Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
S livers of sunlight filtering in through the palm trees outside her window lightened Evie’s room the next morning. It had rained during the night, and the steady patter on the tin roof had been a constant, comforting sound during the night. Her bedroom was about the same size as the one at home, and she cast her eye around the bare walls. Empty hooks were scattered along the fibro, the only decoration a purple piece of cloth with a red peace symbol printed on it. A single light bulb hung on a long cord in the middle of the room and she looked up at the ceiling above, which was buckled, its cover of white paint peeling and cracked.
Cool, smooth floorboards greeted her feet, as she padded across the room and stood at the small casement window, staring at the thick rainforest that surrounded a small cleared patch of grass. Birds flitted back and forth, and she spotted a wallaby feeding on the longer grass near the house. The window latch was old and difficult to move, but she managed to open it enough to let some fresh air in. Time for breakfast she thought, her stomach rumbling, reminding her she’d only eaten a sandwich for dinner the night before.
A couple of stairs that ran off the front veranda offered a prime position to sit and eat her Weetbix. There was a cleared grass area in front, and the dirt road they had driven in on lay beyond that. Mother was still asleep, and Evie felt like the sole inhabitant; as if someone had picked her up and plonked her in the heart of the North Queensland rainforest. The area was dim, with tall palm trees blocking the morning sun. She smacked a mosquito on her arm. There were more bugs and crawling insects here than she had ever seen before.
Drips of moisture fell from the edges of the corrugated tin veranda roof above her, and she tilted her head to the side when she thought she heard voices. People talking, punctuated by a noisy laugh, sounded from the thick rainforest. Peering across the front yard, she looked curiously as a group of kids emerged from the trees on the other side of the track. They came out opposite her house, and a couple of them saw her and waved.
They appeared to be about the same age as she was, and she waved back as they neared the house, then came up the path towards her. A boy who led the way was the first to greet her. He had long, blond hair down past his shoulders, and wore only a pair of corduroy shorts. His body was tanned to a deep brown, and when she looked at his skinny legs, she thought he would probably be a good runner.
When he smiled, his teeth were white and straight, and she smiled back, drawn in by his friendly manner. He stood in front of her as the rest of the group came up behind him. ‘Hi. I’m Tim. You must be Evie. Katrina told us to come and say hello.’
She nodded as the rest of the group came to stand beside him. Another boy who looked much the same as Tim, gave her an army salute. ‘I’m Arlo, and this is Peace and Sissy. We live up the track a bit further. We catch the bus to school when we can get there.’
She must have looked perplexed at the last bit of information. The girl called Peace sat down on the step below Evie. ‘It rains a lot and we get flooded in.’ She held out her hand for Evie to shake. ‘Welcome to the wet tropics.’
Peace had long, brown hair with strings of beads wound through some of the strands. She wore a sarong and leather riding boots on her feet. Sissy was a bit older, and Evie admired her slender legs and long red hair. She wore a frangipani behind her ear, and it seemed like every one of her fingers had a silver ring on it. Colourful bracelets jingled on her arms, and the tiny red shorts and blue crocheted bikini top she wore, showed off her slim body.
They were a motley crew, but now as they all sat with her on the stairs, asking where she had moved from and what music and bands she followed, she decided she liked them. When her mother appeared through the front door about an hour later, they were still talking and laughing. Some of the jokes Peace told, made Evie laugh so much that, for a moment, she forgot about the threatening prospect of her new life.
Her mother talked to them only briefly, thankfully leaving them to go have her breakfast and unpack some more belongings. ‘Is your mum a single mum?’ Peace asked.
Evie thought about that new concept for a moment. ‘I guess she is. My dad is in contact with us, and they’re still friends. He moved to Sydney and we came here. I’ll go and visit him once we’re settled.’
After a while Tim stood up. ‘We’re just going up the track a bit to pick up some mushrooms from old Mr Dilger. Not the drug ones; these are the actual real ones you can eat. He grows them and Mum cooks with them. Best mushrooms you’ve ever tasted.’
Sissy held out her hand, and Arlo pulled her up. ‘He also grows dragon fruit and lychees,’ Sissy said. ‘Delicious with the ice cream our mum makes.’
‘We’re going to the beach this afternoon,’ Peace said. ‘Come with us. We can swing back and get you at about two.’
Evie stood up and smiled. Not even one day had passed and she had made friends. ‘That’d be great. I love the surf.’
‘Oh, we can’t swim in the ocean at the moment. Too many stingers,’ Sissy said.
‘Blue bottles?’
‘No. Box Jelly. Tentacles this long,’ Sissy held her arms out wide, her bangles jangling together as she demonstrated the length.
‘What are Box Jelly?’
Tim put his hands on his hips. ‘The deadliest marine animal there is. They’re large, box-shaped, and have tentacles longer than me that wrap themselves around your body, causing extreme pain, paralysis, heart attack and then death. But maybe that’s a better alternative than being eaten by the large crocodiles that live around here.’
Evie could feel the colour draining from her face. At least at Stradbroke there were only sharks to worry about.
‘Don’t look so nervous. We’ll just show you around,’ Peace said. ‘We can walk along the beach. Make sure to bring your togs because we’ll take you up to the falls. There’s a rock pool further up in the hills where we swim. No crocs there and the water is beautiful.’
As she waved them off, a wave of apprehension filled her. Box Jelly, crocs, and—she swatted another mosquito on her arm—the biggest mosquitos in the world.
Her mother was pleased she had made friends. ‘They look like nice kids. Just watch yourself if they take you back to where they live though. I’ll have to ask Katrina a bit more about this commune. But, I guess you’re old enough to work out what’s okay and what’s not now. I’ll have enough to do sorting out a job and this house which, before you go anywhere, you need to help me clean.’ She looked Evie in the eye. ‘What I’m trying to say is, you’re nearly sixteen now. I’ve done what I can, and I guess your father has too. The choices are up to you now.’
She nodded. That was okay with her. The last thing she wanted was her mother telling her what she could and couldn’t do. With Dad not living with them, she would have more freedom. Now she was an adult. She could make her own decisions.