I wake up in the school dining room, except there is nothing there except for a table with a chunk of cheese on it and a knife.
"Choose."
I don't argue. I don't know what to choose though. I don't mind the knife: it could come in handy later, but I love cheese. It's my favourite food. I shrug and take the chunk of cheese.
Suddenly I hear a bark. Growling. My head snaps up, and a vicious dog is lunging straight at me. What should I do? I try to reach for the knife, but it had disappeared. Damn.
I could feed it the cheese, but I don't feel like doing that to a monster that is about to kill me.
But why would it want to kill me? It probably sees me as an attacker. Sorry, poor dog.
I keep my heartbeat as steady as possible, then sink down to my knees and look at the ground, staying silent. I throw the cheese off me, just in case the dog thinks I'm the cheese.
After a few seconds, I hear panting and feel paws try to touch me. I lift my head up: the dog is no longer vicious. Instead, it is a cute puppy that wants to play with me! Aww. I scratch its ears.
"Puppy!" A six-year-old Amity girl is standing there with a look of delight plastered on to her face, pointing at the dog. One second, the dog is trying to lick my face, the other, it bounds to attack the girl.
"No!" The girl sprints away from the dog, and the room expands more and more.
Wait a minute – how is this possible? Rooms don't expand. Then suddenly I hear Tori's voice inside my head. "Simulation…"
This is not real. This is just a simulation.
Which means anything can happen, right? It's all inside my head.
Closing my eyes, I imagine a knife in my hand. After a few seconds, I feel the cool metal on my palm. I snapped open my eyes. The dog has caught up to the girl by now, about to attack. Swift as lightning, I throw the knife at the dog. It hit it straight in the head. I feel my stomach come up to my mouth as I see blood leaking out of its head.
"Why did you kill the puppy?" the girl says, tears forming in her eyes.
"It would have killed you," I say soothingly. "If I hadn't killed the dog, you would have been dead instead."
I walk over to where I threw the cheese. It is somehow wrapped up.
"Here, do you want some cheese?" Even though I love cheese, I would do anything to make the girl happy again.
"Thanks!" she says, all tears gone, happily chewing away at the cheese.
The scene dissolves, and suddenly I am on the bus sitting next to a man holding a newspaper.
"Do you know this man?" he asks me, pointing to a picture of a murderer. He looks slightly familiar, but I don't really know who he is.
"No," I say calmly.
"You're lying. I can see it in your eyes," he says angrily.
I roll my eyes. "Seriously? Out of all the people on the bus, you had to ask me whether or not I know the man? You could have easily asked anybody on this bus, they would've said no and you would've said they're lying as well. What makes you think I, in particular, know this man?"
The man narrows his eyes. "Well, I asked everyone already. But you know him. I can tell."
"Candor?" I say, raising my eyebrows.
"Yes," he says. I look closely and realise he's not making eye contact. Something is wrong.
"Then maybe you should know that I actually don't know the man."
"Well, you do."
"I think you've been lying this whole time."
"What do you mean?" He looks menacing, but I'm not afraid.
"You are factionless. In disguise as a Candor."