Caught Inside

by Mandi Greenwood

  'Why are you out here and not in the bedroom?' Aisley asked Stewart.

  'I couldn't sleep in there. It was a snore-fest.' Stewart used his fingers to vigorously brush out his sleep-knotted hair. 'So, what is it that's so important that you're all up before daylight?'

  'Not what, but who,' Cate said. 'We can't find Willa.'

  'What do you mean you can't find her? She's in bed probably.'

  'Not anymore,' said Cate. 'Her things are still there but she's nowhere in this house, unless she's visiting Freya's parents. I'd say that's highly unlikely though.'

  'For real?' Now Stewart looked worried rather than confused.

  'For real.' Aisley pushed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. 'So we're going to look for her. Care to come with?'

  'Okay.' Stewart chewed his lip. 'Yeah, I probably should. Last night I broke up with her and if she's gone off in a huff because of that … I mean, just because we've broken up doesn't mean I don't care.'

  'Of course you care,' said Aisley, ever the peace maker.

  'I'll just go grab my runners,' Stewart said. 'Wait for me, yeah?' He hurried off to the bedroom and the others exchanged a look. Stewart cared a lot. It was written all over his face.

  Aisley was the first to step outside. The sun was coming up and it was bright enough to see quite well. She wandered around the perimeter of the house with the others fanning out behind her, but there was nothing to see beyond the spectacular dawn view of the valley. She stood on the hill near where the dirt road led down to the village and Chandra joined her, hands on his hips.

  'She could have gone to the village,' he suggested. 'Why she would, I dunno, but it's possible.'

  'Or even back to the Sally May,' Cate added.

  Archie was looking the other way, down at the valley. 'Maybe she went bushwalking,' he said. 'Nice day for it.'

  'We need to split up,' Aisley said. 'There are too many options. Cate and I can head down the hill here, and you boys can check out the village.'

  'Sounds like a plan,' Chandra agreed. 'Has anybody got their phone?'

  Cate nodded and Archie patted his back pocket.

  'I've got mine too,' Stewart said as they went their separate ways. 'If we see any sign of her, we ring.'

  Aisley and Cate walked single file along the grassy path that wound gradually down the valley towards the forest and the river. The sun peeked rosy pink over the edge of the earth and the air was full of the melody of magpie song.

  'Do you really think she's out here somewhere?' Aisley asked.

  'Who knows?' Cate swung her arms to warm up as she walked. 'Where else could she be? Besides, I wouldn't put it past Willa to go and hide somewhere just to make Stewart feel bad. She seems to enjoy it when he's feeling guilty.'

  'You make her sound like a bad person,' said Aisley. 'She's not a bad person at all.' She thought fleetingly of Willa the night before at the party, losing her temper and yelling at Stewart. 'Last night was out of the ordinary. She was upset and she had a headache.'

  'Look, don't get me wrong,' Cate said, marching along the path. 'Willa is nice and I like her a lot. It's just that she seems to … I dunno. It's hard to explain.'

  'She blows things way out of proportion,' Aisley said shrewdly. 'She really could do with a few counselling sessions. You know, someone impartial to talk things out with.'

  'How do you tell someone they need to see a psychologist?' Cate wondered.

  'You just tell them,' Aisley said. 'I mean, what's the worst she can do? Tell me to piss off and mind my own business.' She watched the path in front of her, avoiding pot-holes and dips.

  'So, you're volunteering to tell her then?'

  'I just might. When all of this is over and things get back to normal.'

  As they neared the bottom of the valley, the path widened allowing them to walk side by side. They came to the riverbank and paused. Aisley looked up the river and then down. She cupped her hands around her mouth. 'Willa!' she called. 'It's Aisley! Can you hear me?' They waited, but other than the magpies, there was no reply.

  'Eenie meenie minie mo,' sang Cate, pointing left and right. 'Which way do you want to go?'

  'Right,' said Aisley instantly. 'Left will take us to the village. That's where the boys are.'

  They went right, walking along the riverbank towards the forest. Every now and then, they'd call out Willa's name but always with no answer.

  Gradually, the riverbank got steeper until the river itself was far below the path and the way got gloomier as the tree canopy blocked out the rising sun. Far below them, the river was flowing by, fast as rapids.

  Cate found a long stick at the side of the path and she picked it up. 'Drew wanted to … you know… last night,' she said. She violently whacked at the ferns beside the path with her stick as she walked along.

  'And?'

  'And nothing,' Cate shrugged. 'I am so not ready to go there.'

  'That's fine.' Aisley reflected that Archie just might get his chance after all. Drew's crown was obviously slipping.

  'What's wrong with me?' Cate asked suddenly.

  'Nothing,' Aisley said. 'There's nothing wrong with listening to your feelings.'

  Cate snorted. 'Sometimes I think I might as well be living in a convent in the dark ages. I feel like I know nothing about anything. Do you know I've only ever snogged one boy in my life before Drew?'

  'So?' The sun rose further in the sky above the treetops. 'The meaning of life is not based on how many snogs you've had. You know that, right?'

  'I know, I know.' Cate whacked a fern so hard that her stick broke. 'But it isn't just that. I'll give you another example. It bothers me that the whole world knew Lucan was gay but I had no clue, and other things like that.'

  'Hardly the whole world.'

  'No, but you know what I mean.' She sighed dramatically.

  'You don't need to worry…' Aisley began. She stopped suddenly as a faint cry caught their attention.

  'Help!'

  There it was again. They dashed to the side of the path and looked over the edge down at the river. The bank was steep and crumbling, with a few stunted trees growing out of it. About halfway down, Willa Fry was clinging to one of the trees and she stared up at them, her face white and streaked with dirt.

  Shower of Dirt

  Two Hours Earlier

  Willa woke up and found the house slumbering around her. One bed over, she could see Cate, sleeping peacefully. Willa sat up. The skin on her face felt dry and tight from all the salt tears she'd washed it with the night before.

  'Oh god,' she groaned softly, dropping her face into her hands. Why did she slap him? No wonder he'd broken up with her. She was a horrible person and Stewart deserved better.

  The night played over and over in her mind, a series of events punctuated by her making a scene with monotonous regularity … or so it seemed. Her toes curled with embarrassment under the covers. How would she ever live this down? Everyone must think she was mad!

  Feeling as exhausted as if she hadn't slept at all, Willa climbed out of bed. She was wearing her pyjamas and her things were stacked on the floor beside the bed. Moving silently across the room she opened the door wide, letting moonlight flood into the room, giving her enough light to see by as she changed into a pair of leggings and an over-large t-shirt.

  She couldn't beg Stewart back when the going got too hard anymore. It was over for good and now she was utterly alone. The thought washed cold fear over her, making her skin break into goose-bumps.

  A desperate plan started to form in her brain. A plan to get him to come back, and when he came back, she wouldn't let him go again. She would never take him for granted and she'd make him happy. Hope built inside her because this plan was good … it was fool proof.

  She knew Stewart was sensitive and caring so all she had to do was make him worry about her. It was so simple that she was surprised it hadn't occurred to her last night.

  Feeling more energised now that she had a plan, she pulled on a
pair of ballet flats and went into the hall, still leaving the door wide open. That way, everyone would be sure to see she was missing. She padded across the hall, pushed open the door to the boys' room and looked inside. It was full of sleeping bodies and one of them was Stewart. On a whim, she tiptoed across the carpet and paused at the first bunk-bed.

  It was bright enough for her to see Lucan, snoring softly in the top bunk with his arm dangling down. She suspected Archie was in the bunk under Lucan, although all she could see were the curls on the top of his head. The rest of Archie was wound into a tight ball under the covers.

  She found Stewart in the bottom bunk in the corner. He was fast asleep on his back, one arm flung casually behind his head and she gazed fondly at him. He was so beautiful. 'I'm sorry about everything,' she whispered. 'I love you.' She leaned down and kissed his cheek, light as a feather.

  He muttered in his sleep and Willa fled. She was silent on the carpeted floor, and she didn't stop until she reached the deck. After a second's deliberation, she hurried off down the hilly path.

  This was her plan. When Stewart and the others woke up, they'd see she was gone. They'd come searching for her and they'd find her easily, because she wasn't planning on going too far. Stewart would be so relieved that when she begged forgiveness he wouldn't be able to kiss and make up quick enough.

  Willa grinned to herself as she walked. She could see the whole thing going down in her head. What could possibly go wrong?

  Two hours later

  'Hang on Willa!' Aisley called, panicked. 'Please don't let go!'

  Willa had the tiniest of footholds on a jutting outcrop of rock beneath her, but apart from the straggly tree she was hugging, there was nothing else to grab on to. There was certainly no proper ledge to drop down to should the tree break. There was just a sheer cliff face, all the way down to the rushing river. Aisley and Cate exchanged a worried glance.

  'Are you hurt?' Cate called down to her.

  'My leg,' Willa sobbed. 'And my shoulder hurts so bad.'

  'If one of us climbed down,' Aisley suggested desperately. 'Could you grab a hand and help us pull you up?'

  Cate glared at her. 'Are you mad?' she hissed. 'We can't get down there!'

  'Shhh.' Aisley put her finger to her lips.

  Willa was shaking her head violently. 'I can't move!' she cried out. 'I can't even put my foot down because it hurts too much.'

  Cate was pulling out her phone. She scowled at the screen. 'Crap,' she muttered. 'No signal.'

  'It's the trees, maybe,' Aisley murmured, glancing up at the dense canopy above them.

  'I'll have to go back to the clearing,' said Cate. 'Hopefully the signal will be better there.'

  'Okay,' said Aisley, and Cate set off at a brisk jog.

  As Aisley knelt down and leaned over the edge she noticed the side of the path had crumbled away. Perhaps Willa didn't see that in the dark and that's why she slipped and fell.

  'Don't worry, Willa,' she called. 'Cate's gone to ring for help. She can't get a phone signal here.' She looked at the river below. It rushed along like rapids and she could see jagged rocks poking up out of the water. If Willa's leg and shoulder were already broken and she fell, she wouldn't stand a chance. She'd drown.

  Aisley swallowed hard and wished desperately for a rope. At least if she had a rope, she could lower it down and give Willa something more substantial to hold onto than the spindly tree.

  The idea of ropes made her almost remember something for a fleeting moment… something that could be important… it danced infuriatingly on the edge of her thoughts and then drifted away.

  The tree Willa had in her death grip looked like it was about to rip out of the earth it was so scrawny. 'Aisley!' she called in a shaky voice. 'Are you still there?'

  'I'm here Willa,' she yelled, waving. 'Don't worry. I won't leave you.'

  Willa started sobbing again. 'I'm sorry for everything,' she cried. 'I'm sorry for being such a fruitcake. You must hate me.'

  'Of course I don't hate you,' Aisley replied. 'You're not a fruitcake, either.'

  'Yes, I am,' Willa insisted. 'I had this dumb idea that if I came and hid in the bush, you guys would search for me and when you found me Stewart would be so happy that he'd want to be with me again.'

  Aisley didn't know what to say. Willa's logic was seriously flawed.

  'He broke up with me,' Willa was saying. 'Did he tell you that? He's never done that before so I'm scared in case … in case I can't fix it this time. But I got lost in the dark. I could hear the river and I followed it. Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you're lost in the bush? So people can find you?'

  'You did well,' Aisley called. 'Because we did find you.'

  'I didn't mean to fall.'

  'I know, and we'll have you safe again soon,' said Aisley, crossing her fingers. 'Don't worry.'

  Suddenly the tree Willa was holding onto started to come away from the steep bank. Pebbles and dirt rained down the rock face and she screamed. Aisley screamed too and gripped the crumbling edge of the path.

  'Willa!' she yelled. 'Hold on!'

  'I can't!' Willa moaned. The tree creaked and groaned, and she screamed again.

  Cate ran back along the path, falling onto her knees beside Aisley.

  'The tree is breaking,' Aisley told her quietly. 'I don't think she's got much longer until it comes out completely.'

  'What the hell is she doing down there anyway?' Cate muttered. She looked down at Willa. 'Help is coming, Willa,' she called in a falsely cheerful voice.

  Willa didn't answer. She just sobbed hysterically, clutching on to what was left of the tree.

  'Who did you ring?' Aisley asked Cate.

  'Archie,' said Cate. 'I tried Freya but she's not answering her phone. I left a message on her voice mail, telling her exactly where we are.'

  'But you rang triple zero, right?'

  Cate pulled a face. 'Do you think I should?'

  'Cate! This is an emergency!'

  'The tree!' Willa gasped from below. 'I can feel it moving!' The tree leaned dangerously forward, clinging to the earth by the few remaining roots.

  Cate stood up again. 'I'll go ring triple zero,' she said, indecisively.

  All of a sudden, the important thought that had eluded Aisley moments before became crystal clear. Ropes!

  'No!' she cried. 'You have to ring Archie back, quickly! Tell him to bring one of the ropes from the Sally May.'

  'What…'

  'They're everywhere,' Aisley said. 'They had fairy lights draped on them last night. There are loads of them. Ring him now! Make him bring a rope, because Willa hasn't got long enough to wait for the fire brigade or whoever.'

  Cate gaped blankly at her.

  'Hurry!' hissed Aisley.

  Cate took off down the path like a pack of wolves were after her and Aisley peered down at Willa. 'Cate's right,' she called. 'Help is coming, Willa. We'll get you up out of there in no time.'

  Willa shook her head violently as she clung to the tree roots. 'It's no use,' she whimpered. 'What's the point? I can't do this anymore.'

  The tone of her voice made the blood run cold in Aisley's veins and she shuddered. 'Yes, you can,' she insisted. 'Don't you dare give up!'

  The minutes ticked by like hours.

  While Aisley waited, she thought about how awful it was when Wade and Chandra were lost in the stormy sea the year before. This helplessness she was feeling was like history repeating.

  Finally, when she felt she'd explode if help didn't arrive, she heard running footsteps coming up the forest path. Stewart appeared with one of the coils of rope from the Sally May hooked over his shoulder and when he saw her he sped up, covering the last fifty metres in record time.

  Chandra wasn't far behind and he skidded to a stop, sending a shower of gravel over the edge of the path in his haste.

  'Oh thank goodness!' gasped Aisley.

  'Archie's gone back to the house to get the others,' Chandra puffed. 'Cate's calling tr
iple zero.'

  Stewart fell on his stomach and looked over the crumbling edge. 'Willa!' he shouted.

  'Stewart!' Willa turned her dirty, tear-stained face upwards. 'The tree is coming out.'

  'I know,' he said. 'I'm going to come down and get you right now.'

  'I'm sorry about being such a bitch. I'm sorry about everything. I wish…'

  'It doesn't matter.'

  'It does!' she was nearly hysterical. 'I can't…' The tree lurched, pulling loose of the sandy soil and they all gasped but miraculously, it didn't quite let go.

  Cate came jogging back, her face red from all the exercise she was getting. 'The ambulance is coming,' she panted. 'What's happening?'

  Stewart scrambled to his feet, his freckles standing out against his pale face. He turned to Chandra. 'We'll tie it around my waist,' he told him as they quickly unravelled the rope. 'Then you lower me down, alright?'

  'Alright.' Chandra looked around at the scrawny trees closest to them. 'We really should tie the other end to a tree but these don't look strong enough. I guess we'll just have to hold on tight.'

  'Okay. When I grab her I'll call out and then you can pull us both up.'

  Chandra nodded wordlessly. He tied the rope firmly around Stewart's waist and then took hold of the excess. 'Get behind me,' he told the girls. 'Hold on as tight as you can. You've got to lean back with all your weight when he goes over the edge, understand? It won't be easy.'

  Aisley and Cate nodded and they both grasped the heavy rope. Stewart walked backwards and stepped off the edge of the path, sending a shower of dirt and pebbles cascading down towards the river. 'Two seconds, Willa,' he called over his shoulder. 'Don't let go now, whatever you do.'

  As he clambered slowly down the steep, rocky bank, the others held onto the rope with all their strength. Even though there were three of them, Aisley could feel the rope wanting to escape her clutches. She was worried. How would they ever be able to pull two people up when supporting just one was so difficult? There were no footholds and Stewart kept slipping, and every time he did the rope jerked, threatening to yank the other three over the edge.