Part 23 (1/2)

The roar and rattle of the train mixed with the sound of my racing heart.

Sas swore and ran.

A second after her, I sprinted down the hill, gravel slipping beneath my shoes. As I reached the tracks, I fell. Rocks tore my legs and palms and the rail slammed into my chest, knocking my breath from me in a whoosh.

The rhythm of the train pulsed through the rail.

*Ruby!' screamed Sas. *Move!'

The train horn sounded-once, twice, the third time longer, more urgent. The train's brakes squealed. Sparks flew onto the rocks.

Khaden gripped my shoulders and dragged me out of the train's path. Pain streaked my knees. I stumbled to my feet and lurched forward, engulfed by noise, heat and the reek of metal on metal.

*Run,' yelled Khaden, dragging me by the arm.

*My shoe-'

*Stuff your shoe!'

He sprinted over the rocks and through the native shrubs. I glanced over my shoulder. The train had stopped. Faces peered out of the carriages. I looked away from them and saw my slip-on shoe lying in the middle of the track behind the train.

Eyes fixed on Khaden's Volleys, I ran after him and Sas, down a street, a lane, across an oval. Somewhere in my brain, I realised we were running in circles but closing in on Sas's place.

With each step, my terror transformed into raw energy, and laughter bubbled in my throat. My whole body felt light.

*Khade, slow down,' panted Sas. *I'm going to spew.'

*Too bad,' snapped Khaden, turning down another street.

Sas was power walking. *Khaden, seriously, we're k's from the train line.'

*We stop at your place.'

Sas groaned and slumped against a brick fence, sweat staining the armpits and back of her s.h.i.+rt. *Enough.'

I stopped beside her and let out a ma.s.sive whoop. *How. Much. Fun. Was. That?' I gasped for air between each word.

Khaden marched back and stood over us. A drop of sweat fell from his forehead to the pavement at my feet. *Fun?'

*Yeah. Ma.s.sive! Did you see those randoms staring out the train window?' I straightened up, laughing.

*What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?' asked Khaden, his face twisted with rage.

I looked from him to Sas and back. *What are you talking about?'

*That sucked, Ruby.'

*Oh, come on, it was funny.'

*Funny? You were nearly killed! I was nearly killed. What's funny about that?'

I stepped back. The brick fence dug into my thighs. *Yeah but-'

*This whole compet.i.tion thing between you and Sas is stupid.'

The world heaved under my feet. *What compet.i.tion thing?'

Khaden clicked his tongue. *The always having to be better than Sas-beat her at chicken, steal more than her.' He was waving his arms around. *It never used to be like this.'

*Khaden, I-'

But he wasn't done. *Isn't it enough your stupid compet.i.tion killed Mojo? Do you have to try to take me out too?'

My throat tightened. *Mojo escaped because of the gate,' I whispered.

*But if you hadn't run in front of the traffic...' He shook his head.

*That's not fair.' I turned to Sas. *Is it?'

Sas picked at the moss growing on the fence.

*Sas?'

*Ruby, you've-'

*You too?'

Sas growled then lashed out, her words tearing chunks from me.

*You think you have it worse than anybody else, that your life is the worst ever. Your mean parents, painful brothers, your horrible life, boring job, but you don't get it, Ruby, you have it all-your parents are together, you have a cool house...' She stared at the leaves of the magnolia tree and sighed. *You have no idea what our lives are like, and you don't care. You only care about yourself, Ruby. We're over it. Over you.'

*What's that supposed to mean?'

*You work it out,' said Sas, her eyes hard. *Shouldn't be too hard-you think everything is about you anyway.'

My hands balled into fists. *Me? You're the one who encouraged the stealing, made us do a runner, had us slaving over your stupid room.' My voice was strangled by the fury lodged in my throat. *The whole friends.h.i.+p, if that's what it is, is about you, Sas.'

*What it is?' Sas scoffed. *What it was.'

The anger rushed from me in a soft hiss.

Behind us, a security door slammed. An old woman shuffled across the verandah and down the concrete path, holding a broom in front of her like a knight's lance. Her stockings, wrinkled around her ankles, made me think of elephants.

*Get away from my home,' she yelled, aiming the broom at Sas. *Go on, move!'

Sas raised both her hands and backed up to the nature strip. *We're just talking.'

*Hah! I watch the news. Planning to rob me, more like. Shoo, go on, go away.'

*We were-'