Our world wakes and sleeps together. The government's sirens at 6:00 in the morning and 11 at night unlock and lock the door to every community centre and even the houses.
Though the Central says that the reason behind this is completely scientific, it is really because highly intellectual minds can cook up some of the most riveting crimes and cover ups possible.

As a teenager living with my parents, I have the most normal life possible in these conditions. And though I will admit that my being has been crafted with beauty and intelligence, I somewhat lack the easy charm that makes the introverts around you open up.

No, I am generally very tight- lipped myself, so I make up for my silence with the warm and sometimes ever too frequent chatting of my best friend Kalani.

Even though I say she is chatty, she is still an introverted enigma for the visitors from outside.

Because, believe me-people here only ever open up in front of those who they have spent at least half of their lives with. And Kalani and I have been each other's trusted secret keepers since we barely even had secrets.

Both our families are basically what you would call the epitome of normality. My mother works in the community health centre as a Healthcare official with Kalani's mother.
Both our fathers are engineers. So it is safe to say that our families are pretty close as well.

Ever since we were 10, we would sneak out to the Fence after every one fell asleep to share our secrets and make plans to save the world. Then, when the patrol guard would start climbing the watchtower to sound the siren, we would just as swiftly and quietly return.

Today as I meet Kalani at the bus stop for the final day of regular school, she pulls me by my brown ponytail behind a tree to say something that will change the lives of everyone we know forever- that throughout the initiation, initiates are injected with the infamous truth serum, sodium pentothal- so that scientists can dissect and study each part of our brains and spill all our secrets.

That the Choice may not be ours after all.

But the the Choice comes after a year- right now we are are lot more concerned about our secrets.

Because really- if you put together a community of intellectuals how can you expect anyone to have a clean slate?

Secrets held give you power and secrets spilled get you killed. And right now, it seems like we are hurtling with full speed down the collision course of betrayal and revelations.

Hope you are enjoying the story! Please leave a comment so I can work on your recommendations and make it even more fulfilling!