Every Single Secret

by Emily Carpenter

There are monsters all around us—people who have to hide because the world can’t bear to see them for who they truly are. They’re good at keeping secrets, the monsters. Sometimes, too good.

If the system had taught me one thing, it was that acting tough was a perfectly good substitute for actually being tough.

“Ah, well. Life is full of so many things that can break a heart, isn’t it?

“You do this—you embrace the darkness, the treasure of the shadow—until the lines between you and it dissolve and it becomes an ally. Perhaps even an asset.”

Our minds were tricky things, manipulators of time and space, coloring events with our personal palette of rage, fear, or desire.

“Psychopaths aren’t what you see in the movies, Daphne. They’re not sadistic killers or violent criminals. They are simply devoid of some of the human emotions we consider basic and, dare I say, essential. Emotions like empathy, shame. Remorse and fear.”

“Without these emotions, they are untethered by normal connections to humanity. This enables them to pursue their own ends without being restrained by inconvenient feelings. The threat of punishment means nothing to these people. The only thing that motivates them is reward. And they’ll do anything to gain it.”