The sun rose from the ocean like a sleepy child from its bed. With an air of exhaustion, it cast off the blankets of sea water, opened its mouth wide in a fiery yawn, and continued on its steady ascent into the pale morning sky the girl had been named for. Skylar looked at that sky, taking in the pastel colors that slowly seeped into the vast expanse above her. It was the one of the little bits of freedom she had on the little island; the ability to watch the sky and imagine herself sailing off into it.
Skylar carefully braided back her long, brown hair without taking her eyes off of the sunrise. She would much rather stay watching the sky all day, but there were jobs to do. The Liars were calling her for her morning duties.
She climbed down the rope ladder that came down from the trap door of her Elevated Dwelling, then raced across the forest floor to the meeting hall. That was its purpose, at least. The meeting hall’s official name was the Wood Fortress, but all the Liars agreed that that sounded much too foreboding. Besides, what use was a fortress when the only ones on the island were themselves? A fortress was meant to offer protection against invading forces. If someone inside the group of Liars decided to turn on the others, a fortress would be of little help.
The meeting had already started by the time Skylar arrived at the Wood Fortress. There were twenty Liars in all assembled; exactly ten boys and exactly ten girls, but not one of them older than fifteen. Skylar, in fact, was the oldest of the Liars, but habitual lateness and supposed “misconduct” had led to her being passed over for the position of Leader. A boy named Gerard had been voted in instead.
Skylar crossed her arms and stood at the back of the hall, ignoring the glances of the other Liars. She didn’t quite understand why they were all looking at her in such a strange manner; she had often been late before. It wasn’t a new occurrence. So why were they looking at her like she was about to be executed for it? The whole hall, in fact, had fallen silent the moment she had walked in, and it was rather disconcerting. Gerard cleared his throat and continued talking to the rest of the Liars.
The girl picked at the fabric around her arm and continued to ignore Gerard’s babbling. It wasn’t legal and she was the only one who did it, but she made so many other mistakes on a daily basis that a minor penalty like covering the burns meant little. Everyone else wore short sleeves by order of the Council so that the burns were clearly displayed. Each tick mark represented each Lie that got them sent to the island. The longer the mark, the bigger the Lie, the more disgraced you were. Or revered, depending on the person who saw them. The majority of Liars on the island wanted to change, especially the younger ones, but a few of the older children who had been Lying the longest saw those with more marks as being better or more worthy. Gerard was one of those who believed strongly in the latter. Skylar, on the other hand, wanted to wash away her past, which is why she kept her own marks covered. Only one person had ever seen exactly how many she had and how long they were, and he was the one person on earth she wished didn’t know.
As Gerard finished the roll call and task assignments, everyone’s stares returned to Skylar as he began the recitation of The Liar’s Code. It was something else put in place by the Council; a code of rules that explained how the Liars were supposed to conduct themselves on the island. It was a common held belief that if a person followed every rule exactly, a boat would appear on the shores to carry them away. So far it had never happened. Everyone tripped up eventually, even those who were the most devoted to changing their ways.
“A Liar shall Lie no more while on the shores of this venerable island,” Gerard began. The rest of those in the hall said each word with him in perfect unison.
“A Liar who has Lied shall never commit the same Lie twice.
“A Liar shall never wrong the other Liars while on the shores of this venerable island.
“A Liar shall wear their Lies prominently and permanently at all times.
“A Liar shall obey the orders of the Council for the good of the community.
“A Liar shall not question the leaders and authorities of this venerable island.”
The twenty voices died out, and all Skyler could think was that if the legends were true, she was never getting off the island. There were five out of the six rules that she didn’t do on a daily basis. That pretty much qualified as “tripping up.”
There were maybe thirty seconds, in which no one spoke—not Gerard, not the other three members of the Council, not the Liars. Everyone was silent. Skylar could feel the tension in the Wood Fortress as they all waited for Gerard’s next words.
“And now,” the leader said, “we must address something of immediate and pressing concern. As the vast majority of you know, one of our members has been Lying.”
One of the older boys called out, “As the vast majority of us know, the vast majority of us have been Lying!”
Gerard silenced the boy with a pointed glance. “Many of us have committed minor Lies during our time on this venerable island, but the one I am speaking of is an extreme offender and her Lies are not ones to be taken lightly.”
Her Lies. That narrowed it down to ten Liars. Of course, Skylar had a pretty good guess who that one girl out of ten was. It was a surprise she hadn’t figured it out sooner.
With a fluid motion, Gerard flicked over a wooden board with the names of every Liar on the island. Next to most of the names, the same tick marks that were on the arms of each Liar were seared into the wood, indicating the Lies committed after arriving on the island. Skylar’s name had always had a relatively large number of marks next to it, not as many as some but much more than others, but now, overnight, almost twenty new Lies had been accumulated. Skylar narrowed her eyes and scowled. What was Gerard playing at? Lying that many times in one night was a near impossibility, and she would have known if she had done it anyway. It was obviously a set up. But why?
“I understand that today’s tasks have already been assigned, but most will be postponed to later this afternoon,” Gerard continued. “This morning, we have a trial to attend to. Female Number Five, designated name of Skylar, please come to the front of the hall and stand judgment before the Liars.”
Skylar bit her lip and gulped. There had only been one other trial in the history of the island, when a boy and a girl were tried for the destruction of one of the Elevated Dwellings, resulting in the severe injury of one of the youngest Liars. They had been the twenty first and twenty second members, and they had been banished to the other side of the island. No one had seen them since. In an attempt to hide her nervousness, Skylar held her head up high, uncrossed her arms and put her shoulders back, and walked to the front of the room.
When she reached the leader on his podium, Skylar took a moment to whisper in his ear, “What are you doing, Gerard? Why me? What did I do to you?”
Gerard didn’t look at her, but whispered back to her, barely moving his lips, “Five and four inches.” It wasn’t an answer to her questions, but rather a warning. Then he spoke to the rest of the Liars again. “The board is the one part of our society that has never committed a Lie, and never will. We all know its contents to be the truth, for we have all been the ones to add to it. As you can see, the convicted Liar before you has committed fifty Lies over her years on this venerable island, the very maximum the Council allows. The board does not Lie, and therefore this conviction is not debatable. We are simply gathered here to decide on the sentence of the convicted Liar, Female Number Five, designated name Skylar. Council Member One, designated name Ryan, please come forth.”
The first Liar in the line of three next to the leader’s podium stood. All three were dressed entirely in black robes that covered all of their skin except for their left arms, on which their Lies were displayed. They wore no masks, but the hoods of their cloaks were drawn over their faces so the only thing that could be seen was their mouths. Ryan walked over to the podium, Gerard stepped down from it, and the Council Member took his place.
“Female Number Five, designated name Skylar, the Lies you have been convicted of are deep enough to warrant an equally severe punishment. You have permission to advise the members of the Council of your opinion on this,” Ryan said quietly, but forcefully. He wasn’t just giving her permission, he was giving her a command.
“Before I give my opinion, I would like to know what the Lies are I am being convicted of. Do I have permission to ask to hear the charges?”
Ryan’s head turned slightly so he was looking at Gerard. The leader shook his head almost imperceptibly. “You do not have permission. What is your opinion on the matter of your punishment?”
“I don’t think I should be punished for a Lie I didn’t even commit. I have no recollection of Lying those fifty times. Yesterday evening, the board charged me with twenty three Lies. This morning it charges me with fifty and no one will tell me what those twenty seven I supposedly committed even are. The board may not Lie, but Liars do. If I do not find out what those twenty seven Lies are, I will be forced to assume that it was one of the Liars who put them on the board.” Skylar managed to keep her voice calm despite the rage growing inside of her. She hated the idea of being falsely convicted. She hated the idea of being punished for it even more.
“Your comments have been noted. I now address the other Liars. Do any of you have a suggestion on how Female Number Five, designated name Skylar, should be punished for these fifty Lies?” Ryan asked the group.
“Banishment,” one boy spoke up.
“Isolation,” an older girl said. “No Lies can be committed if there are no people to Lie to.”
“That’s basically banishment,” the boy who spoke before pointed out.
“We don’t have to throw her out of the community, we can just keep her locked in her Elevated Dwelling,” the girl argued.
“Enough,” Ryan said, still quietly but commandingly enough that the two stopped talking immediately. “Are there any other suggestions?” No one said any more. “Very well. Is there a general consensus among the Council members and the leader as to the punishment of Female Number Five, designated name Skylar?”
“Banishment,” the second Council member said.
“Banishment,” repeated the third.
“Banishment,” Gerard said with the slightest hint of a smile on his face.
“Banishment,” Ryan told them all with an air of finality. “Female Number Five, designated name Skylar, you will be sent to the other side of this venerable island, never to return. If you do return, your punishment will be much more severe. This decision is final and irreversible. You will be taken away immediately.”
Ryan stepped down from the podium and Gerard came back up to close the meeting. “This trial is completed, and this assembly is disbanded. All Liars are free to go about their assigned duties.”
Skylar scowled as the three Council members escorted her from the Wood Fortress and across the forest floor. All the while she mumbled to herself, “Stupid, stupid, stupid Gerard. You’ll pay for this, I swear it.”
“Shut up, Skylar,” one of the female Council members said wearily. “It’s not helping your case.” All three had taken down their hoods, greatly lessening the mysterious and powerful presence they had commanded in the Wood Fortress.
“You can’t seriously believe what he said! He’s Lying!” Skylar exclaimed.
“What do you expect us to do?” Ryan asked fiercely. “We have no choice.”
“We should have a choice,” the third member mumbled.
“Enough,” Ryan said, slipping back into the mannerisms of a Council member. He stopped in front of a stone wall about six feet high with a wooden door in it. “Female Number Five, designated name Skylar—”
“Just call her Skylar,” the third member said, rolling her eyes.
Ryan glared at the young girl. “Skylar, we can go no further. You heard the punishment which was read to you. If you return to this side of the island, we will not be so lenient with how we prosecute you. I am sorry. As I said before, we have no choice.”
Skylar nodded curtly. “Believe me, as long as Gerard is the leader, I don’t want to go back.” With that, she pulled open the door and stepped over to the other side, then slammed it behind her. Almost immediately, two figures jumped from a tall tree and landed just a few feet away from Skylar.
The first thing she noticed was that both had fabric wrapped around their left arms to cover their burns. The boy was about a head shorter than the girl but stockier, while the girl was taller and extremely thin. Each had dark hair cut to exactly the same length: just above the shoulders. On the other side of the island, girls were required to let their hair grow as long as it could be, while boys had to have it cut short. Almost everything about them was in direct violation of the Council’s rules. They had been exiled, and now they were rebels.
The girl looked at her strangely. “You cover your arm. I thought that wasn’t allowed.”
“It’s not.”
“But you do it anyways?”
Skylar shrugged. “My Lies are permanent. But I don’t see any reason for everyone else to know how many and how long they are. It’s enough for me to be burdened with them.”
“Most Liars don’t believe that,” the girl said quizzically. “Good for you, though. What’s your name?”
“Sky… Female Number Five, designated name Skylar.”
The girl smiled. “Just Skylar would have been fine. I remember you now. You were almost the leader, but Gerard got more votes. I’m Roxie. This is Aaron. Welcome to our ‘venerable island.’”
“I voted for you,” Aaron said quietly. “Gerard seemed too much like my Lies.”
“What do you mean?” Skylar asked.
“I said I didn’t bully other kids on the playground. Those were my Lies.” He slowly unwound the fabric around his arm. “Three Lies, each one exactly an inch and a half long. Just long enough to get me sent here when I was ten.” Aaron held out his left arm and let Skylar see the three burns on his skin. “I outright Lied about bullying. Gerard covers it up and uses the Council to make it seem like the Liars are doing what he says of their own free will.”
Skylar fell silent for a few moments. Aaron was right. Gerard, at his core, was simply a bully, and Skylar had let herself fall into that trap of oppression he had laid for her, that he had set for all of the Liars. But she could do something about it. She had a choice.
“Skylar?” Roxie asked. “Are you alright?”
She shook her head. “I can’t stay here. I have to go back. I can fix this.”
Roxie gave her a skeptical look and said, “If you return your sentence will be harsher. The two of us went through the same thing you have. The evidence was faked or planted and now you’re paying the price, but it will be worse if you go back.”
“I know. But I can’t live my life thinking that all I am is a Liar, and that that is all I’ll ever be. I know I can change, but now I have to prove it,” Skylar said determinedly.
“Then good luck, Skylar,” Roxie said, and shook her hand. “If you can change yourself and the Liars, let us know. It would be nice to get back to civilization.”
“I’ll do my best.” Skylar turned around and faced the big wooden door again. With luck, it wouldn’t be locked. She reached out and grasped the handled, turned, and pushed. Apparently luck was on her side. It swung right open. With one last glance at the two casted out Liars, Skylar stepped through the door and ended up on the other side of the island once more.
The sun was setting by the time she reached the Wood Fortress. All of the Liars had already gathered for the evening meeting, and just before the doors closed, Skylar slipped inside and walked to the front of the room, disregarding the looks and whispers. Gerard stared her down like he knew what she was going to do.
“Hello, Gerard,” Skylar said. “How are things going? More to the point, I’m taking over the Liars.”
“Oh really?” Gerard said with a sneer.
“Yes, because I’ve realized something. The only reason you won the election for leader is because you scared everyone into it. But there were those who knew your tactics and didn’t fall quivering at your feet, so you took them out of the picture by banishing them. You tried to do that to me. I didn’t Lie those twenty seven times. The Lies I committed on this island were minor at most anyway. Yes, I was sent here because I Lied. Five Lies, specifically. Each one four inches long. They are a part of me, seared onto my skin and my heart, and they weigh me down every day. But I can change, I can be different, I can stop the Lies and I can save the Liars from a trap of our own making. And the first thing I am going to do is replace the person who does not care about helping the Liars, but instead commanding us and using us for whatever he wants. We can change, and even though I’m not someone who would think of myself as being the proof of that, I know that all of us can be the proof of that if we try. So let’s change this island. Let’s be better Liars, and better people. But most of all, let us never forget our Lies, and instead use them to accomplish the future we want most.”
Ryan, the Counsel member, stood and said, “Why don’t we take a revote? All in favor of removing Male Number Thirteen, designated name Gerard, from the position of leader and instating Female Number Five, designated name Skylar, into that same position?”
Eighteen hands went into the air.