The Mute and the Liar (55 page)

I
would
naively
jump
to
the
conclusion
that
my
father
is
safe,
but
that's
not
like
Jayce.
It's
not
like
him
to
call
touché
and
then
drop
his
sword.
The
only
other
option
is
too
morbid
to
think
about
and
I
must
stay
positive
or
else
I'll
never
get
out
of
here
alive.
I
force
myself
to
believe
she's
let
him
go,
that's
all.
Father
is
safe
and
he's
coming
to
get
me.
There.
That's
a
much
better
thought.

To
get
my
mind
off
my
father,
I
turn
to
look
at
the
rest
of
the
group.
There
are
two
girls
behind
Kaylie,
trailing
behind
her
like
servants
or,
better
yet,
henchmen.

One
is
tall,
bony
and
straight-figured.
She
looks
so
undeniably
miserable
you'd
think
she's
just
seen
her
cat
get
run
over.
Her
straggly
black
hair
has
been
hacked
into
some
pixie
cut,
jutting
out
haphazardly
just
below
her
rectangular
chin,
which
leaves
her
swan's
neck
looking
way
too
long
and
exposed.
I
can
hardly
tell
the
colour
of
her
eyes
from
the
amount
of
black
eye
make
up
she
has
crayoned
them
in.
That
reminds
me
that
I
was
reading
somewhere
all
the
reasons
some
girls
feel
the
need
to
wear
so
much.
But
it
can't
be
that
she's
self-conscious;
she
is
plain
and
forgettable
but
certainly
not
ugly
and
there
is
far
too
much
arrogance
in
those
lines
patterning
her
forehead.
And
I
might
say
that
she
does
it
for
attention,
but
she's
folded
her
arms
across
her
chest
so
tightly
I'm
sure
she's
struggling
to
breathe,
so
it
seems
she
wants
nothing
more
than
to
slip
into
the
background.
Either
way,
the
make-up
overdose
makes
her
neither
prettier
nor
gives
her
attention;
it
just
makes her look
skeletal.

The
other
is
about
a
head
shorter
and
has
dark
skin
and
a
pug-like
face
with
eyes
that
take
up
too
much
of
it
and
a
stubby
nose
that
doesn't
take
up
enough.
Her
startling
muscles
bulge
out
from
underneath
the
fishnet
sleeves
of
her
tight
t-shirt
and
the
black
mini-skirt
that
just
about
contains
her
bum
does
nothing
to
keep
her
warm;
its
only
role
is
to
show
off
her
fat,
stumpy
chicken
legs.
Her
hair
has
been
bleached
a
hideous
colour
of
ketchup
red,
which
illuminates
the
huge
black
pupils
she has
in
place
of
real
eyes.
All
in
all,
she
is
just
trying
too
hard
to
make
herself
look
tough,
but
judging
by
the
array
of
colourful
and
heart-studded
friendship
bracelets
around
her
wrists,
I
wouldn't
be
surprised
if
she
secretly
still
plays
with
Barbies.

The
girls
make
way
for
us
to
pass
and
we
enter
the
room.
Jayce
takes
off
his
coat
and
I
look
over
to
the
door
leading
to
the
kitchen,
where
inside
I
see
a
muscular,
towering
teenager
with
smooth,
dark
skin
and
an
oversized
nose
talking
to
Nick.
He
is
big
and
bulky,
resembling
Nick
in
stature,
but
his
face
is
somehow
softer
than
Nick's,
handsome
even.
A
crescent
of
a
smile
peppers
his
lips
and
there
is
a
kindling
of
warmth
in
his
brown
eyes.
I
think
I
remember
him.
He
was
almost
always
with
Jayce back in
Elmview.

“
Alicia,
this
is
Mel,
”
he
indicates
the
bony,
lanky
girl
“
Tyra,
”
the
short
girl
with the red
hair
“
Jory,
”
the boy
in
the kitchen
“
and
Kaylie.
”
I
notice
how
he has introduced Kaylie last. Judging by the irritated look she gives him, it
seems
she
has
noticed
that
too.
“
So,
this
is
my
gang.
Steve
would
be
here
too,
but
as
we all know, he
cannot
be here
today
due
to
technical
difficulties.
”

Steve.
That's
the
guy
Father
put
in
drug
rehabilitation
after
his
stop-

and-search
escapade.

“
So
let's
get
started
then
shall
we?
”
he
chirps,
clapping
his
hands
together.
“
We
have
a
party
to
get
ready
for.
”

*****

I
don't
understand
what
Jayce
has
just
said,
but
his
words
see
to
have
electrocuted
the
others:
they
dart
to
attention,
busily
hurrying
to
and
fro
and
organising bags
and
boxes
they
had
placed
in the
kitchen.
I
stare at
Jayce
with
wide
and
searching
eyes.
I
don't
know
what's
going
on
and
he's
not
doing
anything
to
make
things
clearer.