Lie to Me (A Touched Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

Mom.
    “Hey, Nanna,” I said, walking up the path to the house.
There was a chance that if I could ignore her suffocating presence, she might
just leave me alone. I didn’t need her trying to analyze me, especially when I
was still confused about what had happened with Tonya.
    “You really shouldn’t be out without your jacket.” She
reached for me as I made it to the top of the steps, enfolding me in a hug that
felt like the warm fuzzies we practiced giving in kindergarten. It was always
like that with Nanna. No matter how crappy I felt seeing her or talking to her,
her hugs were like magic. I used to wonder if she had a bit of Lily’s gift to
make people feel better, then I’d learned she could give some nasty cold
pricklies on the side, something I didn’t think Lily could ever do. “You’re
shivering. Have you told your father about the heater in your car not working?
What would happen if you were caught in some bad weather? You’d freeze.”
    “Nanna, we live in southern California. I don’t think we
really need to worry about snowstorms. Besides I’m pretty sure Chloe would see
it coming.”
    I pulled out of the comforting hug and then, following her
through the front door, glanced around the living room for my sisters. Not
surprisingly, they were nowhere around. The two of them were determined to get
me to talk to Nanna. Lily probably thought it would make me feel better about
‘things’, even if she wasn’t sure what those ‘things’ were. Chloe would just
want me to do it because she had to make sure her vision was still right.
    Nothing about our house had changed in the seventeen years
since Mom and Dad bought the place. Dad repainted every few years the exact
shade of green Mom had picked out, despite it being a vile lima bean color and
completely out of step with anything remotely resembling good taste by today’s
standards. Even the porch swing was identical to the one Mom bought, although
Dad had replaced it after I broke it doing one of my gymnastics routines back
before I’d realized gymnastics actually required some discipline and just a
hint of athleticism.
    “I’d like to speak with you,” Nanna said, turning to face me
with her business face. Her hands propped on her hips, and there was a slight
tap to her right foot.
    “I’m really not in the mood. Tonya and I had a fight.” I
walked around her, intent on going down to my room.
    “Well, what can you expect? You called her a liar,” she
said, exasperated.
    My head dropped back in defeat. No way would she let this
slide. As annoying as it was for Chloe to always tell you your future, Nanna
could always make it worse by bringing up the past.
    I went to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair, and sat, my
eyes following my fingers as they began tracing the intricate lace flower
pattern of the tablecloth.
    “Phoebe, what happened?” she asked, sitting across from me,
the chair creaking in protest under her heavy frame.
    Gnarled hands stretched across the table to grasp mine. The
warmth of her grip was soothing, reminding me of when I was little and she
would come and read my past, making me feel just a bit more secure in the
knowledge that even if I didn’t know what the future held for me, I knew what
the past did. I’d always loved that until she’d started calling me on things I
didn’t want brought back up, like the time I stole Chloe’s favorite Barbie and
tested out my hairstyling skills.
    Nanna needed a connection in order for her gift to work.
Touching a person could let her see all of the memories they left open, even
those little forgotten ones. When she’d moved to the old folks’ home five years
ago, I’d thought I was a bit safer, until I found out she’d taken one of my
hairbrushes. It was far enough removed from me that it didn’t let her see
everything, but what I couldn’t contain hidden behind a mental wall was enough
for her to get an idea of what I was usually up to. I always felt like someone
was