Timesurfers (10 page)

Cate showed her support from the bleachers.
She wouldn’t be cheerleading in any universe. Ever.

“You didn’t strike me as the go-team-go
type,” a soft voice breathed into the hollow of her neck.

She spun, in protection mode in an instant.
“Austin!”

“Look at you and your fancy black belt
stance. Keep your punches up this time. I love a girl who fights
first and asks questions later.”

If only he knew how much trouble being
that
girl had gotten her into. “Make some
noise next time will you? And don’t kid yourself into thinking you
have
any
idea what type of girl I am.”

“You’re on edge. That’s completely
understandable. We can be a scary bunch.”

“I’m not scared of you.” Her automatic
response was truthful. She was more confused when it came to
Austin. Jonah scared her. Big time.

“Sure you aren’t.” Austin gave a knowing
nod.

“It’s true. My mum heads up the juvenile
detention centre here, so I’m way harder to scare than your average
person. We’ve had some really choice individuals come knocking at
our door. She’s a third Dan martial artist.”

“Is that who’s been teaching you your fancy
black belt moves?” Austin rubbed at the V-shaped point in his
hairline. Rose had that same widow’s peak. It was more prominent on
Austin with his buzz cut.

“Yep. I had to swap my ballet classes for tae
kwon do training when we moved to Tempus Falls. Mum insisted. And
she can be unrelenting.”

Austin laughed. “I hear you. My mum will not
let up until everything is done exactly to her specifications. It
drives me
insane
!”

Even with all the peripheral weirdness,
Austin stirred up some intense, unfamiliar feelings. One minute she
wanted to pound on him and the next...well...

“Heads up!” rang out across the school
oval.

Austin snapped his fingers, and the brown
leather football hung in midair, framed by dense white clouds.
Everything and everyone froze like at the bus stop.

“Whoa,” Cate gasped. That was one serious
party trick. The football had stopped a nanosecond before it
thumped her fair on the nose. That would have been karma getting
her back for smacking Zach. “More magic?”

“You asked about my powers. I can stop time.”
Austin grabbed the ball, snapped his fingers again, and speared it
back as everyone resumed their activities unaware of what had just
happened. “You’re a trouble magnet.” He ignored her raised
eyebrows. “Which again, I kind of like.”

“I don’t care what you like,” Cate said.
But she did
. Austin had saved her from a
bomb, and now from getting her face squashed by a football. Kind of
like her own personal knight in shining
armour
. He was the coolest knight in
history. “Thanks for that,” she said as an afterthought.

“My pleasure.” Austin dipped his head, and
the sunlight sent golden sparks dancing across his brown hair.
“How’s the cheerleading going?”

She shrugged. “I’m the most unqualified
person in the world to answer that question.” The winter sun’s rays
created a delicious warmth across her back. Austin’s hand rested
maddeningly close to her thigh as they watched the cheerleaders in
silence. She shifted along the smooth, worn timber seat, just
enough for his little finger to graze her thigh. His finger brushed
her thigh a second time. His touch was so light she could have
imagined it. When he looked her way, his storm-grey eyes promised
Cate her own personal fairy tale. Every particle in her body fizzed
and tingled with excitement. A nervous laugh escaped her lips as he
leaned closer. The possibility of kissing him threw her stomach
into chaos.

She blurted out the first thing that came to
mind. “Jonah was at my school today. He’s visiting Zach.” There was
no surprise on Austin’s face. He waited for her to continue. “He’s
coming to my house tonight to help me with my calculus and to
train.”

“You invited someone who tried to kill you to
your house. Are you sure you got into Socrates because of your
academic prowess?”

“Yes and no. I mean...” Her mouth and brain
struggled to connect. “Yes, I’m bloody clever. No, I didn’t invite
Jonah. When he asked I actually told him
not
to come. Loudly and quite a few times, because I
was worried about the risk of death. I think he’s still coming
though.”

“I reckon that’s a safe bet.”

It was impossible to stop Jonah, or anyone,
from actually turning up at your house. “Do you think he’ll try and
hurt me again? I could refuse to let him in. Or pretend not to be
home.”

“They’re both pretty mediocre plans.” Austin
chuckled. “The combined skills of you and your black belt mother
should keep you safe.”

She bristled at his superior smile. “There’ll
be plenty of juvenile delinquents from Mum’s detention centre there
to protect me. I’ll be fine. How well do you know Jonah?”

“He’s more Rose’s friend than mine.”

“Oh. Oohh.” Austin’s words sunk in. “You mean
they...you know?”

“Can we not go there?” Austin shuffled in his
seat.

The sun disappeared behind a lone grey cloud,
and a cool breeze sent a chill through Cate. If Rose and Austin
were a couple, it would explain the weird
keep-your-distance-from-Austin vibe she got from her. “It sounds
complicated.”

“To say my relationship with Rose is
complicated would be a gross under exaggeration.” The familiar sexy
little smile, which now held a promise he couldn’t deliver on
without being a dirty cheat, flitted across his face.

It was ridiculous how gutted she felt. “Is
there anything you could share with me to help piece this all
together?
Please?
” She heard the desperate
edge in her voice.

“I would if I could, but I can’t.” His
fingertips brushed lightly across her knuckles.

She snatched her hand away. “Can’t, won’t,
it’s all the same.” She focused on the green, white, and silver
cheerleader uniforms soaring through the air. “I’ll figure it
out.”

Rafe tossed Brittany high in the air. Part of
Cate wanted him to drop her as penance for stealing Zach and
humiliating her. Even if it was only for one day and no one but
Cate now seemed to remember it.
Go on, Rafe. Drop
her
, she thought with a smile.

A commotion broke out on the cheer track.
Bedlam replaced the perky,
synchronised
bopping. Rafe screamed at Rose through
his mind-speak, demanding she fix something.

Austin leapt to his feet. “I’ll see what’s
happened.”

Eve backed away from the group and threw
up.

Cate bolted over without hesitation.

“Eve, what’s going on?” She panted and
searched Eve’s white face.

“Brittany...” Eve stumbled, pointing toward
the crowd.

Move, move, move!
Cate thought. People stepped out of her way. Brittany lay on the
ground, her body contorted at awkward angles.
Did
I do that to Brittany?

Rose, Austin, and Rafe knelt around the still
body.

“I can’t heal her,” Rose hissed. “You know
the rules.”

“I caused this,” Rafe pleaded. “It should
never have happened. We can’t let her die.”

“There’s too many people around,” Austin
whispered.

“No one needs to know. I’ll fix it—no one
will remember anything,” Rafe said.

“Naitanui will know. Her neck’s broken clean
through and her heart’s stopped. I can’t heal a dead body,” Rose
replied quietly.

“Someone call 911,” Cate shrieked. There was
a flurry of action as everyone pulled out phones.

“Rafe.” Austin snapped his fingers, and
everyone became still.

“But...” Rafe dragged his hands down his
face.

“I can only hold them for a minute or
so.”

“Fine!” Rafe clenched his fists.
Phones away everyone. You won’t remember what you were
looking for or why.

“No! She needs help.” Cate knelt and placed a
hand on Brittany’s chest, and also checked for a pulse in her
neck.

“She’s gone,” Rose said.

Cate saw Rose was correct, literally. It was
like looking at an X-ray. She could see the inner workings of
Brittany’s body.
Yikes!
She snatched her
hand away.

Curious, she again placed a hand on
Brittany’s chest. She pressed a tentative palm against Brittany’s
broken vertebrae. Instinct told her to concentrate,
visualise
the break mending and
Brittany’s heart starting to beat. Brittany’s heart shuddered and
started to pound. Then she groaned and moved her shoulders.

Cate squeaked and scuttled backward.
What the...?
Panic sucked all the air from
her lungs. She could almost hear the clunk, clunk, clunk as her
brain turned, fighting to comprehend the situation.

Austin knelt in front of Cate. “Are you going
to throw up? Faint? Scream? Run away?”

She didn’t know.

Brittany sat up and shoved Rafe. “I hurt all
over. You dufus! What’s the story with dropping me? You and your
freak friends are never joining my cheer squad.” Her eyes flashed
iridescent violet, sending a chill through Cate. Brittany’s eyes
were always blue.

“Rafe, do your thing. This cheerleading
practice never happened.” Austin took Cate by the arm and forced
her to stand. “You’re coming with me.” There was no smile this
time.

“Ease up on my arm.” He released her, and she
wobbled after him, her legs heavy and her head pounding. “I think I
am
going to throw up.” She collapsed and
pushed her head between her knees. Slowly her head cleared and
control of her body returned. She thumped the ground. “What the
hell is going on?”

Austin slouched against a tree, sizing her
up. “After that demonstration it’s obvious who you are. I can’t
leave you here and risk you disappearing.”

“Well conveniently, I can’t let
you
disappear until
I
get
some answers.” She rubbed at the angry red marks where Austin had
grabbed her arm. They were like a brand, and she belonged to no
one. “If you can’t explain, then take me to someone who can.”

“That’s my plan.” Austin stalked over and
hoisted her into his arms. “Take a deep breath, because this is
going to give a whole new meaning to painful.”

Chapter 8

The Break

C
ate’s surroundings spun; shapes twisted and morphed
into indecipherable blurs. A kaleidoscope of
colours
exploded and sprayed gleaming stars
across the curtain of black enveloping her. The stars glittered and
hung in the darkness, then rocketed away, leaving a trail of
silver. She jolted to a stop, hovering in a dark, soundless void.
There was a small jerk as Austin readjusted his hold on her. His
fingers bit into her thigh as he folded her more tightly to his
chest.

Something cold and metallic slammed into the
base of her spine, and she hurtled into the darkness. Her skin was
being wrenched in every direction, like someone was trying to
separate her flesh from her body. She bunched Austin’s shirt in her
fists, pulling the soft, flannel material closer. The skin on her
arm bubbled. Soft gurgles were followed by popping and hissing. Her
terrified shrieks ripped through the darkness. Her blood was
boiling.

The darkness dissipated. The spinning
subsided, and the white-hot flames tearing through her veins
cooled. The agony lingered. Colours and shapes came into focus as
she stopped with a thwack.

“You scream like a banshee.” Austin set her
on the ground and rubbed his ear. “I think I’m now partially deaf.
You’re alive though. I was pretty confident you’d survive.”

Cate’s ribs shrieked with each torturous
breath. “Survive what?”

“Travelling though time before you’ve crossed
over kills most people.”

“Travelling through time?” White clouds
trailed across the sky, interrupted by the trees stretching toward
the sun. The world tilted under her feet. Her legs buckled, and
Austin’s hands were under her arms as he lowered her to the
ground.

“I may have spoken too early,” he muttered.
“It would be pointless and frankly damned weak of you to die now.
You lived through the worst bit.”

“I’ll haunt you if I die, and I’ll be one
pissed off ghost,” Cate hissed.

***

Warm, springy grass tickled her palms as she
attempted to sit up. The sun stroked her face and soaked through
her bones. Cool fingers pressed gently against her forehead.

“Cate.” Austin’s voice came from a long way
off.

She wanted to yell, but her tongue felt like
an enormous cotton wool ball. Her stomach felt icky, like she
needed to throw up.

“Come back.” Austin’s voice was closer
now.

Her nausea ebbed as she focused on his
rhythmic breathing. She peeled her eyelids open.

“I don’t know why I doubt myself. I’m never
wrong.” Austin helped her stand.

Water cascaded down the sides of the steep,
craggy rock formation, oblivious to the jagged edges. A riot of
rainbows dappled through the spray, celebrating the end of the
water’s journey. “Can I drink that?” she asked.

“Not advisable.” A tall, athletic guy with
black and blonde dreadlocks stepped from behind the waterfall.

“Hey, Naitanui,” Austin said.

Cate’s jaw snapped open. “You’re
Naitanui?”

He didn’t look much older than Austin. A wet
suit hung around his hips, and a battered yellow surfboard was
tucked under his arm. The white zinc on his nose and lips glowed
like war paint against his ebony skin. His yellow eyes met
hers.

Panther,
Cate
thought.

“Cate, Naitanui, Naitanui, Cate,” Austin
said, looking supremely relaxed.

“I brought a dead cheerleader back to life,”
she blurted.

Naitanui’s luminous yellow eyes widened.