Who Is the Liar

by Laura Lee Bahr

“Well, Heather was lying to you,” Ruby says. “He’s still in the cold space.”

WHO IS LYING MY GOODNESS

and I wonder who bought her body and who owns it now.

I am the only Stone sister who will listen:

“You don’t know how hard it is when you can’t do the things you are used to doing. When I broke my shoulder, it was even worse because I couldn’t use my hands. So I couldn’t cook, I couldn’t clean—I was just helpless. And when you all don’t help and you get up late and you talk back, you don’t know how disrespectful and just how terrible that is for your mother.”

I feel thisway with my illness like immese sham that despite beeng yiu g i have the body of a sick old perpon makes me feel likke an invaaiddand i am insecure that people view mw as such and dont think im capbale or credivle

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight, Topaz?” Mom asks. Her hand rests softly on my hair. Her hand left the print on Ruby’s face. Soft on my hair, hard on Ruby’s cheek. “I’m not a baby,” I say. “I can sleep in my own bed.”

Iwish my mktr askd me this i love slwwping with my mom i feel so safe

As if Cocoa Puff can just be replaced with another hamster. But then I think maybe Mom and Dad will feel so bad for me they’ll let me get a dog with a little brown spot like a cape on his back, and I’ll name him Count Chocula. And

Like Ruby says, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Ditto

“If you can’t trust family, who can you trust?”

But then when I try to actually think about the Lavender I know, I think I don’t know how she is or how anybody is. Like when you look at a word for too long, how suddenly it seems weird, this word that stands for something in your head. How strange it is when you really look at it. “Do you think he’s still here, waiting to kill us?”

Loweh canrelaye likw there are somw mebers of my familg thay i fewl lkke i dont even knowas ty have lied thrkuhiut my lkfe

Mom’s and Dad’s eyes are closed, but we sisters all have ours wide

Why did she say he was home when he was actually trapped in our house? Then she said he was in Los Angeles. Why would she tell me lies about where he was if he was missing?

Why woukd she lie abiut her own fathws whereabouts is she also in on the kidnPpings as away to lure kids intt his occult

“I’ll keep your secret,” he whispers into my ear, “if . . .” He closes back up the triangle, moves beneath his fingers. “If what?” I whisper back. “Pick one,” he says.

“What games?” I whisper. He hands me the paper fortune teller. “Later,” he says, and smiles.

I feel uncomfy

is it? I think hard, counting back since Dad took Ruby away. One week ago. Only one week, and already everything feels different. Better. School, too, is not the same. I have friends now. And when I say things, people sometimes laugh, not at me, but like I’m telling good jokes. It’s okay that I don’t even place in the coloring contest. Alexis only comes in third. I tell her that hers was the best because of how she shaded the denim.

JEsus ruby was the tainted one the one eroingand infljeecubgthw dnamic of thefsmily she is terrifying

He has new teeth—all shiny and white and straight. The better to eat you with. “Come on, now. Come here and give me a hug.” I can’t move. My feet are made of rock. “Come, come, now,” he says. “We have a deal, right? You have to play. Come on.”

I fee lijke i shoudl t be here...... I feel im.nsely unomfy

have a cold space, too. Would you like to see

Ewwww

“I love you. Do you love me?” I’m gagging so hard that tears trickle out of my left eye. “Run on home, now,” he says. “But don’t worry—we are going to get to spend lots

Hee gross i cannot

“Why are you looking at me?” Heather says. It’s the most she has said all night. “Because it’s your dad. I have pictures proving it was your dad.” Somebody laughs, thinking it’s a joke. Somebody says, “Stop it, Lily! That’s mean!”

Ooofexpossn him infront of his daightee

“Stop trying to blackmail me,” Lily says, throwing Heather’s arm off her. “You don’t want anyone to know because if people find out who your dad is, it will ruin you and everyone will find out how you and your mom have lied for him and all you’ll ever be is the child killer’s daughter and you’ll lose all your money.”

Hmmm knew heqatge was coveribg for her father

Even when you’re dead, you can still become something else.

If it’s Dale they still have in jail, I don’t know why he hasn’t told them about Ruby or Brother Johnson. Maybe he has and they just don’t care. It’s like Heather said: “People don’t buy what’s true; they only

Jesusso sheeewas trukyyr bad one becaue she ended up killing fathwr brosnonandconcslin hissbody

I think she was saying that she was fine sleeping in the playroom by herself, that she can sleep anywhere now. She had been bragging about her wilderness camp, what she learned there, now knowing how to set up a tent in under five minutes.

Ruby literwaly wentto a behavioral wikdnerness csmp my goodness ive senete documentaries about then like bhabior kodificstion

She should have just killed him instead of trying to brag about how cruel she was, bringing a sick Beast into her house and then leaving him to eat her whole family, and he might have if I didn’t take care of it. It’s her fault if I get the electric chair! And I know, oh, don’t I know, if it was between me and her

Now topaz is blijng ruby dor HER kilkin of the fatger despute her brngjng him into thr home inthe first plaxe

I’m glad they won’t make me try to eat now, and I won’t have to try to push it into napkins or into my cheeks like my hamster and then spit it out later. They don’t know what to do for me, but they won’t make me eat his fingers again. At least not right now. “Are you okay, Topaz?” Ruby asks,

Hits home

I am the liar.