced, but I remind myself how I felt when I had made her depressed. I don't want to do that again.
She laughs more now, and I have to admit that she's not that bad of a person.
After all, if she were still a Stiff she wouldn't have left Abnegation.
Today in training we are learning how to tell if someone is lying. Bianca stands in front of a big chalkboard, holding a piece of white chalk in her fingers.
"Today we are going over something very important, and I need your full attention." She stands tall even though she is the size of a twelve year old. "You are learning how to spot a liar." The classroom chatter stops. She means business, and no one dares interrupt Bianca when she means business.
"It's not a hard skill once you master the elements of a lie. There are many things that can give the person away. One way to detect a liar is by examining their body language," she says, her voice projecting out to the vast room. She writes everything she says down on the chalkboard with loopy handwriting.
"The liar's physical expression will be limited, with few arm and hand movements. If they do indeed make a motion, the movement will most likely be toward them self." She pauses and makes sure we are all paying attention before continuing, her voice crisp and clear. "The liar's hands will often touch or scratch their face, throat, mouth, nose or behind their ear."
I suddenly become aware that I am scratching behind my ear. I stop immediately, and I feel wrong for doing it even though I'm not even speaking, therefore I'm not lying. Not directly lying, that is.
"They will shift in their position, lick their lips, maybe clear their throat." Her blue eyes stare at us like a hawk's, challenging us to do something wrong.
"Another way to detect a liar is by what they say and how they say it. A liar will sometimes avoid "lying" by implying answers instead of denying something directly. They will add unnecessary details and they will appear uncomfortable during silence or pauses in the conversation."
The chalk scrapes across the board feverishly to keep up with her lecture.
"A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in monotone. When they say something truthful they put emphasis on the pronoun."
The room is quiet and at attention. Most of us sit rigidly and uncomfortable. At least I'm not the only one who thinks Bianca is intimidating when she gives a lesson. "Finally, eye contact. The liar will most likely shift their eyes and avoid your gaze. Blinking is a red flag, and looking upward is another. If the person cannot keep normal eye contact, it is reasonable to infer that they are lying."
It's a lot to absorb. I look around to see if I should be taking notes. Everybody sits perfectly still, besides we weren't supplied a pen or paper to write with anyway. How are we supposed to remember all of this?
"Liars are a plague to society, and so it is our job to find these individuals and set them straight." Bianca's voice cuts though the air, harsh and powerful. My head pounds.
I am one of the liars. I have to be set straight.
She dismisses us from the lesson, and I stand up with shaky palms and think about everything I learned today. One thought swirls in my head- If I'm going to keep a secret, I'm going to have to learn how to become a better liar.