‘You’re all going somewhere?’ she said. ‘Martin was soooo mysterious. Where are you going?’
‘I can’t tell you,’ said Andrea, putting a finger to her lips. ‘Maybe when it’s all over, yeah?’
Sam nodded. ‘I wish I could come too, but you know . . . big day tomorrow with the thing at school.’
‘Yeah, what a pity.’
‘Anyway, it’s going to be pretty awesome,’ said Sam. ‘They’re kind of tricking people, right? The Premier and all the VIPs are arriving on the boat, and we’re all going to be on the jetty to meet them, right, and I’m giving her the flowers. And Mr Yu and Mr Rozman are supposed to be on the jetty too to greet the Premier, sort of “Let the contest begin,” you know?’
‘Umm – okay.’
‘But there’s a big secret,’ whispered Sam. ‘The dance troupe is going to do this number on the oval and Mr Yu and Mr Rozman are going to be hiding in the middle of the dancers, then they sort of pop out and Mr Rozman gives the Principal a giant cheque for the school.’
Andrea tried to picture the scene.
‘Don’t tell anyone,’ said Sam.
‘Course not. Um – speaking of giant cheques . . . Martin said you can lend us some money?’
‘Yeah, of course. He said it was for something really important. How much do you need?’
‘I’m not sure, but at least fifty dollars. Have you got it?’
‘Sure,’ said Sam. ‘I reckon I’ve got much more than that.’
She pushed some clothes onto the floor and picked up her piggy bank. Then, before Andrea realised what she was doing, Sam brought the piggy bank down on the desk with a thud. It rumbled, but didn’t break.
‘Sam,’ said Andrea. ‘Not your pig!’
‘That’s what it’s for,’ said Sam. Her eyes were bright. ‘This is an emergency, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, but . . . ’
‘That’s what a rainy day is.’ Sam climbed awkwardly onto her bed, clutching the heavy pig. She held it high over her head and hurled it to the floor. It shattered into a thousand pieces, unleashing a shower of golden coins.
‘Your lovely pig!’ lamented Andrea.
Sam pulled a pink vinyl Barbie bag from her cupboard and Andrea helped her to collect the coins from all over the room and stuff them in. They stopped counting after it became clear that there was much more than a hundred dollars.
‘I don’t think we’ll need all of it,’ said Andrea.
‘Take it,’ said Sam. ‘You don’t know what’s going to happen out there. It’d be silly to run out of money when I’ve got all this.’
‘Well, I don’t know how to thank you.’
‘Hey, that’s what friends are for.’
Clutching the heavy bag, its strap stretching under the strain, Andrea gave her a clumsy hug and fled.
28
KITTY and Martin left the house early. Sam had assured Martin that she would be giving Andrea a tonne of money, so they had decided to get a taxi to the station to make sure of catching the train.
‘If there’s really lots of money,’ Kitty had said, ‘I’m coming too.’
‘You’ll get into trouble at school,’ Martin had warned.
‘Don’t care.’
Andrea was waiting at the taxi stand, dressed in jeans and a torn T-shirt.
‘Why are you in school uniform?’ she demanded.
‘We had to get past Mum and Dad,’ said Martin.
As they got into a taxi, Kitty borrowed Andrea’s phone and started composing a message to Skender.
‘How can I put this?’ she fretted. ‘We should have decided on a code.’
‘Well, there he is,’ said Andrea. Skender was walking up Darling Street, heading for the bus stop, as they crawled past. Kitty stuck her head out the window.
‘Hey!’ she called. ‘I was just sending you a text. We’re going to see . . . you know.’
The taxi moved on. Skender waved frantically and started running after it.
‘Stop!’ said Kitty to the driver. ‘Wait a minute!’
Skender caught up and tumbled into the back seat.
‘I’ll come with you,’ he said as they got moving again.
Martin, in the front seat, turned around. ‘Hi,’ he said. ‘I’m Martin.’
‘Hello. Call me Skender.’
‘You might want to change your mind,’ said Martin. ‘We’re going to be gone all day.’
‘I’m coming,’ said Skender. ‘I have to talk to David.’
Once they got into the flow of the early-morning commuter traffic it wasn’t so bad, and the taxi made good time through White Bay and headed for the city.
‘Where are we going?’ asked Skender.
‘Central,’ said Andrea. ‘After that, you’ll see.’
THE others looked on in some amusement as Andrea paid the taxi driver then the ticket-seller with fistfuls of gold coins from a shiny pink bag.
‘I’ll tell you what,’ she said. ‘It’s great, getting rid of this stuff. It’s really heavy.’
They found seats facing each other on the train, which was already moving by the time they had made themselves comfortable. It slid quietly through the grim, grimy, graffitied back yard of Sydney. Kitty, Skender and Andrea pulled out books and settled down.
Martin looked at Andrea. ‘You’re reading a book.’
‘What about them?’ She gestured at the others.
‘Yeah, but you’re reading a book!’
‘Well, get over it.’
‘What are you reading?’ asked Kitty.
Andrea showed her.
‘Seven Little Australians! I don’t believe it.’
‘Shhhh. I’m getting near the end.’
‘Have you got up to the bit where Judy—’
‘Kitty! Shoosh!’
Kitty kept quiet from then on, but she couldn’t help grinning.
The train made its unhurried way through the suburbs, only stopping at a couple of major stations. Very few people got on, and no one came near them. After a while Skender seemed to judge it safe to talk.
‘Did the family tell you where he is?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Kitty, ‘but we worked it out. Andrea worked it out. We’re pretty sure.’
‘We’re going to see my dad,’ whispered Andrea. ‘No one knows that David’s family are friends with him, and the place where he lives is really out of the way. Those people will never find it.’
‘I hope not,’ said Skender. ‘Is it in a large town?’
‘No,’ said Kitty, ‘it’s way out in the bush, in the Blue Mountains. You’ll see.’
‘I’ve heard of the Blue Mountains,’ said Skender. ‘My parents have talked about going there. There are many famous things we want to see.’
‘Stick with us,’ said Andrea. ‘We’ll give you the grand tour.’
‘At home,’ said Kitty, ignoring Andrea, ‘did you live in a city, or in the country?’
‘We were city people,’ said Skender. ‘But our main city is not so big, not like Sydney. In Italy we lived with my uncle, who was managing a farm in the south. It was nice. Not like this, though. It was . . . flatter.’
‘How did you get to Italy?’ asked Andrea.
Skender shrugged. ‘On a boat, illegally. My parents had to pay nearly all the money they had. We are boat people.’
They had left the suburbs now, and started the long climb into the mountains. Eucalyptus trees grew tall and dense by the railway line, and there were glimpses of blue-hazed peaks and valleys in the distance. Familiar names rolled past the window: Springwood, Faulconbridge, Hazelbrook, Wentworth Falls.
‘Is anyone hungry?’ said Kitty. ‘I’ve brought extra sandwiches. You can have ham and cheese, or ham and tomato.’
‘Great, I’ll have one of each,’ said Martin, reaching out.
‘How about you, Skender?’ said Kitty.
‘No, thanks anyway,’ said Skender. ‘I can’t eat ham.’
‘Oh, are you allergic?’
‘It’s not that,’ said Skender. ‘It’s my religion.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ Kitty blushed bright scarlet. ‘I should have known.’
‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘Hey,’ said Andrea, ‘I’ll take a ham and tomato, and Skender can have one of my Vegemite sandwiches.’
‘Okay,’ said Skender, looking dubiously at the offered sandwich.
‘Don’t you like Vegemite?’ asked Martin, incredulous.
‘I don’t know,’ admitted Skender. ‘My mother bought some, because everyone said we should try it. We opened the jar and looked at it, but no one wanted to go first. It looked . . . unlike food.’ He took a small bite of the sandwich and screwed up his face.
‘You don’t have to eat it,’ said Kitty kindly. ‘Here, I’ll put it in the rubbish bag.’ He handed it over, looking relieved.
On their left, a whole hillside rose up, covered with blackened tree trunks, all sprouting bright-green feathery foliage.
‘Look, that must be from those bushfires last year,’ said Martin. ‘Lucky they didn’t spread.’
‘The trees look dead,’ said Skender, ‘but they have green all over.’
‘That’s the way it grows back. It’s really quick.’
‘The animals don’t grow back,’ said Kitty sadly.
‘Lots of them get away, Kit,’ said Martin. ‘Kangaroos and wallabies, and most of the birds.’
‘Yes,’ said Kitty. ‘Remember that documentary about Black Saturday? This lady said she woke up next day and everything was black and dead, and the ground was covered with ash, but then she heard a magpie singing his song.’ She blinked away a tear.
Andrea gave a little sniff.
‘Did you see it too?’ asked Kitty.
Andrea shook her head and pointed to her book.
‘Ah,’ said Kitty. ‘So you’ve got up to the bit where Judy . . . ’
Andrea nodded.
‘Well,’ said Kitty. ‘She saved the General.’
‘Is it a book about war?’ asked Skender.
‘No.’ Andrea closed the book and blew her nose. ‘The General is a baby.’
‘Remind me,’ said Martin, ‘not to read that book.’
They passed through Blackheath.
‘Not too far to go now,’ said Martin, looking at his maps. ‘Mount Victoria, Bell, Newnes Junction, Zig Zag . . . ’
‘Do we go through Mount Victoria?’ said Andrea. ‘That’s where they send Judy to school, to the Misses Burton. Do you think that was a real school?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Kitty. ‘My mum says some of the places in the book are real, and some aren’t. There’s another book, you know, about stuff that happens when Judy’s at school.’
‘Really? Have you read it?’
‘Not yet. Mum said she’d try and get a copy. It’s something about Judy getting into trouble at school because she has to keep a promise to some little boy, and she can’t tell anyone.’
The wheels of the train clacked softly. Keep a promise, they repeated. Keep a promise.
‘Oh no,’ said Kitty. ‘What time is it? Would it be morning recess?’ She turned to Skender. ‘Have you got Rebecca’s number?’
‘Who?’
‘Rebecca. She’s in the chess club. A small girl with – sort of brownish hair.’
‘I don’t think I know her.’
‘Well, whose number have you got, then? Have you got Hephzibah’s?’
‘Who?’ said Martin.
Skender was looking through his phone. ‘I have Ngoc’s number,’ he said, handing the phone to Kitty.
Ngoc answered on the first ring. ‘Hey, Skender?’
‘No, hi, it’s Kitty.’
‘Hey, how ya doing?’
‘Good. Sorry, I’m not at school today. I’m kind of caught up, and I need a favour. There’s this girl I’m supposed to meet, Rebecca. She sometimes goes to the chess club? She’s kind of small, and . . .’
‘I can’t say I’ve . . . ’
‘You’ll recognise her when you see her. The thing is, I’m supposed to meet her at the beginning of lunchtime in the science room, and I really don’t want to let her down. Do you think you could go there and give her a message? Tell her I can’t meet her, but I sent you with a better offer. And then could you make her come to the chess club with you and make sure she has a game – that’s the better offer.’
‘Okay! Will do.’
FINALLY the train crawled past some grimy buildings, almost stopped a couple of times, went slower and slower, and finally shuddered to a halt.
In the street outside the station there was a single taxi, with a hefty middle-aged woman dozing at the wheel. Her sagging bare arms were covered in tattoos, and her white-blonde hair was cut in a rough mullet. They tapped on a back window to wake her up before piling in.
Martin showed her one of his maps. ‘Can you find this place for us?’ he said.
‘Watcha wanna go way out there for, love?’ she enquired, starting the engine. ‘And have youse got money?’
‘Sure.’ Andrea opened the pink Barbie bag and showed her the treasure trove of gold coins.
‘Ha. Robbed someone’s piggy bank, didja?’
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ said Andrea.
The driver looked appraisingly in the rear-view mirror. ‘Shouldn’t all you kids be at school?’
‘We’re on an excursion,’ said Andrea. ‘Only I forgot to give my dad the note. I’ve got to go home and get him to sign it.’
‘And what about your friends?’
‘Yeah, well I wasn’t allowed to go back home by myself, but it was okay if my friends came with me.’
‘I dunno,’ said the driver, swinging the wheel around. ‘The rules they have at school these days. They don’t make no sense to me.’
‘They don’t make no sense to us either,’ agreed Andrea.
The train trip had taken them across the mountain range to the foothills on the far side, and the highest peaks now loomed behind them as they drove, craggy in the midday sun. Soon after they reached the outskirts of town the bumpy, unmade road started to rise in a series of lazy, looping turns with a tangle of vegetation on either side.
‘Hang on,’ said Andrea suddenly. ‘I think this is it. Turn left here, please.’
Two tall, narrow trees, different from the others, stood beside a deeply rutted track that disappeared off to the left. The taxi driver swung into this entrance and stopped.
‘I’m not going up there,’ she said.
‘It’s really not far,’ said Andrea.
‘That’s good, ’cos you’re walking.’
‘My dad drives up.’
‘Your dad can please himself, but there’s a fair chance I’d do an axle on that track. That’ll be forty-seven dollars.’
Andrea counted out the coins. The driver backed out, turned and drove off in a cloud of dust.
‘I hope this is the place,’ said Martin. ‘It’d be a long walk back.’
‘It’s the place,’ said Andrea. ‘I recognise it.’
The sun was warm, the buzzing air smelled of dust and eucalyptus, and the grass crackled under their feet.
‘Listen,’ said Kitty. ‘That’s a whipbird. Hear that?’
The driveway was narrow, with many flowering shrubs alive with birds. On one side was a creek bed with some muddy puddles here and there. As they moved forward the croaking of frogs joined the general cacophony. Soon they could glimpse some buildings up ahead.
‘There’s a car parked in front,’ said Martin. ‘He’s home.’
‘Wait a minute,’ said Andrea. ‘That’s not my dad’s car.’
‘Stop,’ said Skender. ‘What do you mean?’
‘My dad drives a beat-up old ute,’ said Andrea. ‘I can’t see him in a shiny new car like that, I really can’t.’
‘Maybe he’s got a visitor?’ said Kitty.
‘With David hiding out here? This doesn’t seem right.’
‘I’d better check it out,’ said Mar
tin. ‘You lot stay here, out of sight.’
Suddenly the day took on a different cast, the heat ominous, the bird calls harsh and shrill. Kitty felt a knot of apprehension in her stomach.
They waited in the creek bed, peeping over the edge, while Martin skirted carefully round the side of the house, staying well away from the windows. Long minutes dragged by, then he came quietly back.
‘I saw an old ute round the side,’ he said. ‘It’s got four flat tyres. We need to see what’s going on in the house.’
Kitty’s heart started hammering so hard it was painful.
29
‘OKAY, ’ said Andrea. ‘I’m pretty sure those windows we can see at the front are bedrooms. There’s a big main room, sort of kitchen and living room, with lots of doors and windows. It’s right across the back. If we can get around the side, maybe the way Martin went, maybe if we’re really careful, there might be a window we can look in, see who’s there.’
‘All right, and we’ve got to be really quiet,’ said Martin. ‘No one say anything, okay? If any decisions have to be made when we’re round there, I make them and give a signal, is that understood?’
Kitty thought she saw Skender stiffen a little, but he said nothing. Andrea raised her eyebrows.
‘Come on, Andrea,’ said Martin. ‘Someone’s got to make the decisions. It’s the only way this is going to work.’
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Let’s do it.’
‘And we can’t all crowd in together,’ said Martin. ‘So we go in pairs. Andy and me take the first window we find, then Kitty and Skender look for another one, all right?’
‘Fine,’ said Kitty.
They moved slowly in single file, taking a wide arc through the trees around the side of the house, trying to make no sound. There were windows along the side and more around the corner facing onto the wide back verandah.
Martin crept to one of the side windows and peeped in. He looked back at the others and shook his head, then moved to the next window. They saw him give a slight start, then he turned and beckoned to Andrea. They both crouched at the window, hunched in concentration.
Skender was already moving low and fast, gliding like a cat around the corner of the house. Kitty followed and Skender made room for her to squeeze in next to him at the first window in the back wall.
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