E
Elara was transparent. Literally. You could see her veins, her muscles, her beating heart.
She was cursed. "The Truth Curse," the witch called it. "You can never hide anything."
Elara wore heavy clothes. She wore gloves. She wore a veil. She hated being seen.
She fell in love with a boy named Kian. Kian was a liar. He lied about his age, his job, his feelings.
"I love you," he told her.
Elara looked at his heart. It was beating steadily. Too steadily. It was a lie.
She took off her glove. She placed her glass hand on his chest. "Look at me," she said.
Kian looked. He saw her blood rushing. He saw her heart fluttering like a trapped bird.
"I am terrified," she said, pointing to her trembling lungs. "But I am real."
Kian broke. The facade crumbled. He wept. "I'm not a prince," he confessed. "I'm a stable boy."
"I know," Elara smiled, her glass cheeks flushing pink. "I saw the hay in your pocket."
They stayed together. Kian learned to be honest, because he had no choice. You can't lie to a girl who can see right through you.