The Mute and the Liar (80 page)

“
Alicia,
”
she
says
coolly.
She
has
said
my
name
in
a
way
I
can’t
escape
from
–
loud,
so
I
can’t
pretend
I
didn’t
hear
it
.
There's
a
hint
of
provoking
in
her voice
,
like she's challenging me. Seeing whether
I
will reply
to
her
or
not.

My
eyes
meet
hers
for
a
few
seconds
.
We
just
stand
there,
watching
each
other.
Her
eyes
narrow
.
I
feel
those
familiar
shivers
crawl
down
my
back,
the
way
I
always
feel
around
Kaylie.
I
know
full
well
she’s
tying
to
stare
down,
trying
to
get
me
to
show
that
I’m
the
weaker
one
and
look
away
first.
I
stand
my ground and eventually she falters and her
eyes flicker
away.

“
Is
Jayce
all
right?
”
she
eventually
asks.
I
stop
for
a
moment,
not
expecting
those
words
to
come
out
of
her
mouth.
I
seriously
thought
she
was
going
to
do
something
else,
like…
scream
at
me?
Or
hit
me?
Anything
but
ask me
a
question.

I
shake my head.

“
No
one
has
heard
from
him
since
the
party.
I
think
he’s
home;
the
lights
are
on
in
his
and
Nick’s
apartment,
but
no
one
answers
the
door.
I
just…
I
thought
maybe
you
might
know
something.
Do
you
think
they’ve
found
out
about
the
kidnapping?
Do
you
think
he’s
already in
prison?
”

I don’t think so. My
father let him go
when
he came to get
me.

Relief
visibly
washes
over
her
face.
I
can
almost
see
it
relaxing
every
muscle
in
her
face
and
softening
her
coal
eyes.
It’s
brought
a
rare,
out-of-
place
ghost
smile to
her
otherwise
emotionless
face.
“
Thank
God.
”

Can
I
ask
you
a
few
questions?
It
might
help Jayce.

I
don't
think
she
will
say
yes,
but
surprisingly
she
mumbles:
“
Okay.
What?
”

You
know
when
I
tried
to
call
home
and
you
picked
up
the
phone?
You
said
something
about
tying
up
my
father
to
threaten
me
to
go
along with
Jayce’s
plan.
Was
all
of
that
true?

“
No.
Jayce
told
Jory
and
I
that
your
dad
would
leave
the
house
soon
and
we
had
to
wait
until
he
was
gone
and
then
go
inside
and
wait
for
a
phone
call
from
you.
He
told
us
there
were
a
spare
pair
of
keys
this
girl
Becky
had
left
for
us
under
the
plant
pot
outside,
so
we
waited
for
your
dad
to
leave
the
house
like
Jayce
said
and
used
those
keys
to
get
inside.
You
phoned,
I
picked
up,
and
made
up
that
whole
story
about
having
him
tied
up.
We
left
straight
after
that.
”

Did you know about Becky?

“
The
girl
the
phone
belongs
to?
No.
And
before
you
ask,
I
was
telling
the
truth;
someone
put
her
phone
in
my
bag
at
the
start
of
the
party.
I’m
not
this
Becky-imposter
Jayce was
going on
about.
I
don’t
even
know
who
Becky is.
”

I
try
to
find
any
flickering
of
lies
in
her
eyes.
They’re
almost
bending
from
the
weight
of
the
thick,
spiders-legs
fake
eyelashes
she’s
trapped
them
in,
and
the
heavy
black
eye
make
up
she’s
smothered
around
them.
Though
her
eyes
are
empty
and
unrevealing,
just
like
the
rest
of
her
expressionless
face,
there’s
nothing
there
to
say
she's
lying.
She
looks
slightly
different.
Even
her
hair
l
ooks
defeated
-
black
strands
the
same
colour
as
her
perfectly
plucked
eyebrows
are
now
creeping
their
slimy
way
into
the
roots
of
her
hair,
and
her
signature
high
ponytail
is
much
lower
and
messier
than
usual.
Her
eyes,
which
have
always
been
a
shocking
sky
blue,
have
slithered
into
a
blue-tinted
grey; still the colour of the
sky,
but
now
on
a
cloudy
day.

The girl in
her
arms
stirs
slightly and
moves
her
head
to
the
other
side.

Kaylie
notices
me
looking
at
the
girl
and
snaps:
“
she’s
not
mine.
I’m
not
stupid
enough
to
get
knocked
up
at
sixteen
like
my sister.
”
Her
voice softens
a
little
as
she
looks
at
the
rosy-cheeked
girl
sleeping
on
her
shoulder.
“
This
is
Cathy,
my
niece.
Although
I
might
as
well
be
her
mum.
I’ve
spent
way
more
time
looking
after
while
her
real
mum
is
out
being…
stupid.
”
I
guess
I’ve
got
some
kind
of
pitying
look
on
my
face
because
she
immediately
snaps:
“
don’t
look
at
me
like
I’m
a
one-eyed
cat.
Like
I’m
inferior
to
you.
I
don’t
give
a
damn
what
my
sister
does;
I
just
don’t
want
Cathy
to
have
a
crap
life
just
because
of
her.
God,
you
don’t
know
anything.
You
don’t
know
what
it’s
like
to
spend
your
life
looking
after
someone
else’s
child.
Or
what
it’s
like
to
have
to
grow
up
fast
for
the
sake
of
your
family.
Or
to
have
to
keep
lying
nonstop
because
social
services
will
find
out
and
take
her
away
otherwise.
”
There’s
a
slight
jerk
in
her
voice
at
the
end.
But
the
rest
of her words are cold, flat and impassive, as
always.