THE ONE WHO LIES
1583 Words
The words remained on the wall.
TWO PLAYERS. ONE LIAR.
Elena stared at them.
Marcus stood near the wall, still trying to catch his breath. Adrian hadn't moved since the message appeared. His eyes were fixed on the open doorway at the end of the room.
"Who is playing?" Elena asked.
Nobody answered.
She looked at Marcus.
"Is it you?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
She looked at Adrian.
"And you?"
Adrian finally turned toward her.
"I don't know."
Elena let out a slow breath.
"Wonderful."
The lights flickered again.
A small speaker hidden somewhere in the ceiling crackled.
"Choose."
The voice was female.
Calm.
Almost bored.
Elena looked around.
"Choose what?"
"One person."
The speaker clicked.
"Only one may continue."
Marcus's expression changed.
"What does that mean?"
No answer.
Then a second message appeared on the wall.
ONE OF THEM KNOWS THE TRUTH.
Elena looked at Adrian.
Then Marcus.
Her mind raced.
She had known Marcus for barely any time, but he had helped her since the games started. Adrian was different. He had known her when she was six. He had protected her. He had also hidden things from her.
Too many things.
"How do we win?"
The speaker came alive again.
"You don't."
Elena frowned.
"Then what's the point?"
"Trust."
The lights went out.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then something clicked.
A spotlight appeared above Elena.
Another appeared above Adrian.
Marcus was left in darkness.
Elena turned toward him.
"Marcus?"
"I'm here."
His voice sounded strange.
Not frightened.
Almost distant.
A door slammed behind Elena.
She spun around.
The room had changed.
The photographs were gone.
The walls were now covered with black glass.
Her reflection appeared in every direction.
But the reflections weren't moving with her.
Some stood still.
Some were looking away.
One was crying.
Elena froze.
Adrian noticed.
"Don't look at them."
She forced her eyes away.
"Why?"
"They're memories."
"Mine?"
"Not all of them."
A reflection beside her slowly turned its head.
Elena's stomach tightened.
It was her.
But older.
She was wearing the same clothes Elena had on now.
The reflection lifted its hand.
Written across its palm were two words.
HE LIED.
Elena looked at Adrian.
He had seen it too.
His face remained unreadable.
"About what?" she asked.
The reflection didn't answer.
Instead, it pointed toward Marcus.
Elena turned.
Marcus was standing completely still.
"Marcus?"
He looked at her.
"What?"
"You were looking at me."
"I was."
"Why?"
He hesitated.
"I saw something."
"What?"
"Your reflection."
Elena frowned.
"Which one?"
"The one that was crying."
She went quiet.
Marcus looked toward Adrian.
"It wasn't her."
Adrian's expression changed.
"What?"
Marcus stepped forward.
"The reflection wasn't Elena."
Elena stared at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"It looked like her, but it wasn't."
Adrian moved closer.
"Tell me exactly what you saw."
Marcus swallowed.
"She was standing beside a man."
"What man?"
"I couldn't see his face."
Elena felt a strange chill.
"Was it my father?"
"I don't know."
The lights above Marcus turned red.
A message appeared.
ONE ANSWER IS TRUE.
Then:
ONE ANSWER IS FALSE.
Elena looked at Marcus.
"What did you see?"
"I already told you."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
She looked at Adrian.
"And you?"
"I saw the same thing."
Elena frowned.
"You both saw it?"
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
"Then why is the game asking us to choose?"
Neither answered.
The speaker crackled.
"One of them is lying."
Elena's heart sank.
Marcus stepped forward.
"Elena, listen to me."
"Don't."
He stopped.
She looked at him carefully.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't."
The answer surprised her.
He continued.
"But I know what I saw."
Adrian spoke.
"He's lying."
Marcus turned sharply.
"How?"
"Because the reflection wasn't standing beside a man."
Elena looked at him.
"What was it?"
"A woman."
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Yes."
"You weren't there."
"I saw it."
"So did I."
"Then your memory is wrong."
Marcus's face tightened.
"Why would I lie?"
Adrian stepped closer.
"Because that's what it wants."
Elena looked between them.
"Stop."
They both fell silent.
She closed her eyes.
Think.
The game wanted them to distrust each other.
That was obvious.
But there was something else.
The message hadn't said one of them was lying about the reflection.
It had said one of them was lying about the truth.
She opened her eyes.
"Ask me something."
Adrian frowned.
"What?"
"Something only the real me would know."
Marcus looked confused.
Adrian didn't.
He understood immediately.
"Your mother's favorite song."
Elena blinked.
She hadn't expected that.
"Why?"
"Answer."
She thought.
The melody she'd heard in the memory room came back.
"I don't remember the name."
Adrian nodded.
"Good."
Marcus looked at him.
"How does that prove anything?"
"It doesn't."
Elena stared at Adrian.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't remember."
"But you do."
"Yes."
"What was it?"
He looked away.
"Something she used to sing when you were little."
"Sing it."
Adrian looked at her.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't remember all the words."
The room went silent.
Elena suddenly noticed something.
The game had been asking questions about memories.
But Adrian had never once claimed to remember everything.
Maybe that was important.
She turned toward Marcus.
"What was the first thing I said to you when I met you?"
Marcus answered immediately.
"You asked if the company always felt this cold."
Elena blinked.
"That's right."
Adrian looked at him.
Marcus smiled faintly.
"See?"
The lights above him turned white.
The speaker remained silent.
Elena looked at Adrian.
"What did I say to you when we first met?"
Adrian answered without hesitation.
"You asked where the elevators were."
Elena's stomach tightened.
"No."
Marcus looked at him.
Elena stared.
"I didn't."
Adrian's face changed.
"What?"
"I asked you if you were the boss."
Marcus stepped backward.
The lights flickered.
The speaker crackled.
INTERESTING.
Elena looked at Adrian.
"You lied."
He didn't deny it.
"Why?"
He looked at the floor.
"Because I wanted to see if you remembered."
"That wasn't the game."
"It is now."
Elena shook her head.
"You knew."
"I suspected."
"You knew I had met you before."
"Yes."
"When?"
"Three days ago."
Her chest tightened.
"You knew me before my interview."
"Yes."
"And you still pretended not to."
"Yes."
Marcus stared at him.
"Why?"
Adrian didn't answer.
Elena stepped closer.
"You told me the first time we met was when I came for the interview."
"I know."
"You lied."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Adrian finally looked at her.
"Because you looked at me like you'd never seen me before."
Elena's anger softened slightly.
"What did you expect me to do?"
"Remember."
"But I didn't."
"I know."
The speaker came alive.
"One lie found."
The room trembled.
The black glass walls began cracking.
Marcus looked around.
"What's happening?"
Adrian pulled Elena backward.
"Stay close."
A c***k spread across the wall.
Then another.
The reflections inside the glass began moving.
All of them turned toward Elena.
Every reflection smiled.
Except one.
The little girl.
She was standing at the far end of the room.
Elena stared.
"That's her."
Adrian followed her gaze.
"Don't go."
The child raised her hand.
She was holding something.
A black card.
She placed it against the glass.
Words appeared.
HE WASN'T THE ONE WHO LIED.
Elena's heart dropped.
She looked at Adrian.
"What?"
The child pointed toward Marcus.
Marcus froze.
Elena slowly turned.
Marcus's face had gone pale.
"Marcus?"
He didn't answer.
The speaker crackled.
"One lie found."
The lights above Marcus turned red.
Then:
ONE MORE REMAINS.
Marcus stepped backward.
"Elena, I can explain."
Adrian moved in front of her.
"Don't."
Marcus looked at him.
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
"No."
Marcus shook his head.
"I didn't want to bring her here."
Elena stared.
"Bring me?"
Marcus looked at her.
"They told me to."
The room fell silent.
"Who?"
Marcus's eyes moved toward the ceiling.
"The boss."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"You knew."
Marcus swallowed.
"I knew she was coming."
"Since when?"
"Before she applied."
Elena felt as though someone had knocked the air out of her.
"You knew about me before I came here."
"Yes."
"And you still acted like you didn't."
"I had no choice."
"There is always a choice."
Marcus looked at her.
"They had my sister."
Elena went quiet.
"What?"
"They threatened her."
Adrian's expression changed.
"Who?"
Marcus shook his head.
"I never saw their faces."
"Then how did they contact you?"
"Messages."
"From where?"
"The company system."
Elena looked at the monitors.
"Could they be watching us now?"
Marcus gave a bitter smile.
"They've been watching you for years."
The lights suddenly went black.
A scream echoed through the room.
Elena reached for Adrian.
His hand found hers.
Then another sound came from the darkness.
A door opening.
Someone whispered:
"Game over."
The lights returned.
Marcus was gone.
Elena spun around.
"Marcus?"
The room was empty.
Only the black card remained on the floor.
Adrian picked it up.
His expression darkened.
"What does it say?"
He handed it to Elena.
She read the words.
HE LIED ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT HIM.
Her eyes moved slowly across the card.
Then another line appeared.
AND SO DID ADRIAN.
Elena looked up.
Adrian was staring at her.
Neither spoke.
Then, from somewhere deep beneath the building, a child's laughter echoed through the walls.
And Elena realized the game had never been about choosing between Adrian and Marcus.
It had been testing whether she could recognize two liars at once.
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