The Last Time I Lied

by Riley Sager

There’s surprise in his voice, as if women are somehow incapable of boldness.

To admit them out loud would mean that they’re true. And I don’t want to confront that truth.

But here’s the weird part. Vivian wasn’t wearing the sweatshirt when I saw her leave the cabin.

Although their eventual fate remains a mystery, I’m certain that what happened to those girls is all my fault.

“I’m glad you’re here. I know it isn’t easy. But it means a lot to my mother. It means a lot to me, too.”

alone to wonder what, exactly, he meant by that. Does it mean a lot to him because it pleases Franny? Or does it mean my presence reminds him of happier

times before the camp shuttered ...

What none of them understand is that the point of the game isn’t to fool others with a lie. The goal is to trick them by telling the truth.

Consider it a talisman, she said as she clasped it around my wrist. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. If you ever experience another hallucination, I want you to touch this bracelet and tell

yourself that what you’re seeing isn’t real, that it has no power over you, that you’re stronger than everyone realizes.

All hours wound; the last one kills.

sighed and began the swim back to the canoe. “Everything is a game, Em. Whether you know it or not. Which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it’s the only way to win.”