《Liar liar》 Chapter 1: A new beginning ¡®Hiru, darling! Come on! You¡¯re going to be late for your first day of school!¡¯ Veridia called up from the entrance way, Hiru could practically hear her checking her gold wrist watch. Hiru brushed his hair again, trying to get his bangs to lay just so. They had to be perfect. This was his very first day of school as a big kid and he had to make a good impression, both on the teacher and on the other students. The weight of being Veridia¡¯s child ever oppressive. He had known many of them for years, but knew there would be new faces joining the class this year, their kindergarten class leaving the vestiges of play and entering the classroom. His mother appeared at the doorway to his rooms, looking harried and annoyed, a small frown on her face, making her sharp fox-like eyes look even sharper. ¡®Darling, I really don¡¯t have time for you to be late,¡¯ her hand on her hip, the slim gold watch peeking out from her sleeve, the diamond face glittering as she turned her wrist, sleek cream pantsuit a striking contrast with her long dark curly hair, brushed back from her face but not tamed. It was her look, as the stylist had advised, something that made her stand out from the other public figures. Hiru pulled the brush through his hair one more time, his bangs curling slightly over his eyes, before setting it down and fetching his bag. His mother sighed, bending on her knee to fix his school uniform tie for him. ¡®You don¡¯t need to worry so much, no one would dare to say anything, even if you went in your pajamas.¡¯ Hiru knew she was trying to be comforting, but she had never exactly excelled in that particular area, despite all her other talents. They stepped into the waiting hovercar, the sleek craft silently rising in the air before pulling out of their gated estate. Verro, his mother¡¯s personal assistant of several years, the only one to consistently meet Veridia¡¯s high standards, greeted them politely, his eyes kind as he smiled at Hiru before handing Veridia her itinerary for the day. Veridia flipped through it before tossing it on the seat next to her and pinching the bridge of her nose with one manicured hand, sighing. ¡®Call Gual and invite him and his family to dinner this weekend. We need to get ahead of the new toxic waste disposal regulations, lobby for some leeway before they¡¯re implemented. Hiru,¡¯ she said, shifting from Verro to her son, ¡®be sure to make friends with Iseult, it wouldn¡¯t hurt if you and Gual¡¯s daughter are on good terms.¡¯ If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Hiru wrinkled his nose in distaste. Of all the people his mother could have asked him to befriend, Iseult was the most annoying, even if she was the councilman''s only daughter. First of all, she was a girl. And not just the ordinary kind either, but the most pink-loving girly girl of all. And the only boy she liked was her older brother Mnomo. There was no chance of a friendship between them. But he didn¡¯t say any of that, his mother didn¡¯t take well to things not going according to her plans. The car pulled onto the school¡¯s long driveway, an imposingly long wooded road that was probably intended to impress upon those driving down it that their expensive tuition was worth the price. They pulled around to the entrance, into a line behind other vehicles at the drop off point. Veridia tapped her manicured finger on her crossed leg impatiently while Hiru looked out the window at the other students. Older children walked passed chatting happily, disembarking from the school¡¯s hover buses, having chosen to commute without their parents. A young girl with long black hair about Hiru¡¯s age was being peppered with kisses from her mother and grandmother with an expression of resignation on her face. She didn¡¯t know how good she had it, Hiru thought with some bitterness and no small trace of longing. He looked at his own mother, hoping for an encouraging word, even her backhanded reassurance would be appreciated now that they were at the cusp of the drop off point, but she was busy on her vid screen, her fingers flying across the keypad, preparing for her first meeting of the day. Verro caught his eye, and made a face of support, his hand fisted with his thumb up in a ¡®you can do it¡¯ gesture. Hiru smiled half-heartedly and got out of the hovercar, his shoulder bag dragging behind him. Chapter 2: Bad at Math His teacher was standing in front of the desks, her lesson plan in hand, looking over at him with her steel rimmed glasses, matching her steel colored curls. ¡®Hiru, would you come up to the board and solve the next problem?¡¯ Math, that was good, he was good at math. Veridia had a dedicated tutor for math, it was the basis of all other science, she had said, with a stern look on her face that meant he should agree with her. He had nodded solemnly. His math tutor said he was solving problems two years ahead of his age group, and yet the problem on the board was like nothing he had come across yet. Too many numbers and symbols. His breathing increased, his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He could feel his palms start to sweat as everyone in the class turned to look at him, staring at him with wide eyes, wondering why he couldn¡¯t solve such a simple problem. Their eyes just kept getting larger, until they took over their whole faces, just massive eyes staring at him from all sides. ¡®Why can¡¯t you do such a simple thing?¡¯ the teacher said in Veridia¡¯s voice. Hiru woke up with a start, face clammy with sweat and the sheets rumpled at his feet. He pulled back the bed curtain, it was still gray outside, the morning sun had just started to rise. There was no point in going back to sleep, he thought with begrudging acceptance. The sting of Veridia¡¯s imagined criticism still echoed in his ears. She hadn¡¯t yet said such a thing, but sometimes he could see the frustration, the dismissal in her eyes. Maybe if he was just a bit better, a bit smarter, she would be satisfied with him. He put on his bear slippers, they matched the teddy bear Verro had given him for his birthday last year, which was much more appreciated than the math work books his mother had given him. ¡®You¡¯re not a little boy anymore,¡¯ she had said. He had done his best to look grown up when she had said it, to be glad that his mother thought he was mature enough to have a big boy gift, but right now he was glad that Verro still thought him young enough for a teddy bear. He squeezed it tightly to his face, the comforting lavender smell and soft plush fur soothing him from the nightmare. He decided to walk around the green house while he waited for breakfast. Veridia liked to have breakfast together and would be annoyed if he ate without her, but he didn¡¯t want to stay in his room after the nightmare. He walked quietly down the hallway, everything eerie in the pre-morning light, empty doorways looming over him and casting strange shadows. He clutched his bear tighter. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The green house was in the back of the house, connected by a set of old double doors that his mother had imported from abroad. The wood was a vibrant red-orange, carved with images of the doves that his mother kept behind them, with a large whole pearl carved in the shape of an orchid for each of the door knobs. He opened one of the doors with difficulty, using his whole body to push it open while his teddy watched from where it was sitting on the floor. ¡®You could have helped,¡¯ Hiru chidded playfully after he finally got it cracked open enough for him to pass. He walked around the stained glass room, the soft coos of the doves calling to him from their cages, though he knew better than to open their enclosure. They were carnivorous, and would attack him if given the chance, like vicious flying piranha. He had seen them take a bite out of the attendant that had imported them, he had no wish for the same fate. He made his way to the back, stepping through the small door there to another, smaller room, where his personal plants were kept. His mother had it built when he started collecting cacti, as they required a very different climate from Veridia¡¯s more tropical collection. The fan keeping the humidity down cooled his skin, wicking away the clamminess left over from his nightmare. He placed his bear on one of the rough hewn wooden benches, under a hanging rat-tail cactus, pretty fuschia blooms peeking over the rim of its planter. He supposed he liked cactuses because they thrived under very little attention, something he hoped he could emulate. That and they were really cute. He especially loved his old man cactus, with its wiry silver hair. He hoped to some day succeed in getting it to bloom the pretty pale pink flowers it had when he got it. He heard a sound from the other room over the whirl of the fan. The gardeners usually came twice a week, and this was not their day. The only other person that it might reasonably be was Veridia, no one else would dare. He peeked out through the glass door, peering between colored glass panes. ¡®...I don¡¯t care what sort of pressure you¡¯re getting from the environmentalists, I¡¯ve had this new uranium mining project in the works for months. I am your biggest campaign contributor, make it work.¡¯ Veridia hung up abruptly and turned, Hiru backed away from the glass, knocking over a planter. ¡®Hiru, what are you doing out of bed this early?¡¯ She sounded annoyed. It would probably be better not to tell her about his nightmare, but he desperately wanted to be reassured. ¡®I had a nightmare about math class. There was a problem that I couldn¡¯t answer and everyone stared at me.¡¯ It sounded so trite when he said it out loud. He cringed a little. Veridia sighed. ¡®I know it''s hard being under scrutiny, everyone waiting for you to fail, but you¡¯re a big boy now and you have to be stronger, to prove them wrong, ok?¡¯ She knelt on the floor, ignoring the dirt smudging her silk-lace pajamas and offered him her arms. He rushed into them, grateful for the comfort and doing his best to blink away the stinging in his eyes. Mother wouldn¡¯t want to see him cry. She held him for a while, stroking his back absentmindedly. Chapter 3: Your mama The closest Hiru had gotten to seeing his mother for the next several days was catching a news briefing on the holoscreen in the hovercar on the way to school, which immediately transitioned to the environmentalists¡¯ response. Verro turned off the holoscreen as soon as he noticed the switch, but not before Hiru caught their brutal assessment of his mother. He had seen unflattering portrayals of his mother before, but it was still upsetting. Verro had done his best to keep Hiru away from the unfavorable media coverage, both on screen and in print, but it was inevitable for some to slip past, especially when everyone at school knew whose son he was. It was hard to make friends, never knowing which ones were interested in him versus his mother. His school boasted many wealthy and famous clientele, but none was more infamous than Veridia. She was the backbone of the city, according to some, her uranium mines providing power for almost every facet of the city¡¯s energy needs, but according to others she was a power hungry scourge on the environment. There was even speculation that her birth of Hiru was a ploy to rebrand her image to be less aggressive, more relatable. That one had hurt, especially because he wasn¡¯t sure it was untrue. Veridia of course had seen a response as beneath her. The rest of the ride was in silence, Verro looking distressed at Hiru¡¯s morose expression. ¡®Have a good day at school, Hiru,¡¯ Verro said, dropping him off at the car pool, the slight hum of their hovercraft a contrast to some of the other less top of the line, louder models. ¡®Hey, hey Hiru!¡¯ Sivni was one of the more outspoken children at school, the child of a minor politician frequently and publicly at odds with Veridia. He also had the annoying propensity to mindlessly repeat anything his parents said in his presence, and while Hiru knew that, it was hard to keep a cool head in the moment. ¡®I heard your mom is sleeping with her personal assistant, are you excited to have a new gold digging step dad?¡¯ he taunted. Hiru did his best to tune him out, concentrating on his worksheet. It was during their free period and most of the other students were at the play space, but Hiru had opted to keep studying, he needed to do better on his language arts, it was his worst subject and he dreaded having to show his mother less than perfect marks. ¡®Bet that¡¯s why your mom has kept him around for so long, he¡¯s the prettiest one yet. Bet she likes looking at his face while she¡­¡¯ he wasn¡¯t able to continue his vile speculation any further because Hiru¡¯s fist was currently punching his mouth. Over and over. He couldn¡¯t stop, it felt like as soon as he did Sivni would continue to spew bile. He didn¡¯t even realize when someone pulled him off, his fists just kept going, swinging in the air wildly, tears of rage down his cheeks. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡®He¡¯s just as crazy as his bitch mother!¡¯ Sivni managed to say between swollen bloody lips, prompting Hiru to lunge at him once more, determined to shut him up once and for all. They sat in the headmaster¡¯s office, Sivni with an ice pack to his mouth, eyes downcast. Hiru flexed his hands. He hadn¡¯t really felt anything while he had been hitting Sivni, but now they were throbbing, blood from Sivni and his own from his cracked skin trickled down his fingers. The headmaster was berating them both while waiting for their parents to arrive. ¡®We won¡¯t tolerate fighting between students, you¡¯ve made a disgrace of yourselves. I expect better from both of you.¡¯ Sivni interrupted combatively, ¡®Hiru is the one that hit me!¡¯ The headmaster peered at him, eyes flickering to a quiet Hiru before settling back on Sivni, ¡®I heard he had good reason, did you think you could besmirch the name of our biggest school patron with no repercussions?¡¯ Sivni ground his teeth in impotent rage, his eyes burning before looking down once more. ¡®Headmaster, Sivni¡¯s mother is here, should I let her in?¡¯ The headmaster waved a hand at his secretary and Sivni¡¯s mother rushed into the room, bending down to look at her son¡¯s bruised face. She shot a venomous glance at Hiru before fussing over her son. ¡®I suppose I should have expected such barbarous behavior from the son of Veridia,¡¯ she said, just as Verro entered the room. ¡®Headmaster, if this the way you¡¯ve been letting the other students treat Hiru, perhaps we should find another school for him to attend,¡¯ Verro said breezily. The headmaster paled. ¡®Of course we were just working out the appropriate punishments,¡¯ he stuttered. Sivni¡¯s mother gasped, the color rising in her cheeks, but then lowered her eyes, saying nothing, her lips pursed. Hiru was sent home for the day, accompanied by Verro. ¡®Is Mother not coming,¡¯ he asked Verro, once they had gotten in the car. Verro bit his lip, shaking his head. He really was pretty, Hiru noticed for the first time, disconcerted. It couldn¡¯t be true, right? But then, would it be so bad having Verro as a step father, he was really nice. Distracted briefly from his missing mother, Hiru thought about what it might be like having a father, one who was there when he got in trouble at school, one who stood up from him, one like Verro. He peeked at Verro again, a small smile creeping across his face. ¡®Thanks for coming to get me, Verro.¡¯ He said, probably the most words he had ever spoken to him. Verro smiled back at him, a true smile, not like Veridia¡¯s practiced ones, ¡®anytime.¡¯ Chapter 4: A strange new friend Veridia didn¡¯t mention anything about the altercation when she got home, either unaware or just indifferent. Maybe she was just too busy, Hiru thought, worriedly, waiting anxiously for it to be brought up. She had taken to eating dinner at the office, diagrams spread across her massive desk visible when Hiru peeked through the doors, though they still had breakfast together. It was nice seeing her without her makeup on, made him feel like he got to see a side of her that was just for him, despite the dark lines under her eyes that kept growing, bruises on an otherwise perfect face. She had become more and more irritable lately, snapping at both him and Verro for every small misstep. He and Verro had started sharing a look behind her back whenever she did so. It felt good to have someone to acknowledge Veridia¡¯s bad mood with, like they had an alliance, it made it easier to laugh rather than feel hurt by her words. He had taken to doing his homework in the green house, placing a rough wooden table and chair in the room with his cacti. It was an ideal workspace, with the cool fan thrumming in the background a meditative hum. His mother had given him a large dinosaur back cactus sometime after his fight with Sivni, and Hiru was unable to determine if it was a subtle approval or if it was an apology for not picking him up. Either way, he had placed it next to his table so he could see it easily while he worked. A soft knock resonated on the glass, Hiru looked up, startled. The knock had come from outside the greenhouse, but who would bother knocking? Mother would just come in and the gardener had come yesterday. A girl a little older than him stood outside the glass, her features slightly obscured in the frosted glass. He opened the side door, curious. Where would she have come from? Was it one of the maid¡¯s children who came with their parents to work? Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The girl stepped in, looking around. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen these sorts of plants before, I saw them and I had to come take a look.¡¯ She said with confidence, peering around at his collection. He was both flattered and a little alarmed. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ he asked, trying to keep the anxiety from his voice, she probably wasn¡¯t a kidnapper, the briefing he had gotten about them had never mentioned this scenario. ¡®Oh! Yes, I¡¯m supposed to introduce myself. I¡¯m Una. Nice to meet you. What are you called?¡¯ Hiru stuttered a bit, he had never had to introduce himself before, and her way of speaking was a bit unusual. ¡®My name is Hiru¡­¡¯ Una nodded with amicable disinterest, before continuing her perusal. ¡®...And I think he might be going to be my step-dad,¡¯ Hiru continued. He had been talking to Una about his life for a while after he had run out of things to tell her about his plants. She listened politely, her head tilted in a bird-like manner. She was a good listener, if not the most attentive one. He felt a bit like he should ask her questions too, that was the polite thing to do in friendships. Or so he¡¯d heard. ¡®How did you get in here?¡¯ He winced a little, that sounded very accusatory. Una seemed not to notice, ¡®I was passing by and just happened to see your greenhouse, I could see how different they looked from above, so I decided to come get a closer look.¡¯ Hiru nodded along. Maybe she was a hoverplane pilot. She must have very good eyesight. ¡®Actually, I should get going, it¡¯s getting a little late and I promised Mother I would be back today,¡¯ she turned to exit. ¡®Wait! Will you come back?¡¯ Hiru asked, hopefully. Una turned to look back at him, her eyes very bright in the darkening room. ¡®Do you want me to?¡¯ Hiru nodded enthusiastically. Chapter 5: Liar Hiru had taken to meeting Una after school every couple of weeks, she didn¡¯t seem to keep a very regular schedule, and she never stayed for very long, but it was nice to see her, to have someone to talk to that was so unbiased, that had no strong opinions about him or his famous mother. He had made the mistake of telling Verro about her on the way to school one day, causing a brief commotion as security was checked, but finding nothing amiss, the flurry of activity died down, though Verro had looked at him with concern. ¡®...there is this really pretty girl at school, nothing like Iseult, even though they spend a lot of time together. She has really long black hair and it''s just¡­so shiny.¡¯ He was telling Una about his classmates when someone opened the door to his greenhouse. ¡®Who are you talking to, Hiru,¡¯ Verro said, looking around the room. Hiru looked at Una, confused. ¡®Don¡¯t you see her? Una¡¯s right there.¡¯ Hiru said, pointing to Una who looked back at him serenely. Verro froze for a moment, his eyes wide. ¡®Oh! Of course. I¡¯ll just¡­I¡¯ll just leave you two to it,¡¯ his voice unnaturally high before he quickly backed out the door. Veridia joined him for dinner that night, staring at him with her hands folded as he ate quietly. ¡®I heard about your friend Una,¡¯ she said finally, picking up her cutlery and cutting into her own dinner. ¡®Yeah, she¡¯s been visiting me at the greenhouse, she really likes my cacti.¡¯ He looked up at his mother, she hadn¡¯t been particularly interested in his friendships before, excluding when she had tried unsuccessfully to have him befriend Iseult. ¡®Hm. I have a¡­ friend I would like you to talk to tomorrow. She¡¯ll be coming over after school. She may ask you about Una, and about how you are feeling. You can tell her anything you like, alright?¡¯ Hiru nodded, a little bemused. Was it so unusual for him to have a friend? Her name was Dr. Imne, but she told him to just call her Imne, ¡®or whatever you feel comfortable with, alright?¡¯ with an overly cheery smile. They did a bunch of different games together, and some drawing, and he answered a lot of questions about his thoughts and feelings while she scribbled away on her notepad. Afterwards she talked with his mother for a long while, before giving him some pills to take every day. They made him feel extremely drowsy, but his mother always watched to make sure he took them. She had taken to coming back for dinner again, which he had been excited about at first, before she began to ask him weirdly intrusive questions. She asked a lot about Una, making him realize that he didn¡¯t actually know all that much about his friend. He resolved to ask her more questions the next time he saw her. ¡®Is Veridia neglecting her son? Reports have come in from a verified source that Veridia¡¯s son is experiencing a psychotic break, likely brought on by¡­¡¯ Veridia snatched the controller and viciously pressed the power button. ¡®I think today is a good day to stay at home, just a you and me day, hm?¡¯ Hiru was torn, Veridia had never offered to stay home with just him and her before, but what was the news channel talking about? Did his mother have another son with some sort of medical problem? Was that why she was so busy all the time. Hiru felt a trickle of jealousy flutter in his stomach. But he would be getting her all to himself today. ¡®Could we work in the garden together? We could replant some of my cacti?¡¯ He had gotten some dinosaur shaped planters and was eager to move his precious plants into their new homes. Veridia smiled distractedly. ¡®Of course darling.¡¯ Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. They sat on the floor of his greenhouse, methodically moving cacti from one planter to the next. Hiru carefully measured out the correct ratios of sand and shale for their new pots, while Veridia trimmed the roots on the loosened plants, passing them to Hiru when she was done. Hiru chattered away, much like he had when Una would visit him. He hadn¡¯t seen her for a couple weeks now, and he was beginning to miss her. But it was better to have his mother, though she was an even worse listener than Una. She kept checking at her vid screen, but Hiru didn¡¯t mind, it was nice enough to just have her around. Her device buzzed once more, Veridia pausing to read it, a stormy look crossing her face. ¡®I¡¯m sorry darling, why don¡¯t you work without me for a little, there¡¯s something I have to do, but I promise I will be right back, ok?¡¯ She whirled out of the greenhouse, her silky house robe flapping behind her fiercely. She returned a short while later, an expression of vicious satisfaction on her face. She smiled at Hiru, ¡®how about a treat for lunch? How would you like to make ice cream together?¡¯ Hiru looked up at her excitedly, they had never made it together before, whenever they had it, the cook would always make it for them. This was probably his favorite day ever. It wasn¡¯t until dinner that night, when Veridia didn¡¯t force him to take the foul tasting pills that it really registered that something might be wrong. ¡®Where is Verro? I haven''t seen him all day.¡¯ Even on Veridia¡¯s rare days off, Verro was usually there to update her on any dire issue that might arise. Hiru hadn¡¯t caught sight of him at all today, but had been too wrapped up in getting to spend time with his mother to notice. Veridia¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡®Hiru, darling.¡¯ She paused, looking him in the eyes seriously. ¡®Verro won¡¯t be around anymore.¡¯ Hiru felt his heart drop into his stomach, was there something wrong with him? ¡®Verro told some very nasty lies about¡­ our family, and I won¡¯t allow someone who does something like that to rest in peace.¡¯ Hiru tried to wrap his head around the idea that Verro was a liar. It just seemed so out of character, he was so quiet and kind. Could he really have done something bad enough to hurt Hiru and his mother? Something so bad that Veridia would get rid of him? ¡®What did he lie about?¡¯ Hiru asked in a small voice, pushing some chocolate ice cream around with his spoon. Veridia paused, her head tilted a little. ¡®You¡¯re a big boy now, right Hiru?¡¯ Hiru looked up, nodding. ¡®Hm. Verro told everyone that I was mistreating you, that I hurt you so much that you were having a psychotic break¡­that you were hearing voices.¡¯ Hiru looked at her, Verro did that? Verro lied about his mother, about him? ¡®Are you, are you sure?¡¯ he asked, his voice shaking. Veridia smiled at him sadly. ¡®Sometimes the people closest to us are the ones that hurt us the most.¡¯ That night when Hiru went to sleep, he took the bear that Verro had given him and put it deep in his closet. He wasn¡¯t quite ready to throw it out. But he was a big boy now. And he didn¡¯t need comfort from a liar. Resources Cacti https://www.growingreenhouse.com/can-you-grow-cacti-in-an-unheated-greenhouse/ https://balconygardenweb.com/unique-rare-cactus-plants/ https://www.waterwisegardening.com/single-post/guide-to-transplanting-cacti-and-succulents Environment https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/faq/what-are-regulations-mining-activities Parents You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-public-figure-factor_b_3926528 Psychiatric assessment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatric_assessment https://positivepsychology.com/mental-status-examination/ https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-making-diagnosis https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/mental-illness-in-children/art-20046577 https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/medicines-to-treat-schizophrenia https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/mental-illness-in-children/art-20046577 Succession https://www.cnb.com/business-banking/insights/how-to-transfer-family-business.html