“But Hannah-beast was a real girl, right?” Erin would ask. “Yes,” Amanda would tell her. “A girl who died a long time ago.” “Yes.” “And she set a fire?” Amanda would nod, always having to look away. “Yes,” she’d say, the same reply she’d given hundreds of times, beginning back when she was Erin’s age and the police first questioned her about it. “And people died?” “Yes.” “Did you know her, Mom?” Erin would ask, eyes wide and hopeful. “Did you know the real Hannah-beast?” “No,” Amanda would say, the lie so practiced it rolled off her tongue in a loose and natural way. “I didn’t know her at
...more
