each fought for breath. But Bryce didn’t dare rip off the gag for fear of losing the upper hand. He leapt on top of the attacker’s body, his fist raised to strike when his opponent cried, ‘No!’
It was a girl!
Bryce blinked rapidly to clear his vision and squinted in the dim light. He was right—it was a girl. Holding her down with one hand he wrenched his gag out with the other and sucked in some air.
‘Who are you?’ he demanded.
The girl’s eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, defiant. She didn’t answer.
‘What’re you doing here?’
Still no answer.
‘Why’d you attack me like that?’ Bryce was bursting with frustration.
Seconds ticked past. Bryce wondered what Tong was doing. Why hadn’t he come to help?
‘What’s your name?’ Even as he was saying the words, Bryce smiled at his own stupidity. Kids like this never gave you a real name. He could feel the pounding of her heart against his thigh and suddenly he felt terrible. He knew what it felt like to be trapped, desperate.
‘If I get off you, you won’t kick again, will you?’ Bryce eased himself off. The girl shot out the tunnel backwards. ‘Hey!’ said Bryce, swiping at her hair. But all he was left with were a few chestnut strands.
On top of the tower, Tong was doing some shouting of his own. ‘I find something!’ he called.
By the time Bryce struggled out of the tunnel Tong had made himself hoarse. ‘Find something!’ he rasped.
Still disoriented from the scuffle, Bryce staggered over, shaking his head to make sure he was hearing right. ‘Where’d she go? The girl?’
‘What girl?’
‘The one with brown hair.’
‘No girl. Here your key-ring,’ said Tong and he lifted it in the air above his shoulders like an Olympic athlete who’d won gold. The key-ring was Bryce’s alright: keys with a small metal cylinder.
‘How’d it get up there?’ asked Bryce.
‘Do not know.’
‘Who put it there? Was it that girl?’
‘Not know.’
‘And why’d they bring it back?’
Shrug. Tong couldn’t see the point of all the questions.
‘And you didn’t see a girl?’
Another shrug.
‘C’mon, then.’
Tong reached the ladder, then hesitated. He looked back at the flying-fox, eager to have a go. He wanted to feel that ‘rush’, that surge of adrenaline that made you feel like fire on the inside but ice on the outside.
‘Let’s go.’
With one last lingering look at the flying-fox Tong swung onto the ladder and slithered down. He handed the key-ring to Bryce.
‘Amazing,’ said Bryce, jiggling his keys.
‘ May mn! ’
‘Huh?’
‘Lucky.’
‘Maybe. Maybe not.’ Bryce walked over to his bike and picked it up. ‘We’d better go,’ he said, but when he glanced at his watch he gasped, ‘Oh, no! Look at the time. The hospital tour. Dad’ll kill me.’
Tong settled himself on the top tube bar. But as Bryce slammed his foot down on the pedals Tong called, ‘Wait. Something to tell you.’
Bryce stopped, his movements jerky and his voice irritated. ‘What?’
‘Something else on top of tower.’
‘What?!’
‘Big word.’
Bryce groaned. Tong was being excruciating. ‘And the word was…’
‘PHREE.’
Chapter Thirteen
‘Bryce isn’t meeting us this afternoon,’ Clem announced to Tong as the kids met in The Van after school. ‘He’s been grounded.’
‘What grounded?’
‘Not allowed to go out. Mum and Dad sometimes do that to Darcy and me. It sucks, ‘cause being grounded also means they won’t let us watch TV.’
‘Any computer?’ asked Mio.
‘Nuh. And no phone.’
Mio wriggled in her seat. ‘That’s a bit harsh.’
‘Very.’
Tong frowned as he asked, ‘Why Bryce grounded?’
Darcy joined in, ‘Because he missed the hospital visit. Bryce’s dad was ropable and his step-mumscreamed so loud she gave herself tummy pain. For the next half-hour it was touch and go whether she was in labour or not.’
‘Lucky she wasn’t,’ said Mio, then she sighed adding,
It was a girl!
Bryce blinked rapidly to clear his vision and squinted in the dim light. He was right—it was a girl. Holding her down with one hand he wrenched his gag out with the other and sucked in some air.
‘Who are you?’ he demanded.
The girl’s eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, defiant. She didn’t answer.
‘What’re you doing here?’
Still no answer.
‘Why’d you attack me like that?’ Bryce was bursting with frustration.
Seconds ticked past. Bryce wondered what Tong was doing. Why hadn’t he come to help?
‘What’s your name?’ Even as he was saying the words, Bryce smiled at his own stupidity. Kids like this never gave you a real name. He could feel the pounding of her heart against his thigh and suddenly he felt terrible. He knew what it felt like to be trapped, desperate.
‘If I get off you, you won’t kick again, will you?’ Bryce eased himself off. The girl shot out the tunnel backwards. ‘Hey!’ said Bryce, swiping at her hair. But all he was left with were a few chestnut strands.
On top of the tower, Tong was doing some shouting of his own. ‘I find something!’ he called.
By the time Bryce struggled out of the tunnel Tong had made himself hoarse. ‘Find something!’ he rasped.
Still disoriented from the scuffle, Bryce staggered over, shaking his head to make sure he was hearing right. ‘Where’d she go? The girl?’
‘What girl?’
‘The one with brown hair.’
‘No girl. Here your key-ring,’ said Tong and he lifted it in the air above his shoulders like an Olympic athlete who’d won gold. The key-ring was Bryce’s alright: keys with a small metal cylinder.
‘How’d it get up there?’ asked Bryce.
‘Do not know.’
‘Who put it there? Was it that girl?’
‘Not know.’
‘And why’d they bring it back?’
Shrug. Tong couldn’t see the point of all the questions.
‘And you didn’t see a girl?’
Another shrug.
‘C’mon, then.’
Tong reached the ladder, then hesitated. He looked back at the flying-fox, eager to have a go. He wanted to feel that ‘rush’, that surge of adrenaline that made you feel like fire on the inside but ice on the outside.
‘Let’s go.’
With one last lingering look at the flying-fox Tong swung onto the ladder and slithered down. He handed the key-ring to Bryce.
‘Amazing,’ said Bryce, jiggling his keys.
‘ May mn! ’
‘Huh?’
‘Lucky.’
‘Maybe. Maybe not.’ Bryce walked over to his bike and picked it up. ‘We’d better go,’ he said, but when he glanced at his watch he gasped, ‘Oh, no! Look at the time. The hospital tour. Dad’ll kill me.’
Tong settled himself on the top tube bar. But as Bryce slammed his foot down on the pedals Tong called, ‘Wait. Something to tell you.’
Bryce stopped, his movements jerky and his voice irritated. ‘What?’
‘Something else on top of tower.’
‘What?!’
‘Big word.’
Bryce groaned. Tong was being excruciating. ‘And the word was…’
‘PHREE.’
Chapter Thirteen
‘Bryce isn’t meeting us this afternoon,’ Clem announced to Tong as the kids met in The Van after school. ‘He’s been grounded.’
‘What grounded?’
‘Not allowed to go out. Mum and Dad sometimes do that to Darcy and me. It sucks, ‘cause being grounded also means they won’t let us watch TV.’
‘Any computer?’ asked Mio.
‘Nuh. And no phone.’
Mio wriggled in her seat. ‘That’s a bit harsh.’
‘Very.’
Tong frowned as he asked, ‘Why Bryce grounded?’
Darcy joined in, ‘Because he missed the hospital visit. Bryce’s dad was ropable and his step-mumscreamed so loud she gave herself tummy pain. For the next half-hour it was touch and go whether she was in labour or not.’
‘Lucky she wasn’t,’ said Mio, then she sighed adding,
Similar Books
