Page 162 - TruthAboutLyingCoverFlipAmazon20

The Truth About Lying
Henry felt it first. A pressure behind his thoughts, like something vast had entered the space without crossing it.
This wasn’t emptiness. This was a presence. Unseen. Unheard. Known. Something in Vincent went still. Not in fear. In recognition. Like a message that had been delivered before, each time translated into something human enough to survive.
A figure materialized in front of them.
It was vaguely humanoid, with two arms, two legs, and a head, but wrong in ways Henry’s brain couldn’t hold steady. Its proportions were too perfect. Its movements unnaturally fluid. Its face. There was no face. And yet something was there.
The thing looked at them.
Henry’s heartbeat landed hard. Not fast. Wrong. The pressure in his skull built with it.
“I am what you would call a Curator.”
The voice didn’t travel. It didn’t come from the figure. It was just... there. Already understood.
“I have been monitoring your species for approximately twelve thousand of your years.”
Silence. It stretched. Or folded. Henry couldn’t tell. His mouth opened.
Vincent stood frozen. His lips moving soundlessly. 162