Free The Mute and the Liar by Victoria Best

pots every colour of the rainbow stripe the shelf under the arched window, which reveals a huge, beautiful garden, flecked with patches of flowers and bushes in the shape of a peacock tails.
    “ You should have called, you know. What if I had been asleep? ”
    Nick chuckles at this. “ Because it's Monday night. And every Monday night is opera night, right? ”
    “ You know me too well, Nicky. ” She smiles and she busies herself in the kitchen making tea. Nick takes a seat at the cream table in the corner. As the kettle begins to hum, she turns to me. “ Yes, I had a bad batch of insomnia a few years ago, and one Monday I thought to myself: 'why should I be lying here, tossing and turning and overdosing on sleeping pills and just plain wasting my time, when I could be doing something productive? So I sat down with my piano and started singing, and I did the same the next Monday, and I suppose it just became a routine. ”
    “ Kit is an opera singer, ” Jayce explains, and takes a seat opposite Nick. I stand awkwardly shuffling my feet. Nick taps the seat next to him reassuringly, and after a few seconds deliberation, I decide to sit, thinking that I might as well make myself comfortable.
    “ No, she is the world's best opera singer. ” Nick corrects, and Kit giggles girlishly and insists she isn’t, that way show-offs do when you compliment them and they act all humble-Mother-Theresa-y when really they’re loving every minute of it. “ How did the audition go? ”
    “ I got to the final round, but I wasn't chosen. It's okay, though. There's always next year, right? ” she smiles, and begins pouring the water inside four rainbow-striped mugs. “ I'm going to try as hard as I can, and I like to think that happiness always comes to those who are willing to work hard for it. ”
    The boys offer simple condolences, with Nick going as far as to say the judges deserved to die a slow and painful death in the jaws of a dinosaur. She finishes making the tea and hands everyone a mug.
    “ Thank you. You haven't had dinner, I presume? ” They shake their heads, and Kit immediately clatters back over to the kitchen in her stiletto heels. “ What should I make you? I have fish and chicken, or I can make you a stew or a pie? ”
    “ We don't want to cause you any trouble- ” Nick begins, but she continues insisting she will make them food, and asks me if there is anything I want to eat.
    “ Alicia only eats pasta. ” Jayce tells her.
    Not just pasta, I silently correct him. I eat cereal too. And fruit and veg.
    Kit laughs and says that she loves pasta too, and opens the cupboard to reveal her whole collection of bags of spaghetti and pasta in almost every colour and shape. She rushes around again, and Nick gets up to help her, and pulls out some pans from one of the countless cupboards. He seems to know exactly where everything is.
    “ So how is it going with work, Jaycie? ”
    “ Brilliant. I’m working as a receptionist down at a hotel in Elmview. It’s great fun. I get a good salary and it’s actually okay, you know, talking to all these interesting people. And it’s not too bad watching Spanish girls bending down to sort out their suitcases all day. And the uniform is amazing; I look like an air steward. It’s a great look for me. Persimmon is definitely my colour. ”
    I can’t really see Jayce working in a hotel. The whole idea i s a bit ridiculous. It’s only when Nick sighs and rolls his eyes in a ‘yeah, right’ sort of way, that I realise none of that is true.
    “ Jayce is doing some music stuff at the moment, ” Nick inputs. My guess is this is actually true, and Nick is deliberately telling Kit to try and put some reality into the conversation. Jayce seethes on the other end of the table, eyes narrowed into a killing gaze, obviously resenting Nick for saying something true about him. “ He played piano in the Elmview High School Fair three weeks ago and they said he could join their band for