The Mute and the Liar (71 page)

How
can
I
tell
the
truth
when
it
was
telling
the
truth
that
got
me
into
this
mess
in
the first
place?

You
know
this part
of
the
story.
I
fell
in
with Ryo’s
crowd,
kissed goodbye
to
my
good
grades
and
any
chances
of
university,
Becky
died,
and
after
that
I
didn't
want
to
leave
the
house
or
do
anything,
so
my
Mum
just
got
fed
up.
Kicked
me
out.
Just
like
that.

I
went
to
live with Nick in
Elmview.
Had nowhere
else
to
go,
really.

Except
that
part
didn’t
happen.
I
lied
again.
I’m
a
liar.
And
you
know
what?
It’s
only
just
hit
me
that
that
didn’t
actually
happen.
When
I
said
that,
I
actually
meant
it,
because
I’d
forgotten
the
real
story
after
the
amount
of
times
I’ve
told
that
story.
The
new
story
is
just
instinct now.

That’s
the
weird
thing
about
lies;
they
take
on
a
life
of
their
own
the
more
you
tell
them.
They
start
to
become
real.
You
can’t
even
remember
yourself
what
really
happened,
so
you
just
keep
telling
that
story,
and
soon
that's
the
story
other
people
start
telling
too.
Soon
that's
the
story
believe.
And
that's
when
you've
done
it.
You've
changed
history,
rewritten
it,
made
it
better.
That's
a
hell
of
a
superpower,
that
is,
to
change
history.

I
didn’t
get
kicked
out.
I
just
told
everyone
that
,
even
Nick.
Really,
I
just
ran
away.
I
couldn’t
take
it
anymore.
Now
you
tell
me
which
story
you
like
more:
the
story
where
I
get
the
Hell
out
of
there
with
my
tail
between
my
legs
like
some
shunned
puppy
or
the
tragic,
Mary
Sue
story
where
poor,
good
Jayce
is
thrown
out
onto
the
streets
and
forced
to
fend
for
himself.

There
you
go;
there’s
the
truth
you
wanted
to
hear
so
badly.
Now
you
know.
And
what?
Do
you
feel
any
different
now?
More
special?
Did
knowing
any
of
that
change
your
future,
change
you,
change
the
alignment
of
the
planets? No.
Nothing happened at all.

*****

He
faces
the
river
and
glares.
I
place
a
hand on
his
shoulder, which
makes him look at me, surprised. Then the most unnerving thing happens.

His
expression
switches
off.
A
new
one
slivers
onto
his
face.
He
tilts
his
head.
His
pupils
dilate.
The
left
corner
of
his
mouth
tips
up
in
some
twisted
smirk,
the
other
side
remains
fixed in
a
still line.

It’s a
mocking
face.
Psychotic,
even.

But what
scares
me
most is
that
I
know
this
face.
This
is the face that
pulled me up from the pavement by the hair
screaming
at
me to
work
out
why
he’d
kidnapped
me.
The
face
that
stared
back
at
me
when
his
hands were around my throat in the phone box. The
face
that
tried
to
kill
Jeffrey.

I
suddenly
feel
a
sharp
pain
and
look
down
to
see
he
has
wrapped
his
hand
around
the
hand
I
placed
on
his
shoulder
and
is
digging
his
nails
right
in.
I
try to move
away
but
he
just
grips
my
hand
even
tighter.

“
Look
at
you.
Look
how
stupid
you
are!
”
he
taunts,
his
burning,
unseeing
eyes
lapsing
into
madness.
“
Look
how
you
think
I’m
on
your
side,
how
you
think
I’m
actually
starting
to
care
about
you!
”
He
throws
his
head
back
in
wild laughter.

“
Don’t
you
get
it?
The
only
reason
I
haven’t
killed
you
yet
is
because
I
haven’t
been
given
orders
to.
You
don’t
mean
anything.
You’re
just
this
kid
someone’s
handed
to
me.
You’re
just
in
the
way
of
Becky
and
I
being
together.
You’re
just
there
.
”

Canine-like,
he
somehow
senses
the
fear
I’ve
been
trying
to
swallow
and
his
elastic
grin
stretches
even
wider.

“
How
sweet.
Look
how
upset
you’re
getting.
I’m
so,
so
sorry.
Have
I
hurt
the
poor
baby’s
feelings?
”
He
throws
his
head
back
and
lets
out
a
crazed
laugh that
sounds
more like
a
ripping
sound.

“
You
really
thought
we
were
going
to
end
up
together,
didn’t
you?
You thought
I
was
going
to
let
you
go
because
I
l
ike
d
you
too
much
and
then
we
were
going
to
get
married
and
honeymoon
in
Hawaii
and
have
ten
kids
and
retire
to
Fiji.
I’m
disappointed,
really,
”
he
says
the
last
part
in
a
flat
tone,
mimicking
actual
disappointment.
“
At
first
I
thought
you
were
something
special.
Now
I
see how pathetic you really are.
”