New City

by Deborah Abela

  ‘And me!’ The chorus of voices rose with more confidence, each one offering a new home.

  Before the soldiers knew what was happening, blankets, scarves and beanies were being brought from houses, and doors were thrown open to hustle children in from the snow.

  It was chaos. At first the soldiers stood back but soon some of them joined in, as did the nurses from the Garrison. They held blankets over their arms. One of them leant over to Bea as she passed by and said, ‘I thought I told you to stay warm.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Bea smiled cheekily before she, Raffy and Xavier helped some of the kids into warm homes.

  Isabella gently nudged Samira, who was still in Vijay’s arms. ‘Look.’

  Through one of the open doors they could see a small girl singing on a computer screen. ‘Looks like you’re the star of the show.’

  ‘It’s me,’ Samira said as one of the nurses lifted her from Vijay’s arms and bundled her inside the nearest house.

  ‘You did it,’ Isabella said to Vijay. ‘You won. Gandhi would be proud.’

  ‘He’d be proud of us both, Isabella.’

  ‘The camp won’t be your home, and maybe now you can search for your brother.’

  Vijay nodded. ‘And I’ll find him too.’

  ‘I bet you will.’

  ‘Can we finish this chat somewhere warmer?’ Griffin asked. ‘I don’t think I can feel my toes anymore.’

  Children continued to be ushered into warm homes and offered hot chocolates and steaming baths.

  Not far away, the Major General gripped the microphone as he watched his orders being ignored. In one swift move, he threw it across the room, smashing one of the monitors and sending a spray of sparks and broken glass into the air.

  Startled by the sudden crash, Cleopatra bounded from her place before the fire, opened her jaws wide and sank her teeth into the Major General’s leg.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Coming Home

  The Armavan came to a stop. Inside, five children with scarves tied over their eyes sat and waited.

  ‘Do you think this is it?’ Bea whispered.

  Griffin shrugged. ‘I guess we’ll find out any minute.’

  They heard the metallic whine of the door opening.

  ‘Everybody out!’ a voice from the driver’s seat commanded.

  Isabella went first, feeling her way out before helping the others. They stood close beside her and waited for what was to come next.

  ‘Can we look now, Corporal Smith?’

  ‘It’s Hayley Smith now, and yes you can.’

  A beaming ex-Corporal Smith watched each of their faces as they snatched their scarves away.

  Jeremiah stood before them wearing a suit and tie, clutching Snowy to his chest. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘It’s perfect,’ Bea said.

  ‘It’s more than perfect!’ Raffy added.

  ‘Do you hear that, Snowy?’ Jeremiah said to the bear. ‘They like it.’

  ‘Like it,’ Bea objected. ‘We love it!’ They wrapped him in hugs from either side.

  The cracks in the walls had been fixed, the door and window frames replaced and painted red. It even seemed to have lost its tired slouch.

  ‘Come inside,’ Jeremiah said. ‘There’s more.’

  The rooms were filled with cosy lounges, beds with colourful quilts and a long table in the heart of the house that was set for a feast. There was a drifting aroma of food and the stove was full of steaming pots and pans.

  ‘It’s almost perfect,’ Griffin said quietly.

  ‘Except for one thing,’ Bea guessed. ‘Fly’s not here.’

  ‘I know she’s with her family,’ Griffin said, ‘but I miss her.’

  ‘We all do,’ Jeremiah agreed. He looked troubled and began patting his pockets and looking around.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Hayley asked.

  ‘Yes, but there’s something I’ve forgotten and I just can’t think what it is.’ He began to mutter to himself, counting off on his fingers as he went through a mental checklist. ‘Put on the pasta sauce, fluff the pillows …’

  Griffin turned to Isabella but she just shrugged.

  ‘Wait!’ Jeremiah held Snowy against his ear. ‘Why, you’re right, Snowy. Where would I be without you? Come everyone, sit.’

  They gathered around a laptop on the table. He opened the screen to see a young girl waving back at them.

  ‘Fly!’ Griffin’s face instantly filled with a smile.

  ‘Jeremiah and I decided this way I could still be part of your homecoming.’ She squinted. ‘What happened to your glasses, Griffin?’

  ‘I picked a fight with a guy who was bigger than me. I’m getting new ones.’

  Fly turned to her parents, who were standing behind her. ‘See? I told you he was brave.’

  Her mother leant towards the camera. ‘It didn’t take long for us to realise how special you are to our little girl.’

  ‘It’s true.’ Her dad nodded. ‘All she could talk about was how wonderful you all are – especially Griffin. It seems you’re quite the hero.’

  Griffin shook his head. ‘Fly’s a little biased.’

  ‘She must have mentioned me quite a lot,’ Xavier said.

  Fly’s mum frowned. ‘What’s your name again?’

  The others laughed.

  Xavier crossed his arms. ‘When am I going to be properly appreciated?’

  ‘Oh, and I want you to meet someone else.’ Fly moved out of sight momentarily before reappearing, cradling a baby. ‘This is April, my little sister.’

  April let out a shrill squeal. ‘That means she’s pleased to meet you,’ Fly said. ‘I know it’s not the same as living together, but we decided it was almost as good.’

  ‘You’ll still come and visit sometime, won’t you?’ Bea asked.

  Fly turned to her parents.

  ‘I don’t think we could keep her away.’ Her father laughed.

  ‘I have a present for you,’ Fly said. ‘Jeremiah, you can open the parcel now.’

  Jeremiah reached for a brown package. ‘I was told I couldn’t unwrap this until you were all here.’ He tore open the paper. For whole seconds he didn’t move.

  ‘What is it?’ Bea asked.

  Jeremiah held up a wooden plaque for everyone to see. Engraved into the wood were curling letters that read, There’s no place like home.

  ‘Just like in The Wizard of Oz,’ Raffy cried.

  ‘It took us a while,’ Bea said, ‘but we finally have a home.’

  Jeremiah wiped away a tear. ‘Now that you are all here, I’d like to make a speech. When the Floods hit, they changed the world in a way I thought we’d never recover from. We lost so much, including, at times, our hope. Then I met you all and was reminded that we still had so much to live for and that we owed it to the ones we lost not to give up.

  ‘Never have I met such brave and determined souls, ready to stand up to the meanest of people and the harshest of rules. Thanks to you, the camp is gone and those children will not only have proper homes but the Major General will be brought to trial for the wrongs he has done. New City will have the chance to be the model city it was always meant to be. Thank you for helping me and so many others find a home again.’

  April squealed.

  ‘My little sister agrees,’ Fly said, and they all laughed.

  ‘It also means she’s hungry,’ her mother said. ‘Again.’

  ‘We will call every day,’ Fly promised.

  They all waved goodbye, and Fly and her family vanished from the screen.

  Raffy felt his stomach growl. ‘Is all that food for us?’

  ‘Of course!’ Jeremiah said, taking a large pot of spaghetti from the stove. He removed a large garlic bread from the oven and poured dressing over the salads.

  Plates were passed around and food dished out, and for the first time since they’d left Grimsdon it felt like a regular night around the table with stories flying about and Xavier doing his usual best to make it all about
him.

  ‘I guess it’s time to go back to your mum now,’ Isabella said.

  Xavier nodded. ‘She needs me.’

  ‘We do too,’ Raffy said.

  Xavier looked as if he was about to cry. ‘You helped bring down a corrupt leader and free a camp of imprisoned kids. Something tells me you’ll be fine without me.’

  The feast lasted long into the night, until Bea and Raffy couldn’t fight against sleep any longer.

  After Griffin tucked them in and the others sang as they washed the dishes, he found Isabella sitting on the verandah.

  She sat back in a lounge chair. ‘We made it.’

  Griffin sat beside her and let himself enjoy a quiet victory smile. ‘Yes we did – and in quite good style, I think.’

  Isabella laughed. ‘Thank you for defending me against that soldier.’

  Griffin winced. ‘I’m still working on the “staying on my feet” part of being heroic.’

  ‘You always stand by me, Griffin, and I know it hasn’t been easy to do that.’

  ‘I’ve worked out that that’s how my life is.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Ever since we were kids, it’s been your job to come up with brave things to do, and my job to say no and help you do it anyway.’

  Isabella grinned. ‘We have the perfect friendship then, don’t we?’

  ‘I think so.’ Griffin’s smile faded a little. ‘Do you think we’ll be okay here?’

  Isabella nodded. ‘More than okay.’

  ‘Your dad would have been so proud of you.’

  ‘Do you think so?’

  ‘I don’t know how he could have been prouder. Even before the Floods I’d watch you stand up to bullies at school and grouchy bus drivers who yelled at little kids, and you never seemed to worry about what would happen to you.’

  Isabella sat forward and stared at Griffin as if she was expecting him to say something else.

  He wiped his face. ‘Do I have spaghetti sauce on my chin?’

  ‘You don’t know what’s supposed to happen now, do you?’

  He shrugged. ‘No.’

  ‘Okay, if you’re not going to do it, I am.’

  She leant over and kissed him.

  Griffin didn’t move. Everything seemed to stop, including, for a few brief seconds, his breathing. Isabella sat back again. ‘Are we going to be friends forever, Griffin?’

  ‘That’s my plan, Isabella Charm.’

  ‘Even though I’m the one who gets us into trouble?’

  ‘Definitely.’ Griffin leant back and smiled. ‘And I wouldn’t have it any other way.’

  About the Author

  Having always been short and a bit of a coward, Deborah dreamed of being braver and stronger, which is probably why she writes books about spies, ghosts, soccer legends and characters good with swords who take on sea monsters and evil harbour lords. She is the author of the Max Remy Superspy series, Jasper Zammit (Soccer Legend) series, the Ghost Club series, The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen and Grimsdon, about a flooded city, a group of lost children, sneaker waves and flying machines. She’s won awards for her books but mostly hopes, one day, to be as brave as the characters inside.

  Find out more about what she’s up to at www.deborahabela.com. Visit randomhouse.com.au/teachers to find teachers’ resources for New City and other fantastic Random House Australia books.

  Grimsdon

  Bestselling author Deborah Abela brings us a heroine to love and a great deal of danger to overcome in this thrilling novel set in a post-apocalyptic, flooded world.

  Grimsdon is in ruins. Three years ago a massive wave broke its barriers and the sea flooded this grand city. Most were saved, some were lost – and some were left behind.

  Isabella Charm and her best friend, Griffin, live with three other children in the top of an opulent mansion. They’ve survived with the help of Griffin’s brilliant inventions, Isabella’s fighting skills and their vow to look after each other.

  But what will happen when a newcomer arrives in his flying machine? Grimsdon is full of hidden perils, from bounty hunters to sneaker waves. Could Xavier’s daredevil risks put all their lives in danger?

  OUT NOW!

  ‘Part dystopian science fiction, part fantasy and part adventure – and altogether delightful.’ Magpies

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Version 1.0

  New City

  ePub ISBN 9781742758565

  Copyright © Deborah Abela, 2014

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  A Random House book

  Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060

  www.randomhouse.com.au

  Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at http://www.randomhouse.com.au/about/contacts.aspx

  First published by Random House Australia in 2014

  Cataloguing-in-Publication entry available through the National Library of Australia

  Cover image by Zdenko Bašic

  Cover design by Astred Hicks/Design Cherry

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