Nowhere Boys (4 page)
Sam, Jake and Andy happily sat down and gorged themselves on fried eggs laid by Roland’s friendly brood of chooks. Felix kept his distance. He’d lost his appetite. How could a massive twister blow up out of nowhere and then completely disappear?
After they’d eaten, Roland offered the boys a lift back into town. They piled into the back of his old Holden and, after trying the ignition five times, Roland finally got the car started. They bumped back onto the road and towards Bremin.
Felix watched through the car window as the dense bush gave way to houses. The closer they got to Bremin the better he felt. Everything was going to be okay. Whatever was out there in the bush was staying there. They had survived. Their families would be delighted to see them and he would never have to go bush again. Ellen was right: he definitely did hate nature.
Jake rolled down the window and yelled at the top of his lungs, ‘Bremin, I love you!’
Felix smiled. Nothing like a night of starvation and misery to make you love your home town. When Roland pulled up in the main street, Felix could have kissed him.
‘All right, boys. Be good,’ Roland called as they stumbled out onto the street, thanking him profusely.
They stood on the footpath and watched as the Holden shuddered off down the road.
Felix looked around. Everything was utterly familiar. And yet –
‘You’d think there’d be a welcome party. We’ve been missing all night,’ said Jake, looking around. The people in the main street were going about their lives, completely uninterested in four bedraggled teenagers.
Sam shrugged. ‘They’re probably all out there, searching with choppers and stuff.’
That made sense, but still Felix couldn’t shake his feeling of unease.
Jake pulled out his phone. He stared at it for a moment. ‘Weird. I don’t have any reception.’
The others checked their phones. Same.
‘We should have reception now.’ Andy held his phone up. ‘Maybe they short-circuited each other in the electrical storm.’
Felix shoved his phone back in his pocket. ‘I’ve got to go,’ he said. He didn’t really care if his phone was broken. He just wanted to get home.
‘We can’t just separate! We’ve had a bonding experience. How about a man hug?’ said Andy hopefully.
‘In your dreams, nerd,’ said Jake. ‘I’m outta here too. Have a good life, losers,’ he called, walking away.
Sam clapped Andy on the back. ‘Sorry, brainiac, I’m starving.’ He turned to Felix. ‘See ya, goth dude.’
‘I’ll see you at school,’ said Felix to Andy.
Felix walked away fast. He had to get home. He started to jog. He couldn’t wait to see his family. He couldn’t wait to see if it had worked.
He reached his house and ran up the drive. There was Oscar sitting on the lawn playing with his remote-control helicopter. That was good. Whatever had taken him to hospital yesterday mustn’t have been too serious. He jogged towards him. ‘Hey, Oscie.’
Oscar looked up.
‘How was the hospital?’ asked Felix.
‘What hospital?’ Oscar got to his feet.
Felix stared at him and felt a surge of indescribable happiness. ‘You can walk!’
Oscar looked at him strangely. ‘Of course I can walk.’
‘Oscar, that’s amazing.’ Felix couldn’t stop smiling.
‘How do you know my name?’
Felix’s grin faded from his face.
‘Who are you?’ asked Oscar.
Jake sprinted through the streets of Bremin, desperate to get home. His mum would be out of her mind with worry. Last night the Bremin Bandicoots had played in the semifinal and they’d planned to go. It was their yearly ritual: pack a picnic, blankets and a thermos and cheer until their voices were hoarse. They’d done it every year since Jake could remember. Once, when he was really little, his dad had gone along with them. That was before they broke up. Before his dad had become an unemployed slob.
Jake shook his head. He couldn’t think about that now.
He pulled his phone out as he ran. He had to call his mum and let her know he was okay. Still nothing. Bummer. It must’ve got water damaged. He shoved the phone back in his pocket.
He hoped that loser real estate agent Phil hadn’t come back while he was gone. Real estate agents would have to be the lowest form of life – always pressuring people for money and driving round in their fancy cars like they were more important than God. It wasn’t his mum’s fault they were behind with the rent. It was so unfair that his mum, who worked double shifts at Scaly Jim’s fish-and-chip shop just to make ends meet, got harassed – while his dad, who never paid child support, got off scot-free.
Jake reached his street. There was his house. He’d never been happier to see it, even though it was kind of a dump. Some idiot had thought it was a good idea to cover the weatherboards with fake plastic bricks. Now they were peeling off, making the house look like it had a severe case of sunburn. But hey, it was home.
Jake pulled out his key, which was miraculously still in his pocket. He stuck it in the front lock. Didn’t fit.
Huh?
He jiggled the key around. Still no luck.
‘Mum!’ he called out.
No answer.
Jake peered in the window. A massive Harley-Davidson took up most of the hallway. Where had that come from?
Jake went around the side of the house. The lounge room window was open. He hoicked himself up and pulled himself through.
His jaw dropped in astonishment. What had his mum done? Where were the green velvet couches she’d been saying she was going to re-cover for ten years? Where was the sideboard with her dolphin collection proudly displayed? Where were the photos of his football wins? His grandma’s old clock with the too-loud chime? All gone. Instead, the floor was covered with old sheets. Wrenches and spanners lay on the sheets along with pizza boxes and a brand-new TV just out of its packaging.
There must be an explanation.
Then he realised: Phil had evicted them. In the short time Jake had been gone, Phil had thrown them out. He must have known he’d have a better chance if Jake wasn’t around, because Jake sure as hell wouldn’t have let this happen. Phil had probably organised for Jake to get lost so he could do this. The lying, conniving –
Jake heard footsteps coming down the hall. He quickly ducked behind a couch. The footsteps grew louder and heavier. Jake peered around the side of the couch. An enormous biker wearing a leather-fringed waistcoat with buttons straining over his tattooed stomach walked into the lounge room, cracking open a tinnie. He reached for the remote control to turn on the TV.
Jake shuddered. How was he going to let this dude know he was watching TV in the wrong house? He was totally into defending his territory and all, but against this giant?
The biker let out an almighty belch. Jake looked around for an escape route. If the biker saw him he’d be cactus.
A mobile started to ring. Jake’s hand instinctively went to his pocket, but then with a curse, the bikie made his way back down the corridor to get his phone.
Jake took his chance and, in one leap, reached the windowsill and hurtled over it, landing awkwardly in a hydrangea bush.
He raced back out onto the street. His six-year-old neighbour, Telly, was sitting on his broken fence, playing on his mum’s phone.
‘Telly! What the hell’s going on?’ Jake asked breathlessly. ‘Have you seen my mum?’
‘Huh?’ Telly looked up, but his face was blank. Two rivers of snot ran from his nose.
‘My mum? Did you see what happened?’
‘Who are you?’
‘Don’t be an idiot.’ Jake grabbed the phone from Telly’s hands.
‘Hey, give that back.’
‘Shut it, okay? I need to make a call.’
Jake punched in his mum’s number.
‘The number you have called is not connected.’
He slammed the phone back at Telly. ‘You must have seen something,’ said Jake.
Telly just looked at him.
Telly’s BMX was lying on the ground beside him. Jake picked it up and rode off.
‘Hey, that’s mine!’ Telly called after him.
Jake didn’t care. He didn’t care that Telly had started crying. He didn’t care that Telly’s bike was so small his knees were almost knocking his chin. What he
did
care about was the fact that not only had his mum been kicked out of their house, but she hadn’t had the money to pay her phone bill.
Maybe he should go to his dad’s? But the thought of going to his dad’s seedy apartment filled him with dread. And besides, it was his fault they were in this mess. His dad never paid his mum a cent, and yesterday morning he’d even had the nerve to come over asking to borrow money. Jake had made his mum promise not to loan him anything, but he knew his dad could wheedle his way around her. She was too nice. She’d probably lent him fifty bucks and now her phone had been cut off. His dad was probably sitting on his couch watching the footy and drinking the money away in beer. There was no way he was going there – he’d probably end up punching the lazy douchebag.
Jake pedalled faster. Going uphill on this midget bike wasn’t easy. He stood up and pushed hard on the pedals.
Okay, so logically where would she be? Either out looking for him or at work. Yes, Scaly Jim’s. He’d try there.
‘Oil’s not hot enough for orders yet, mate,’ said Jim, the owner, looking up from the fryer.
‘I don’t want to order anything. I’m looking for Mum. She had a shift today.’
Jim looked him up and down. ‘Your mum had a shift here?’
‘Yeah. She always works Saturdays.’
‘Just between you and me, mate, I’m not in the business of employing mature-age ladies. Got to keep costs down you know, so –’
‘But she works here every day.’
Jim looked at him strangely. ‘What did you say her name was?’
‘Sarah. Come on, Jim, this isn’t funny.’
‘Got a Sue, but if she was your mum she’d have had you at two,’ he laughed.
Jake bit his lower lip. ‘It’s not a joke.’
‘No mate, and neither is running a business, so unless you want to order something, clear off.’
Jake stormed out of the shop. Why was Jim playing games with him? Was there some joke he wasn’t in on? Maybe his mum was cross with him for not calling last night. Though that really didn’t make sense. She’d be more worried than angry.
He picked up Telly’s bike. If Jim wasn’t going to tell him the truth, he’d go and see Phil. Yep, that’s what he’d do. He’d go and ask him directly why he’d chosen the night Jake was missing, possibly presumed dead, to throw them out of their house. God, his poor mum, having to deal with all of that in one night.
Jake barged into the mauve-and-grey reception area of Phil Mason’s real estate agency.
‘Can I help you?’ called the receptionist.
Jake walked straight past her into Phil’s office. ‘How dare you chuck us out?’
Phil, a balding man with a comb-over, jumped up from his reclining chair, thrusting his magazine quickly into a drawer. ‘How can I help you?’
Jake clenched his fists. It was really hard to control himself. ‘You can’t just give our house away. You need to give us warning.’
Phil looked at him blankly. ‘And your house is … ?’
‘You know our house. You’ve been there enough times, trying to scare Mum.’
Phil stood up. ‘Okay, kid. You need to calm down.’
Jake could feel his fingernails piercing into his palms. He was that angry he could … He took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head, like the school counsellor had taught him. He tried to speak slowly and calmly.
‘You need to tell me where my mum is.’
‘Mate, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’
Jake unclenched his fists and grabbed hold of Phil’s arm. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. ‘Listen to me, you fat freak. You tell me –’
The next thing Jake knew, Phil and the receptionist were dragging him out of the office and into the street.
Phil shook his head at him. ‘Stay off the drugs, mate.’
Jake wanted to scream. What was going on? Why was everyone behaving like they had no idea who he was?
Jake got back on Telly’s bike. The only thing he could think to do was to report his mum missing.
It seemed pretty odd that he would go missing one day and then she would the next. Unless of course she went missing while looking for him, but how would that explain the biker? And Jim pretending he didn’t know her? And Phil? God, his head hurt.
He climbed the steps to the police station and swung open the door. A young constable looked up from reception.
‘Can I help you?’
Jake blurted it all out. He’d been missing in the forest overnight and he’d come home, only he didn’t have a home anymore, and he couldn’t find his mum and no-one seemed to know her.
‘All right, slow down,’ said the cop. ‘Your mum’s missing. Have you tried calling her?’
‘Obviously. But my dad borrowed money off her which meant she couldn’t pay her phone bill, so it got disconnected which means –’
‘Okay, okay, back up a bit. First let’s start with her name so we can check for admissions.’
Jake looked at him. ‘Admissions? You mean, like, at the hospital?’
‘Yep.’
‘You think something bad’s happened to her? An accident?’