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I jog to the men’s room and just as I’m zipping my fly back up a cold bare arm swings around my neck. ‘You
gotta
be kidding.’ At the same time the tip of a sharp blade pushes against my back. ‘Mate, if you don’t let me go, well … suffice to say, it’s not going to be your lucky day cos when we step outside …’

He growls low and deep and with a rumble like
I’m
irritating
him
! ‘Dude, if it’s money you’re after, you can pull the wallet out of my back pocket.’

‘Shut up, Blake, and listen. This is what we’re going to do.’

‘
Skinner!
Haven’t the cops caught up with you yet?’

‘I said shut up! And yeah, thanks for tipping them off; they’re all over the mountain now.’

‘I’m not alone, you know. If you keep me here too long, my, um, friend is going to come searching for me, and mate, you do not want to rile this guy up.’

‘If you don’t shut up, I’m going to ram this knife into your spine and finish the job I started two weeks ago.’

‘What do you want? How much? There’s enough in my wallet to keep you going for a few days. Take it. Just let me go and I won’t tell a soul I saw you, I promise.’

‘I don’t remember you ever talking so much. I’m only going to tell you one more time to shut up or I
will
stick you with this knife. Understand?’

‘If it’s not money, what then?’

He groans, hooks his foot around the leg of a stool standing in the corner with a wastepaper basket on top, drags it over and makes me sit. Keeping one hand pressed down on my shoulder, he shifts the blade from my back to the right side of my neck. ‘You dobbed me in!’

‘You tried to kill me!’ While I keep him talking, I try to suss out his strength. He probably hasn’t been working out lately, while I have. What are my chances of wrenching that knife from his hand?

‘Yeah, well, I’ve been thinking that maybe you were telling the truth that night.’

‘You’re timing is off, mate, but why the change of heart?’

He shrugs. ‘Hiding out up here I’ve had time to think. Anyway, you don’t look too badly injured.’

‘I died.’

I see his face in the mirror. His eyes bug out. ‘Watching you with Sophie made me so furious I wanted to kill you, but … Man, you’re kidding me, you really died?’

‘On the operating table.’

‘You recovered quickly. I saw you run in here.’

‘He had a little help from me,’ Thane says, shoving the door open and breaking the lock in the process.

Skinner frowns but doesn’t look too worried … yet. ‘Who are you?’

‘I’m the one who dobbed you in.’

‘You a cop?’

Thane pats his jacket pockets with open palms. ‘I’m not the police, Adam, and I’m not carrying a weapon. My name is Nathaneal, and you can think of me as Jordan’s bodyguard.’

He doesn’t believe him for a second and laughs so hard he takes his eyes off Thane. ‘That’s cute, Blake. Did you really think I would fall for that?’ It’s only for a second but it’s a mistake he’s going to regret. ‘You buy your clothes from charity shops and live in a shelter for losers! Do you really expect me to –’

Thane reappears behind him. ‘What were you saying, Adam?’

‘Hey … ! How did you do that?’

The surprise works like a dream. As Skinner turns his head towards his voice, Thane snatches the knife from his hand, puts it into his back pocket while suspending him a
foot-length off the floor with his other hand around his neck. ‘What would you like me to do with him, Jordan?’

‘What are my options?’

‘Let’s see.’ He pauses for effect. ‘I believe you have two.’

‘Uh-huh?’

‘The first is to break his neck and leave him here to be found, eventually.’

‘
What? No! Please, no!
’ Skinner pleads. ‘W-what’s the second option?’

Thane has no trouble keeping a straight face, but I have to glance away.

‘The second option is to call the police, maintaining this position until they arrive.’

‘No, don’t do that, I’ll suffocate! Jordan, tell him I can’t breathe! There must be a third option. Listen, man, I can’t get caught. If I go to jail, it’ll kill my mother. She’s been through so much already. It’s enough I’ve made a mess of my life, but Mum has already lost one son.’ Glaring at me, he says, ‘Thanks to
him
. He ruined our family.’ He shifts his eyes back to Thane. ‘Don’t let this freak be the reason she loses another son.’

For a heartbeat there is only silence. ‘Let him go, Thane.’

But he doesn’t. ‘Jordan, how can I release Adam when his heart is filled with anger and hatred? Have you ever thought perhaps it isn’t all directed at you?’

Skinner mutters, ‘Who
is
this guy?’

‘Jordan, I want you to think about what happened that day.’

‘I already told you everything.’

Skinner tries to break free but groans at the futility of
even trying. ‘I don’t know who you are, but don’t listen to Blake’s lies. I can tell you exactly how it went down that day. The water kept rising around us so fast it formed a whirlpool.
He
got himself out first and tied the only rope we had left around a tree. When he returned, Seth was on one side and I was on the other of a wide tunnel and the water was coming in fast.’

He tries again to squirm out of Thane’s hold, but finally seems to accept the futility of his efforts. ‘Did he explain how the waters rose so fast there was only time to save one of us? And even though I was screaming at him to save Seth, he threw the rope to me? To me!’

‘Which you took gratefully, of course,’ Thane suggests in his placid voice. ‘What would have been the point of both of you dying and leaving your mother with no children?’

‘Exactly! I had no choice but to accept the rope. The water was already up to my chest.’

‘And where was the water up to on Seth?’ Thane asks.

He doesn’t answer. I see his lips press together like he’s trying to keep words in. ‘It was up to his neck,’ he says, closing his eyes. When he opens them, he seems to have his energy for lying back. ‘That’s why I got angry. I could easily have hung on until he’d pulled Seth out. I was twice Seth’s size and I could … swim.’

Still holding Skinner up by the throat with his legs dangling in the air, but somehow not causing him any harm, Thane looks at me and asks, ‘Is that how it happened, Jordan?’

I glance up at Skinner. ‘He adored you. You were his superhero.’
Skinner’s eyes close tight as if he’s trying to block out an image that won’t go away.

‘We got to a dead end. It was odd, coming across a wall like that with a bolted door. We knew from the old library maps that this tunnel went all the way to a pond where the last of the big hauls of gold had come from. Adam kicked the door in frustration. That’s where he wanted to go. Some dust fell on our heads and Seth freaked out, but the door moved on its rusted hinges and Adam got inspired.’

I take a deep breath as the memories keep rolling and I see Seth’s scared eyes and feel his fingers digging into my arms.

‘Did the door give out eventually, Jordan?’ Thane asks.

‘Nope. The whole wall collapsed. And Adam was so excited he nearly wet himself.’ I flick the guy a glance but can’t look at him right now. ‘At this point Seth was beyond freaking out and I’d had enough. The dust was making us all cough. I took Seth’s hand and started making my way back. I didn’t know if Adam was following or not and I didn’t care. But we didn’t get far before we heard the sound of rushing water in the distance growing louder really fast. And we knew, without saying a word to each other, why they put that wall there. The pond that was a hundred years old had turned into a lake.’

Skinner sighs and closes his eyes.

‘Seth kept falling over so I hoisted him on to my back and we ran for our lives. It was uphill all the way, but the lower tunnels filled first, which bought us time. When we finally got to the entrance, the water flooded in and the force behind it made a whirlpool. It was crazy and
happening so fast we couldn’t think. It was as if we were in the bottom of a well. To make the situation worse, we couldn’t find the ladder we’d used to get down there. It probably got washed away. There was an iron bar loosely attached to the wall. Seth clung to it, trembling. Whimpering.’

My mouth is arid, but, man, I have to finish. ‘I made him promise not to let go of the bar, and I scrambled over the top. If I’d been any shorter, I wouldn’t have made it. I glanced back and saw that Adam had lost his footing. He went under for a few seconds and shot back up in a panic. When he found his feet again, the water was chest high and he was on the opposite side to Seth with a whirlpool swirling between them.’

I walk up to Adam and lock my eyes on to his. ‘I was a scrawny kid. I knew I couldn’t haul them in on my own, so I tied my rope to the nearest tree. I had only enough length to throw it to one of them. By this time the water was high and strong and dragging them both down. Seth had gone quiet. His eyes were trained on Adam, while Adam was screaming out, “He’s a good swimmer, he’ll be all right. Throw the rope to me. Throw the rope to
me
!’”

I poke my finger into Adam’s chest. ‘I remember you said, “Rescue me, and together we’ll pull Seth out.’”

I look across at Thane because I need him to believe I’m telling the truth. ‘I threw the rope to Adam, but by the time we turned around to pull Seth out he was gone. I tied the rope around my waist and jumped in. I looked until they wouldn’t let me look any more. They found his body when they drained the mine, I don’t know when.’

‘The next day,’ Adam says.

Thane lowers Skinner to the ground and then on to the stool, where Adam drops his chin to his chest and mumbles, ‘I thought I was going to die.’ He looks up and tears are running down his face. ‘I lied to everyone. At some point I started to believe the lies. But the truth was Seth couldn’t swim. I saw the look in his eyes. He couldn’t understand why I said he could. I’ll have to live with that look for the rest of my life. I’d do anything to make it go away.’

He makes a choked sobbing sound as he turns his gaze on me. ‘I had to believe it was you who made the wrong choice. I couldn’t look Mum in the eye and tell her it was me.
I
was supposed to look after him!’

Thane hands me his mobile phone. ‘Call the police.’

I glance at Skinner as I make the call; two local cops arrive a few minutes later. As they lead him out in handcuffs, I grab his arm. ‘I really am very sorry, Adam.’

He stares straight at me, nods and says, ‘I know. I am too. But all the apologies in the world can’t bring my brother back.’

On the following Monday when Amber and I are enjoying a final morning lazing in bed, Dawn comes and sits on the edge of my bed with a cup of chamomile tea. ‘I thought we might have a chat,’ she says, ‘about school.’

Across the room Amber sits straight up. ‘Five nights without a nightmare!’ she beams.

I smile back. Only Amber can truly understand how relieved I am.

‘So are you coming to school tomorrow?’ she asks.

‘That’s what I want to talk about,’ Dawn says as she takes my hand and pats it. ‘There’s no need to rush, Ebony. Would you like a few days off? Mr Pritchard will understand. Everyone will understand. And when you return, the school counsellor would like you to schedule some visits with her.’

I groan silently. I don’t need a counsellor because my parents aren’t dead. And while taking a few days off might seem like a good idea, keeping my thoughts occupied these days is essential for my peace of mind. ‘School will be good for me.’

I run my hand through my hair. I have thick hair that
grows fast, and Mum usually trims and thins it out every second Sunday. It’s been four weeks since my last trim and it’s becoming unruly and hard to control.

Dawn gets off the bed. ‘A few of your classmates dropped in with items they thought you might need. I put them in your new bedroom. It’s finished, so you can move in whenever you like.’

‘Thanks, Dawn, for everything.’

She smiles at me in that special sad way. ‘I’ll be driving you girls into school tomorrow. And before you say anything, I won’t have you getting the bus; it’s not a problem.’

She heads to the door and turns. ‘You’ll find a uniform hanging in your wardrobe that should fit. In fact, you’ll find just about everything a young lady could possibly need in your new wardrobe,’ she says, revelling at the surprised look on my face.

When Dawn leaves, Amber goes to her cupboard and brings over a long length of white fabric, draping the first metre across her arm and mine. ‘It’s so soft.’

‘Stretch cotton,’ she says. ‘It breathes, it won’t irritate your skin, and wrapped around tightly enough –’

‘It won’t fall off!’

‘Not a chance.’

‘Comfortable. Discreet. It’s brilliant.’ I give her a hug.

‘It’s the least I can do. You’ve been through hell, and those weird growths are more than you need to deal with right now.’ She pauses to make sure I’m looking at her and focused on what she’s about to say, even though I’m sure I know already. ‘Ebony, you have to see a doctor about them
soon. I understand how you need time to adjust, but don’t leave it too long.
Please!
’

I nod. ‘I will. I promise. It’s just that I’ve reached my trauma limit at the moment.’

‘I know, so if anyone even looks like hassling you tomorrow, they’re going to have to deal with me.’ She thumps her fists together dramatically. ‘Just let someone try to get close.’

I can’t believe I’m going to school in a Lamborghini! Man, it’s awesome. Turning up in this little beauty is definitely going to cop some looks. After all, I’m nobody, the loser who got a tattoo when he was nine, who sits in the back corner keeping his head down.

Danny is waiting for me in the car park. He’s brought Sophie, and her megawatt smile lifts my mood even higher. I haven’t seen her since the hospital and she looks hot in her uniform. Best of all, she seems keen to see me.

‘You look fantastic,’ she says, leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek.

Thane watches and looks amused in a big-brother-is-happy-for-me way. He gets out and I introduce my newfound ‘cousin’.