The Mute and the Liar (81 page)

She
doesn’t
look
as
tall
and
dangerous
and
scary-looking
as
I
always
thought
she did.
I
don’t
squirm in
discomfort
when
she
looks
at
me
anymore.
In
fact,
now
with
the
little
girl
in
her
arms
and
her
hunched
over
shoulders,
she
just
looks
kind
of…
small.

“
And
you
definitely
don’t
know
what
it’s
like
when
the
only
person
who
really
matters
to
you,
who
you
actually
give
a
damn
about,
only ever talks about some
completely
plain,
short,
bony,
flat-chested
nobody
who
can’t
even
talk.
”
Her
words
string
themselves
out
fluently
and
without
a
single break
or
hesitance, like
a
cursive line of handwriting.

Jeffrey
clenches
his
fists
and
lowers
his
head.
He
watches
her
carefully
and
hard-heartedly
with
a
harsh,
scolding
glare.
Kaylie
notices
this
and
turns
her
full attention
to
him,
shooting
him with
a
mocking
smile.

“
Already
onto
the
next
one,
Alicia?
Jayce
just
wasn’t
good
enough,
was
he?
”
she
taunts,
taking
on
a
dead,
matter-of-fact
voice,
which
is
really
just hiding
pure
lava-blooded
hatred.
“
What
kind
of
magic
perfume
are
you
using?
You’ve
got
more
boys
around
you than
a
strip
club.
”

That
does
it.
Jeffrey lurches
in,
teeth gritted,
fists
clenched.

“
Don’t.
”
I’m
shocked
to
hear
my
own
voice,
shaky
and
uneasy
and
painfully
off-key.
I
can’t
let
him
do
something
he’ll
regret.
Kaylie
looks
at
me
incredulously.
Kaylie’s
slightly
parted
mouth,
tilted
head
and
quizzing
eyes
are
about
the
closest
thing
to
emotion
I’ve
ever
seen
her
show.
“
Please.
She’s
not
worth
it.
”
I’m
almost
whispering
this
last
part
for
fe
ar
of
how
stu
pi
d
my
humiliating,
out-of-tune
voice
sounds.
But
it
works.
Jeffrey
sends
Kaylie
one last
warning glare
and
then
storms
off the
other way.

Kaylie
pauses
for
a
moment
and
then
her
frozen,
impassive
expression
is
suddenly
shattered
out
of
nowhere
by
crazed,
hysterical
laughter
that
rips
right
through her
throat. It’s
painful,
ear-piercing,
like
barn
owl
screeches
and
witch
cackling
meshed
together.
I
step
back
a
little,
heart
pounding.
I
can’t
help it;
I
have barely seen
her
smile, let
alone
laugh
.

“
I
knew
you
could
talk!
”
she
manages
to
say
through
her
fits
of
manic
laughter.
“
Ha,
it
was
hilarious,
like
how
those
squeaky
toys
sound
when
you’ve had them for
too
long!
Say something
else!
Go
on!
”

“
Alicia!
”
Jeffrey’s
distant
voice
calls
from
somewhere
behind
me.
I
turn
around and
start
walking
towards
him,
when
Kaylie
suddenly
starts
shouting.

“
You
fucking
,
cheating
cow!
This
was
all
some
pathetic
trick
to
make
everyone
feel
sorry
for
you,
wasn’t
it?
Wasn’t
it?
You
lying
bitch!
You
ruined
everything!
Steve
is
in
rehab,
Jory’s
off
his
head,
Mel
and
Tyra
have
gone
off
with
another
group
and
God
knows
where
Jayce
is.
I
could
rip
you
apart
you
f
u
-
”

Her
shouting
startles
the
sleeping
girl,
who
jerks
away
from
her
shoulder
and starts
crying.

Kaylie
rocks
her
for
a
minute.
The
little
girl
stops
crying
and
looks
at
her.

They
watch
each
other
for
a
second,
and
a
slight,
hardly-noticeable
glimmer
of
a
smile tweaks
the corners of Kaylie's lips.

“
Not
that
I
care, though.
I
hated
them all
anyway.
”
And with that,
she
turns
around
and
walks
away.

“H
ey.
”
I
take
in
the
tall,
thin
boy
with
tousled
blonde
hair
and
a
perfect
posture
and
smile
in
the
doorway.
I
give
him
a
weak
smile.
He
leans
over
my
shoulder
to
speak
to
Father,
who
is
standing
in
the
cor
r
ido
r
a
little further
behind me.

“
Hi, Mr
Lewis.
Is
it
okay if
Alicia
and
I
go out
for
a
bit?
”

Father
grunts.
It’s
the
only
thing
he
says
on
the
matter,
so
we
take
it
as
a
yes.
Actually,
Father’s
expression
is
quite
odd.
He’s
almost…
glaring
at
Jeffrey.
He’s
really
burning
right
through
him,
narrowed
eyes
and
furrowed
eyebrows.
There’s
even
a
quivering
in
his
lip
that
he
only
gets
when
he’s
really angry.
What
has
Jeffrey
done
wrong?

Jeffrey
and
I
shuffle
out
of
the
door
and
hit
headfirst
the
fresh,
cool
air
outside.
But
I
still
can’t
shake
the
strange
look
on
Father’s
face.
Jeffrey
doesn’t
seem
to
have
noticed
and
he
automatically
starts
chattering
away
about what
we
should
do.

We
stroll
aimlessly.
He
talks.
I
listen.
I
like
listening
to
him
talk.
He’s
got
a
soft,
gentle
voice,
one
that
if
I
listened
to
before
going
to
sleep,
I’m
sure
I
would fall asleep
to.

Now
we’re
sitting
on
a
bench
together,
just
watching
the rest
of
the
world
spin past.

“
I
love
that
you’re
starting
to
speak
again.
It’s
great.
You’re
doing
so
well.
”

It’s
hard
though.
I
can’t
get
the
tone
right.
It
sounds
awkward
and
off-key and weird.

“
You
just
need
practice.
Start
small;
you
know,
small
sentences,
short
words.
Then
just
build it
up
from
there.
How
long
haven’t
you
spoken
for?
”

Seven years. I
haven’t spoken since I
was eight.

“
Why
though?
”

I freeze
up,
looking
down.

“
It’s
okay, you
don’t
need to
tell
me
if
you
don’t
want
to.

My
mum
committed
suicide.
I
was
the
last
person
she
saw.
Everyone
was
asking
me
all
these
questions.
I
felt
like
I
had
to
lie
about
everything.
So
I
just
stopped
talking
altogether.

Jeffrey
puts
his
arm
around
me
and
for
a
moment
we
just
stay
like
that.
I
like it. It’s
makes
me feel
safe.

“
You
don’t
need
to
keep
writing
things
down.
I’m
not
going
to
judge
you
if
you
think
your
voice
sounds
strange.
It
doesn’t,
I
promise
you.
I’m
just
happy
you’ve
started
talking
again.
Let’s
play
a
game.
I
say
something,
and
you have
to
repeat
it.
What
do you think?
”

“
Okay.
”

“
Great!
But
you
lose
ten
points
for
speaking
when
I
didn’t
speak
first.
You’ve
got
minus
ten
points
now.
”
That
brings
a
smile
to
my
face.
A
real
one.
One
that
warms
you
up
inside.
I
playfully
hit
him
on
the
shoulder
and
he laughs.
“
Okay.
My
name
is
Alicia
Lewis.
”

“
My name is
Alicia
Lewis.
”
“
I’m sixteen.
”

“
I’m sixteen.
”

“
I
have an unhealthy
obsession
with
solving mysteries.
”

“
I
have an unhealthy
obsession
with
solving mysteries.
”

“
Jeffrey
is
mega-super-ultra-hot.
”

“
Jeffrey
is
mega-super-ultra-
vain
.
”
I
correct
him, and
he
grins.
“
And
I
kind
of
like
him.
”

“
And
I
kind
of…
”
I
trail
off,
realising
what
he’s
trying
to
make
me
say.
He’s
sitting
too
close
to
me;
he
must
have
edged
in
closer
without
me
seeing.
And
he’s
looking
at
me,
his
face
pushed
in
slightly.
I
mean
he’s
really
looking
at
me, his
dark
blue eyes
locked
right
into mine.

He’s
going
to…

For
a
moment
I’m
sure
I
hear
movement
up
ahead.
I
look
up
and
nearly
jump
at
the
sight
–
I
swear
I
see
Jayce
looking
at
us.
Or
rather,
I
swear
I
see
him
looking
right
at
me,
with
his
eyes
lowered
and
looking
distanced
and
defeated
and
his
lips
straightened
into
a
faint,
thin
line.
It’s
only
for
a
second
and
then the
illusion of
Jayce
is
gone; there
is
nothing
there.
It’s
just
my
mind
playing
tricks
on
me.
But
why
did
I
have
to
think
about
him?
Why
right
now?