Nine Letters Long

by J. C. Burke

  ‘Say sex,’ they hear Zac call.

  ‘Sex!’ Roxy chimes.

  ‘We saved you a spot,’ Poppy tells them.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Alex drapes her arms around Zac and whispers something in his ear. He nods, pushing his nose up with his finger. Alex lets a laugh escape. Poppy looks at Evie and frowns. Evie shrugs it off.

  ‘Hey, they can’t push in,’ says the girl in the queue next to Poppy. ‘They weren’t here before.’

  ‘They just went to the loo,’ Poppy tells her.

  ‘So?’

  ‘So we saved them a spot,’ Zac adds. ‘Okay?’

  ‘No, not okay,’ another girl says. ‘They can’t just push in.’

  ‘They’re not,’ Roxy whines. ‘They’re with us. So just mind your own business.’

  ‘Piss off,’ says the first girl. ‘You mind your own business. We weren’t even talking to you.’

  ‘No, you piss off,’ Roxy retorts. ‘My friends are my business.’

  ‘Yeah, well, tell your fat friend she can’t just jump the queue.’

  ‘Fat? Look who’s talking.’

  ‘Yeah?’ says the girl back to Roxy. ‘Do you always wear your hair like a poodle or is it that you can’t help looking like a dog.’

  ‘Takes one to know one,’ Alex pipes up. ‘You’re obviously a descendant of the pit bull, or is it the pug?’

  Poppy nudges Evie. Zac starts howling like a hound.

  ‘Well, I’m surprised you’ve even lined up for the dodgems,’ she bites back at Alex. ‘Do you really think your fat arse is going to fit in the seat?’

  Alex’s skin flushes pink. ‘Stupid bitch,’ she says under her breath.

  ‘Hey,’ the girl says to Zac. ‘Does she pay you to go out with her or is it just ’cause she gives good head?’ They burst out laughing.

  ‘You slut,’ Zac spits. He then hisses something in another language. Evie catches the last word – ‘curva’. She’s sure of it. Roxy nods and repeats it too. This time Evie hears it, clear and precise. ‘Curva.’

  ‘Stand back,’ the man yells as he unlocks the barrier. Evie is pushed up against the ramp as the queue starts charging to the cars.

  ‘Hurry up,’ he says to her, ‘or you’ll miss out.’

  Evie stumbles across the black rubber floor, the word ‘curva’ shrieking in her head. People are sitting in the cars staring at her. She stumbles around them like a drunk but all the cars are full. Their faces are leering, their arms are pointing, but she can’t hear them. All she can hear is a voice in her head that screeches, ‘curva, curva, curva.’

  ‘Hey!’ A man in blue overalls runs over and gives her a gentle push. ‘Get in the car, princess.’ He wraps the belt around her and starts yelling in her ear as the dodgems begin to bump and slam into her. ‘The pedal. Put your foot on the pedal.’

  She obeys. The car jerks forward and the man jumps off.

  Around and around it goes like a whirlpool, as if somebody else is turning the wheel. Poppy squeals and waves. Zac and Alex ram into the side of her. Alex is laughing hysterically, her mouth stretched and mocking. Zac is singing at the top of his voice. Evie’s hears him loud and operatic above the crowd. ‘Currrvvvvaaa. Currrrvvvaaa Currrvvvaaa.’ Her car keeps spinning. It’s going nowhere.

  ‘What’re you doing, princess?’ The man in the blue overalls jumps back on and grabs the steering wheel. ‘You’ve got to stay on the outside. You’ll get into trouble in the middle.’

  ‘Huh?’ There’s so much noise.

  ‘Sexbomb Sexbomb,’ the music screams.

  ‘Haven’t you driven these before?’ he yells. Evie looks up at him. His toothless mouth grins at her as he steers the car around the outside of the rink. Evie sits there frozen.

  On the train home, Evie doesn’t speak. She’s not sure if it’s because she doesn’t want to or can’t. At least she managed to wing it through the rest of the night. But not without suspicion. Alex’s eyes are on her.

  Still Evie just stares out the carriage window, watching the others through the reflection in the glass. Zac and Alex lie all over each other. Alex isn’t even speaking to her now.

  ‘It’s such a shame Sebby couldn’t come,’ Roxy says, stretching out on the seat. Anton pushes her up. ‘Get off.’

  ‘He really wanted to, Roxy,’ Alex says. ‘Didn’t he, Zac? I think it was his little sister’s birthday.’

  Evie listens. She knows Seb doesn’t have a little sister.

  ‘Is your mum picking you up at the bus-stop?’ Alex asks Poppy.

  ‘No. I’m staying at Evie’s.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘You’re quiet,’ Poppy says when they get off at Central Station. ‘You okay?’

  ‘Tell you later,’ Evie whispers.

  ‘Anton’s not pissed with you,’ Poppy tells her. ‘I asked him just before.’

  ‘Alex is.’

  ‘What’s her problem?’ Poppy and Evie walk behind the others. ‘She’s being such a bitch.’

  Evie shrugs.

  ‘I can’t believe what Anton told me.’

  ‘What?’ Evie says.

  ‘I’ll tell you that later, too.’

  They go down the stairs to the tunnel that leads to the buses. Evie stops at the last step, pretending to fiddle with her shoe. Poppy waits with her.

  ‘Hey, Pop,’ she whispers. ‘Do us a favour.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Can you ask Roxy what curva means.’

  ‘Curva?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Evie stands up and they start walking again. ‘Roxy and Zac said it to those girls in the dodgem queue.’

  ‘Okay,’ Poppy says. ‘Curva?’

  ‘Yep. Curva.’

  ‘Hey, Roxy,’ Poppy calls, her voice echoing through the tunnel. ‘What did it mean when you said curvato those girls?’

  Evie holds her breath.

  Roxy stops and waits for them to catch up. ‘Ah. You speak Romanian, my friend,’ she says in an accent. ‘You’re a very –’

  Zac’s voice cuts in, bouncing off the walls around them. ‘Slut!’ it booms. ‘Curvameans slut.’

  Poppy lies in Evie’s bed. Evie is on a mattress on the floor.

  ‘That was a weird night,’ Poppy says. ‘Alex is soooo uptight.’

  ‘She wants everything to be perfect.’

  ‘Well, “Miss Priss Trying to be Perfect” is the complete psycho bitch at the moment. I can’t believe she hassled you like that in the toilet.’ Poppy rolls over on her side and looks down at Evie. ‘You know that was bullshit, what she said about Seb?’

  Evie nods.

  ‘Who told you?’

  ‘No one,’ Evie answers. ‘I just knew Alex was lying. Besides, Seb doesn’t have a little sister.’

  ‘I didn’t think of that. Anton told me it was a load of crap.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Seb told Zac he didn’t want to come ’cause he’d feel uncomfortable with you and Anton. That was just meant to be for Zac’s ears but Zac told Alex. Alex told Anton and then Anton told me on the way home. They’ve all got big mouths.’

  ‘Poor Seb.’

  ‘That’s the other thing. Anton said Seb has the shits with Zac, anyway.’

  ‘How come?’

  ‘He didn’t say. That’s when I asked Anton if he was pissed off with you. He said, “It’s not Evie’s fault; it’s Alex trying to be the big match-maker.” He then slipped in that you’re not his type, which I so don’t believe.’

  Evie giggles. ‘That’s what I said.’

  ‘You’ve got to admit he’s gorgeous, Evie.’

  ‘Yeah, he’s okay,’ Evie says. ‘Just not my type.’

  ‘He reminded me of silverboy, that guy you used to have a crush on at the markets.’

  ‘Exactly, used to.’ Evie tells her. ‘He was okay until he opened his mouth.’

  ‘So, who is your type?’

  Evie lies on her back, pressing her lips together.

  ‘Evie?’

  ‘Sometimes I
think I like … Seb.’

  ‘I wondered about that.’

  ‘In fact, sometimes I think I might like him a lot.’ Evie can’t help smiling. ‘And I know he’s not interested in Roxy. He even told us that time, remember? So why has Alex got it in her head that he is?’

  ‘You want to know my theory?’ Poppy asks her. ‘You might think it’s a bit out there but I reckon Alex is threatened by Roxy.’

  ‘She’s threatened by something, that’s for sure. I can see it all over her face. But Roxy?’

  ‘Yep,’ Poppy says. ‘Like I said, it’s a bit out there, but think about it – Roxy and Zac have known each other all their lives. Their families even go away together. You should have seen Alex’s face when you guys came back from the loo and Zac was taking her photo.’

  ‘Yeah, but it’s not Roxy. I just don’t feel that about her,’ Evie answers. ‘Roxy’s harmless. She wouldn’t hurt Alex. Poor Al – she’s just obsessed with the boyfriend thing.’

  ‘Just a tad,’ Poppy laughs. ‘Did you hear them on the bus going on about some family do they were going to tomorrow? Zac kept saying, “Is Dana coming?” Alex couldn’t handle it. She kept saying, “Talk to me, Zac, talk to me.” He just ignored her.’

  ‘I don’t like him.’

  ‘I don’t either,’ Poppy agrees. ‘How about the way he yelled in the tunnel? “Slut.” His voice sounded … evil.’

  ‘You’re right.’

  ‘How come you wanted to know what that word meant?’

  The saliva catches in Evie’s throat. She pushes it down. ‘I’ve had more messages from … Caz.’

  Poppy sits up. ‘When?’

  ‘Ages. It pretty much hasn’t stopped.’

  ‘Come up here,’ Poppy says, throwing back the doona. ‘What’s she said?’

  Evie snuggles up next to her. It feels so right to be doing this, she thinks. That’s why Victoria was so sure.

  ‘One of the messages I got, in fact the last one, had the word curvain it.’

  ‘Ooh,’ Poppy squeals. ‘I’ve got goose bumps.’

  ‘Let me tell you, I’ve had more than goose bumps. It’s been pretty full on.’

  ‘Yeah? Like how?’

  Evie gives Poppy the exercise book to read. Poppy’s eyes almost grow stalks.

  ‘Oh my god,’ she gasps with each page. ‘This is … oh my god.’

  ‘So if I’ve been acting a little weird, well, now you know why.’

  ‘I think you’ve been acting very normal,’ Poppy tells her. ‘Considering.’

  ‘You know that lady Victoria, the one that’s … like me.’ Evie can’t work out how to say this. ‘She said she thought, maybe … maybe Caz wanted …’

  Poppy’s nodding with each word. ‘Wanted … yeah?’

  ‘Well, like maybe needed my … friends to … to help.’

  Poppy’s eyes grow wide again. ‘Should we do a séance now?’

  ‘No,’ Evie laughs. The relief is enormous. She can almost see the weight floating away. ‘I got busted by Dad last week.’

  ‘Doing a séance?’

  ‘Yeah, I’d just finished one. He wasn’t happy because you know I have this deal with them that I’m meant to be all open about it, which of course I’m not.’ Evie hugs her knees. ‘Anyway, I promised Dad I wouldn’t do anything until I got the okay from Victoria ’cause she knows about this stuff.’

  ‘So, what are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going to Victoria’s tomorrow. I’m shitting my pants about it, too,’ Evie tells her. ‘We’re doing another séance with Caz’s mother. That whole family gives me the creeps.’

  ‘Right,’ Poppy chuckles. ‘What are you doing tomorrow? Oh, I’m just going over to a friend’s house to do a séance.’

  Evie starts laughing, too. Soon the girls are killing themselves. Rolling around on the bed and kicking their legs in the air.

  ‘Sshh.’ Evie clutches her stomach. ‘We’ll wake the oldies.’

  ‘And Caz’s mother runs the Penis Abuser. Now that is funny!’ Poppy squeals. ‘Hey, I just thought of something you could have asked Roxy about it. Her sister Dana’s the receptionist there.’

  ‘I thought about it, but after the little abuse session with Alex in the bathroom I lost my nerve.’

  ‘I’ll do some research for you. Detective Poppy Kaldor, PI.’

  ‘It’s the sister, Paris, I need to know about. I’m kind of on a major avoidance thing there. There’s something about her that freaks me out.’

  ‘Like what sort of thing?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Whatever it is has to be tied up with what Caz is trying to tell me.’ Evie stares at the bedroom ceiling, thinking about Paris’s face the first time she saw her. ‘There’s something really dark about that girl.’

  ‘You mean she’s evil or something?’

  ‘No, not like that. I mean like a sadness, but the deepest, darkest sadness you could ever imagine. I felt it when I saw her. It was really horrible and I just don’t want to get that feeling again. Chicken, eh?’

  ‘I wonder why she makes you feel like that.’

  Evie swallows. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘So she works at the Penis on the weekend?’

  ‘Yeah, on Saturdays mostly. She’s really, I mean seriously, anorexic,’ Evie tells her. ‘Do you think you’ve seen her before?’

  ‘No way,’ Poppy answers. ‘It’s Alex who’s always had the fascination with that place, not me. I reckon she secretly wants to go there.’

  ‘And this is the one time I know I can’t trust Alex.’ Softly, Evie adds, ‘Poor Al. She’ll come around but she’s going to get badly hurt on the way. I can see it in her eyes.’

  ‘Good luck,’ Poppy whispers to Evie the next morning, as she gets out of the car. ‘Thanks for the lift home,’ she says to Evie’s dad.

  ‘No worries, Poppy,’ he smiles. ‘Say hi to your parents.’

  They drive off and the tension seeps back into the front.

  ‘I’m really not comfortable about Robin being in the dark about this, Evie.’ He turns the radio off. ‘I think after today we should tell her. Don’t you?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Why don’t you want to tell her?’

  ‘Are you for real, Dad? Like, hello.’

  They take the turn-off to the eastern suburbs. ‘How much therapy and reassurance does she have to give you before you … you trust her again? Eh?’

  ‘Dad, it’s not that I don’t trust her. She’s my mother.’ Evie sighs. ‘I just feel weird about telling her these things. It’s still pretty new, remember? I mean, I wish I could be normal for her, but I can’t.’

  ‘Don’t you think she knows that?’ Nick brakes at the red light, a little too hard. The tyres squeak. ‘Your mother’s worked hard on accepting and understanding that you’re –’

  ‘Don’t say special, Dad!’

  ‘Okay, gifted. Is that better?’ He looks at her. ‘You know what kills me, Evie? She thinks she’s doing so well. She thinks she’s made so much progress with you, and it gives her such a buzz. And here we are, driving off to Victoria’s while she’s at home, thinking we’re giving her some peace so she can mark her students’ essays.’ He speeds off at the green light. ‘I think that’s really sad.’

  Evie chews at her lip, feeling cranky. Why do they have to talk about this? Why now? Doesn’t he know she has other things on her mind? Is this all he cares about?

  ‘Ring me when you’re finished,’ Nick says, pulling up outside the block of flats. ‘Are you …’

  ‘I’m fine.’ Evie gets out of the car and slams the door. It’s not until she’s on the third flight of stairs that she hears him drive away.

  Victoria’s making the obligatory plunger of coffee. Evie leans against the kitchen bench.

  ‘What’s wrong, Evie?’

  ‘Dad keeps going on about Mum. Mum’s fine. She’s just going about her business. He doesn’t seem to understand that I can’t be instant best-friendsy daughter. Things take time
and I’m still not used to it.’

  ‘Are you trying?’

  ‘I am a bit preoccupied at the moment,’ she grumbles. ‘You’d think Dad’d be aware of that.’

  ‘Ah, Evie, he’s always supported you, unconditionally, in his quest to protect you from something he feels he handed on to you.’ She follows Victoria into the living room. ‘But now he wants it to work as a family and you’re not used to that. You’ve always had him to yourself.’

  Her words sting because they’re true. Evie knows this just from the fact they come from Victoria’s mind. A mind that sees the deeper layers, too.

  ‘Give it time, dear,’ Victoria tells her. ‘But try to be a little more open.’

  Evie sits at the table, running her finger along the letters on the ouija board. She wants to get off the topic of her mother. It’s confusing her, and her mind needs to be clear.

  ‘So Nora didn’t flip out about coming today?’

  ‘No more than usual. “Oh, I have so much to do; I’m so busy; can’t you come to my place? I hope that girl doesn’t waste my time again.” Just the standard Nora whinging.’ Victoria places the candles on the table. ‘You didn’t bring your book, did you?’

  ‘No way.’

  ‘Good. I’ll give you some paper to write on. That’s if she comes.’

  ‘Who, Nora?’ asks Evie.

  ‘Oh, Nora will come. She bellyaches about everything but she’ll be here,’ Victoria replies. ‘It was Caz I was talking about.’

  ‘Caz will come,’ Evie says. ‘Actually, I think she’s already here.’

  Victoria suddenly stops looking around the room. ‘What do you feel?’

  ‘It’s not what I feel, it’s that smell,’ Evie explains.

  ‘It’s funny,’ Victoria sniffs at the air. ‘I can’t smell a thing.’

  Evie pulls a face.

  ‘It seems Caz is reluctant to share anything with an adult. Sometime in her life she must’ve been very let down by one,’ Victoria says. ‘Nora would be my guess. I can’t see who else it would be.’

  ‘It’s her mother, for sure.’ Evie lights the candles. ‘It’s like she has no idea anyone else in the world exists except herself.’

  ‘That’s how she’s survived,’ Victoria answers.