"Rebecca!" she yelled. "Back here! Are you blind?"
She was waving at me with both hands like she was flagging down a plane on a deserted island. She didn’t care that she was making a scene. She never cared what the other kids thought about her.
"Sorry. Didn’t see you," I said as I sat down next to her.
"You didn’t see me? I was waving at you the entire time."
"Maybe you should consider wearing some sort of fluorescent vest to stand out more," I said.
"Hey, I have a lot of fluoro in my wardrobe. Do not tempt me."
The bus pulled away from the curb and I was thrown back in my seat.
"What the hell is that?" Maria asked referring to the origami horse.
"This? I said. "It’s... it’s nothing"
"Oh really?"
She snatched it out of my hand before I could hide it.
"Hey, be careful!"
She held it up to her ocean blue eyes and studied it carefully. I don’t know why but I was jealous of Maria’s eyes. They were so blue they looked fake, like she was wearing contact lenses. Combine that with her sun kissed blonde hair and her tan that seemed to glow all year round and I could see why she didn’t care about making a scene on the bus or what the other kids thought about her.
"It’s beautiful," she said. "Did you make it?"
"Not really."
"Not really?" What do you mean ‘not really’?"
"I, um, I think someone made it for me."
"I get it. Say no more. It’s a gift from a secret admirer, isn’t it?"
"Ah, yeah. That’s it."
"Wow. And on the first day of school! You’re such a heart breaker."
I don't know why I lied to her. I guess I didn’t want to explain that I thought it was from my sort of ex boyfriend from back home. I'd never told her about Kenji. Actually, I’d never really told her anything about my past. Sure we were good friends but there are just some things in my life I do not want to talk about. Not with anyone.
"So where’s Jack?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject.
"I’m not sure. I think he said he was getting a lift into school."
It was strange that Maria didn't know where Jack was. Those two were practically inseparable. If they weren’t together, they were talking on the phone or texting or IMing each other on Facebook. I know this because last year I somehow managed to become a permanent third wheel to their relationship. And for some reason they liked it. No, not like that. I don’t swing that way and they don't either. At least, I don't think they do.
Anyway, I met Maria on my first day of school last year and we were instant friends. She introduced me to Jack and we became instant friends as well. This alone was reason enough to hang out with them. I’d never made friends easily and yet there I was making two friends on my first day at a new school, in a new country. I could barely string two words together I was such a nervous wreck. I remember Jack trying to shake my hand to greet me but my hands were so sweaty I refused to shake his hand back. I just sort of bowed my head. I personally thought it was a divine miracle that we became friends at all. There was just no other explanation
So I started hanging out with them. They took me under their wings and showed me around Sydney. Jack is a really good surfer so he started teaching me how to surf. Maria is really into fashion so she would take me shopping all the time. She would go on and on about how she wanted me to take her to the New York fashion show.
On the one hand it was kind of weird. I mean, no one wants to be the third wheel right? It’s awkward. The couple is usually making out or calling each other pet names like sweetie pie or honey bun, while the third wheel has to sit there and pretend not to be disgusted. But with Jack and Maria I never felt awkward. I never even felt like I was a third wheel.
When Jack gave me surfing lessons Maria would chill out on the beach listening to music. Sometimes she would stand at the water’s edge with a white board. She would write a score out of ten and hold the board up, rating how good I was. And when we went shopping, Jack would pretend to be a world famous fashion photographer. He would borrow his father’s old camera and take a whole bunch of photos of Maria and me.
He would say silly things like, "Pop darlings. Pop your hip. Make love to the camera."
I know it sounds stupid but it was fun. And I hadn’t had fun in such a long time.
Maria’s phone rang. "It’s Jack," she said to me. "Hey, where the hell are you?"
She tried to sound angry even though her blue eyes lit up and a smile crept across her lips.
Maria once told me that they liked hanging out with me because it took the pressure of their relationship. "Sometimes I feel like it's too intense," she said. "That I’ve fallen too hard for him. If he ever left me or whatever, I don’t think I’d be able to cope. I’d shut down. I don't think I could live without him."
So having me around kept them from getting too intense I suppose. I was like a buffer of sorts, someone to keep their feet on the ground.
It was hard to imagine either one of these guys being lost on their own. They were both extremely popular, fun loving, people persons. You might think it was like they were using me but it wasn't like that at all. The truth was I liked hanging around them. I really didn't care that I was a third wheel. The best thing about these guys was they made me feel better about myself.
Maria hung up her phone and immediately started sending a text message, probably to Jack.
"So where is he? I asked. "Don’t tell me he slept in on the first day?"
"No, his sister was asked at the last minute to give a speech at assembly this morning. So they’re carpooling."
"Oh. What do you think her speech will be about?"
"It'll probably be about joining the cops. It could involve handcuffs. It might get kinky."
Jack’s sister Kim was a real life action hero. She’d finished high school last year and had since joined the police force. She was the kind of person who rode a bike everywhere instead of driving a car because it was great for your core strength. She was constantly training for a half marathon or full marathon or triathlon. Sometimes she could make you feel like a slacker.
Despite this, I was actually looking forward to her speech. She had the same great sense of humor as Jack and it sure beat listening to the principal talk about the school motto and how we had a responsibility and a duty to study hard and try our very best and all that stuff.
As the bus pulled up to the front gates of the school my heart began to beat a little faster and I started to think about what would lay ahead in the coming year. New teachers, maybe new friends, definitely late night study sessions and hopefully good grades. I was excited and nervous and scared all at the same time.
But then we stepped off the bus and saw that the school gates were chained shut. Hundreds of kids and their parents were standing out the front of the entrance.
The principal was speaking through a loudspeaker. He kept saying sorry. Sorry for the confusion and the disorganization.
He said, "School has been cancelled across the state by order of the Government and the World Health Organization."
Chapter 2
Even though there must have been close to a thousand kids all gathered around the main entrance of the school, the mood was pretty calm. I had expected everyone to lose it, for parents to angrily demand an explanation, for the students to cheer with excitement. But this wasn’t the case.
One time when I was in the eighth grade the school was evacuated because there was a fire in the staff kitchen. Apparently one of the teacher’s aides had put a pizza box in the oven and forgot about it. Five minutes later the box caught on fire. The whole school was evacuated. I’m pretty sure the entire New York fired department turned up to put out the burning pizza box. The kids thought it was hilarious; even some of the teachers thought it was funny.
But this was different. Looking back, I think people somehow knew it was more than just a precaution.
Maria had walked off to find Jack and Kim. I told her I’d meet her back on the bus and save us some seats. I was pushing my way through the crowd of students when I felt a tap on my right shoulder. I turned to the right but no one was there. I turned to the left and saw Jack standing there with a giant, excited smile on his face. "Isn't this great?" he said. "One more day of summer vaykay!"
Jack was always in a laid back mood. He never really stressed about school or exams.
"Aren't you worried that something is wrong?" I asked. "Or that we’re just going to get more homework tomorrow to make up for the lost time?"
"It's the first day. They’re not going to make us do homework on the first day. That’s just cruel. Everyone knows that a student’s mind needs time to warm up after doing nothing for two months."
I would’ve agreed with him but for some reason I was feeling uneasy. It’s not like I’m psychic or anything. I had no idea why classes had been cancelled but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that it wasn’t the school who had chained the front gates together.
"So where’s Maria?" he asked. "I thought you guys caught the bus together this morning?"
"She went to find you and your sister actually."
"But I sent her a text to meet at the bus."
"Maybe she didn’t get it?"
"Yeah maybe," he said as he checked his phone. "Anyways, now that school is out for the day, how about we meet up at the beach? We can squeeze in one last surfing lesson for the summer."
For some reason Jack had made it his life's mission to teach me how to surf. He said if they can put a man on the moon, he could teach me to surf. I wasn’t so sure. And I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to go to the beach. I was still trying to figure out if Kenji had somehow broken into my house last night. And if he did, how the hell did he find me? I guess I was still a little freaked out.
"How are you enjoying my surfing lessons by the way?" Jack asked. "Am I a good teacher or what?"
"You're great. I can almost stand up for longer than two seconds. That's a new personal best for me."
"So, are you in?"
Usually I would be keen for a surfing lesson from Jack. Despite his relaxed attitude towards school and all the trouble he gave the teachers, he was actually a very good teacher himself. And even though I was terrible at surfing and spent most of the time trying not to drown it was always lots of fun. But I was still feeling uneasy.
So I said, "Maybe. Let me think about it."
"Sure. Take all the time you want. But for now, let’s find Maria and get the hell out of here before they re-open the school."
Jack said we could get a ride home in Kim’s patrol car. The police had leant it to her today as a public relations exercise to impress the kids. Jack was super excited. He kept going on and on about the V8 engine and how it had a whole bunch of horsepower. He said he’d get Kim to fire up the sirens so we could run some red lights but then she got a call from the station and she had to leave without us. Apparently there was a riot out in western suburbs or something. So we all had to take the bus home.
Jack and Maria pestered me about going to the beach again but I made up some lame excuse about how I hadn’t eaten breakfast and that I wasn’t feeling very well. I don't think they bought it but they didn't push the issue.
The next day we were notified by email that school had been postponed for a whole week due to 'health concerns'. Not that they needed to send an email. It was all over the news. I remember watching all morning to see if they would tell us when school would be going back but no one seemed to have any idea when that would be.
Around lunch time I got a call from Maria to meet her and Jack at the beach.
"We might as well make the most of this extended vacation," she said. "And I won’t be accepting any more pathetic excuses for not going."
"Well, it’s a good thing I’m feeling a lot better." I replied.
I met them at Bondi beach and Jack gave me another surfing lesson. I managed to stand for at least three seconds so it was a definite improvement. Maria sat on the beach and laughed at me. I didn't know it at the time but it was my last ever surfing lesson.
I arrived back home in the afternoon and turned the TV on, eager to see if anyone knew when school was going back. But to my surprise no one was even covering that story anymore.
Every single station was now covering a story about an outbreak of a virus. Every single station now showed the exact same image; a live feed of what looked like a prison complex in the middle of the desert. Every single channel had the same information scrolling across the bottom of the picture.
"Virus spreads through immigration centre in outback."
I continued to change the channel but there was no use. It reminded me of the September eleven terrorist attacks on the twin towers in New York. I was only young but I clearly remember the live images of the world trade centre. I remember smoke billowing into the blue New York sky from one of the towers. The information scrolling across the bottom of the picture read: "Fire in south tower."
But it wasn't a fire. It was something much worse. And then almost in slow motion, a plane, a 767, flies in from nowhere, slamming into the north tower.
Was this like that?
Was it really a virus outbreak? Or was it something much worse?
