Red by Libby Gleeson Page A

dad’s evidence. They’ll know that they can’t take the risk on you getting there.’
    The fish was out of the water and on the bank. Red was nodding. ‘We don’t have much choice. Why don’t we get a bit of sleep and then leave before it gets light.’
    Peri shook his head. ‘If we fall asleep we won’t wake up in time. We have to stay awake and when it starts to get light, we take off.’

CHAPTER NINE
    â€˜ THISIS N’T GOING TO WORK. I CAN HARDLY KEEP MY eyes open.’ Red rolled onto her side and looked across at Peri.
    He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
    â€˜Maybe I should tell you another story, like I did at the school. “The Three Bears”, or “Three Billy Goats Gruff ”.’
    â€˜That’s for little kids.’
    â€˜If you don’t like it, you tell me one.’
    â€˜I don’t know any.’
    â€˜Make something up. Or tell me a true one.’
    â€˜Like what?’
    Red took a deep breath. ‘Well, it’s not fair. You know as much about me as I know myself. I tell you everything that I remember. I don’t keep anything a secret. But I don’t know anything about you. Not really. Where is your family? Why don’t you live with them? What happened?’
    The steady rhythm of Jazz’s breathing hung in the silent room. Would he tell her something?
Anything?
    â€˜It’s complicated. I don’t tell anyone.’
    â€˜You said at dinnertime that you lived on a farm. Tell me about that.’
    â€˜Not much to tell.’ He was whispering. ‘It was up till I was about ten. It wasn’t a big place, not like round here. Dad managed it for some other bloke.’
    â€˜And that’s when you had your own horse.’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    â€˜And why did you leave?’
    â€˜It’s a long story.’ Peri lifted himself up onto his elbow. ‘The farm wasn’t making any money. It was in the drought years and …’
    Red waited.
    Peri dropped back, his hands tucked under his head. He wouldn’t look at her.
    â€˜â€¦ and then Mum died.’
    â€˜That’s terrible. I’m sorry.’
    â€˜There was an accident. She was driving and we never knew what happened, not really, but the car ended up rolling and it was in a kind of gully and it wasn’t found for hours and hours. She was dead and so was Kelly.’
    â€˜Who was Kelly?’
    â€˜My sister.’
    Red wanted to reach out and touch him, to say something. She lay still and silent.
    â€˜Was she younger than you?’
    â€˜She was little, only two. And that’s when we moved into town, Dad and me. We came up to Sydney to stay with my auntie for a while. That was good. She hasn’t got any kids and she really spoiled me a bit. But it didn’t last long ’cos she and Dad had a big fight about him drinking too much and then he got a girlfriend and Auntie May didn’t like her much, even though she was the one who introduced them at the club. So we got our own place after that.’
    He was quiet for a bit. Red felt wide awake. Would he go on? Would he say why he had left?
    â€˜It was all right for a while, sort of. And then she moved in with us, the girlfriend I mean.’
    â€˜Didn’t you like her?’
    â€˜I hated her. They were always clearing out to the club or off with her friends. Dad and I used to do stuff before. When she came, no way.’ He paused, ‘I couldn’t hack it. In the end I just took off.’
    â€˜Where did you go?’
    â€˜Just around.’
    â€˜But you have to sleep somewhere. You have to find food to eat.’
    Peri chuckled.
    â€˜Did you steal things?’
    â€˜There’s always a way. You can find places that’ll feed you and there are places where you can get a bed.’
    â€˜Like the palace.’
    â€˜No. Before everything got wrecked. Before the cyclone. Churches and stuff. People on the