"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is."
My eyes never left Roxy or Ezekiel when they finally found the familiar faces in the sea of people standing around the small platform. Jack Kang had guided us into a large circular room with a platform in the middle, dark and sinister as the entire faction alongside dauntless entered to witness our trial. Four and Tris stood behind me as we waited. When the room had finally quieted, Jack Kang stepped forth.
"May the truth set you free." His words were met with a sea of mumbles, all repeating the same words. Then he turned to me and gestured to the platform in front of him. "Octavia please step up." He instructed. Every fiber in my body pulled taught and I hesitated too long because Jack Kang raised an eyebrow at me. Before taking the step, I turned to Four. He seemed relieved that he didn't have to go first.
When I stepped onto the platform, one of the candor men stepped forth. He was dressed in a black suit, with a white tie. The contrast of colors made me think he looked quite foolish. I had never understood candor's excessive need to dress this fancy. They exceeded even erudite. He injected a serum into my neck. I winced and felt the heat sore as the serum entered my system.
It was like I hit a wall. I became dizzy, hot, and very bothered by my clothes that felt quite restricting suddenly. I tugged at the edge of my shirt before stepping into the middle of the platform. I raised my arms and wrapped them protectively around my chest before I turned around to face Jack Kang, my eyes scanning the sea of faces around me, but found nothing familiar until my eyes settled on the candor leader again.
Another wave of dizziness hit me when Jack stepped into the light. I had to close my eyes when he spoke. "Please state your name and faction." He ordered more than asked and I felt the urge to blurt out the answers right away. It took me by surprise and only a strangled sound left my lips because I had kept the reply from leaving my lips. I groaned at myself and opened my eyes again, letting them fall to the floor between Jack Kang and me. "Do not resist the serum." He sighed.
"My name is Octavia Pierce. And my faction is dauntless." I muttered, not low enough for a whisper nor loud enough to be said properly. But Jack Kang seemed satisfied with the answer. I dared raise my eyes again, meeting his before the next question left him. This would be hard. No matter what he asked me now, I would be forced to answer, the serum would see to this. Brilliant idea Four.
"Is it true that you were part of leadership in dauntless." Jack Kang asked and gathered his hands in front of him. I raised any eyebrow but nodded. "I need a clear answer, Octavia." Jack Kang instructed. It made me scoff before lowering my arms. The serum was strong, but not strong enough.
I wanted to answer, so there were no need to resist the serum. "Yes—" I said loudly. "I was part of leadership there." I acknowledged his question well knowing that this would only be the beginning. This trial would be fairer compared to one held in erudite but I still feared what would come of this trial. And how much would be blamed on me.
"Then should it not have been within your power to stop erudite gaining control over dauntless—if this is as you claim has happened. Why didn't you warn the other factions?" Jack Kang's question was long. And I knew I had to explain things from my perspective. I took a deep breath before looking at the ground through lowered lashes.
"I did what I could—I warned the only faction I could. Some escaped because I risked everything and warned them mere hours before the attack were to happen." I snapped at the candor leader even taking a step towards him. It made him take one back. "Max kept his cards close, never diluting the rest of the leaders in erudite's plan before it was too late. I risked what I could—I would not be helpful to anyone if I turned up dead."
"What faction did you warn?" Jack Kang asked, remaining where he stood as I looked down on him. He was looking smaller than he had done when we stood before him in his office. Perhaps he found it surprising that I took the serum this well. It made me wonder if I had an aptitude for candor. Which meant I was predisposed to honesty already.
"Abnegation—I warned abnegation." I answered honestly and retracted, giving him more room. I returned to the middle of the platform with one step backwards, eyes never leaving the candor leader as he fumbled with the hem of the jacket he was wearing. "Someone had to warn the faction under scrutiny when no one else stepped up. They're the most selfless people you can meet—turning a blind eye to what was happening was not an option in my perspective." My tone was dangerously sweet as I watched Jack Kang squirm just a little.
It wasn't often I used the leader tone I had taught to use around Max. It usually gave me more respect and allowed me to voice my opinions around men like him. I raised an eyebrow when Jack Kang continued to squirm, but after a while he blew out a breath and raised his eyes to lock with mine again.
He only took a moment to recover, then stepped forward and looked at me through narrowed eyes. He didn't appreciate my tone at all. I smirked before stepping another step back. I still felt the effects of the serum, but it no longer bothered me because I wanted to answer, I wanted them all to know the truth. "But these risks you speak off, please elaborate." Jack Kang spoke quietly, but loudly enough for everyone to hear.
I blew out a breath and turned towards Roxy and Ezekiel. I had noticed them from the corner of my eyes. "I'm divergent." I indulged. Most in the room gasped. Janine had already been spreading fear around. Planting seeds of doubt that the divergent were dangerous and what was wrong in this world. "If any of them found out, I would have been disposed of. Something that has happened for a long time throughout the years in dauntless whenever someone's been discovered—" I trailed off when remembering who had first warned me.
I cleared my throat and turned back to Jack Kang. "I only did what I could because I was selfish enough to hope for better times—selfish enough to ask for more time to be with the man I love." I whispered as tears swelled. It was the first time I had been this honest, but I didn't care. They had to know and hopefully understand the reason why I didn't, and couldn't, do more.
"Who is this man?" Jack Kang asked. For the first time I had to fight the reply that wanted to burst out from my lips. I had on purpose not said Eric's name because in the eyes of every other dauntless, he was a traitor that deserved nothing else but death. I cried out when the pain increased, and I had to wrap my arms around my chest again. "Octavia, the more you resist the serum, the more painful it will be." He warned as I cried out once more, knees almost buckling underneath my weight.
When my strength finally gave out, I fell to my knees and hunched forwards with a scream. "How can I expect you to understand—this man is nothing but a traitor in the eyes of many, but you have no idea what he has done for me—what he has done to keep me alive." I sobbed when arms were suddenly wrapped around me. Roxy had burst out from the group, thrown herself down next to me before embracing me. "It's Eric!" I finally admitted. "Eric Matthew Coulter!" I almost screamed at the floor.
Roxy tightened her embrace and starred daggers at Jack Kang. "Very well—Octavia Pierce you have been resolved of suppositions in the case of the attack on abnegation." He then finally sighed. "Thank you for your candor." Jack Kang stepped down. Roxy hooked her arms underneath my shoulders before pulling me to my feet. There was surprising strength behind her actions as she guided me towards Ezekiel. He placed an arm around my shoulders and Roxy kept hers around my midsection.
This was how we stood while Four and Tris were both interrogated as well. I didn't really listen much to the words being spoken, I was only concentrating on Roxy in my embrace and Ezekiel behind me. He had his head rested against mine, breathing low and steady as my tears fell quietly. Once the trials had been concluded, we all hurried out of the room.
I didn't look at Tris, nor Four, when Ezekiel pulled me along after Roxy. His tight hold around my waist was the only reason I remained upright. Once out of the main hall, Roxy stopped and turned back to me. "Tavia—there's someone you should meet." She smiled before turning towards a door on her right. She held it open as Ezekiel pushed me inside. It was an infirmary of some sort and on one of the beds sat Abby.
No matter how sick she was looking, it was still her. A smile broadened on her lips when I dashed towards her, wrapping my arms around her, and pulling her into a tight embrace. One which she returned right away. "Abs—" I whispered when she chuckled. "You're alive." I whispered in disbelief. Ezekiel had told me she hadn't been recovered and that was the only reason Valentine had followed Eric and Max.
"Let me look at you sweetie." Abby begged and cupped my cheeks when she brought my face in front of hers. I smiled, tears still running down my cheeks in happiness. But then her eyes shifted, taking in Ezekiel by the door. He seemed like he had seen a ghost. "Hey Zeek." She greeted and held out a hand. Ezekiel took it as he stepped closer to the bed.
"What happened?" I asked when looking between them. "Zeek why do you look like you've seen a ghost." I asked worriedly before shifting on the bed. Abby retracted her legs, and I moved onto the bed before Ezekiel took the spot I had been seated on.
"Zeek and Zephyr found me—I took the train to the fence after Max shot me—" Abby explained but I didn't let her continue.
"Wait—Max shot you!" I cut her off and she nodded, though she looked very confused over my interruption. "Let me get that coward!" I groaned and was ready to shoot off the bed but Abby and Ezekiel, both kept me from doing just that. I blew out a breath in annoyance when Abby shook her head at me.
"I'm okay now. They patched me up good and because of this moron here, I managed to sneak out when Eric came for him. Zephyr got me to candor because Ezekiel managed to take the attention." Abby had to pause because we were all laughing. Roxy had found a chair in the meantime and settled next to the bed on my side. Abby smiled to her. "And then this fireball has made the time here more exciting." She thanked Roxy who smiled awkwardly, color rising to her cheeks as she looked to the floor.
"I just hope Eric didn't take it to personally—I know every one of his tricks, unfortunately he doesn't quite know mine." Ezekiel chuckled but had to hold a hand over the wound on his side, pain sweeping over his face as a low groan left him.
"Wait—Eric did this to you?" I asked and realized that had not quite been the story he had told me. Ezekiel's eyes snapped to mine as he realized as well. Then he sighed and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked both annoyed but also worried. I had not seen anyone come this unscathed out of a fight with Eric.
"I couldn't bring myself to it—who do you think taught Eric to fight like he does?" Ezekiel chuckled before he placed a hand over my forearm. "It was a fair fight, Eric didn't involve any of the others and I fear he might have looked worse than me—except the bullet wound of course. That was an unfortunate accident because one of the erudite guards didn't know proper fighting etiquette." Ezekiel rolled his eyes and retracted his hand again.
I had a hard time imagining Eric looking worse than Ezekiel had done. It was not often that anyone could best Eric. He was a strong fighter, and one most feared fighting. Though there were a few stronger than him, and I'd had my suspicions that Ezekiel was among them, it was still not something that happened quite often.
We all spend the remainder of the day in the infirmary with Abby, cheering her on and exchanging stories. She was curious as to what we had been up to since she departed with Ezekiel on the fence those few weeks ago. Her adventures hadn't been as exciting as ours, so it was mostly Ezekiel or me that spoke, Roxy listened in just as curiously but did inform me of the bits I missed after
escaping to the fence, and after the dauntless faction woke up from the sim.
Around nightfall, Roxy took us to the candor dining hall where the dauntless had occupied quite a few tables, bringing the familiar loud chaos of dauntless dinner time with them. I smiled and relished in the familiarity as I settled beside Tadeo who was in deep conversation with a dauntless I didn't recognize at first. When I realized it was his brother, whom I'd met a few times since the game of dare, he was still not one I had spoke with the most. Tadeo smiled to me as an acknowledgement, and so did his brother,before they both returned to the conversation.
There were more than a few of the dauntless that eyed me warily but I chose to ignore them. I was no longer their leader, and they were no longer my responsibility to look after. I was here if they needed me but not to be the laughingstock, nor something they could glare at. I had done what I could, though selfish enough to hope for more time with Eric.
I had already lost him before this war broke out. But this time I had lost him properly. I had come to terms with the fact that this was not meant to be. No matter how much I loved him, he had chosen one thing and I another.