The Precise Art Of Staying Alive

Chapter 31 - The Precise Art Of Lying To Authority Figures

I stared at the man who held the power to destroy my life, to reveal all that I have attempted to keep secret. He didn't smile at me, his face tight and grim. I doubt I'd be able to persuade him with any of my lacking charms. Faintly, I noticed my hands had begun to shake.

Nadia's body, her head caved in, the pool of blood red, so red against the polished wooden floor.

My face felt pale and sweaty, hot and cold all at once. My vision had tunnelled, the faces of Chief Constable William Cardill and Crystal Cardill blurring.

"Excuse me?" The voice was slow, sounding as if it were underwater. I paid it no heed.

Zipping Nadia's dress onto myself, the fabric cold against my skin, the memory of her body still fresh in my mind.

"Is she quite alright?" This time, the words drifted to me faintly from another word, little more than wind.

Hauling her body through the woods, her head falling back, her dress shockingly white against the dirt. The slightest sound made me flinch, afraid someone was going to find us, find her. Find her dead.

"I'm not quite sure. Should somebody call for a doctor?" The words were even fainter, the barest brush of air against my ears.

Dropping Nadia's limp body in the lake, watching her sink below the surface, swallowed by the dark, endless water, her lips still parted in shock.

A hand on my shoulder brought me back to my senses and I blinked, the two people in front of me swimming into focus. Next to me, Theo was smiling up at the pair, the picture of innocence.

"She's perfectly fine, thank you." Theo was saying, pulling me closer into his side. Instead of shirking away from the gesture, I was grateful for it. I felt as though I were about to faint, the world twisting away from me. I noticed my hand tapping against my leg, moving frantically, and I looked up at the couple again.

"I am. I'm just a little tired." I explained. My fingers tapped my leg faster. Tap tap tap. Something tugged at the edge of my mind, a reminder to do something.

"One of our friends, Nadia is missing. I haven't seen her since yesterday and we're just really worried." I said haltingly. My words were clunky, forcing themselves out of my mouth in odd shapes, sounding awkward even to my own ears. I was sure that the chief constable was about to call me out, accuse me of everything.

"Yes, I heard about that. Unfortunately, there's not much one can do about a missing teenage girl, can they? It happens rather too frequently, especially given that such girls are given to flights of fancy." William Cardill said. I stiffened, and by my side, I could tell that Theo was fighting to keep his smile pasted on his face. Maybe covering this up will be less difficult than I thought. Beneath the relief, I felt indignant. If Nadia actually had gone missing, then there was very little chance that she ever would've been found. Still, I supposed everything had worked out in my favour.

"Of...of course. We'd just like her to be found as soon as possible." Theo broke in, his face polite and even.

"Surely you can understand the sentiment." Theo added, and William Cardill's face tightened, his eyes turning dark.

"I find myself questioning what you mean, but despite whatever you are referring to, perhaps I will look into this matter further. Perhaps even now." He said, suddenly the picture of politeness again.

"Anything to find her. I just want to see her again." I said earnestly. Crap. What the hell did Theo do?

"This girl, the one who ran away? Did she hide anything? Did she experiment with drinking, drugs?" William Cardill asked, his voice sharp. His tone made it clear that he wasn't asking as a favour to us but rather to insult us.

"Not that I know of." Theo answered evenly.

"Did she have a secret boyfriend, anything to tempt her away? Anything she might've wanted to escape? Perhaps she was mixed up with the...wrong sort." He continued, his eyes drifting over us as he said wrong sort.

"As Theo said, not that we know off. And Nadia didn't date." I answered, my fingers tapping against my side again. I'd neglected to add boys to the end of the final sentence, but I doubted that William Cardill would care if we misled him a little, given that the entire investigation, should it ever occur, was based on a lie. I felt the growing urge to punch William Cardill, and looking at his cruel face, he probably knew it.

"I'm not inclined to believe either of you. Just make sure you don't disappear either." William Cardill replied, cold laughter in his voice. Well, he's going to be surprised when Nadia doesn't show up. The chief constable turned on his heel, his wife trailing after him, and I was left staring at his back, anger swirling in my head, pressing against my temples. I was still shaking, and I noticed Theo turning to me. Before he could say anything, I pushed my way into the crowd, disappearing in the sea of grey, black and white.

I wanted to retreat into my head, to forget the whole, sick conversation, but it was impossible. Snippets of conversation whirled around me, people bumping into me, the sounds rising into a cacophony. I rushed to a dark corner, searching for an escape from the bright, endless lights and the whites that hurt my eyes. I half-collapsed into it, my limbs stiff and painful with every movement. It was an effort to keep myself propped up with one arm against the wall, and my throat felt dry and sore. I wanted to walk to the drinks table, but that would require far more movement and conversation than I could handle. Soon, too soon, someone neared me, their face a mask of concern.

"I heard from William Cardill about your missing friend. It's a shame, really it is. Such girls, running away to do god knows what." They exclaimed. I frowned, trying to push myself up.

"She's not like that." I slurred, pushing the words out through my lips. Their eyebrows raised slightly, and they leaned forward.

"Really? Then what is she like?" My hand began to shake at my side, tapping against my leg as I fed them a sea of lies, each one slipping out again and again. I mixed truth in, but there were too many secrets too completely tell the truth. But with every answer, they wanted to know more. When they were finally done, they slipped away in the crowd to squawk at another, and I pushed my way into the crowd too, trying to put some distance between us. A hand halted my way, and I looked up to see yet another stranger, about to ask a question about Nadia. It seemed that word spread fast, and the first person that I'd talked to had told others about the oh so fascinating case. People seemed to swarm around me, asking again and again about Nadia, about every little detail of the past nights, about Nadia and my connection to her. The questions swarmed over me, bashing me back and forth, endless and painful, a sharp stab each time. All throughout the ordeal, my hand tapped against my side frantically. All throughout the ordeal, I lied. And all throughout the ordeal, I thought of her.