The Truth

"August, Lyla."

I will tell you the truth. I will tell you the true not because of some moral obligation, but because the ability to lie was lashed out of me long ago. My name is… well, I will skip that for now. I have always found it strange that the first thing people find most intriguing about an individual when they first meet is a name. They ask for it as if it is the most precious thing they could ever obtain. They even offer their own as bargaining chip to obtain their true desire. Bt once they are finished with you, if they find nothing of interest, they throw it away as rubbish and never so much as think upon it again. I won't let that happen to my name. I will tell you about myself first so that if you even hear a whisper of my name, you will not forget it. You will never forget it.

"Chatham, Nathaneal"

"You know better than to lie to me, child. Did you think I wouldn't find out?" The anger in the large woman's stern voice was matched only by the intensity in which she gripped the large wooden paddle. Her calloused hands were no strangers to the art of punishment. A small wicked smile located just under her large flared nostrils was the only indication that the women was enjoying herself. Domination. It gave her great pleasure to be in control of those around her, and fear was the tool she used to get it. It was important that she be feared. If people didn't fear her, they would eventually try to take advantage of her. She couldn't have that. The fear gave her the power to bring order. The child standing in front of her now was trying to disrupt that order. There could be none of that.

"I did it, Miss Skacker. It was me." The child's voice, while strong, betrayed a hint of fear. The child's small frame shook, failing at the attempts to keep rigid. The eyes, however, were unwavering. Brave, if not a bit stupid.

"Why do you persist on hiding the truth from me, child? You gain nothing from this but pain." Someone had stolen food from the kitchen. Only a loaf of bread had been taken, but with the little money there was for food, it meant less for everyone else. The rest of the children would suffer for the actions of a few, maybe even just one. They had a rough enough life as it was. Abandoned or orphaned, all of them had come to her looking for someone who would care for them. Miss Skacker had taken them in and gave them what they needed. She ruled with an iron fist and enjoyed it, but she cared for them none-the-less. Selfishness would not be tolerated. Looking back down at the child, it seemed as if her face might soften. The kid under her was not a thief. Just a good kid who was willing to suffer so another wouldn't. The good intentions, however, were not appreciated.

"Cornerstone, Malik"

"Do you think you are doing them a favor?" The child refused to speak. It was almost as if they wanted to be punished. The large women sighed. "You protect them from the punishment they deserve. You think you are helping them, but in fact, they are taking advantage of you. Do you think this will teach them their lesson?" Miss Skacker gripped the paddle tighter at the child's silence.

"They will eventually be caught. Do you know why?" She paused for a moment as if waiting for an answer but continued too quickly for the young one to speak. "It is because they will steal again. Since they got away the first time, there is nothing stopping them from coming back. I just hope it won't be too late to wipe away any joy they might have felt for the thievery." Pulling down the child's breeches, Miss Skacker bent the kid over.

"I hope this will teach you not to lie again. Lies have a way of hurting everyone. Especially the one who uttered them." The sound of wood hitting flesh filled the air and a scream of pain quickly followed.

That was a good memory do you not think? A good memory… but not a good place to start. It does give you a little insight to why I don't lie, but not enough to know the true reason. Besides, that is too far back in history. I won't bore you with a time when even I didn't know who I was. Let me see… where should I start…?

"Delaney, Isobel"

Ahhh… Can you hear it? The names are being called. They are familiar aren't they?

"Samuels, Jonathan"

Do you remember that day? I know you do. Everyone remembers that day. They remember the fear, the excitement, the joy. It was perfect.

"Valore, Rose"

It was perfect indeed. And a perfect place to start. You are having a hard time finding me aren't you? You wouldn't be listening to this if you weren't. Do you want to find me? Stop me? Know who I am? Then you will need to listen. Each recording, each memory I send you will give you more information to who I am. If you pay attention, you just might get your answer. But listen carefully. For you will only be able to view each one once. A little bit of magic has ensured that. And don't try to break the charms on them. If you try to tamper with any of the memories, you will not be able to view them in your Pensieve. You can trust me on that. Like I said, I do not lie.

"Woodsworth, Shaden"

These memories are not all mine. That would make it too easy for you. I had to collect these over the year. I couldn't have anyone figuring things out. Why am I risking it now, you might ask. We will talk about that later. There is no fun in telling you everything now. You are the Great Detective Woodsworth. Wouldn't want to insult your talent by making it easy. But enough talking. Are you ready to begin? Do you know where we are going to start? I had hoped the names would have helped. The Sorting. Well, just before the sorting to be exact. I hope you enjoy this trip down Memory Lane. Just remember to pay attention. Don't miss a thing. If you fail at this, I won't stop until they are all dead. All but you dear friend. And when you are left all alone in your madness, maybe I will be merciful and kill you too.

With that, the message ended. Leaning back into the chair of his office desk, the man slowly began to massage his temples with his index finger and thumb. It was going to be a very long week for Detective Shaden Lee Woodsworth.

Alight, I know that may have been confusing, but I wanted to try writing in a different style. Let me know if you thought it was interesting or terrible. I will explain things more in the next chapter. This is more or less just a prologue to see what people think.