As much as I'd ever been in Candor before, I had never really watched the building. The lobby is large and well lit, with black marble flooring that extends to an elevator hall. A white marble tiles ring in the center of the hall form the symbol of Candor: a balance, representing the weight of truth against lies. Now, that room looked like something quite appropriate to the situation: a court.
I'm surprised to find that I am more quiet than I imagined, and my calm does not waver even when the Truth Serum is applied in my neck. I feel its effect instantly, but isn't oppressive. On the contrary, it is liberating. The truth was my greatest ally in this situation. There was nothing about which worth lying. I took a deep breath, with the same determination with which I left Jeanine in the hospital: survive.
- Are you ready, Miss Prior?
I nodded.
Jack Khan was sitting on the table, leading the judgment. That somehow relieved me, because there no one that respects more truth and justice than he. He had no personal problem with me, so would not be eager to condemn me. Beside him was Johanna, and around, a crowd of people. Most of them wore black and white, the other not. These stood out easily and I know them very well. Tobias, Christina, Cara, Will, Caleb and my father and my mother among others.
The expression on their faces was of anguish, shame and resentment. Tobias looked at me the same way he looked at me when he saw me in the lab, with my protective arms ahead of Jeanine: disappointment.
- Perfect. Then we start. Beatrice Prior, you are being accused of betraying your faction to help Jeanine Matthews. That's true?
My answer was as clear as crystal clear water.
- No.
Jack shifted in his chair. His eyes were analyzing me thoroughly, as if trying to identify any lie trait. I was Divergent, after all.
- There were reports that you were trying to protect her. How do you explain this fact?
- As you well said, I was trying to protect her, no help her. I never wanted her to win the war, I was just trying to keep her alive.
- And you could enlighten us what is the reason of that, Ms Prior?
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. My heart began to beat faster. I felt the Truth Serum running in my body, stirring in my veins, pushing the truth out of my mouth.
- Because I love her.
I realized Tobias's face hardened. His lips tightened in a hard line, and his eyes darkened. The silence was absolute. Not even Jack had no answer for that.
- You had a full awareness of the seriousness of her actions and yet wanted to protect her for personal reasons?
- Yes.
I wondered if that judgment would come down to answer monosyllables all the time.
- Can you explain this to us with details, Miss Prior?
No. This judgment would not come down to answer monosyllables all the time.
I sighed and changed position in my chair. People looked at me expectantly, as if they were finally to have the answer they all wanted, how I got involved romantically with Jeanine Matthews.
- At first, I was the Jeanine's guinea pig - I said. -She was using me to develop the serum that work in the divergents. She wanted control over the divergents, and I was the divergent purer than she knew.
- Would you gave yourself willingly? - Jack's voice was surprised and confused.
- Yes. Jeanine put the Dauntless members in a simulation. Every other day, one Dauntless member committed suicide while I did not surrender to the Erudite headquarters. I saw Marlene jump ... I did not wanted anyone else dying because of me.
- From what you report us, Jeanine Matthew murdered your friend, and yet you managed to fall for her. How was this possible?
- Things have not taken the course planned - I answered. - Not for me, not for nobody. I had the chance understand it. That changed my perspective on everything.
- A despite the death of your friend?
I thought of Marlene, her smile and her laugh. And I realized that I could not clearly remember. That made me feel like a horrible person. It made me feel guilty. But even if she had lived, nothing has changed. I still would have gone to Erudite. And I still would love Jeanine.
- I failed her - I said, unable to contain the truth.
- I'll ask the question another way. Do you care about your own feelings more than the life of your friends?
- How many times I have to repeat it? I wanted to prevent people continue dying. I did not want any more death. From no one. And I succeeded, one can't deny that.
I looked into the audience, seeing at Lynn and Uriah for the first time. Uriah had the expressionless face, but the Lynn's look of hatred was too intense to look for too long.
Jack taked a deep breath. - What kind of test did Matthews on you?
- She made me through simulations. Many simulations. In all she tried plunged me into them, to lose control, but never had success. At the end of the last simulation, she was so angry she entered the room, and lost control of her emotions. She yelled and screamed and we fight. I managed to free one of my hands ... a-and I smashed her face.
Remember doing more damage than I thought. I can not help remembering my nails into her face, my own murderous rage, her glare and hurt ... and how she bled after.
I bit my lip hard, remembering that I wasn't alone. I was here, to take responsibility for my decisions and not agonize or feel remorse.
- What happened then?
- It was assumed that she had to kill me. -I said quietly. -With Death Serum. She did not. With the help of my brother, I was injected with some strong kind of sleeping pill. I woke up a few hours later at her home. In her bed.
I heard someone laugh. I moved my head to the side and saw Peter trying to control his expression. I frowned. I had not noticed his presence there. Suddenly, the idea that Peter was watching my judgment, seeing me under the Truth Serum revealing every detail of my relationship with Jeanine caused me angry. I tried to ignore him. It was not relevant.
- We had another fight, again - I continued. - I was irritated beyond endurance level. I hit her head against the wall, and then it happened so fast ... - I sighed, feeling the truth serum act - She yelled at me. She went on to talk things I did not understand. She exploded.
I closed my eyes, trying to regain my line of thought.
- That was when everything changed. I wanted to comfort her, protect her, take that weight off your shoulders at all costs. I also thought it would be the perfect moment to kill her, but I could not. I felt I would do anything to not see the pain in her eyes.
- You claim that Jeanine did not kill you because she also harbored feelings for you?
I just nodded.
- And you said she told you things you did not understand. What exactly did she say?
My heart skipped a beat. The time had come. The time that I reveal the truth that could save myself and Jeanine. Or not.
- On this, I can explain everything.
I noticed each person in the room looked at me with wide eyes. They had their eyes fixed on my face, like I was some kind of alien. I took my hands to Jeanine's jacket pocket. The Jeanine's jacket that was now being used by me. From there, I took the tiny black USB. I mentally thanked Caleb for being so smart.
- This small object embodies the truth that will change everything. - I said, feeling a flame of confidence and excitement growing within me - You will have a new view of things after watching it.
Jack seems appalled.
- You want to interrupt this judgement to watch a movie? Are you wanting to escape?
- No, the judgment will not be interrupted. This is part of the judgment. It is essential for justice to be done. From this, you will have at least a small sense of why I protected Jeanine. You will understand that she is much more complicated than the psychopath who everyone thinks she is. - I looked at Jack - You want justice above all right? Then display it all and then proceed.
I extend the USB drive to Jack, and he picks up reluctantly.
I had already seen the video once, the day after visiting Jeanine in hospital. Caleb gave me access to her computer, and I watched it. When I knew the truth about the "Bureau", it seemed exactly what it was: ridiculous.
Jack put it on a huge screen on the wall, and all eyes turned to the images.
I saw the faces of everyone present. They ranged from confusion to disbelief. Some people began to mourn. The room was filled with a tense atmosphere. The video ended. In the room a noise wasn't heard.
- That only gives us more reason to condemn Matthews - exclamed Lynn in charged silence.
Many people agreed with her. Tobias and Christina stayed away, and Uriah was gone. That made me feel a slight relief.
- It is not what the video say! - I screamed. -It's what the video does not say! Divergents we are well received out there. But in the case of No-Divergents, they hardly consider them subhuman. All for some stupids genes standards. You want to live in a world where most of you would be less than trash? - I shouted angrily, looking at Lynn with an incipient anger.
- This is very revealing - Jack admitted, embarrassed.
- But it's certainly not relevant - Johanna added, speaking for the first time.
- What? - I shouted incredulously.
- Maybe, just maybe, the video is fake and you only try to help Ms Matthews. We only know what happens within our city. We need more evidence than that.
- I'm on the damn Truth Serum, what more do you want?
All right, it's not overdo necessary - Jack leaned Johanna's ear and whispered something. Johanna nodded.
- Let's believe in you for now, Tris - finally said the leader of Candor. -Even if you are diverging, is not so easy to resist serum.
I nodded, feeling relief running through my veins, spreading in every centimeter of my body, inside and out.
- The video in itself says nothing. As I said earlier, the most important of all is exactly what it does not say. This is the reason for all the bad things that Jeanine did. Only she knew the real truth, the truth that none of the leaders of this city knew.
Everyone looked at me with utter shock. My father seemed totally unbelieving, as if he could not believe his ears, as if he was forced to understand Jeanine. Generally, I felt uncomfortable with the attention. Growing up in Abnegation taught me to be uncomfortable with it. But at that moment, attention did not mean vanity, meant chance to win. I was not going to let that opportunity escape me.
So I began to tell the things that Jeanine had told me. The words ''Divergent'', "Bureau of Genetic Welfare'', "Genetically damaged'', "Genetically Pure", "Experiment", and many other key expressions. That revelation drew sighs and gasps of surprise every minute. I could see incredulous looks, astonishment, anger and even hatred.
- That's why Jeanine was willing to do anything. That's what she wanted to avoid the city know. For us to continue ignorant and safe inside the fence. She was driven by a strong and terrible protective instinct, horribly distorted. I recognize it, but with one goal: to protect this city. Everyone here in this room, divergent or not, would like to live out of the fence?
The room fell into an absolute silence. And that gave me even more confidence.
- Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Jeanine is innocent. I know she has many sins at the hands, but who of us here do not you? Directly or indirectly, we all at some point we were responsible for the death of someone. Jeanine was willing to kill divergents. The Bureau has killed non-divergents for many, many years.
- She ... - Christina muttered with difficulty, as if she were struggling to say whatever she was going to say. - She's right. Tris is right ... It may sound absurd but ... - her face twisted into a grimace of strangeness - Jeanine was right ... at some points. Only some points.
- You finally passed to her side? - Lynn asked, her voice heavy with irony and anger.
- I was Candor -Christina responds immediately. -I know identify the truth when it appears before me. We can not just ignore everything Tris said only becuase we hate Jeanine. That did she say changes everything, only a fool would not see it.
Lynn squinted, clearly offended. For a moment, I thought she would run up to Christina and strangle her, but she just took a deep breath and looked away.
- As a Candor born -says Christina firmly. - I vote for Tris's absolution. About Jeanine, I haven't an clearly opinion. But Tris is not a traitor.
Her words filled me with hope.
But at that moment, the hope was nearly torn from my chest when Tori's voice broke the silence.
-Absolution? -she shouted. -No way we can do that! Absolution is only for the innocent. Tris tried to defend Jeanine Matthews. And Matthews is not, and never will be, innocent of her crimes. No matter what her reasons were: she must be punished for her crimes!
Half of the room, most Dauntless, shouted agree with her. People began to get up and angry. Johanna silenced they and turned to Tori.
- We're not judging Matthews now, we are judging Beatrice Prior - she replied calmly. - Do you think she should pay for something, Tori Wu? Since you will be the next leader of Dauntless, your opinion is taken into account.
My blood froze at that time. If Tori became leader, my chances of save Jeanine was very much reduced. I did not let myself enter in panic. There was still nothing done. I had to think. Think...
Tori looked me straight in the eye. And I could see the tension in the person who was once my friend.
-Tris is only guilty of being under the Stockholm Syndrome. She did not kill anyone. She does not deserve punishment. Only Matthews- she said slowly.
-That, as I mentioned before, will be decided later. Your opinion will be heard and considered - said Jack. He looked twenty years older since the last time I looked.
- Well, I think we can vote - Johanna rose. Her yellow and red clothes looked less colorful than usual. - Beyond all the heard today, and all the new revelations ... How many of you think Beatrice Prior must be punished for her charge of treason?
I saw many hands up... But it was less than half. I was saved. Saved.
- The Present had found you innocent, Beatrice Prior -Johanna sat down. - You can retire, Miss Prior.
...
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