Read Launched! Online

Authors: J A Mawter

Launched! (10 page)

Chapter Fourteen

It was Saturday, early afternoon, and the kids were waiting at The Van.

‘No Bryce,’ said Clem. ‘First time he hasn’t showed.’

‘Wonder how he is?’ said Mio, and she shivered despite the warm weather.

‘Me wonder, too,’ said Tong.

‘Maybe we should call him?’ said Mio. ‘See if he’s held up. Clem, Darcy, you got your phone?’

Darcy pulled out his phone and dialled. ‘C’mon, Bryce, pick up.’

But it didn’t even go to message bank. It just rang out.

‘Let’s head up to The Peak, do some practice. We’ll ring again when we’re up there.’

‘That’s if we get reception,’ said Mio.

‘I guess.’

When they arrived, the kids got quite a shock. A huge banner hung over the entrance announcing the forthcoming bike trials. Kids swarmed everywhere.

‘Last weekend before the trials,’ said Darcy, by way of explanation. ‘Let’s ride up to the tower and check it out.’

‘Me walk,’ said Tong to lighten Darcy’s load.

All the uphill riding was paying off. By the time the kids reached the top they were barely panting.

‘Did you see those dudes with the fancy gear? All colour-coordinated,’ said Clem. ‘They look hard core.’ She glanced down at her T-shirt and long shorts, more hand-me-downs from her cousin Kate, and sighed. Another group of riders went past, wearing hard cap knee and shin guards, elbow guards and fingerless mitts. ‘They look like full pros.’ Clem sighed again.

Reading her mind, Darcy glided over to his sister and put a reassuring hand on her arm, saying, ‘It’s not how you look, it’s how you ride that counts.’

‘I know,’ said Clem. ‘But they sure do look impressive.’

Darcy did a bunnyhop 360, saying, ‘We’re impressive, too,’ and despite her jitters, Clem laughed.

‘Let’s climb up the tower and see if there’s a spot where no-one else is practising. Otherwise we’ll have to squish, or queue somewhere.’

‘Good idea,’ said Mio.

They rested their bikes against the tower. Darcy took a chain from his bike and looped it through the frames, securing it with a padlock, saying, ‘After last time, we can’t be too cautious.’

Mio was the first up the ladder. She wouldn’t admit it to the others but like Bryce, she was afraid of heights; unlike Bryce, she didn’t let it stop her. By the time she swung her bottom firmly onto the platform she breathed a sigh of relief. Tong took the rungs two at a time, so confident that he looked like a sailor going aloft on a ship. Darcy came next, all grunts as he tried to copy Tong.

‘Don’t fret,’ said Clem to Bella, securing a rope through her collar and tying her to the support poles of the tower. ‘There’s a good girl.’ With a quick scratch behind Bella’s ears, Clem headed up after her brother.

Once up the top, the kids could check out all of The Peak. They watched one group of kids riding along a narrow beam. Another group was practising track stands on what looked like giant planters. A third group was riding figure eights backwards. Everywhere you looked there were bikes and kids, kids and bikes.

‘Looks like we’re up for some stiff competition,’ said Clem, mesmerised by the blow-out of activity.

‘Check out those reverse circles,’ said Mio.

‘No-handed!’ added Clem.

Tong let out a whistle.

‘Don’t let them psych you out,’ warned Darcy. ‘We’re just as good as them.’

Clem watched group after group take each challenge in their stride. Her brow creased and there were furrows around her pursed lips. ‘I think we’re going to be way out of our depth in these bike trials.’

‘Maybe,’ said Mio, looking dubious.

‘Riders plenty good.’

Clem whirled to face Darcy, saying, ‘See. Tong agrees with me.’

Tong pulled himself up to full height as he declared, ‘Freewheelers better.’

Darcy sniggered. ‘See? He agrees with me.’

Under her breath Clem muttered, ‘I wish Bryce was here.’

Darcy overheard her. ‘He’s here in spirit,’ he said, pointing to the word
PHREE
spray-painted in white on the platform. Then his hand continued its arc. ‘Hey! What’s this?’

Beside the
PHREE
there was something else, but no matter which angle they looked at it from, they couldn’t make out what it was.

‘It’s just a paint splotch,’ said Clem. ‘With a few splatters.’

‘Might be a practice spray,’ suggested Mio.

‘Yeah, it’s nothing,’ said Darcy.

But Tong looked unconvinced. He crouched in front of the design, squinting as he sought an answer, angry that he didn’t notice it before. After a while he said, ‘
Sao.
’ His fingers traced the outline as he struggled to think of the English word.

‘Star?’ asked Clem, as she watched his fingers draw the points. ‘In the sky at night? They’re called stars.’

‘With
duôi.
Tail.’

Darcy flicked away the comment with his hand as he said, ‘Stars don’t have tails.’

‘Some do,’ corrected Mio. ‘Shooting stars leave a trail like a tail.’

‘Shooting star!’ gasped Clem. ‘There it is again. Just like they put on The Van.’ She shivered as she asked, ‘You think the person who was in The Van is the same person who took Tong’s bike and stole Bryce’s key-ring?’

‘Or
brought back
Bryce’s key-ring,’ corrected Mio. ‘We don’t know which. They may have even dropped it by accident.’

‘Wonder who it is.’

Darcy snorted, saying, ‘Don’t we all.’ The four sat staring at the spray-painting of a shooting star,
till Darcy straightened his shoulders and stood up. ‘Not achieving anything by standing around admiring artwork,’ he said. ‘C’mon, guys. We’ve got work to do.’

For the next two hours the kids worked and worked, tackling every obstacle, riding the narrowest of lines, balancing, skidding and turning, taking it in turns to share their bike with Tong. It was so intense that by the time they finished they were drenched. While they were letting off steam, riding the handlebars and pedalling with their hands, some riders came up.

‘Heard you were pretty good,’ said a boy covered from head to toe in full protective armour.

Darcy straightened and twisted to an upright position, facing backwards. ‘Heard right,’ he said as he rested on the handlebars, balancing with both feet off the ground.

‘Amateur,’ scoffed the boy. He laughed when Darcy’s feet touched the ground, then rode off.

‘Amateur,’ chorused the boy’s team as they passed.

Following right behind came another team. They, too, stopped.

This team’s different, registered Mio. No fancy clothes or protective gear or gloves. She noticed that their bikes wore dents and dings like badges of honour—this team looked like
them.

Standing astride his bike Darcy crossed his arms and waited for them to pass. His eyes went from rider to rider. All but one stared him down.

They reminded Clem of a pack of wolves looking for a sign of weakness. She wheeled her bike next to Darcy’s. The Freewheelers would stand their ground.

Suddenly, Bella started to bark, a bark that erupted with such force that it rattled her jowls.

‘Sh,’ said Clem, stroking Bella’s ears. ‘Shush now.’

Bella sat in Clem’s basket straining at her lead. Every now and again she made little whimpering noises, before breaking out into another barrage of barking.

Mio, Tong and Darcy watched, puzzled. It was unusual for Bella to go on like this. By now Bella was bucking so hard she was gagging. Froth formed on her flews, the loose flaps of skin that hung down from her upper muzzle. Clem was finding it harder and harder to contain her.

‘You better control that dog,’ warned the first rider, looking as if he was prepared to flee.

‘I’m trying!’ snapped Clem, who had wound her arms under Bella’s chest to pin her down.

‘She’s usually pretty good,’ said Mio.

‘Good dog,’ agreed Tong.

Bella’s head wrenched back and forth as she
barked. Her nails clawed at the basket—Clem was sure she’d rip them out.

‘Psycho dog,’ said the rider. Shaking his head he went on his way. As each person in his team walked past they added their own name to the list.

‘Nutso.’

‘Schizoid.’

‘Insane.’

‘She is not,’ yelled Clem, but before she could say any more Bella broke free. She’d twisted her whole head out of the collar! Clem stared at the lead with the empty collar in disbelief.

Bella scampered up to one of the riders. This rider was much, much smaller than the others. The helmet, ten sizes too big, swamped their face so it was impossible to tell who they were.

‘Bella!’ called Clem.

Every obedience lesson Clem had taught went straight out of Bella’s head, and she continued to bale up the rider, yapping and snapping.

Clem unclipped the lead and collar and lunged, but Bella pranced out of the way and ran round the other side of the bike. When she sat at the rider’s feet she calmed down, the deep throaty barks fading to excited little yelps.

Clem scooted in front of the bike but Bella saw her coming and scooted the other way. ‘Bella!’ growled Clem.

Some of the riders began to laugh, guffawing at Bella’s antics and Clem’s rising frustration.

‘Shut up!’ yelled Clem, feeling like an idiot.

Darcy, Mio and Tong hopped off their bikes to help. But nothing worked. Bella ran around like a dog possessed. Every so often she’d zip over to the tiny rider and paw the ground and whine.

Without warning, the rider went into maximum acceleration, knocking Bella over in a tumble of furry feet and tail.

Yowl!

‘Bella!’

‘That’s uncalled for!’ yelled Darcy, charging after the rider. As he drew parallel he reached down and grabbed the handlebars, pulling the bike towards him so that the rider was flung off.

Bella swooped down on them, like an eagle zooming in on its prey. Her teeth closed around the rider’s coat. As much as she tried Clem couldn’t break Bella’s grip. ‘Bell, no!’ By now Clem was at her wit’s end. Bella was attacking someone and she didn’t know how to stop it. Clem’s hands and arms were decorated with long red welts. It was amazing that she wasn’t bleeding.

Suddenly part of the jacket tore away. Bits of pocket lay on the ground.

Tong clicked his tongue and held out his hand, trying to distract Bella so that Clem could get close
enough to slip the collar on. Mio stood on Bella’s other side, wishing she had some juicy morsels of meat to bribe her with. Darcy leapt and held Bella down.

Clem slipped the collar over Bella’s head and made the band tighter. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she gasped, as she stared at the gaping hole in the jacket, wondering how much the jacket had cost and debating whether or not she should offer some money to repair it.

By now the first rider had doubled back. His face was mottled with anger. ‘You’ll pay for this,’ he threatened.

‘Maybe my mum can fix it?’ offered Clem.

But the lead rider wasn’t listening. He was signalling for the others to join him. ‘Let’s go.’ As the team were about to disappear around the back of a pile of wooden spools the lead rider turned. With his finger rammed in Clem’s direction he warned, ‘Stay away from The Peak.’

‘Or what?’ asked Darcy.

‘Or else.’

The whole altercation had not lasted much more than a minute. The shockwaves lasted much longer. Bella was her old self now, her pink tongue hanging out and her tail wagging, unaware of the ruckus she’d caused.

‘That could’ve got nasty, Clem,’ said Darcy. ‘Maybe you should leave Bella at home next time.’

Clem’s voice sounded ragged as she protested, ‘But she’s a Freewheeler. She stays with us.’

‘She’s a nuisance, Clem. That’s what she is. A great big fat nuisance.’

Clem bent down to pick up the mangled pocket, and something fell out. She gasped.

It was another doll’s head.

Chapter Fifteen

‘You think you can meet us at The Van? We have to talk.’ Clem hung up and turned to the others. ‘Bryce’ll be there at half past four.’ She checked her watch then went on, ‘That gives me plenty of time to drop Bella at home. And we need a snack. Whose turn is it?’

‘I think it’s Bryce’s,’ said Mio. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll bring something. See you in an hour.’

The kids rode down the hill in single file. Clem offered Tong her bike, happy to walk Bella home, and Tong gratefully accepted. Clem, Bella and Mio peeled off. Tong and Darcy decided to ride circuits to pass the time. They rode up one street, then turned into another, then another, before heading back to their starting place near the station. This
late on a Saturday they had a clear run; there were no hordes of people to outmanoeuvre.

‘Want to do timed laps or race?’ Darcy asked Tong.

‘Race!’ answered Tong without hesitation.

Darcy laughed. ‘I’ll say one thing for you, Tong. You’re born to win.’

‘Born to win,’ echoed Tong with a nod.

‘We’ll go on three,’ said Darcy. ‘One.’


M
t.

‘Two.’


Hai.

‘Thr…’


Ba!

Before Darcy could even finish, Tong took off. The boys went from stop to full throttle in only a few thrusts. Thigh and calf muscles bulged. It was a long time before they began to burn.

Tong led for the first stretch, and the second, but by the time they’d rounded the corner for the third part of the block they were so close that Tong could feel Darcy’s warm breath on his back. By the fourth leg the race was over, with Darcy the victor and Tong trying to work out what he’d done wrong.

‘Race,
pant-pant,
you,
pant-pant,
again,’ said Tong.

‘You’re on.’ Darcy nodded his head, saying, ‘You sure are a glutton for punishment.’

‘Now you lose. Me win.’

This time Tong’s determination paid off. On the fourth leg he was still in the lead. He glanced over his shoulder, to see whether or not he could afford to ease up, but that one move cost him.

‘Never look back,’ said Darcy, whizzing past. ‘It slows you down. That’s how you lose a race.’

‘Yes,’ said Tong. He hung his head and turned away, not wanting Darcy to see his shame. He’d been so sure he would win that race. He’d even bragged that he’d win. What was it his grandmother used to say? Translated, it meant,
The higher you climb the heavier you fall.
His head hung lower. So much wisdom in that wizened old frame.

‘You missed by that much,’ said Darcy, lowering his pointer finger to his thumb so that they were only a millimetre apart. ‘You’ll beat me next time, you’ll see.’

‘Yes.’

At half past four they all met up at The Van. It was a huge relief when Bryce joined them.

‘Special occasion?’ he asked, eyeing the plate of food Mio had brought.

‘Not really,’ answered Mio. ‘Dad made a stack of these and let me bring some.’

Clem leant forward and sniffed. ‘What are they?’

‘They’re called
kushi-dango,
or sweet skewered dumplings.’

‘Mum’s dumplings don’t look like that,’ said Clem.

Darcy flicked her on the shoulder, saying, ‘That’s ‘cause they go in chicken soup, stupid.’

Bryce reached over and picked up a bamboo skewer with four dumplings on it, all of them covered with a sticky glaze. In true Bryce style he scoffed the lot. ‘Yum-m-m-m.’ He licked his fingers, adding, ‘These are now my official favourite. Okay if I have another one?’

‘Wait your turn,’ scolded Mio, although inside she smiled, pleased that her dumplings were such a success.

‘I’ve seen anime characters on TV munching on these,’ said Bryce, now on to skewer number two.

‘You’re right.’ Mio nodded. ‘They’re really popular in Japan. Everyone loves them.’

When the kids had had their fill it was time to get down to business.

‘We need to talk, Bryce.’ Clem kicked off the proceedings. ‘We need to know who took Tong’s bike.’

‘How would I know?’ Bryce’s face turned the colour of a blood plum. ‘Haven’t a clue.’

Darcy jumped in, saying, ‘We think it might be the same person who bombed our van.’

‘And left your key-ring up at the tower.’

‘Sounds like a long shot if you ask me,’ said Bryce. ‘Personally, I have no idea.’

‘Yeah, right.’ Darcy thumped his hand on top of the TV and the sound resounded in the confined space.

‘I don’t!’ Bryce bristled like a cornered animal. His lip curled into a snarl. ‘I don’t know who took the bike or who brought the key-ring back. Honest.’

At the word ‘honest’ Clem blanched. What had Bryce’s father said yesterday? That he was back to his old ways.

‘What about the graffiti?’ persisted Darcy.

‘What graf?’

‘PHREE and the star.’

Mio, Clem and Tong sat back, quietly relieved that it was Darcy who was slugging it out and not them.

Bryce’s features softened as he answered. ‘I’ve no idea who PHREE is. In another place, another time, I used to be PHREE. But not now…Not since I went to court. Could be anyone using the name PHREE. Lot of people want to be free.’ His voice grew quiet. ‘Not just me.’

Clem noticed that Darcy’s lips were compressed into a thin line.

Bryce went on. ‘As for the star. Who knows?! Could be any old star.’

‘But it’s not. It’s a shooting star.’

Shooting star.

Bryce catapulted back in time, to the night of
Shooting stars are nature’s graf.
He remembered Adz and him talking for ages about all the great singers and bands who’d written songs about shooting stars. There was Kelis and Elliott Smith and Golden Smog, Ashanti and Bad Company, even the old legends like Bob Dylan and Elton John. Snatches of stanzas and bars flitted in and out of his head, like his own personal music show. Bryce settled back, allowing the warmth of the music to flow through his veins. Then he realised something, with a pang. Lately, music was gone from his life. What with fighting with his dad and fighting with his friends, there was no place for music.

‘Bryce?’ Clem shook him back to the present, her voice catching. ‘What is it, Bryce? You okay?’

Bryce slumped with his face in his hands.

Mio and Tong kept a respectful silence. Darcy watched, his face sceptical.

After a few moments Bryce looked up. ‘I can’t help you,’ he murmured. ‘Sorry.’

‘Don’t be,’ said Clem, patting his arm. But again she asked, ‘What’s with the shooting star, do you think? What’s it mean to you?’

Bryce took a measured breath before answering. ‘Nothing really. Except those lyrics by Boyzone.
The ones about night-time being the only time when you feel good, ‘cause the rest of the world disappears and you can look at the stars and pretend you’re not really here.’ He looked at Clem. ‘It’s how I feel.’

‘Why…?’ began Darcy, but Clem hushed him. ‘Keep going,’ she said. Bryce’s eyes, wide and ringed with lashes, reminded her of Bella’s. She resisted the urge to pat him.

‘In the song, see. There’s this lone star, looking for a time and place that don’t seem wrong, and can’t you see? That’s lots of people. Me. Never fitting in. Life is always wrong.’ And then he sighed, a gusty sigh that ruffled the curtains in The Van.

Other books

The Pony Rider Boys in Texas by Patchin, Frank Gee
Necessary Evil by David Dun
Sea Fury (1971) by Pattinson, James
The Trade of Queens by Charles Stross
Sweeter Than Honey by Delilah Devlin
Real Wifeys: Get Money by Mink, Meesha
The Witch's Thief by Tricia Schneider
The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox
Solomon's Kitten by Sheila Jeffries


readsbookonline.com Copyright 2016 - 2024