by Bindi Irwin
Adam had already forgotten they were there and continued his preening. Bindi decided to let it go for now. The girls made their way down past a few more doors to a small room that looked as if it had been hastily cleared to make room for all of the costumes and performers. As Bindi threw on her costume she couldn’t stop thinking about Adam and his diva ways. The actor was out of control!
The intercom crackled as another announcement was made. ‘Ten minutes to curtain!’
Once Bindi was ready, the girls piled out into the corridor to make their way towards the backstage area. They would be performing three songs and were the first performers due on stage after the initial introduction.
Bindi noticed Chris, the devil keeper, step out from a room and into the corridor.
‘Hey, Chris, where are the devils being kept now?’ she called out to him.
He smiled and pointed back to the closed door. ‘They’re in a little room back there. I think it’s the storeroom. I’ve made it nice and dark for them and they seem quite comfortable.’
Bindi smiled. ‘That’s good.’
Robert raced past them. ‘Good luck, Bindi!’
Bindi watched as her brother whizzed past her. ‘Thanks, little buddy. Where are you off to?’
‘I’ve got work to do.’ He raced off so quickly he was a blur of activity and then he was gone.
Bindi shook her head. ‘Brothers? They’re a mystery.’
Chris smiled. ‘I’ll be watching your performance from backstage, behind the curtain.’
‘Speaking of curtains,’ said Ella. ‘What time is it?’
The intercom crackled again. ‘This is your final call. Take your places. Two minutes.’
‘Eek!’ The girls raced off down the corridor. They certainly didn’t want to miss their cue!
To thunderous applause and earsplitting screams, Adam Starr sauntered past the girls and walked onto the stage. After a celebratory air punch and a lot of posing, he addressed the crowd.
‘Hey there! Great to see you all!’ The whistling and screaming increased and he finally held out a hand for the audience to quieten down.
‘Thanks, thanks very much. Wow. What a welcome! Great to be here tonight, supporting such a good cause.’ He gestured to his outfit. ‘As you can see, tonight I’m dressed in black and white. In fact, this suit is from my label, Starr Creations. You can check it out online.’
Bindi and Robert were watching from the wings backstage.
Robert was impressed. ‘Look at the crowd. They just love him!’
‘Mmm,’ mumbled Bindi unenthusiastically. She turned and looked at Tess and Ella but they too were standing transfixed, watching Adam.
Bindi let out a small sigh. ‘Honestly, guys, is it just me or is there something a bit phony about Adam?’
Three pairs of eyes turned on Bindi. She could feel the power of their laser stares burning holes into her back. She shrugged. ‘I’m just saying, I don’t get what all the fuss is about.’
Ella smiled. ‘If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re jealous, Bindi Irwin.’
Bindi spluttered. She wasn’t sure if she heard her friend correctly over all the screaming. ‘You’ve got to be kidding?’
Robert’s eyes lit up mischievously. ‘Ella’s got a point. It’s not like you to be down on someone, B.’
Bindi felt instantly defensive. ‘It’s not about my ego. Tonight’s about raising awareness for Tassie devils and instead he’s trying to sell his clothing line!’
Robert was quick to defend Adam. ‘Adam’s all right once you get to know him.’
Bindi couldn’t believe she was hearing this from Robert. ‘But you don’t even know him.’
Robert gave a big smile. ‘I do, sort of. He gave me a job.’
Bindi was shocked. ‘What? You’re seven years old. He can’t do that.’
Robert puffed out his chest. ‘Adam hired me as a runner, which is why I’ve got the phone. I’m his number one go-to guy tonight.’
‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this. This isn’t a good idea,’ Bindi protested.
Bindi was momentarily distracted by Adam’s voice. He was talking about her, which meant they would be going on stage any second now.
Robert held up a hand to silence her. ‘You’ve got it all wrong, B.’
Bindi tried to argue but was literally pushed onstage by Ella and Tess, who had plastered big smiles on their faces as they stepped on stage.
‘Come on!’ hissed Tess. ‘This is no time for a family argument.’
They walked onstage and the audience applauded loudly. Adam had done a good job warming up the crowd. He gave them a huge smile and even had the nerve to wink at Bindi as she took the microphone from him. Tess was right. This was no time for distractions. They had a performance to do and Bindi prided herself on being professional. She never let her fans down!
The girls high-fived each other as they raced offstage to loud applause. The songs had been a hit and they had really brought the house down with their version of ‘Jailhouse Rock’. Terri gave them a big thumbs up as she took the microphone from them to address the audience.
Ella was bouncing up and down backstage with excitement. ‘We rocked! That was so much fun!’
Bindi agreed. ‘Looked like the audience enjoyed it too! They were all dancing to the “Jailhouse Rock”!’
Tess wiped her brow and gave a huge sigh of relief. ‘Now the hard part’s over we can just enjoy the rest of the night.’
‘You bet,’ agreed Bindi as the three friends linked arms. Only then did they realise that all was not well backstage. All of the production staff seemed to be having a huge meltdown. People were racing past, looking frazzled. Bindi recognised the production manager, a young woman named Rachel. She looked particularly stressed out.
‘What’s going on, Rachel?’
Rachel paused as she listened to instructions through her headset. ‘When I said find them now, I meant yesterday!’ She turned her attention to Bindi and grimaced. ‘Our star devils have escaped, Bindi!’
Bindi couldn’t believe it. ‘How?’
Rachel explained. ‘We’re not quite sure but it seems Adam needed something from the supply closet in the room the devils were staying in. When he turned on the lights they panicked and raced out the door.’
With that she hurried off down the corridor, barking more orders into the headset.
‘Oh no!’ cried Bindi. ‘That’s terrible. We have to help find them.’
They hurried after Rachel. Bindi could hear Terri’s voice over the intercom as she talked to the audience about Tasmanian devils and the threat to the species from Devil Facial Tumour Disease. Bindi knew that this talk was the lead-up to the devils coming onstage with Adam as he was going to host the auction. They needed to find the devils and fast!
As they ran past Adam’s dressing room Bindi noticed Robert and Adam were inside.
Adam was shouting into his phone. ‘Just get me out of here! I was attacked!’
Robert was looking at him, incredulous, shaking his head.
Adam was pacing the room as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. ‘No, I’m not in hospital. I wasn’t actually mauled but I was threatened.’
Bindi shook her head as she listened. This guy just had no idea about animals.
‘No! No stitches, no missing limbs, I still have all my toes and fingers. I’m fine but it was a close call.’ He listened again to the speaker. ‘No, not a dingo, a devil. Like a huge possum with a massive head and out-of-control teeth.’
Robert could not let this comment pass. ‘They’re not actually like possums. They’re carnivorous predators.’
Bindi met Robert’s eyes. ‘Your new boss needs to pull himself together and get ready for the auction!’
Robert groaned. ‘I know, I know. He’s behaving as though he’s been attacked by a velociraptor.’
‘I COULD HAVE DIED!’ screamed Adam into the phone. He hung up in frustration and tossed the phone across the room.
&n
bsp; ‘Don’t you think that’s overstating it a little?’ asked Bindi.
Adam shot her a dirty look and started packing up his stuff. ‘I’m so out of here.’
Bindi shook her head. ‘You’re not going anywhere, Adam. You caused the devils to escape, you can stay here and help search for them. They’ll be terrified.’
Adam picked up a large duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. ‘They are vicious and dangerous creatures. I am leaving and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
With those parting words he pushed past the girls. Even Tess and Ella were looking unimpressed by his behaviour.
Bindi scowled and turned to Robert. ‘Why was he in the devil’s room anyway?’
Robert sighed. ‘He ran out of hair gel or something.’ He looked really disappointed in his new friend.
Out in the corridor, Bindi thought hard. ‘We need to get moving, and quickly. I need you to find Chris, Tess. We’ll need his expertise when we start our own search party.’ Bindi pointed to Ella. ‘Can you get a message to Mum so she knows she has to keep stalling the audience for a little longer?’
‘Sure!’ both girls said in unison. They were out the door in a flash.
Bindi turned to her brother. ‘Adam’s going to stick around and clean up his own mess.’
Robert nodded. ‘Okay, but how do we get him to stay?’
Bindi noticed the mobile phone Adam had thrown to the ground. ‘Call his agent back. I’m sure they’ve signed some kind of contract. They will want him to stay as much as we do.’ Bindi handed Robert the phone. ‘I’ll find Adam and meet you backstage.’
Bindi took off towards the foyer entrance and found Adam arguing with the hotel receptionist.
‘I’m sorry, Mr Starr. But taxis up here are few and far between. It would take at least an hour for a taxi to get here.’
Bindi tapped Adam on the shoulder. ‘Excuse me?’
Adam swirled around to be met by a sweet-faced and smiling Bindi. ‘You again?’ He looked less than impressed.
Bindi took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what she could say to convince Adam but she had to give it her best shot.
‘Look, we got off on the wrong foot. You’re an actor, not a wildlife warrior. But you’re also a big name star and the devils need that star power to help spread the message.’
Adam sniggered. ‘You’ve got that right. Those mangy mutts need some serious help with their public image.’
Bindi ignored his rudeness. ‘You’re a good-looking guy and you’re talented so it’s easy for people to like you. But the devils have a bad reputation, and they’re noisy, messy eaters, and people think they’re scary because of their name. It’s not fair.’
Adam rolled his eyes.
Bindi continued. ‘Where cases of Devil Facial Tumour Disease have been discovered, it’s wiped out 90 per cent of the devil population in that area. It’s a rare form of cancer that is highly contagious. Now, the devil may not be your favourite animal but they are an Australian icon. We can’t just stand back and allow them to be wiped out. Please help us, Adam!’
Adam sighed. ‘Whatever. I have to wait for the stupid taxi anyway. I’ll do the auction.’
Bindi gave a huge sigh of relief. ‘Excellent. But first you can help me find the devils!’
Adam nodded reluctantly, and rearranged his carefully constructed mop of hair.
While Bindi and Adam took off to find Chris and begin their search for the devils, Robert was helping Terri keep the audience entertained. He roped in Tess and Ella to join him onstage.
Robert took the microphone. ‘Ah, g’day, folks. We’ve had a slight change of plans. We’ve decided to give you even more musical entertainment. Adam will host the auction a little later.’
With that, the sound technicians put on some music and Robert, Tess and Ella broke into a very spontaneous dance routine, inviting the audience to join them!
Chris was as concerned as the others about where the devils might be. He, Adam and Bindi had decided to begin by looking upstairs in case they had managed to sneak into someone’s bedroom.
All of a sudden a loud shriek was heard coming from the kitchen.
They took off in the direction of the commotion. Adam trailed along behind Chris and Bindi. The staff entrance to the kitchen was a pair of swinging doors. Chris and Bindi slipped in through one of the doors but as Adam was a beat behind he caught the door on the backswing and it slammed into him, hitting him square in the face.
‘Ahhh!’ Adam stumbled forwards into the kitchen, clutching his head.
‘Are you okay?’ Bindi approached him, genuinely concerned.
‘I’m fine’ replied Adam tensely. He turned to check out his reflection in a large saucepan to make sure there was no cosmetic damage but accidentally knocked over a pile of saucepan lids, which fell clattering to the floor. This was definitely not the suave Adam Starr that the public was used to seeing!
Looking around, Bindi realised most of the staff were standing on chairs, benches, whatever they could find that was off the ground.
‘Looks like the devils have been and gone,’ she remarked calmly to Chris.
‘Which way?’ called Chris to the hotel staff. Two waiters pointed in the direction of the restaurant.
‘Uh oh. Their table manners are not fit for a restaurant,’ grimaced Bindi.
She and Chris took off in hot pursuit of the devils. Adam staggered after them, clutching his sore face.
The restaurant was chaos. People were screaming and jumping onto chairs. Through the midst of colour and movement Bindi caught sight of a flash of black-and-white fur.
‘There!’ she pointed to the edge of the far wall.
Chris looked really worried. ‘All these people are scared but I can tell you the devils are a lot more scared. I’m concerned about what this kind of stress could do to them.’
Bindi noticed that the far door to the restaurant was closed. ‘At least we have them in a contained space now.’
But Bindi spoke too soon. The hotel receptionist opened the door to the restaurant to see what the commotion was about.
‘Close the door!’ cried Bindi. Too late! Two furry blurs shot through the gap and disappeared from sight.
Adam caught up to the others. He had the beginning of a nasty swelling growing on his face.
‘You’re going to have a shiner,’ commented Chris.
Adam scowled but said nothing.
Bindi grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her. ‘Come on, Adam. Are those sequins weighing you down?’
They took off across the restaurant towards the outer door.
The two escapees skidded across the polished floors of the foyer with claws and paws flying everywhere. The few guests who were in the foyer were taken by surprise, especially when Bindi Irwin, dressed as a convict, burst through the door sprinting after them, closely followed by a keeper in khaki and Adam Starr, the famous actor, in his sequined suit.
The devils looked around them and scampered behind the reception desk. Bindi and Chris saw their chance.
‘Easy now,’ said Chris in a low voice. ‘I think we’ve got them cornered.’
Chris nodded to Bindi to move over to the other side of the reception desk while he slowly leaned down and opened the latches on the wire cages he was carrying.
One of the devils let out a loud distinctive growl and bared his teeth. Adam took a step backwards. ‘See! That’s what they did to me when I was in the supply closet. Scared the life out of me!’
Bindi shook her head. ‘They’re just bluffing. It’s a display they perform more from fear and uncertainty than from aggression.’
Chris lined the cages up side by side, filling up the area directly in front of the devils so that they would have no option but to enter. ‘Normally they’d be happy to come to me but they’ve had such a night of it they don’t know what’s going on or who to trust.’
He nodded to Bindi to begin walking and as she did so, the devils backed slowly away from her to
wards the open cages.
Just when it looked as if everything was going to be all right, a bellboy wheeled in some luggage, opening the main entrance doors into the foyer. The devils took one look at the open door and scampered past Bindi towards freedom.
‘Shut the door!’ cried Chris, but it was too late. The bellboy pushed the trolley straight ahead and dived out of the way of the speed-demon hairballs. Adam was meanwhile checking out the bruising on his face in the foyer mirror. He didn’t notice the luggage trolley as it whizzed right at him.
‘Ahhh,’ he cried, doing his best not to lose his balance, and managed to stop the trolley before it smashed into the mirror.
He turned around, expecting congratulations on stopping the accident, but Bindi and Chris had already raced over to the main entrance to see the devils disappearing into the bushland outside.
Adam began to follow them, grumbling under his breath. The bruise on his face was swelling, his face and hair were streaked with clumps of dirt, and sequins were coming off his suit. If he’d been going for the ‘distressed’ look, he was wearing the perfect costume!
As he raced down the front steps, he was almost blinded by a series of flashes. There was a small group of Adam Starr fans camped out on the grass in front of the resort, hoping for a peek at their hero.
‘Oh my gosh, it’s him!’ one especially excited fan shouted. The girls jumped up and down, taking out their mobile phones and snapping photos.
Bindi turned around to see Adam and his fans. ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ she yelled back at him.
‘Hey,’ replied Adam, annoyed. ‘It’s not my fault I’m famous.’ He caught up with Bindi as Chris raced ahead.
‘Follow them. It’s Adam!’
The five teens gathered their stuff together and hastily ran after Adam and Bindi.
Adam and Bindi didn’t have time to tell them to turn back, and they continued running through the thick scrub, hopefully in the direction of the escaped devils, with Adam’s fans jostling along behind, calling out for autographs.
Suddenly, Bindi and Adam burst into a clearing. Bindi caught sight of the moonlight shimmering on the water and pulled up just in time in front of a boggy swamp. But Adam couldn’t see much past the moonlight glistening off his sequined suit, and kept running. He tripped over the log and fell face forward into thick mud.