"No", Julian answered, glaring at the monster, but speaking to Janie. "If it were true and all was fake, we wouldn't be here now. Think about it ... wasn't all this thing did to make us stop seeing what is wrong here?"

It might have been easier to enjoy the happiness without worrying about all the bad things, but it had felt very real to him. What he knew was real was that he didn't want it to be fake.

"And since when do we need a parasitic monster to feel happiness?" he therefore added defiantly.