The Mute and the Liar (47 page)

Jayce stretches
out
his
legs
and leans
right
back against
the
wall.

“
Do
you
see
those
photos
over
there?
”
he
jabs
a
thumb
at
the
wall
opposite
where
the
three
photographs
are
hanging.
“
That’s
me
in
the
last
photo.
”
I
look
up
at
the
photo
of
the
little
blonde
boy
standing
proudly
next
to
his
bicycle.
“
My
mum
and
Kit’s
mum
were
best
friends,
so
I’ve
known
Kit
since
I
was
tiny.
When
I
was
older
I
used
to
stay
here
all
the
time
to
get
away
from
my mum.
Kit
brought
the piano in
here
especially for
me.
”

“
Anyway,
what
was
I
saying?
Oh
yeah.
I
reckon
Becky
talked
to
Ryo
about
me
that
night
because
the
next
day
he
was
waiting
for
me
outside
school. He
pulls
off
my
glasses
and my
tie
and at
first
I
think
he's
going
to
hit
me,
but
instead
he
drags
me
inside
and
walks
beside
me.
That's
all.
We
don't
talk
or
anything.
We
just
walk
side
by
side.
And
it's
sick
and
disgusting
but
sadly
true
that
that
day is
the
second happiest
day of
my life.
”

“
They
slowly
accepted
me
into
their
gang.
But
for
every
gain
you
have
to
suffer
through
one
sacrifice,
right?
Everything
has
a
price.
And
as
an
ultimatum
for
my
acceptance,
God
decided
to
steal
Becky
from
me.
They
all
said
she
slept
with
Ryo's
best
friend,
Sasha.
But
it
wasn't
true.
I
know
it
wasn't
true,
”
he
stresses
the
word,
making
sure
I
understand,
making
sure
I
believe
him.

I
don't
want
to
hear
any
more,
but
the
sincerity
in
his
voice
is
enchanting,
and
the
beautiful
glimmer
of
sadness,
that
raw
emotion
I
didn't
think
he
was
capable
of
feeling,
is
mesmerising.
He
finally
turns
to
look
at
me
fully
once
more and
I
realise that’s
exactly
what
I
wante
d
him
to
do.

I
wish
I
could
speak
right
now.

Say something.
Go on, just
say
something. Say
anything.

I
part
my
mouth,
hoping
anything,
anything at
all,
might
flutter
out.

Then
he
speaks
again,
the
moment
scuttles
away
and
I
remember
that
I
am meaningless.

“
I
know
it
wasn't
true
because
she
loved
Ryo.
I
know
that
much
because
it
ripped
right
through
me.
I
don't
want
to
go
into
details.
They
followed
her
in
a
street
at
night
and
attacked
her.
She
died
in
hospital
a
few
hours
later.
After
that,
they
accepted
me
in
their
gang.
I
got
what
I
wanted.
But
I
lost
Becky.
”

“
I'm
not
a
killer.
That's
why
Jeffrey
can't
be
dead.
I
don't
want
to
be
a
killer.
”

So
why
is
he
trying
to
make
my
father
kill
his
mother?
Or
maybe
that’s
exactly
why.
He
won’t
get
his
hands
dirty.
Father
will
be
the
killer,
not
him.
It’s
sickening.

“
I
don't
want
to
be
a
killer,
”
he
repeats,
his
voice
croaky
and
drained.
“
I
don't
want
to
be Ryo.
”

*****

Mosquitoes
could
be
angels.
I
have
always
thought
it
is
strange,
but
it's
true.
They
have
fine,
shimmering
wings,
so
thin
they
are
almost
translucent.
Almost
angel
wings.
They
are
the
perfect
shade
of
caramel
to
seep
into
the
background
unnoticed.
Invisible.
They
are
the
masters
of
flight
and
the
champions
of
disguise.
They
carry
diseases
to
poison
you.
They
are
blindly ruled
by
their
needle
noses;
they
are
immune
to
anything
except
thirst.
They
feed
on other creatures so they will thrive for as long as other creatures do
-
God
unknowingly
created the perfect
immortals.

Maybe
it
was
a
mistake.
Maybe
God
sewed
the
angel
wings
onto
the
mosquitoes
with
plans
to
set
them
among
the
butterflies.
So
imagine
His
horror
when
the
mosquito
opened
its
eyes
to
reveal
only
unseeing
blackness.
Not
a
cousin
of
the
butterfly
but
a
nocturnal
-
a
creature
of
the
moon.
Imagine
His
horror
when
He
set
it
free
to
feast
and
it
returned
with
a
stomach
heavy
with
human
blood.

They
were
too
powerful.
They
needed
to
be
weakened,
or
the
balance
of
nature
would
collapse.

So
that’s
what
God
did.
He
struck
at
the
very
source
of
their
power:
their
otherworldly
wings.
He
gave
them
a
new
set
of
wings,
a
set
of
wings
that
make
a
sawing, humming
sound
to
warn
other
creatures
of
their
presence.