L I A R - it 2017

p r o l o g u e

   The Ripsom sisters lay in their shared bedroom, Macy reading a book while her sister Betty finished her homework. This was how most nights went inside the Ripsom house, the only two children staying silent in their rooms as the Maine sky grew darker.

Their comfortable silence was shattered when the sound of breaking glass filled the room, making both girls jump. A scream from their mother followed, and Macy's eyes darted towards the doorway, her heart pounding in her chest.

"What the hell was that?" Betty questions, looking from the door back to Macy. "I'll go find out," Macy said, folding the corner of her book and setting it on her bed.

Leaving the room, she followed the sound of her mother's cries, only to stop dead in her tracks before reaching the kitchen. The distressed tone in her mother's voice made a pit form in Macy's stomach. Letting out a shaky breath, she pressed her ear against the wall, listening in on the conversation. Her palms grew clammy as she heard her mother recount what happened. A small gasp escaped Macy's lips as her mother finished describing the scene.

Then the talking stops.

Macy took a deep breath, trying to appear calm and unaware of what she had overheard. She stepped forward, forcing herself into the kitchen.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Macy asked, trying to sound casual, as if she hadn't heard a thing. Mrs. Ripsom looked up from her bloodied hands, her eyes distant as if her mind were somewhere else entirely. For a long moment, she said nothing, just stared at her daughter, the tension thick as she waited for her mom to speak.

"Macy, everything's fine! The plate just slipped out of my hand. Now go to bed, I don't need you stepping on any glass!" Mrs. Ripsom blurts, breaking the silence she had created. Her tone was sharp, nothing new to Macy. Over the years, she had grown used to the way her mother's voice shifted depending on which daughter she was speaking to.

Still, Macy stood there trying to process what she had just seen. "Go, Mace." Mr. Ripsom said calmly. Turning around, she bolted down the hallway, her heart racing as she made her way back to her room, eager to tell Betty what she had just seen and heard.

Reaching the door, Macy slipped inside and shut it quickly behind her, making sure her parents couldn't hear what she was about to tell Betty.

"What happened?" Betty asked, closing her textbook for the night. In an anxious voice, Macy began to describe what she overheard. "I heard Mom talking to Dad," she said, her hands growing clammy with every word.

"She was telling him how she heard him talking to her through the sink!" Betty's eyes widened, the words too strange to sound real. "Stop bullshitting, Macy. What actually happened?" she said, knowing her sister had a bad habit of lying.

"I swear on my life I'm not lying," Macy exclaimed. Her hands trembled, and the worry on her face said enough. Betty knew Macy had to be telling the truth.

"Mom didn't see me," Macy said quickly. "She was telling Dad everything. She kept saying she's been hearing talking through the sink, and she finally said something, and it spoke back to her!" Macy emphasizes her last words before sitting down on her unmade bed.

"W-what did the sink say?" Betty asked, her voice trembling.

Macy sighed, remembering what her mother had said. Part of her did not want to repeat the sentence, but she knew she had to. "It said," she began, taking one last deep breath.

"Our name is Legion."

When these four words left Macy's mouth, Betty went pale. She hoped it was just one of Macy's lies. "This has to be some sick joke. She's gone nuts! There is no way in hell! I swear if you're lying, I'll kick your ass!" Betty babbled, pacing the room.