The First Lie

Aris Thorne lied as easily as he breathed.

"I found it before they did," he'd said about the file. "I wanted to protect his mother."

Lies. All lies.

I knew the truth now.

He hadn't found the file in Ethan's room. He'd had it for decades. Since the day he and Leo and the third boy—the one with the shadowed face—had made their pact.

I sat in my car, staring at the front door of my house.

It looked normal. Quiet. The lights were on in the living room, casting a warm glow onto the snow.

But I knew better.

The house wasn't a sanctuary. It was a stage. And I was the only one who didn't know her lines.

I grabbed my tool bag from the passenger seat. It was heavy, comforting.

I didn't go through the front door.

I went around back.

The snow crunched under my boots. The air was bitter cold, biting at my exposed skin. I pulled my coat tighter.

The back door was unlocked.

Of course it was.

Leo always said it was safer to leave it unlocked. *In case of fire,* he’d said. *In case we need to get out fast.*

Or in case someone needs to get in.

I stepped into the mudroom. It smelled of wet boots and damp wool.

I took off my boots, setting them silently on the rug.

The house was quiet. Too quiet.

"Leo?" I called out.

No answer.

I walked into the kitchen.

Empty.

The living room.

Empty.

Where was he?

I went upstairs. The runner on the stairs muffled my footsteps.

The master bedroom door was open.

I peeked inside.

Empty. The bed was made. The pillows fluffed.

It looked perfect.

Too perfect.

I walked to the closet. I opened the door.

My clothes were there. Hanging in neat rows.

But something was wrong.

A gap.

In the back of the closet, where I kept my winter coats.

I pushed the hangers aside.

The panel at the back of the closet was loose.

I pried it open with my fingertips.

Behind it, a narrow space. Dark. Dusty.

The servant's passage.

I squeezed through.

The air was stale. Musty.

I shone my flashlight around.

It was a narrow corridor, running the length of the house.

I walked slowly, careful not to make a sound.

And then I saw it.

A peephole.

Drilled into the wall.

I put my eye to it.

It looked into the guest room.

The room where my mother stayed when she visited.

The room where...

I pulled away.

I kept walking.

Another peephole.

This one looked into the bathroom.

My bathroom.

I felt sick.

I kept walking.

At the end of the corridor, there was a small room.

A hidden room.

It wasn't on the blueprints.

I pushed the door open.

It was small. Windowless.

There was a sleeping bag on the floor. A bucket. A pile of empty food wrappers.

And a wall covered in photos.

Photos of me.

Sleeping. Eating. Working in the garden.

Photos of me crying.

Photos of me arguing with Leo.

And in the center of the wall...

A photo of Ethan.

With a red X over his face.

I stared at it.

My breath caught in my throat.

This wasn't just observation. This was hunting.

I heard a noise behind me.

A footstep.

I spun around.

Aris was standing in the doorway.

He was smiling.

"Hello, Elena," he whispered.

He wasn't wearing his suit anymore. He was wearing black. Tactical gear. Like a soldier. Or a killer.

He held up a hand.

He was holding a remote.

"Did you find it?" he asked. "Good girl."

He pressed a button.

A screen on the wall lit up.

It showed the living room downstairs.

Leo was there.

He was tied to a chair. His mouth was taped shut.

He looked terrified.

"Leo!" I screamed.

Aris laughed.

"He can't hear you," he said. "The room is soundproof."

He took a step toward me.

"You should have taken the deal, Elena," he said. "You should have gone to the Institute."

"You're insane," I said, backing away.

"Am I?" he asked. "Or am I just... efficient?"

He pulled a knife from his belt.

"Give me the drive," he said.

"I don't have it," I lied.

"Don't lie to me," he said. "I saw you take it."

He lunged.

I dodged.

He slashed at me. The knife cut through my coat, grazing my arm.

I cried out.

I grabbed a loose board from the wall. I swung it.

It hit him in the head.

He stumbled back, dazed.

I ran.

Back down the corridor. Back toward the closet.

I squeezed through the opening.

I fell into the bedroom.

I scrambled to my feet.

I ran to the door.

It was locked. From the outside.

"Leo!" I screamed. "Leo, help me!"

But Leo couldn't help me.

I ran to the window.

It was painted shut.

I grabbed a chair. I smashed it against the glass.

The window shattered.

Cold air rushed in.

I climbed out onto the roof.

The shingles were icy. Slippery.

I crawled toward the edge.

I looked down.

It was a long way down.

But I didn't have a choice.

I heard Aris behind me. He was climbing out the window.

"You can't run, Elena!" he shouted. "There's nowhere to go!"

I looked at the ground.

At the snow.

I jumped.

I hit the ground hard. Pain shot through my legs.

I rolled.

I stood up.

I ran.

Toward the car.

I fumbled for my keys.

I dropped them in the snow.

"No, no, no," I whispered.

I fell to my knees, searching for them.

"Looking for these?"

Aris was standing over me.

He was holding my keys.

He smiled.

"Game over, Elena."

He raised the knife.

I closed my eyes.

*CRACK.*

A gunshot.

Aris stumbled back. He looked down at his chest.

Blood blossomed on his black shirt.

He looked up. His eyes were wide with shock.

He fell to his knees. Then to his face.

I looked up.

Standing on the porch...

Was Leo.

He was holding a gun.

My gun.

He had untied himself.

He walked down the steps. He looked at Aris's body.

Then he looked at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded, unable to speak.

He held out a hand.

"Come inside," he said. "It's over."

I took his hand.

We walked inside.

Leo called the police.

They came. They took Aris's body away.

They took our statements.

Leo told them everything. About Aris's threats. About the blackmail.

He painted himself as a victim. Just like me.

And they believed him.

Why wouldn't they? He was the hero. He had saved his wife from a madman.

Later that night, we sat in the kitchen.

The house was quiet.

"It's finally over," Leo said, taking a sip of whiskey.

"Yes," I said. "It is."

I looked at him.

"Leo," I said. "Where did you get the gun?"

He froze.

"The gun?"

"Yes. The police took my gun. After the shooting."

"Oh," he said. "I... I had a spare. In the safe."

"A spare?" I asked. "We don't have a spare."

"I bought it," he said quickly. "For protection. After... everything."

"When?" I asked.

"A few days ago."

"But you've been with me every day," I said. "We haven't left the house."

He stared at me.

"I... I ordered it online."

"You can't order a gun online, Leo."

He put the glass down.

"Why are you doing this, Elena?" he asked. "Why can't you just accept that I saved you?"

"Because," I said. "Ethan said *he's right behind you.*"

Leo sighed.

"You're tired," he said. "You're confused."

"Am I?"

I reached into my pocket.

I pulled out the SD card.

"I watched the files, Leo."

His face went pale.

"What?"

"The files on the drive. Aris kept detailed records. Including... your emails."

I slid the card across the table.

"You weren't being blackmailed, Leo. You were a partner."

He stared at the card.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he whispered. "We just wanted the money. For the business. For us."

"Us?" I laughed. "You were going to commit me. You were going to lock me away and steal my inheritance."

"I did it for you!" he shouted. "To save you from yourself!"

"No," I said. "You did it for yourself."

I stood up.

"I'm leaving, Leo."

"You can't leave," he said. "The police... they think you're unstable."

"Not anymore," I said. "I gave a copy of the drive to Mercer. Before I came inside."

Leo's eyes widened.

"You... you what?"

"He's on his way back," I said. "Right now."

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Leo stood up. He looked at the back door.

"Don't," I said.

"I can't go to prison, Elena," he said.

He ran for the door.

He threw it open.

And stopped.

Mercer was standing there. With two uniformed officers.

"Going somewhere, Mr. Rostova?" Mercer asked.

Leo slumped.

They cuffed him. They read him his rights.

As they led him away, he looked back at me.

"I loved you," he said.

"No," I said. "You loved the house. You loved the money. But you never loved me."

I watched them put him in the car.

I watched the taillights disappear down the driveway.

I was alone.

Finally.

I walked through the house.

It was silent. Empty.

But it didn't feel like a tomb anymore.

It felt like... a house.

Just wood and brick and glass.

I went to the library. I tore down the plastic sheeting.

I opened the window.

The cold air rushed in. Cleaning out the smell of stale fear and eucalyptus.

I took a deep breath.

I was safe.

For the first time in my life, I was truly safe.

But safety is a fragile thing.

A structure that needs constant maintenance.

I looked out at the woods.

At the Folly.

At the place where Ethan had died.

I would never forget him.

I would never forget the boy at the door.

He had saved me.

In more ways than one.

I turned away from the window.

I walked to the front door.

I locked it.

And then I walked away.

Into the rest of my life.