I’m just finishing up from my shift at the store, when someone asks what I’m doing after.
“I’m going to Forge’s Cafe,” I say, then immediately realize.
“Told you he’d answer,” she said to her friend.
“No way is that actually the truth. He can’t be that idiotic to just tell you his plans,” the friend said.
I sigh. “I’m right here. And yes, that was the truth. I’m working on keeping my information to myself.”
They leave, whispering, and I go to Forge’s to meet up with Arax. She’s a great friend who doesn’t make fun of me each time I say something I shouldn’t.
We discuss our weeks, Arax got promoted from apprentice, and is now a full leatherworker, so I buy a cake to celebrate.
As we’re waiting for the cake, the two people from earlier stop in. The one who talked to me hands money to the other, then they leave. Great. They were betting on me. I tell Arax about them.
“Jak, you need to learn to lie. My one-year-old sister told me our mom said she gets seventy-five percent of all the candy,” Arax says.
“Your sister can’t talk yet, and making up things doesn’t add to a discussion,” I say.
Arax points her fork at me. “But by saying that, you didn’t learn anything about me, and as such don’t have anything to use against me or give to others to use against me. Like, you’re useless in an argument because everyone knows stuff about you, but because other people were properly secretive, you don’t know the same.”
“Think of it this way, if I lie, people are more likely to believe me. Besides, winning arguments isn’t the only thing.”
“It’s not just arguments, any gaining power or protecting yourself. And people won’t believe your lies because your terrible at it. Remember Alrath?”
Of course I remember. When he asked where my mom was, I lied. He was angry and probably wanted revenge on her. He knew I was lying, cut me on my face. Then he asked again, I lied again. He cut me on my arm. He asked, I lied, my other arm. Then he asked again, I lied again. He said thanks, and somehow figured out exactly where my mom was. When I got home, she was bleeding and missing her necklace.
I haven’t lied since then. Every time I think about it, I remember his knife on me, and him running away toward my mom.