Outback by Robin Stevenson Page A

something out of a B movie: giant elephant shrews in Tanzania, six-foot-long gelatinous fish in Brazil, ghost slugs in Wales.
    He’s not actually homeless or anything like that. He has an apartment in Toronto, though he is hardly ever there, and he has a PhD in biology.
    Mom’s always been impressed by him. But he really is a little crazy.
    Mel is my mom’s half-brother. When I was five, my grandpa died. A few weeks later, Mom got an email from this guy who explained that he was her older brother. Turned out, Mom’s father had got his high-school girlfriend pregnant and had kept it secret for his whole life. Mom was happy about it once she got over the shock. Her mother was dead, and she’d grown up an only child. So Mel, strange as he is, is the only family we have.
    Also, my dad has never been part of our lives, so Mom had this idea that Mel would be a good male role model for me. When we had to make Father’s Day cards in first grade, I made one for Mel. I even brought him to school once for family show-and-tell. He brought a tarantula to show the class, and when a kid dropped it, Mel lost his temper pretty badly. I wasn’t allowed to invite him to the school after that.
    These last few years he hasn’t been around much anyway.
    â€œI think you’re making a good decision.” Mom shuffles through the papers in her filing cabinet, pulls out my passport and flips it open. “Yup, still valid.” She hands it to me. “It’ll be an adventure, right?”
    â€œSure.”
    She ruffles my hair. “You’ll be away for your birthday though. Sweet sixteen.”
    I snort. Girls have sweet sixteen. Guys like me have…I don’t know. Scrawny, spotty, sad-ass sixteen.
    â€œI’ll miss you, Jay-Jay,” Mom says softly.
    I look at her: messy long hair, freckles, slight buck teeth. She is thirty-five but looks ten years younger. “I’ll miss you too, Mom.” A wave of guilt washes over me. My mom is awesome, and I love her tons, but the weight of her worry is more than I can take.
    It will be a relief to get away.

Chapter Two
    Two weeks later, I walk out of Adelaide airport. The sky is an intense blue, and the air scorches my lungs with every breath. The guy who stamped my passport said G’day, mate , just like in the movies, and I realize that I am actually grinning. Monday morning and here I am, on the other side of the world.
    No sign of Mel. I dump my backpack on the sidewalk beside me, wipe the sweat from my forehead and look around for a pay phone.
    A girl’s voice startles me. “Are you Jayden Harris?”
    â€œUh, yeah.” I look at her. Faded denim cut offs, yellow tank top, short dark hair and smooth brown skin. Black geometric tattoos inked around undeniably impressive biceps. Snakebite piercings in her lower lip. Huge sunglasses. Cute accent.
    And, unfortunately, not even a hint of a smile.
    â€œMel sent me to pick you up,” she says.
    I lift my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. “Thanks. Um, I’m Jay.”
    â€œYeah, we already established that.” She walks ahead of me, not bothering to introduce herself.
    I follow. Mel doesn’t have a daughter, and she’s way too young to be his girlfriend. “So how do you know my uncle?”
    â€œI’m his research assistant.”
    â€œSeriously?”
    â€œYeah. I’m studying biology at the Uni.”
    â€œCool. So, um, your name is…?”
    â€œNatalie. But everyone calls me Nat.” She jangles her car keys and points them in the direction of the parking lot. “Shall we?”
    We drive in silence for a while. Nat isn’t exactly giving off warm and friendly vibes. I sneak a sideways glance. She is staring straight ahead at the road, her eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.
    â€œDoes Mel live far from here?” I ask.
    She shrugs. “I’m taking you to the university. Mel’s getting stuff ready