One Dead Seagull (8 page)

Gracie
dropped
us
off
and said
that
she
would
be
back
at
midnight to
pick
us up.
I
had
butte
r
flies
that
got
suddenly
stronger
as I
heard
the
thumping
bass drum sound
leaking
from
the
walls
of the
brick
house
that
Ker
r
y
told
us
was
Rebecca
’
s. Bold
as
a
fox
terrie
r
,
Ker
r
y
waltzed
in
the
front
doo
r
,
closely
followed
by
Carly
and
me.
Den was
taking
a
leak
on
the
lamppost
in
the
nature
strip.
I wish I
had
thought
of
that,
my
bladder
was
going
to
burst.

Ther
e
wer
e
abou
t
te
n
peopl
e
i
n
th
e
loung
e
room
.
Lit b
y
a
lam
p
i
n
on
e
corne
r
,
th
e
loung
e
roo
m
wa
s
dar
k
and
I
couldn
’
t
recognis
e
anyone
.
Ker
r
y
wa
s
squintin
g
at someon
e
sittin
g
i
n
a
dee
p
armchai
r
perusin
g
a
C
D
cove
r
.
Th
e
perso
n
looke
d
u
p
an
d
returne
d
th
e
squint
.
They
recognise
d
eac
h
othe
r
an
d
squeale
d
thei
r
delight,
hugge
d
an
d
kisse
d
a
t
th
e
ai
r
besid
e
eac
h
ea
r
.
Carl
y
joined i
n
an
d
the
y
jiggle
d
wit
h
excitement
.
Bizarre
.
Mus
t
have bee
n
al
l
o
f
fiv
e
hour
s
sinc
e
the
y
wer
e
las
t
togethe
r
.
My eye
s
finall
y
adjuste
d
t
o
th
e
ligh
t
an
d
I
bega
n
t
o
recognise
people
.
Mos
t
o
f
the
m
wer
e
aroun
d
ou
r
ag
e
bu
t
I
only kne
w
the
m
a
s
face
s
mostl
y
fro
m
Chishol
m
Catholic,
wher
e
Rebecc
a
wen
t
befor
e
sh
e
wa
s
expelle
d
for
smoking
.
I
recognise
d
th
e
on
e
bo
y
i
n
th
e
room—Ga
r
y
Reardon
,
th
e
geek
y
schoo
l
brai
n
fro
m
Mr
s
Kneebone
’
s
hom
e
group
.
I
move
d
ove
r
t
o
sa
y
hello
;
h
e
looke
d
lik
e
his mu
m
ha
d
dresse
d
him.

‘G’day
W
ayne,’
he
said
and
took
his
hand
out
of
his pocket
to
shake
mine.
Shake
hands?
What
a
tosse
r
.
I
took his
hand
anywa
y
.
It
felt
like
a
dead
eel.
I
asked
him
where
all
the
lads
were
and
he
told
me
they
were
there
a
minute before
but
had
disappeared.
He
offered
me
a
drink of something
yellow
in a
small
Coke
bottle.
I
regarded
it
suspiciousl
y
an
d
h
e
assure
d
m
e
i
t
wasn
’
t
poison
. I uncapped
the
bottle and
took a
swig.
W
arm
cough medicine.
The
type
my
mum
puts
herself
to
sleep
with eve
r
y
other
night.

‘
Y
ou
like
it?
Galliano.
T
op
shelf.’

It
wasn
’
t
bad.
I
had
another
slug
and
took
a
bit
into
my lungs.
I
started
coughing
and
Ga
r
y
was
slapping
me
on
the back
and
laughing.

The
side
gate
was open
and
light coming
from the garage
lit
up
a
rectangle
of
grass
under
the
clothesline.
I found
a
lemon
tree
and
nipped
behind
it
to
unload
my bladde
r
. Not a moment too soon.
A
shadow
moved through
the
rectangle
and
I
peered
in
the
windo
w
.
At
first,
I
could
only
see
backs
but
they
were
people
I
kne
w
.
David Henderson,
Shane
Lee
and
Carlson
were
the
three
closest
to
me—all
from my
year
at
Chisholm.
Carlson
goes
to
V
enturers
with
Den.
They
were
huddled
around,
looking at
something.
Shane
leant
over
and
grabbed
a
lighter
off the
bench
and
nearly
hit
his
head
on
the
single
light
bulb dangling
from
the
roof.
He
’
s
the
tallest
kid
in
school— even
bigger
than
the
year
twelves.
Mr
Davis
was
talking
about
him
in
Earth
Science
the other
week,
saying
that
he was
a
genetic
anomaly
because
he
was
already
a
foot
taller than
his
mum
and
dad.
Mr
Davis
said
he
hoped
Shane
would
be
a
basketball
playe
r
.
Shane
went
red.
He
’
s
useless
a
t
basketball
.
He
’
s
s
o
uncoordinated
it
’
s
dangerous.
Constantly
tripping over
his
feet.
Eve
r
yone
stays away from
him
in
PE.

There was a
flash
and the little huddle began
to
disperse
letting
clouds
of
smoke
tumble
and
fill
the
space. Den
was
the
centre
of attention,
holding
a bong
the
shape of
a
skull
and
sucking
frantically
on
the
draw
pipe,
the contents
of
the
cone
glowing
bright
orange
then
dark
in time
with
his
cheeks.

I
banged
on
the
steel
door
and
in
my
deepest,
most adult
voice
said,
‘Right,
what
’
s
going
on
in
here?’

‘Shit.
Hide
the
bong,’
Carlson
whispered.
He
needs
to be
in
V
enturers—got
no
common
sense.

I
rattled
the
handle
on
the
door
and
then
barged
in. They
were
wide-eyed
and
panicked.

‘Jeez
you’re
an
idiot,
W
ayne,’
Carlson
said
pulling
at
his colla
r
.
Den
produced
the
bong from
inside
his
jacket
and giggled
as
he
lit
up
again.
The
skull
bubbled
and
gurgled as
we
each
took
our
turn.
Apparently
it
was
Carlson
’
s
bong but
I
don
’
t
think
he’d
ever
used
it.
He
coughed
his
guts
up
for
about
a
minute
after
his
first
toke.
Den
looked
like he
had
just
woken
up.

Mandy
had
arrived.
She
looked
like
a
bloody
angel,
all smiles
and
golden
hai
r
.
I
smelt
her
before
I
saw
he
r
.
She was
standing
against
the
space
heater
talking
to
a
bloke
I
didn
’
t know
with
a
goatee
and
three
earrings
in
his
left eyebro
w
.
Are
they
still
called
earrings
when
they’re
in
your
eyebrow?
It looked
all
right
on
him, fitted in with
the
blon
d
dreadlock
s
an
d
th
e
leathe
r
bracelets
.
H
e
was
nodding
as
Mandy
was speaking
to
him,
nodding
from
the shoulders.
Sort
of
head-butting
the
ai
r
.
I
walked
straight
up to Mandy
and
put my
arm
around her waist.
She jumped
and
then
she
realised
it
was
me
and
put
her
arm
around
my
shoulde
r
.
Gave
me
a
peck
on
the
cheek.

‘
W
ayne,
this
is
Steve,
Steve
..
.
W
ayne.
I
go
to
school with
W
ayne.’

He
r
ar
m
droppe
d
fro
m
m
y
shoulde
r
a
t
th
e
en
d
o
f
the introductio
n
an
d
I
trie
d
no
t
t
o
loo
k
obviou
s
a
s
I
too
k
my ar
m
fro
m
aroun
d
he
r
waist
.
I
fel
t
lik
e
a
dork
.
I
didn
’
t
realis
e
sh
e
an
d
Stev
e
were
,
yo
u
kno
w
,
a
t
th
e
party togethe
r
an
d
that
.
Stev
e
wa
s
stil
l
head-buttin
g
th
e
ai
r
and
I
realise
d
h
e
wasn
’
t
nodding
;
h
e
wa
s
dancing
.
I
looked around
,
t
r
yin
g
t
o
fin
d
a
n
escap
e
route—someon
e
t
o
talk t
o
o
r
somethin
g
t
o
do—whe
n
Che
r
y
l
Bickerto
n
darted
ou
t
o
f
th
e
doo
r
besid
e
th
e
spac
e
heate
r
,
checkin
g
ou
t
her
clothes
.
Sh
e
gav
e
Mand
y a
shov
e
wit
h
he
r
hi
p
and
claime
d
th
e
fron
t
o
f
th
e
heate
r
.
The
n
sh
e
grabbe
d
Steve b
y
th
e
fron
t
o
f
hi
s
su
r
f
pant
s
an
d
dragge
d
hi
m
int
o a
hug
.
Suddenl
y
the
y
wer
e
pashin
g
lik
e
Siames
e
twins
joine
d
a
t
th
e
lip
s
an
d
I
didn
’
t
fee
l
lik
e
a
n
idio
t
an
y
more. The
n
Mand
y
looke
d
aroun
d
fo
r
someon
e
els
e
o
r
somethin
g
t
o
do
.
Ther
e
wa
s
a
n
empt
y
spo
t
o
n
th
e
couc
h
and
I
aske
d
he
r
i
f
sh
e
wante
d
t
o
si
t
down
.
Sh
e
shrugge
d
and
starte
d
toward
s
th
e
couc
h
s
o
I
dive
d
i
n
an
d
patte
d
the sea
t
nex
t
t
o
m
e
bu
t
sh
e
ha
d
alread
y
turne
d
around, mimin
g
tha
t
sh
e
ha
d
t
o
ge
t
a
drink
.
Di
d I
wan
t
one?
Y
eah
!