Caught Inside

by Mandi Greenwood

  'Shall I go and talk to her?' Cate wondered.

  'It wouldn't help.' Stewart shook his head hopelessly. 'Thanks anyway, Cate. I'll go find her. Maybe take her home. Looks like the party's over for me before it's even started.' Without another word, he followed Willa up the stairs and out of sight.

  Hobbits Going Crazy in the Mosh-pit

  Chandra looked about. 'This place is brilliant!'

  In front of them was the packed dance floor. They could see the DJ through the swirling clouds issuing from the smoke machine, and directly in front and below the DJ was a very lively mosh pit.

  To their left, at the stern of the Sally May, were clusters of chairs and tables and a bar. To their right, in the bow of the boat, was the spiral staircase that Willa had disappeared up some ten or fifteen minutes before.

  'Ooh, look at the lights!' Aisley caught hold of Chandra's hand as she gazed around. They were strung everywhere, festoons of fairy lights in rainbow colours all along the walls like pretty strings of colourful pearls. Seemingly endless strands of them were draped over the big coils of maritime rope that hung on the rails and the combined effect of the lights and the strobe made for an enchanting, dream-like atmosphere.

  They found more festoons of lights when they climbed to the second floor. Streamers made from pale pink gauze hung like cobwebs from the overhead beams, creating an ethereal canopy for the wicker couches and armchairs placed randomly below them.

  'This is very romantic,' Archie told Cate conversationally. 'Care to make out on one of those sofas, honey-bun?'

  Cate pulled a face. 'You know Drew's coming, right?'

  'Yeah, but he's not here yet,' Archie said optimistically.

  All sorts of delicious smells were emanating from the nearby galley and waiters kept emerging carrying trays of food. Chandra snatched a sausage roll from a passing tray and made it disappear.

  'Note to self,' he said. 'Food available on this…oomph!' A small, blonde thing hurtled into his arms, almost knocking him over backwards. It was Freya.

  'Hey!' she cried. 'You look outstanding!' She grabbed hold of Archie next. 'And I can tell it's you, Arch. What a fabulous costume!'

  'You're a vampire, Freya!' Aisley gave her a birthday kiss. 'You do it well.'

  'Thank you.' Freya bared her fangs in a most disconcerting manner. 'I'm part of a double act. Lucan's around here somewhere and he's Count Vlad Dracula.'

  'I guessed you two might do something like that,' Aisley said.

  Freya fluffed up the petticoats of her gothic black gown. 'It wasn't too difficult to talk Lucan into a vampire costume. As you can imagine, it really suits him.'

  'He's so Emo,' said Cate. 'How could it not?'

  After Freya headed downstairs to dance, Aisley and the others kept exploring the Sally May, with Archie leading the way to the top deck.

  'I almost told Freya about Willa's hissy-fit,' Aisley admitted to Cate as they climbed the spiral stairs. 'But then I decided against it. I don't want to spoil her night.'

  'Willa needs to get over herself,' Cate said. 'Not everything is about her.'

  'Do you think that's how she sees it?'

  'Absolutely,' Cate replied. 'Don't get me wrong, I like her. But I think she's a bit precious sometimes and it wears me out.'

  A captain's wheelhouse crowned the top deck, flanked by two tall funnels. An Australian flag hung from a pole at the stern, flapping lazily in the breezy night air. They walked around the deck until they found the door to the wheelhouse, and as soon as they did, Archie darted inside and spun the big wheel.

  'To Tattoine!' he wheezed, pointing ahead. 'Tonight we destroy the rebel base! Take no-one alive!'

  Chandra pulled a face at Aisley. 'He has no clue,' he told her. 'This is a boat, not a freakin' spaceship.'

  He marched inside and wrestled the wheel from Archie. 'You can't be a ship captain,' he argued reasonably. 'You're an imperial war-lord from another universe.'

  'Ahah! Archie elbowed him away 'But you forget. I am all powerful with the dark side of the force, and that, my weak humanoid friend, is trans-universal.'

  'Nuh uh!'

  'Yes!'

  'Have you not noticed my clothes?' Chandra clutched at his pirate shirt. 'I belong here. This is my territory. So please get your arse away from my wheel before I stab you and pull your manky guts out!'

  Archie gave Chandra a hip and shoulder. 'No chance,' he wheezed. 'I see you forgot to bring your sword along this evening.

  'Cutlass!' Chandra spat.

  'What did you just call me?'

  'Cutlass,' Chandra puffed, hanging on to the wheel and shoving Archie aside again. 'That's the proper name for a pirate sword, you wally.'

  'Really?' Archie stopped wrestling. 'Are you sure?'

  'Sure I'm sure,' Chandra took hold of the wheel and spun it back the other way. 'And I should know. I'm the pirate here.'

  'I thought a cutlass was a type of fish?'

  'That's a cuttlefish!'

  'Serious?'

  'Yes! Now get lost!'

  'No! You get lost!'

  They slapped and pushed at one another, neither of them backing down. Outside on the deck, Aisley and Cate exchanged a look.

  'They're not going to stop anytime soon, are they?' Aisley asked.

  'Nope.' Cate smoothed her ruffled skirt which kept trying to fly up in the breezy air. 'I vote we go and dance. What say you, my little rose of India?'

  'I say lead me to that mosh-pit!' Aisley followed her back to the stairs, her bracelets jingling. 'Maybe we'll see them later … after one of them becomes master of the universe.'

  Aisley squinted through the strobing smoke of the crowded dance floor, trying to see who she recognized. It was tricky to make out anybody at first. How many guests did Freya invite again? Fifty? A hundred? It looked more liked five hundred!

  'Can you see Drew anywhere?' Cate yelled in her ear. 'I thought he'd be here by now.'

  'Hard to say,' Aisley yelled back. 'What's his costume?'

  'Heavy metal rock-star.'

  'Can't see anyone like that,' Aisley called over the music. 'There's a Michael Jackson over there. And I see what I think is supposed to be an Elvis. No heavy metal rock-stars though.'

  'He'd better come,' Cate frowned.

  'Why wouldn't he? He was invited, and you're here.'

  Cate shrugged. 'He's with Troy. Sometimes they get … distracted.'

  Mr Spock was standing nearby, nursing a Coke and attempting to engage in conversation with one of the Teletubbies, an admirable feat, considering the music volume. Intrigued, Aisley made her way over to them, dying to see who the Teletubbie was.

  Mr Spock turned out to be Alex Chan, a year twelve boy from school and he greeted them, managing to look shy and sociable at the same time.

  'So,' said Aisley, 'Who's inside La La?'

  The Teletubbie took off his head and turned out to be Brice Daly. 'Do not be getting me confused with that yellow bitch,' he snarled. 'I'm Tinky Winky!'

  Aisley laughed with delight. 'Oh I am sorry,' she giggled. 'I didn't realise you were so sensitive about it.'

  'I don't like to talk about it,' Brice said primly. 'Me and La La … we have … history.'

  'Ooh!' Alex wiggled his fingers in the air. 'Scandals backstage on The Teletubbies set!'

  'Keep it to yourself, pal!' Brice growled stabbing Alex in the chest with his finger. He grinned and they all cracked up laughing. 'Want to dance, ladies?'

  'Okay,' Cate said. 'But only if you put your head back on. You're kind of creeping me out right now.'

  He obliged, cramming the head of the costume down over his face, and then he grabbed their hands, one in each giant, purple paw, and dragged them into the very middle of the large crowd.

  In a bizarre clash of fantasy cultures, Aisley spotted an Iron Man, a Loki, and a couple of Hobbits going crazy in the mosh-pit. A very short basket-baller, Michael Jackson, and three… count them… three zombies were all taking turns to show off their exceptional hip-h
op skills. Marilyn Monroe was dancing with a matching Batman and Robin pair, and several Australian Rules footballers were lined up at the bar. Birthday girl, Freya, was dancing with Lucan and a very convincing Spiderman, not too far away. Freya was madly waving her hands around above her head which made Aisley smile.

  She people-watched some more. There was Bria Moore, who'd come as a witch. Bria was talking to a guy Aisley vaguely recognised from school who was wearing an impressive Super Mario costume. There was a cute girl dressed as Tinkerbell dancing with the two Lady Gaga look-alikes who'd made Willa jealous earlier.

  Tinkerbell was very familiar but the blonde wig she was wearing was throwing Aisley. After a moment, she recognised her. It was Megan Davies, Bliss Anderson's former best friend. She spotted Aisley just then and waved, her face a happy glow. Aisley waved back.

  She thought of Bliss, pregnant and seventeen in Salbury. She hadn't mentioned seeing Bliss to anyone and as far as she knew, Cate hadn't either. She wondered if she should talk about it with Megan but decided the timing was wrong. Freya's party was not the place for that.

  After another song the music changed to a slower tempo and Tinky Winky grabbed Aisley's hands, pulling her into a slow dance. It was like being suffocated by a walking mattress. 'Eww, Brice!' she cried, finally breaking free. 'I can't dirty dance with a Teletubbie. I'm sorry but it's just wrong on so many levels!'

  Brice clapped his purple paws and bounced gleefully until Cate prodded him hard in the belly. 'I think you're too fat,' she told him. 'You need to develop an exercise routine.'

  Brice had to take his head off again for some air. He was sweating profusely.

  'It's bloody hot in there!' he gasped, fanning his face with one purple paw. 'I can hardly breathe.'

  'It's not designed for dancing in, I guess,' Aisley replied.

  'Got that right,' he puffed. 'Lemme' just take a break for a minute.' He tucked the costume head under his arm. 'So, where's Chan? I thought he'd be back by now.'

  'He is. He's around here somewhere. Just look for the pirate.'

  Cate got impatient. 'Come on,' she begged Brice. 'Put your head back on and dance with us.'

  'But I'm dying of heat exhaustion!'

  'Please. I love this song!'

  'Okay, okay.'

  After the next song, Chandra appeared, elbowing his way through the crowd. He wrapped his arms around Aisley from the back.

  'Archie wore me down,' he told her. 'But it's all good because I got revenge.'

  'How did you do that?'

  He beamed cheerfully, spinning her around to face him. 'I ate all the mini dim sims at the upstairs bar because I know they're his favourites. Hah! Vengeance is sweet.'

  'Good job!'

  Brice pulled off his costume head again.

  'Hey!' he cried. 'It's Chan the Man! We were just talking about you.' He slapped Chandra on the back hard enough to make him stagger. 'Welcome home, bro.'

  'Thanks,' choked Chandra.

  'Betcha' had a sweet time. The place is full of hot chicks, right?' Brice gave Aisley an apologetic look. 'Sorry, Ais, but as a guy, there are certain questions I am obliged to ask.'

  'What can I say without getting in trouble,' Chandra laughed. 'I'm sure if you went looking … which I didn't,' he added, glancing sidelong at Aisley. 'You'd find plenty of gorgeous girls. The Costa Ricans are very … attractive people. All of them,' he finished tactfully.

  'I think that sounds kind of boring,' Brice complained, disappointed.

  'You and Archie, both,' Aisley said drily.

  Chandra chose to remain safely silent.

  'Well,' Brice said finally. 'At least you got back at the right moment. Just in time for the school holidays and an awesome party, right?'

  'Right.' Chandra smiled.

  'And by the way, your girlfriend's a total babe! I've never seen a chick who can dirty dance with a Teletubbie before! It's a huge turn-on!' And with that, he put his mask back on and bounded away across the dance floor to shake his large purple bottom with Tinkerbell and the Lady GaGa's.

  Aisley looked at Chandra and tried not to laugh at the indignant glare on his face.

  'What the hell!' he spluttered.

  'Brice is not known for his subtlety,' she said. 'Come on. I'll buy you a drink.

  Words

  They found a table away from the noise of the dance floor and Chandra pulled Aisley into his lap. 'Looks like I stayed away too long,' he said. 'It's not cool when other guys tell me you turn them on.'

  'I did offer to go change,' she said jokingly. 'Maybe I should have come as a nun after all.'

  'No, really, you look great.' He sighed. 'I guess that's the problem. First Stewart, now Brice.'

  'Don't get all alpha male on me, Chandra. Lighten up! You so don't need to be jealous. Soul mates, remember?'

  'Right.' He fiddled with the sash on her sari. 'To be honest, I'm feeling a bit insecure. While I was in Costa Rica I'd worry about stuff like that. That other guys were after you and there was nothing I could do about it. Pretty immature, huh?'

  'Not at all.' She thought about Drew briefly. 'But even if someone was after me, my interest level would have been zero.'

  'It's sweet now,' Chandra said. 'But over there, thousands of miles away … I'd think, oh crap! What if she got sick of waiting for me? I'm in way too deep to survive being friend-zoned now! What if she dumps me in the next letter?'

  'Since it was me, who talked you into going in the first place,' she said. 'What kind of a person would I be if I dumped you because I got sick of waiting for you?'

  He narrowed his eyes sassily. 'You'd be a bad person.'

  'That's right.'

  'You'd be an arsehole.'

  'Yes.'

  'You'd be a real bitch!'

  'Okay Chandra, that's enough about that for now. You get the general idea.'

  He grinned gleefully. 'I love how you tell it like it is, Ais.'

  'I remember you saying that when you first asked me out.' She kissed him and only stopped because Archie appeared and sat down with them.

  'Have you guys seen Willa and Stewart?' he asked. He pulled off his mask, broke the seal on the bottle of water he'd brought with him, and took a long swallow.

  Aisley shook her head. 'Not since the kerfuffle.'

  'Maybe they've found a quiet corner to kiss and make up in,' Chandra guessed. 'Or maybe they just went home.'

  Aisley nodded, remembering Willa saying she wished she hadn't come.

  'You know what I was thinking the other day?' she said contemplatively. 'I was thinking that last year, my biggest problem was trying to communicate with the spirit of Lily Sheldon so we could find a way down to Cariad Lili Bay Beach.' She sighed. 'Compared to the soap opera we're living this year, dealing with ghosts is simple.'

  'Damn right,' Archie said. 'Interacting with the living is freakin' problematic!'

  A few minutes later, Cate came looking for Aisley, begging her help to find Willa. 'Maybe she needs some girl company,' she reasoned.

  Archie tilted his chair back on two legs and stared after them as they walked away. 'I feel like Cate's always pissed at me lately,' he said. 'And you know what? I don't care.'

  'Yes, you do,' Chandra replied calmly.

  'Nope.' Archie contemplated the ceiling rafters. 'I'm over it.'

  Chandra stood up. 'Ais is right, we are living a soap opera. I'm going to find Stewart … see if he's okay. You want to come with?'

  Archie tagged along, his helmet under his arm.

  'Why did Cate have to hook up with Drew?' he complained as they wove through the crowd.

  'Two seconds ago you said you were over it,' Chandra said. 'Make up your mind.'

  'But Drew!' Archie looked disgusted. 'I thought she had better taste. I mean, he's not the man he used to be. Have you seen those guys he's hanging with?'

  'Dude, I've been thirteen thousand kilometres away! I've seen nothing for six months, remember?'

  'Oh yeah,' Archie said. 'I forgot about that.
Well, I'm talking about his brother. And Mark Fletcher … Tynan whatshisname. Real losers.'

  'Doesn't Drew ever hang with Brice anymore?'

  'Not so much.'

  'That's a shame. They've been buds since kinder.' Chandra took the stairs two at a time and Archie had to push all dark thoughts of Drew King to the back of his mind as he tried to keep up.

  'Slow down, Jack Sparrow!' he warned. 'Darth Vader does not trot. You're totally ruining my image!'

  Chandra wove his way between the couches on the second deck, batting the pink streamers aside as he headed for the stern of the Sally May. He had a hunch he might find Stewart there, away from the noise. It was where he, Chandra, would go if he needed some time out.

  The enormous paddle wheel that once made the boat move was stuck fast, destined to never rotate again, and Stewart Thomas was sitting out on the top of one of the big paddles, staring down into the dark water. His gangster hat and machine gun lay forgotten on a nearby table.

  'You okay?' Chandra called out.

  Stewart glanced back. 'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,' he muttered in a flat voice.

  Chandra clambered out and sat beside him but Archie elected to stay where he was. Floor-length black cloaks aren't designed for climbing about in and he had his dignity to think of.

  'Things still not good with Willa?' Chandra asked.

  Stewart was silent, his face like a thundercloud.

  'If you don't want to talk about it, that's cool,' Chandra went to get up and leave.

  'No. Sorry, man. Don't go…' Stewart grabbed his sleeve. 'I didn't mean to be an arsehole. It's just that, you know … she makes me be an arsehole. I don't know what she wants! We make up, we break up. And like a loser I go running back again, every single time!'

  'Go easy on yourself,' Archie said.

  'But I am a loser!' Stewart cried, spreading his hands. 'You guys think it. I know you do.'

  'We don't!' Chandra and Archie spoke at the same time.

  'Bollocks,' Stewart muttered. 'You're thinking it and you're right.'

  Chandra stared at him helplessly as Stewart jabbed a finger at his chest.

  'You're thinking, jeez, why doesn't he just dump her arse?' he said. 'And I kind of wish I could, but it's not that easy.'