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And True is with me

It would be safer if he stayed behind, but I don’t know if I would wish him away

"What do you s you canof the metal fish, the eels, the locks And then I realize that of course that’s not what Trueimmune But ould Nevio send True up with us? There are many other people in Atlantia who are is, and they’re not here

"No," True says He takes a deep breath "Rio, I haven’t told you everything"

What else can there be? He’s i? Isn’t that enough secrets? "What is it?" I ask

"I can tell when a siren is lying," he says His voice sounds shaky "Once I knehat Nevio was, I listened carefully And I could tell that he lied in the broadcast when he said the breach was an accident Someone caused it"

"Who?" I ask

"I don’t know," True says

I glance at Maire I remember how I saw her down in the deep to do with the break

"I didn’t help them," she says "It was Nevio, and the Council They altered the controls and compromised the pressurization system They wanted the deepmarket dead"

"I believe her," True says

Maire smiles She does not seem surprised at True’s secret But I a able to do this," I say

"I know," True says "I hadn’t, either"

"So you’re iht, "and you knohen they’re lying?"

"Yes," True says

"How can you be sure?" I ask, because how could anyone know that?

True shrugs "Things have happened," he says "I know" The laugh lines, the sun on his skin, the brown and gold of his eyes--it is all still the same He’s still the same But I should have known there was even more to him, that all the e ofback part of yourself He knohat it’s like to have depths that others don’t, that are dangerous to share

"So I’ll have to take your word for it"

True nods

"Even though you’ve lied toto put up one last wall

"I didn’t lie," True says "I had secrets I wasn’t sure I could tell you You felt the saht, of course I never did let hiet to the Above

"Does it ith people who aren’t sirens?"