by J A Mawter
‘He’s not going to be happy when he finds out what he’s missing,’ said Clem, reaching into her school backpack. ‘It’s Darcy’s turn but I’m doing it for him. Gorp.’
The frown on Tong’s face deepened. ‘What gorp?’
Clem smiled then said, ‘Gorp can be whatever you want it to be. It’s a real mishmash.’ Taking out some disposable cups and plastic spoons she handed them around. Bella sniffed in the direction of each cup, her sensitive nose seeking a scent. Clem pulled out various vacuum-sealed bags and placed them on top of the TV. There were sultanas and sesame seeds and oatmeal and dried apricots. Next came sunflower seeds and peanuts.
‘Muesli,’ said Mio, disappointed.
‘Not muesli,’ replied Clem as pretzels, chocolate chips, cheese puffs and candy-coated balls of chocolate were added to the pile. Clem grinned as she announced, ‘Last, but not least, some mini marshmallows.’ She turned to Tong. ‘Tip a bit of whatever you like into your cup, mix it up, then gorp to your heart’s delight.’
Bella gave a high-pitched whimper of delight as food scattered all over the floor.
‘It’s surprising,’ said Darcy, shovelling cupfuls into his mouth, ‘how good this tastes.’ Gorp flew out as he talked, oatmeal flakes and sesame seeds twirling in the air like dandelion parachutes.
‘Darcy Jacobs! Eat with your mouth shut.’
‘Yes’m.’
The kids settled back, chewing so hard they got jaw-ache, unlike Bella whose eager tongue licked back and forth, never seeming to get tongue-ache.
‘Anything to drink?’ asked Darcy. ‘I’m thirsty.’
‘Forgot.’
Darcy opened his mouth, his tongue lolling to show his desperation for a drop of moisture.
‘You look like a cow,’ said Clem, then she started to moo, making Bella jump with fright.
Finally, they’d had their fill.
‘Lucky about key-ring,’ said Tong. ‘Make Bryce’s dad happy.’
‘Nothing makes Bryce’s dad happy,’ said Clem, resealing plastic bags and returning them to the backpack.
Darcy shook his head in wonder, saying, ‘Who’d’ve thought he’d get those keys back?’
‘Not me,’ said Mio. ‘He’s had great luck. I must ask him if he dreamt of the treasure ship.’
‘What treasure ship?’
‘In Japan, they have seven gods of luck who travel in the treasure ship. Hotei’s my favourite. Rub his belly and it brings you contentment and happiness.’ Mio smiled at the memory of the happy, jolly god. ‘When you dream of the treasure boat, good fortune comes your way.’
‘In Vietnam, red is colour of good luck and happiness.’
‘In Japan, too.’
‘Kids get red…’ Tong searched for the word, then gave up. He used his fingers to draw a rectangle in the air, then mimed opening a flap.
‘Envelopes?’ suggested Mio.
‘Yes, envelope with li xi, lucky money.’
‘Some Jewish people have these for luck,’ announced Clem. She held up a silver charm on a chain. It was of a hand with an inverted thumb and pinky pointing outwards. Inside was an eye. ‘The hand is God’s hand,’ explained Clem, ‘and the eye protects us from the evil eye. Dad and Mum gave it to me.’
‘So many ways to have good luck,’ said Mio. She turned to Tong and said, ‘Wonder how the key-ring got up there? It’s so strange because it was stolen at the station which is such a long way away.’
Tong lowered his eyes. How he wished it was his bike he’d found up there instead. Then he could visit Mr Lark. He could imagine how Mr Lark’s eyes would twinkle at the news. Tong’s reverie was shattered when Darcy asked, ‘Was there anything else up on the tower, Tong?’
Tong dropped his eyes again and shifted in his seat. He didn’t want to get his friend into any more trouble. Because of him Bryce was in trouble enough. Tong told the others about the rope and the way it had been tied up, after they’d left it dangling the day before.
‘That doesn’t help,’ said Darcy.
‘It would if you could fingerprint a rope,’ said Mio.
Clem giggled. ‘You really should be on one of those TV detective shows, Mio.’
‘Anything else?’ asked Mio.
Tong inspected his hands in his lap. That Bryce was linked to the return of his own key-ring was an important fact. Or was it? What if PHREE had nothing to do with Bryce? Tong tried to convince himself that Bryce wasn’t linked to those thieves, but he couldn’t be sure. He sat there, watching the hands wringing in his lap as though they belonged to someone else.
Clem noticed his discomfort. ‘Tong, Mio asked you a question.’
Tong’s voice was barely a whisper and Clem had to lean forward to catch the words, ‘Something else.’
Mio grabbed Tong’s sleeve. ‘What, Tong? What else was up there on the tower?’
‘Word.’
‘What word?’
‘PHREE word.’
‘Free word?’ mimicked Mio.
Tong shook his head, and Clem flapped her hands in excitement. ‘You mean P H R E E?’ she asked.
Tong nodded.
Darcy let out a long, shrill whistle. Leaning back on his milk crate he said, ‘So Bryce’s at it again.’
‘Bryce wouldn’t,’ said Clem. At Darcy’s disbelieving face she added, ‘You thickhead. He was with us, remember?’
Darcy crossed his arms and glared at his sister. ‘Could’ve been one of his friends.’
Clem saw red. ‘We’re his friends, you big idiot. He doesn’t see his old friends now.’
Darcy hrrmphed. ‘That’s what he tells us.’
Clem’s face turned scarlet, then white. She slapped her brother’s shoulder, then using her finger as emphasis she rammed home each point. ‘Bryce wouldn’t go back to stealing and graf. He’s got too much to lose. He doesn’t want to ever go back inside a courtroom. Besides,’ she finished with just a hint of triumph, ‘we’re with Bryce nearly every waking hour.’
Darcy leant forward, in nose-to-nose combat with Clem. ‘He’s not with us now…’
Clem refused to pull away, saying, ‘I trust him.’
‘I don’t.’
Clem turned to Mio and Tong, trying to clear things in her head. ‘You trust Bryce, don’t you?’
The silence was resounding.
Clem felt gutted. ‘You call yourselves his friends? Big deal if Bryce has seen his old group. That’s no crime.’ She stood up, but in her haste to get out she tripped and fell against the door frame, cheek first. She was too angry for tears. Holding one hand to her throbbing face she turned and ordered, ‘Everybody out.’
‘Why?’ asked Darcy.
‘Because we’re going to see Bryce. We need to sort out this mess, once and for all.’ Clem yanked her helmet on, wincing when it pushed against her inflamed cheek. ‘Well?’ she asked when no-one moved. ‘You coming?’
Mio, Tong and Bryce stepped outside The Van, shielding their eyes from the sinking sun.
Clem jerked the bike lock open and unthreaded the chain. Still the others did not move.
Darcy’s voice was like flint as he asked, ‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’
‘What?’
‘That Bryce asked us never to visit his house?’
Clem hesitated. When Bryce first came to The Metropolitan School he’d been perfectly happy to visit other people’s homes but had shown a huge reluctance to reciprocate. ‘What’s the problem?’ Clem had asked one day. ‘Why don’t you ever have us over?’
‘I just don’t,’ was Bryce’s reply. ‘No problem.’
‘There must be a problem,’ Clem had replied, to which she got, ‘Your place is heaps bigger, and so’s Mr Lark’s. It’s better we go there.’ It was said with such finality that Clem knew she should drop it. And that had been the end of it. Till now.
‘We need to talk to him,’ said Clem. ‘Face to face. Not on the phone.’
‘Let’s talk on Monday at school,’ said Darcy.
‘
Monday’s too far away. We should go now.’
‘I come,’ said Tong, reaching for his helmet.
Mio and Darcy didn’t move.
The group were at a stand-off. Bella sat quietly at Clem’s feet, not her usual mischievous self.
Clem cleared her throat. She raised her hand and her voice rang out, ‘Freewheelers!’
‘Freewheeler!’ Tong’s hand clasped over Clem’s.
Mio added hers to the pile. ‘Freewheelers.’
Darcy kicked at a stone, his hands shoved in his pockets. All eyes were on him.
Part of Darcy wanted to believe them, but pride made him hang back. Apologising wasn’t his strong suit. He hated the defiance that shone from those three sets of eyes. Even Bella was looking defiant. ‘Oh, okay.’ He slouched forward and held his hand out, ‘Freewheelers.’
Even though he was dinking Tong, Darcy decided to let off steam.
‘Race you to Bryce’s,’ he said. ‘He lives on Arterial Road, number 678. Beside the butcher. Last one there’s a baked potato.’
‘Don’t you mean rotten egg?’
Darcy grinned. ‘How ‘bout, last one there’s a couch potato?’ And he took off. If Tong hadn’t been holding on to the saddle he would’ve gone flying.
Clem felt awash with relief. This was the Darcy she knew and loved. That aggro Darcy was someone she rarely met, except when his anger was justified—when Jonas hung around and whinged too much, or Bruno broke something of his, or Tim went through his private drawers looking for blankie. That aggro she understood.
The kids powered along, glad to be outside and on the move. Happily perched in Clem’s basket, Bella lifted her face into the breeze, snuffling now and again when the air went up her nostrils, culminating in a giant sneeze.
‘Bella!’ cried Clem, now covered in a fine spray.
Bella ignored her, content to let her ears flap in the air currents and watch the world whizz past.
‘She looks like Batdog,’ said Darcy, as Bella’s ears splayed out.
Clem lifted her hands to cover Bella’s ears, but kept pedalling as she said, ‘Don’t listen, little one. He’s just jealous.’
‘I don’t want bat ears.’
‘Too bad. You’ve already got them.’ Before Darcy could reply she dropped her hands to the handlebars and sped away.
It wasn’t far to Bryce’s house and as they got closer, Clem felt a sense of foreboding. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe they shouldn’t have come after all.
They pulled up outside a tumbledown house, walls spackled with moss. The latch on the front gate was broken, so that the gate hung down, gouging an arc in the path and making a harsh grating noise as they walked through.
‘Maybe he’s not home,’ said Clem.
‘Blinds are down,’ said Darcy. ‘Hard to tell.’
‘Maybe we should come back another day?’ suggested Clem.
‘No, you don’t,’ said Darcy, and he grabbed Clem by the waist and propelled her to the front door. ‘This was your brilliant idea and you’re going to follow it through. Now knock.’
Before her hand met the door a shout could be heard from inside, then a man’s voice, closely followed by a boy’s.
‘Please, Dad.’
Bryce!
Clem’s hand dropped.
‘Back to your old tricks, aren’t you?!’
‘No.’
Clem knew she should leave but she was riveted to the path.
The kids looked at each other, all of them thinking, We shouldn’t be here. We should go.
‘You deceitful little scumbag.’
‘I’m not, Dad. Honest.’
‘You lied to Cara and me.’
About what? wondered Clem.
Seconds ticked past.
‘You have my word.’
‘Sod on your word.’
The cry rang out like a frightened goose. ‘Da-a-a-!’
Then nothing.
Nothing but the thumping in the kids’ heads and hearts. Clem fought for air, Tong stiffened and Mio felt faint. What to do?
Everything was eerily silent.
Clem reached for the doorbell but Darcy tugged her arm away. ‘We should go,’ he hissed.
But still they hesitated. Bryce needed them.
They were like moths, pinned in space and time.
Silence had never sounded so loud.
Chapter Fourteen
It was Saturday, early afternoon, and the kids were waiting at The Van.
‘No Bryce,’ said Clem. ‘First time he hasn’t showed.’
‘Wonder how he is?’ said Mio, and she shivered despite the warm weather.
‘Me wonder, too,’ said Tong.
‘Maybe we should call him?’ said Mio. ‘See if he’s held up. Clem, Darcy, you got your phone?’
Darcy pulled out his phone and dialled. ‘C’mon, Bryce, pick up.’
But it didn’t even go to message bank. It just rang out.
‘Let’s head up to The Peak, do some practice. We’ll ring again when we’re up there.’
‘That’s if we get reception,’ said Mio.
‘I guess.’
When they arrived, the kids got quite a shock. A huge banner hung over the entrance announcing the forthcoming bike trials. Kids swarmed everywhere.
‘Last weekend before the trials,’ said Darcy, by way of explanation. ‘Let’s ride up to the tower and check it out.’
‘Me walk,’ said Tong to lighten Darcy’s load.
All the uphill riding was paying off. By the time the kids reached the top they were barely panting.
‘Did you see those dudes with the fancy gear? All colour-coordinated,’ said Clem. ‘They look hard core.’ She glanced down at her T-shirt and long shorts, more hand-me-downs from her cousin Kate, and sighed. Another group of riders went past, wearing hard cap knee and shin guards, elbow guards and fingerless mitts. ‘They look like full pros.’ Clem sighed again.
Reading her mind, Darcy glided over to his sister and put a reassuring hand on her arm, saying, ‘It’s not how you look, it’s how you ride that counts.’
‘I know,’ said Clem. ‘But they sure do look impressive.’
Darcy did a bunnyhop 360, saying, ‘We’re impressive, too,’ and despite her jitters, Clem laughed.
‘Let’s climb up the tower and see if there’s a spot where no-one else is practising. Otherwise we’ll have to squish, or queue somewhere.’
‘Good idea,’ said Mio.
They rested their bikes against the tower. Darcy took a chain from his bike and looped it through the frames, securing it with a padlock, saying, ‘After last time, we can’t be too cautious.’
Mio was the first up the ladder. She wouldn’t admit it to the others but like Bryce, she was afraid of heights; unlike Bryce, she didn’t let it stop her. By the time she swung her bottom firmly onto the platform she breathed a sigh of relief. Tong took the rungs two at a time, so confident that he looked like a sailor going aloft on a ship. Darcy came next, all grunts as he tried to copy Tong.
‘Don’t fret,’ said Clem to Bella, securing a rope through her collar and tying her to the support poles of the tower. ‘There’s a good girl.’ With a quick scratch behind Bella’s ears, Clem headed up after her brother.
Once up the top, the kids could check out all of The Peak. They watched one group of kids riding along a narrow beam. Another group was practising track stands on what looked like giant planters. A third group was riding figure eights backwards. Everywhere you looked there were bikes and kids, kids and bikes.
‘Looks like we’re up for some stiff competition,’ said Clem, mesmerised by the blow-out of activity.
‘Check out those reverse circles,’ said Mio.
‘No-handed!’ added Clem.
Tong let out a whistle.
‘Don’t let them psych you out,’ warned Darcy. ‘We’re just as good as them.’
Clem watched group after group take each challenge in their stride. Her brow creased and there were furrows arou
nd her pursed lips. ‘I think we’re going to be way out of our depth in these bike trials.’
‘Maybe,’ said Mio, looking dubious.
‘Riders plenty good.’
Clem whirled to face Darcy, saying, ‘See. Tong agrees with me.’
Tong pulled himself up to full height as he declared, ‘Freewheelers better.’
Darcy sniggered. ‘See? He agrees with me.’
Under her breath Clem muttered, ‘I wish Bryce was here.’
Darcy overheard her. ‘He’s here in spirit,’ he said, pointing to the word PHREE spray-painted in white on the platform. Then his hand continued its arc. ‘Hey! What’s this?’
Beside the PHREE there was something else, but no matter which angle they looked at it from, they couldn’t make out what it was.
‘It’s just a paint splotch,’ said Clem. ‘With a few splatters.’
‘Might be a practice spray,’ suggested Mio.
‘Yeah, it’s nothing,’ said Darcy.
But Tong looked unconvinced. He crouched in front of the design, squinting as he sought an answer, angry that he didn’t notice it before. After a while he said, ‘Sao.’ His fingers traced the outline as he struggled to think of the English word.
‘Star?’ asked Clem, as she watched his fingers draw the points. ‘In the sky at night? They’re called stars.’
‘With duôi. Tail.’
Darcy flicked away the comment with his hand as he said, ‘Stars don’t have tails.’
‘Some do,’ corrected Mio. ‘Shooting stars leave a trail like a tail.’
‘Shooting star!’ gasped Clem. ‘There it is again. Just like they put on The Van.’ She shivered as she asked, ‘You think the person who was in The Van is the same person who took Tong’s bike and stole Bryce’s key-ring?’
‘Or brought back Bryce’s key-ring,’ corrected Mio. ‘We don’t know which. They may have even dropped it by accident.’
‘Wonder who it is.’
Darcy snorted, saying, ‘Don’t we all.’ The four sat staring at the spray-painting of a shooting star, till Darcy straightened his shoulders and stood up. ‘Not achieving anything by standing around admiring artwork,’ he said. ‘C’mon, guys. We’ve got work to do.’
For the next two hours the kids worked and worked, tackling every obstacle, riding the narrowest of lines, balancing, skidding and turning, taking it in turns to share their bike with Tong. It was so intense that by the time they finished they were drenched. While they were letting off steam, riding the handlebars and pedalling with their hands, some riders came up.