Little Lies

Prologue

Don’t Let the Monsters Get You

Lavender

Age 6

“IT’S SUPER FUN in there, Lavender. You’re going to love it!” my big brother Maverick assures me with a grin and a wink.

I smile back up at him. He thinks everything is fun, and most of the time he’s right.

“The mirrors are the best!” Kodiak announces. He’s Maverick’s best friend, but he’s my friend too. “We’ll make sure you have a great time.”

I nod and wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep my shiver of worry inside, but it doesn’t work.

“Lavender, honey, are you cold?” Daddy asks. “Where’s your jacket?”

Mommy checks her purse. “We must have left it in the car. I can run back and get it. I’ll only be a minute.”

“Ah, man,” Maverick mutters. He’s quiet enough that our parents don’t hear, but I do. His frustration is a thick blanket, heavy on my shoulders. Maverick doesn’t like to wait, and they’ve already spent five minutes trying to convince me to come with them.

“It’s okay. She can wear my hoodie.” Kodiak unties it from around his waist and holds it out to me.

I take it with a small smile and slide my arms through the soft fabric. It’s warm and smells like laundry detergent. The hoodie has the hockey logo from the team my daddy coaches and Kodiak’s daddy plays for. I slip my hands into the pockets, and my fingers brush candies and a few empty wrappers. Kodiak always has Jolly Ranchers. They’re his favorite. My favorite are the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, even though it’s really cereal, not a candy.

“You’re sure you want to go?” Mommy asks quietly as she helps me roll up the sleeves.

I nod, but don’t use my words. I don’t trust my voice right now. Besides, Mommy said we could have funnel cake after the fun house, and I don’t want to be the reason we don’t get to.

Mommy and Daddy look at each other. They talk without words all the time. Me and River do that too. It’s different because River is my twin, but also the same in a lot of ways. We don’t always have to use words to know how the other feels, which is good since sometimes my words get stuck in my mouth.

“River, you keep hold of Lavender’s hand the entire time, okay? That’s your job,” Daddy says in his firm voice. “You hold her hand the whole time.”

It’s the voice he uses with River a lot, but he never uses it with me.

“I hold Lavender’s hand. I don’t let go. I keep her safe,” River repeats.

Daddy nods solemnly and turns to me, his expression shifting. His face is like a fresh marshmallow, softening, so much nicer. “You tell River if you don’t like it in there, okay? Robbie, Mav, and Kody will be with you.”

I nod and whisper okay. Daddy kisses me on the forehead and grips River’s shoulder. “Take care of your sister, and stay with your brothers.”

River nods and holds my hand so tight, it almost feels like the bones are bending. I want to tell him it hurts, but everyone is running toward the fun house, and I don’t want to ruin it, even though I’m already frightened.

Everything scares me.

Too much noise. Too many people. Especially too many people I don’t know.

There are a few people and things that make me feel safe.

Most of the time River is one of them, but tonight I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round and there’s no way off. I want to have fun. I want River to have fun. But the noises and the people are too much.

I stick close and hold his hand tight. My palm is damp and slippery. I feel cold and hot.

I should tell him I want to go back and stay with Mommy and Daddy, but it’s too loud and my voice is stuck. I remind myself that after this, there will be a treat, and I’ll be back where I feel the safest. And I like how proud Daddy looked when I said I wanted to go inside the fun house.

Robbie, Maverick, and Kodiak rush ahead, moving through a maze of mirrors. Kodiak looks over his shoulder, brows pinching together. He grabs Mav’s shirt and tries to get him to slow down, while River rushes to keep up with them. Maverick laughs and disappears around a corner. Kodiak hesitates, looking back one last time before he disappears too, and River urges me to move faster.

I bump into my own reflection and grip River’s hand even tighter. We’re reflected all over the place. River’s eyes are bright with excitement, his smile wide. “You’re okay, right?” he asks, eyes still focused ahead, to whatever lies around the corner.

I nod, because there’s loud music and he won’t be able to hear me. When we move away from the mirrors, some of the fear disappears, but then we have to walk through a bunch of what look like Daddy’s punching bags in our gym at home, except they have clown faces on them. I don’t like those, so I close my eyes and let River pull me along. I bump into things, and someone bangs into me from behind. I stumble and lose my grip on River, falling to my knees. Someone trips over me and a foot hits my side, so I scramble to get out of the way.