But I thought of how I’d caught the Zolt, how I’d turned the lights off, how I’d got a Cerberus.
Finding something extra, I lunged for the tape, but it was no good, Rashid got his barrel chest millimetres ahead of me.
I was congratulating Seb, congratulating Rashid, when an official said, ‘Don’t get too carried away, we’re having a look at the photo.’
For ten minutes we sat on the grass as the officials flitted about.
Then there was an announcement over the PA.
First the winner and the second-placed were announced.
‘Coming in third,’ said the announcer, ‘is Sebastian Baresi.’
Despite all the misgivings I had about him I couldn’t help smiling at our pool guy. Loose as a goose on the juice. He’d run a clever race.
‘And coming in fourth today, and also on his way to Rome for the World Youth Games, is Dominic Silvagni.’
I rushed over to the officials’ tent, to all the officials assembled there.
How could they have all got it wrong?
‘Rashid was ahead of me!’ I said.
‘The camera does not lie,’ said Marge Jenkins.
‘But –’ I started, before I was interrupted by another official, a red-faced woman holding a phone.
‘Dominic Silvagni?’ she said.
‘Yes.’
‘It’s your mother.’
I grabbed the phone.
‘Mom, what’s up?’
‘None of you had your phones on,’ she said, her voice skittish, like a top on a smooth surface.
‘Mom, what’s wrong?’
‘It’s Toby,’ she said. ‘He’s gone missing!’
‘Missing?’
‘From the Ready! Set! Cook! house. They went to wake him up this morning and he wasn’t there. They can’t find him anywhere!’
She said something else, but I wasn’t really listening because all I could hear was Hound’s voice, full of ice.
I reckon it would be really really difficult to make ice-cream if you had ten broken fingers. You know, with all that whisking they do.
It was too much to process: I wasn’t going to Rome, I was going to Rome, Toby was missing.
Too much to process, so I didn’t. I screwed my eyes tight, I jammed my thumbs into my ears, I dropped to the grass and I curled up into a ball.
Toby is missing. Now it’s up to Dom to find him.
Read what happens next …
June 2013
Want to access more cool stuff?
www.thedebtbooks.com.au
Get top-secret information with exclusive back stories, enter competitions, grab giveaways, watch trailers, and find out more about the author and your favourite characters.
HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO TAKE ON THE DEBT?
Bring Back Cerberus Page 18