THE WISDOM OF THE IVYVERSE

       Even before he acquired much knowledge about the human world and language, Weaver made this observation:

I think these people lie to each other a lot. —Weaver, Negative One, 0062

       Everyone lies, and everyone’s been bitten by a lie—either by telling one that comes back to haunt, or by being lied to by a person who should have told the truth. You stand to build better relationships in every area of life if you avoid lying:

“But they can’t be comfortable with us if we don’t help them understand us . . . if we just lie all the time, how will they ever trust us?” —Ivy, Book 4, Chapter 43

       Unfortunately, some people don’t learn from their mistakes, and lying to people you care about is almost always going to be a mistake. Ivy thinks she’s lying about her abilities in order to protect her friends, but when they find out, this is the typical reaction:

“[B]ut still, you should of told us. It’s kind of a shock, especially considering the kind of things you were hiding.” —Mandy, Book 2, Chapter 20

       She came clean with these friends and their relationship continued mostly as normal, but at a later stage in her life, Ivy decides to try to lie about the unusual aspects of her life in order to try to experience a “normal” friendship with Todd. Ruben does not approve.

“I know you’re confused. But what you’re doing . . . it’s wrong and you know it. You’re not just omitting anymore.” —Ruben, Book 5, Chapter 8

       Zeke more or less agrees, though he is more of the opinion that Ivy should do as she pleases:

“You’ve learned this lesson before. You’re not normal. You’re not a very good liar and you’re practically handicapped without your power. You’ve already been through this. . . . ” —Zeke, Book 5, Chapter 6

       Ivy certainly has compelling reasons to keep up her façade, but they are based on dishonesty:

I liked pretending I was normal, and I liked keeping a secret. It was inconvenient, yes. It was morally questionable, yes. But it felt good. . . . I realized that being one of them was fun. . . . He couldn’t see it on my face that I didn’t belong in this world. —Ivy, Book 5, Chapter 4

       Ivy’s attempts to be normal in order to continue her friendship with Todd do not end up working. She loses a friend because of it. She might not have gotten to keep Todd anyway even if she’d been honest, but spoils won dishonestly eventually become more bitter than sweet anyway.

       Ironically, Ivy gave Bailey this advice in Book 4 before disobeying it herself in Book 5:

“If they wouldn’t be friends with someone who can teleport, you shouldn’t be pretending you meet their requirements.” —Ivy, Book 4, Chapter 43

       Bailey thinks the advice is bunk:

“‘Tell the truth, then let everyone dump you, and live your life lonely and sad. At least you did the right thing.’ I don’t see how that could be right if I feel like it’s a punishment!” —Bailey, Book 4, Chapter 43

       They come to the conclusion together that revealing personal secrets is important if you want people to also be honest with you. But you have the right to keep certain things to yourself. It’s just important to allow full disclosure in any relationship that goes very far beneath the surface, and in any situation whose importance is high.