by Anh Do
Amber couldn’t help smiling as they backed away. She hadn’t thought of using insects like that before, but now … something told her Trish wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. Not unless she wanted to wake up in a bed full of ants.
Then Amber noticed Justin behind the other students, watching her with concern. Her smile faded.
Amber didn’t go back to class. Who would sit listening to some boring teacher when they could spend the day commanding their own private insect army? She waited until no one was watching, then slipped out a gate and disappeared deep into the woods.
The further away she walked from town, the louder the thrum of insects became. Eventually they were everywhere – in the earth beneath her, throughout the bracken, inside the tree canopies and all through the air. When she let her perception shift to them, spots of purple filled her gaze near and far, and her blood tingled. It was an orchestra of little lives, comings and goings, and intricate, complex dramas playing out.
Soon, Amber had gone further into the woods than she had ever gone before. She followed a burbling stream, watching the water skippers dancing in the current. Then, out of nowhere she spotted a log cabin up ahead, nestled among the trees.
Amber ducked behind a bush, not wanting anything to do with other humans right now – especially not some crazy hermit.
As she crept closer for a better view, however, she realised she had little reason to worry. The cabin was in bad repair – there were weeds pushing up from under the porch, vines across the walls, and cracked windows looked into dark rooms. There was no driveway or road in sight. It was probably long abandoned. Probably …
Amber took a couple of steps towards the cabin, eyeing the shadows through the glass for any sign of movement.
‘Hello?’ she called.
No answer.
She pushed on the front door and cautiously stepped over the threshold. The cabin consisted of one room. Cast-iron pots hung over the fireplace, and a thick layer of dust covered a wooden table and chair and the filthy mattress in the corner. No one had been here for a long time.
Amber pulled open the threadbare curtains, coughing at the clouds of dust they released. But the place didn’t look quite so glum as the light spilled inside. With a little fixing up, Amber thought …
But Amber wasn’t looking to redecorate today, and started making her way back out before the sun set. Irene would probably be worried, she thought, and looked at the sky to find the direction home – her father had taught her how to do that.
Soon the shadows started to lengthen, and Amber grew worried. She had no idea how far she had to go, and it was getting dark fast …
Help.
Amber had only meant to think it to herself, but the word pulsed out of her. A moment later, twinkling lights arrived out of the brush. She stared in wonder as she realised these fireflies had answered her call, bobbing about and flying along the ground to illuminate any rocks or bumps in her way.
With the fireflies’ help, Amber was soon safely back at Irene’s property.
Thank you, she said, hoping they understood.
The fireflies sparkled and circled her one last time, then faded back into the woods.
Amber began to skip school more often.
She told Irene not to pick her up, saying she preferred to walk home.
Amber could tell Irene was worried, especially when Amber started coming home at odd hours covered in dirt and scratches. But how could she stop now?
She had been visiting the old cabin by the stream, taking cleaning gear, towels, a pillow, canned food, cutlery and some old sheets she found at the bottom of the linen closet.
She told herself she wasn’t setting up house – but it was nice to have a comfortable place to eat lunch, and, sometimes, take a nap in between the hours she spent practising with her insects.
In no time, Amber had learnt to summon the hundreds of different species the woods had to offer. It turned out that the words were less important when issuing commands – what mattered was the intent.
Eventually she could direct bugs in flight as if she were steering them – and not just individual bugs, but entire swarms.
She even used her new friends to improve the cabin. Caterpillars munched on the weeds under the porch, paper wasps blocked up leaky holes with their nests and termites ate away rotten patches of wood.
Amber soon fell in love with the place – her own private cabin in the woods.
But one day she arrived home to find Irene waiting for her with a note from the school.
‘You haven’t been to school all week?’ Irene asked, her voice sounding more worried than angry. ‘Amber, what’s going on? Where are you going every day?’
Caught unawares – and unsure how to explain – Amber just shrugged.
Irene hugged her tight. ‘I know it’s been hard,’ she whispered. ‘And I don’t know how to make it okay. But …’ She pulled back and looked into Amber’s eyes, her face growing somewhat stern. ‘You have to go to school. Tomorrow I’m dropping you off and picking you up. Deal?’
Amber owed Irene so much – her neighbour had taken her in out of the goodness of her heart. She was the only one who Amber loved anymore, that was for sure, even if Amber didn’t often show it. The only one who wasn’t in a coma, anyway.
‘Deal,’ said Amber, already regretting it.
The next day, Amber sat alone under her tree. Though she was surrounded by other people for the first time in a week, she’d never felt so alone … or so out of place.
In an insect colony, she thought, everyone has a job– a reason to be. Now, watching the jocks, nerds, class clowns and cheerleaders, she wondered what their purpose was.
What was the ‘grander scheme’ of the strange ‘human’ colony they called high school – with all its cruelty and selfishness and stupidity? Ants didn’t bully each other, hornets didn’t hold grudges, and butterflies certainly didn’t spend the whole of lunch grossly pashing Bobby McManus, like Stacy Mackey was currently doing.
Amber grimaced at the sight of Bobby and Stacy. Even Emma, seated nearby, averted her eyes.
Amber suddenly wondered where Trish was. She usually didn’t go anywhere without her minions.
‘Hey, stranger. Mind if I join?’
Amber looked up to see Justin, smiling down at her. Her heart gave a little flutter. She gestured for him to take a seat.
‘Haven’t seen you about much,’ he said.
‘And?’ said Amber, immediately regretting her harsh tone. Was she getting so used to being an outsider that she pushed everyone away now? Amber took a breath and looked at Justin. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve been taking some time to work things … everything … out.’
From the corner of her eye, Amber could see Stacy and Bobby’s kiss getting steadily more revolting. Almost without thinking, she gave a nearby fly the impression Stacy’s nostril would be a nice place to visit. A moment later the fly shot up Stacy’s nose and the girl recoiled, pulling away from Bobby, spluttering and coughing.
Justin looked over, then turned back to Amber with a serious expression. Amber’s grin quickly faded.
‘Was that—’ he began, but the bell rang and cut him off.
Amber jumped up. ‘Gotta go.’
‘Can I meet you after school?’ said Justin. ‘There’s something I want to show you …’
Amber thought about her deal with Irene. Still, if she explained that a boy had asked to walk her home, Irene would probably be happy about it. She wanted Amber to be normal – and that’s what normal people did, right?
‘Okay,’ she said. If Amber was going to give normal a shot, she would rather it be with someone like Justin.
Justin kept pace beside Amber, though she knew his long legs could easily stride ahead.
‘Where are we going?’ Amber asked.
Justin gave her a quick smile. ‘I’m taking you to the stream I told you about. Down the back of my place.’
Amber smiled, surprised he had remembered.
Justin
’s family had a big garden, at the end of which was a fallen-down fence. Justin stepped over it, then offered her his hand. Sheepishly, she took it, and he helped her over.
‘This is my reserved seat,’ said Justin, sitting on a rock next to the sparkling stream. ‘You can have that one though. It’s just as good.’
She smiled at his joke and sat down beside him. He didn’t say much at first, but she wasn’t complaining. It was so peaceful here. Beautiful. The stream burbled and dragonflies dashed about in the air.
‘Eastern pondhawks and black saddlebags are the most common customers,’ Justin said, nodding to the dragonflies.
‘I told you I know a bit about these things,’ he added, noting Amber’s surprised expression. ‘I couldn’t count how many days I spent down here when I was little, poking about for yabbies, catching minnows …’
It was nice that Justin also liked bugs. Perhaps they could be weirdos together? She almost laughed at the thought, and her heart swelled.
Amber looked over at Justin, who seemed to be working up to something.
‘Listen,’ he finally said, looking Amber in the eye. ‘I don’t care about what you did to Trish. She’s a bully. She had it coming.’
Amber looked away.
‘But whatever is happening to you,’ Justin continued, ‘you have to be careful. I’ve read stories, seen things on the news. They’re watching out for people with ... powers. They’re taking them away.’
‘They? Who are they?’
Justin shrugged. ‘The government, I guess.’
Amber frowned.
‘Anyway, Trish was one thing,’ said Justin. ‘But today with Stacy …’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Amber.
Justin gave her a flat stare.
‘You didn’t need to do that,’ he continued, ‘And every time you do something like that, it attracts attention.’
Amber bit her lip. After looking after herself for so long, she hated other people telling her what to do – especially giving her advice. Still, Justin looked genuinely concerned, and Amber knew he had a point.
‘You know,’ Justin said, his grave expression lifting, ‘you’re like a dragonfly yourself.’
‘Me?’
‘Elusive. Unpredictable …’ He took a breath, as if not sure whether to go on. ‘Super hard to get close to …’
Justin grinned, probably on seeing Amber’s shocked expression.
But as Amber watched Justin she thought about Stacy, of all people. Specifically, about how annoyed she’d been at Stacy’s public display. Amber wondered if there had been a touch of jealousy.
Justin coughed a little awkwardly, moving slightly closer to Amber and continuing, ‘You’re also … beautiful.’
He looked directly at her.
Then his eyes flicked to her scar.
It was only for the briefest of moments, but Amber saw it.
She pulled away and cleared her throat.
Justin took a deep breath. ‘The school dance. This week. I wondered if you wanted to go?’ He shuffled nervously. ‘With me, I mean.’
‘School dance?’ Amber hadn’t even known it was on.
‘Uhh yeah, this week. So …?’ Justin asked.
Amber had never been to a school dance before. She’d always told herself school dances were stupid popularity displays. Then again, she’d never been asked before …
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Let’s go to the dance.’
Then they sat for a while in silence, watching the dragonflies float and weave and – though Amber wasn’t quite sure how – holding hands.
‘Oh,’ sighed Irene as she looked Amber over. ‘You look amazing!’
‘Thanks,’ said Amber, not sure of herself, turning this way and that in her dress. ‘I look okay, I guess?’
‘Better get going,’ Irene said, herding Amber out the front door. ‘You don’t want to leave this mysterious fellow of yours waiting!’
‘He’s not mysterious,’ said Amber a little too defensively as Irene bundled her into the car.
‘That’s a shame,’ said Irene with a grin, climbing in the driver’s seat. ‘You two would’ve had that in common.’
As they drove towards town, Amber started to get nervous.
‘Is it a bit hot in here?’ she asked, rolling down a window to steady her breath.
After years of going out of her way not to draw attention to herself, Amber was about to walk into a hall full of people, in a pretty dress, with one of the nicest boys in school. She had even put make-up on for the first time in her life … then put it on again with Irene’s help.
The only thing they’d avoided was her scar. It turned out a scar with concealer on it looked very much like a scar with concealer on it. Besides, Amber now thought, she wasn’t trying to be someone else. She just wanted to … try something different.
Irene kept glancing at Amber.
‘What?’ Amber finally said.
‘I shouldn’t really say this … I don’t want to upset you … But if only your parents could see you now!’ said Irene. ‘They’d be so proud … like I am.’
Amber’s chest thudded, and her eyes felt hot and misty. She didn’t let Irene get close often …
Amber didn’t let anyone get too close. She’d learnt the hard way that those you loved could be taken away from you at any time …
‘Nervous, pet?’ asked Irene, shaking Amber from her thoughts.
‘Can you let me out here?’ said Amber as they turned onto the same road as the school. ‘I want to walk the last little bit. To clear my head.’
Irene pulled over, then arched an eyebrow.
‘Are you sure it’s not because you don’t want to be seen getting dropped off by a little old lady?’
Amber grinned. ‘You know you’re more than that, Irene. You’re … well …’ Amber faltered.
‘How about a friend?’ said Irene, smiling.
‘I was thinking more like a grandma,’ said Amber, smiling again, ‘but if you prefer …’
Irene suddenly burst into happy tears, and hugged Amber tightly. And for the first time in recent memory, Amber hugged Irene back just as hard, if not harder.
As Amber walked towards the school hall, she saw other students were dressed like they were going to the Academy Awards.
It was all a bit silly, she thought, but decided it was also kind of nice – especially when she spotted Justin in his suit, waiting outside the hall.
‘My lady,’ he said, giving a little bow.
Suddenly Amber’s phone rang. She dug through her bag and fished it out. Amber barely used her phone, and usually forgot about it entirely – but Irene had made her bring it tonight, just in case she needed to be picked up in a hurry. Amber glanced at the screen, thinking it was probably Irene, but she didn’t recognise the number.
Amber turned away from Justin as she answered. ‘Hello?’
The line was a bit crackly, but she could hear someone breathing.
‘Hello?!’ Amber said again, louder.
‘Hello, yes,’ someone said, finally. It was a man’s voice, and not one she recognised. ‘Is that Amber Autumn?’
‘Uh, yes?’
‘This is Doctor Harris. I work at Woodville Hospital.’
Amber’s heart leapt. Woodville? Reggie is at Woodville Hospital.
‘Yes? Is this about Reggie?’
‘Are you sitting down, Ms Autumn?’ the man said.
‘Just tell me!’ Amber shrieked down the phone.
‘I’m sorry to have to inform you that your brother passed away, about an hour ago. We did everything we could …’
Amber felt like she’d been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer.
Meanwhile Harris kept droning on. ‘… never felt any pain. He fought a good fight, but—’
‘A good fight?’ cried Amber. ‘He’s been in a coma for six years!’
‘If I could …’
Amber felt Justin’s hand on her shoulder and she spun aro
und, knocking it away. She staggered backwards, not really hearing or seeing anything. Her eyes filled with tears.
‘Ms Autumn?’ said Doctor Harris. ‘Are you still there? We need to make …’
‘Amber?’ Justin took a step towards her. ‘Are you okay?’
Justin looked concerned, but Amber didn’t want to see it. Not now. Amber had been waiting for her brother to wake up for what felt like a lifetime, waiting for him to come home, to help her start over.
She had stopped going to visit him recently, because the trips were so upsetting, so frustrating, but her love for Reggie had never changed.
Now all hope was lost.
Rage built within her – it must be the doctors’ fault! Not a single one had ever given her a straight answer! Not about the meteorite, not about the weird purple gloop and certainly not about her brother’s coma.
And now Reggie was gone.
She threw back her head and screamed. Nearby students were startled and stared at Amber. Even Trish and her gang looked scared.
Idiots, Amber raged furiously, they have no idea what I’m going through! Who are they to judge?
The anger pulsed from her.
From overhead, there came a buzzing sound. Suddenly, bombardier beetles launched from Amber’s favourite tree. They flew straight up and formed a shape that looked like … like …
A dragon.
The swarm swooped over Amber’s head … right at Trish and her group.
‘Amber, stop!’ Justin grabbed Amber’s arm.
‘Don’t touch me!’ Amber shouted, scaring herself with the intensity in her voice.
Trish, Emma and Stacy screamed at the sudden onslaught of beetles.