Julia

by Sandra Newman

With a little shock, she realized what the questions were. It was the list of crimes O’Brien had said truth-followers would happily commit—the list he’d had Winston Smith agree to, when pretending to recruit him to the Brotherhood. “Wait, these are the real questions?” said Julia. “The things one accepts, when one joins the Brotherhood?” Reynolds made a little grimace. “It’s all rather cloak-and-dagger, I know. I certainly don’t blame you for thinking twice. But of course you would never really be asked to do these things. Can you imagine?” He laughed uncomfortably. “And is there really a Goldstein?” “Goldstein?” Reynolds frowned a little quizzically. “Well, there was. But he was never ours. Indeed, he was never much better than the rest of them. He only made the error of winning too much popularity, you see, and looking like he might oust Pease. Old Pease was too quick for him, though, and had him done away with.” “Is that it? I see.”