Page 65 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

Nicholas Boothman
Jinji’s voice was quiet.
“Don’t lie to the machine.”
Claire rounded on her.
“Turn it off.”
Jinji tapped the keyboard.
The sensation faded.
Henry breathed through his nose until the room steadied. No one spoke.
That was the first true silence of the night.
Not awkward.
Afraid.
Vincent stared at the little patch behind Henry’s ear. “God help us,” he said.
Jinji’s face had lost its earlier sharpness.
“It works.”
Henry wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Yes,” he said.
But what he felt was not triumph.
It was violation.
The body had betrayed language.
Or language had betrayed the body.
He couldn’t tell which.
Claire’s voice was low.
“Take it off.”
Henry reached for the patch.
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