CAGI Finalist #21

Title: WHITE LIES

Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy

Word Count: 65,000

Query:

For sixteen-year-old Dylan Lord, lying was never a problem… until Jack showed up. Now, a lie can be fatal.

Ever since Dylan met Jack, every lie she tells, every lie she hears, causes physical pain. From her mother’s, “I love you,” in the morning, to her best friend’s, “I hate you,” to her own refusal to admit her feelings for Jack, each lie hurts. The bigger the lie, the bigger the slice that appears on her body. When Jack proves he has the exact same cuts she does, Dylan doesn’t want to believe it. She doesn’t want to admit she is becoming like him. But after one more lie, Dylan knows she is far from fine and neither is Jack.

Dylan doesn’t want to be a walking lie detector. And as if things weren’t hard enough, the only way to heal the cuts is by hearing the truth. The longer she avoids the truth, and the more lies she ignores, the weaker she and Jack become. Dylan has to get the truth soon. Not all lies can be covered with a Band-Aid. Some lies can kill. With time running out, Dylan must search for the truth. Because if she can't get the truth, she won’t be the only one who dies.

First 250:

Shoveling the last bite of pizza into her mouth, Dylan slid out of the booth at her favorite pizza shop. As she stood, she almost choked on the pizza, surprised by some guy standing right in front of her booth. The empty plate and half finished soda were just inches from his shirt. Dylan looked down and watched as slowly the soda sloshed and jumped the distance to splash dead center on his chest.  

The guy smirked at her and looked down at his shirt before returning his gaze Dylan.

She swallowed and quickly put her drink and plate down, adding another grease stain to her Algebra homework. “Jimmy, throw me a towel will ya?”

“What’d ya do this time?” Jimmy strolled out from the back with a towel and handed it to Dylan. “You’re the sloppiest person I’ve ever met.”

Dylan rolled her eyes turned her attention back to the guy. He hadn’t moved as the soda trailed down his shirt. She held the towel out to him. “Um, sorry.”

His smirk spread.

She silently cursed the blush she felt creeping up her cheeks.

He reached out for the towel not taking his eyes from hers and shrugged. “No worries. You didn’t see me coming.”

Dylan watched him rub the spot soaking up some of the moisture before wiping his hands clean. He threw the towel back on the counter before looking back at her.