The Birthmark (13 page)

Lily stepped out, holding a towel. Her hair was tied to the side in a thick wet plait soaking her T-shirt.

‘Where do you think you're going, princess?' Lorelei snarled, grabbing her daughter by the arm.

‘Nowhere.' Lily tried to pull away from her and skidded in the coral. Her towel fell in the white sand that powdered her feet.

‘Nowhere? Like off to see your little boyfriend.' Lorelei began pulling her towards the house.

‘What do you mean?'

‘Is that where you were last night, you
trut
—off with that chicken thief?'

‘I was not, don't be stupid. I was at Decima's.' Lily tried to wriggle free but her mother's fingers pressed into her arm.

Fury boiled inside Lorelei. ‘Stupid, am I? You dare call me stupid. Don't you talk to me like that, you
trut
.' Lorelei dug her fingers in harder, determined to make her daughter cry out. She would suffer for the insult.

‘Let go of me!' Lily screeched, pulling away.

Lorelei anchored herself in the gravel and tried to haul Lily back towards her, but she was surprised at her daughter's strength. ‘Get in the house!' she screamed at her.

The woman's face was warped with rage. If only she could get a good grip on Lily, she'd thrash her till she bled. She'd hit her so damn hard she wouldn't be able to walk. But the stupid girl had sunk low into the coral threatening to topple Lorelei over.

She shouted down at her in a blast of alcoholic breath, ‘Get up, you stupid bitch!'

Lily clawed at the loose coral with her free hand. As Lorelei tugged at her, Lily threw a fistful of crushed rock and dust into her mother's face.

‘Eeeooow!'

Lorelei recoiled as the gravel flew at her, but she was too late. The grit bit into her eyes, stinging as she covered her face and howled, furious that she'd been outwitted.

thirteen

Yamek District
6 March 1943

Tepu stared at the ground for a long time, avoiding his brother's eyes. He knew the night-time absences must have looked suspicious. He didn't want to take his brother into the forest and scare off the ancestor bird, but he didn't want Tarema to think he was a spy. Tarema's words hurt him more than he was willing to show. There was no other way to prove his innocence except to take Tarema with him.

‘OK, tonight, after she sleeps,' Tepu whispered, glancing towards their mother who sat at the edge of the lean-to, staring into the darkness.

Later, when they heard her soft snoring, the boys crept out into the forest. It was a cloudless night and they made good progress, thanks to Tepu's knowledge of the terrain.

Soon they came to a rough track Tepu had cut through the vegetation at waist height. Tepu had to crawl through most of it but Tarema, being smaller, simply crouched to keep up.

‘You must never show anyone this track,' Tepu said, ‘it's our secret.'

‘Where does it lead to?'

Tepu didn't tell him about his small shrine in the pinnacles where he went to chant. Instead he told him about what lay beyond, high in the cliff.

‘There's a Jap camp on top, where the officers rest. I've scouted around the bottom of the cliff and I know a few ways to climb up. It's steep and overgrown and they hardly ever patrol it from this side. I guess they think it's inaccessible.' He held his fingers to Tarema's mouth. ‘Listen, you can hear them. I think they all get drunk up there.'

‘Let's go up!' Tarema could scarcely contain his excitement.

‘It's not safe, they might hear us.'

‘Not if they're drinking they won't,' Tarema whispered, slipping away from Tepu's warning grasp.

‘Tarema, come back!' Tepu called as loudly as he dared. He cursed after him. Why did he let his brother manipulate him? Now Tarema would be caught for sure, or fall and injure himself and it would be he, Tepu, who was to blame. He would have to stop him. Summoning his courage, he scrambled along the track after him.

Anbwido
Wednesday 30 June 2004

Lily ran across the road and headed for the Witch Track. She knew her mother wouldn't follow her, but she wanted to be as far away as possible. Before she knew it she was on the path that led to Christina's house. Better there, than at home with Lorelei. Besides, her mum would never think of looking for her in Government Settlement. She smiled with relief at her escape from Lorelei and rubbed her arm. It was throbbing from the attack. The other thing to smile about was how her mother knew nothing about Jonah.

She couldn't believe how bold she'd been attracting his attention last night. But it had worked; he'd come over to talk to her. When she'd analysed it all with Decima, they both believed he'd talked to her as if he couldn't get enough of her eyes. ‘He likes you,' Decima said, and Lily had asked her again and again to explain why she thought so. And every time Decima answered, Lily felt her chest bursting with pride. He'd talked to her about the music, tried to convince her to come inside, offered her a cigarette. But she'd been frightened and Hector had warned her about Cyrus and told her it wasn't safe.

Bullshit Hector. She shouldn't have believed him. She hadn't seen Cyrus this morning but she was certain he'd stayed home last night with Amos. Dumb shit Hector. Maybe something would have happened if she'd stayed there with Jonah. But really she knew he was right to warn her away. There were too many eyes in the dark.

And the funny thing was, Lorelei still thought Lily was Hector's girlfriend. Ha! The idea suited her well, kept Lorelei misinformed. Her mother would never know that she and Jonah had arranged to meet at the volleyball tomorrow. She tried to hold that moment in her head for as long as she could. Me, me—he wants to see me! She was so happy she wanted to shout.

‘Hello!' Christina said, startling Lily as she approached the Lowrys' back door. Christina walked out from the wash house, her pale thin arms straining to carry a load of wet washing.

‘Hi. You got in all right then?' Lily said awkwardly. They'd walked her home along the Witch Track last night with the torch light failing. Bad batteries, Christina had said. It didn't matter that Decima swore she'd just bought them. No matter what they said, they couldn't convince Christina that the Witch Track was haunted.

‘Yeah, Dad was waiting up for me but I told him I'd been at Decima's. I don't think he guessed anything.' She hauled a wet sheet onto the line and began pegging it out.

‘Dad didn't get the washing finished this morning, so I have to do it.'

Lily was shocked—Christina's dad did the washing! Amos had never done any housework in his life. Well, men just didn't do any in Tevua. Washing was a woman's job.

‘Want to go for a walk?' Lily asked.

‘Where to?

Lily shrugged. ‘We'll see if Decima's at home.'

‘OK, just let me finish hanging this up.'

‘Sorry if I'm disturbing. Can I help?' Lily said.

Christina grinned and handed her a peg. ‘Sure. I don't like doing the washing and you're not disturbing me. Besides you're welcome here anytime.' Then she added with a serious tone, ‘whenever you need to, you know… escape.'

Lily was astonished. What did Christina know? Had Decima talked about Lorelei? Maybe she guessed anyway because of Lily's black eye, or the red marks on her arm where her mum had grabbed her. Lily shrugged again and mumbled a thankyou.

Lorelei had always said white people looked down on Tevuans: exploited them, abused them. Although Christina hardly knew her, she was offering friendship and hospitality. Not at all like what her mother had warned.

Twenty minutes later they reached Decima's house, only to find it shut up, a contrast to the noise and chaos of that very morning when Lily had left. She called at the front door and listened for any movement. Nothing. Frustrated, Lily swore and slapped her hand against the doorframe. Where were they? Australia? No, the plane didn't leave until tomorrow. It must be Auntie Eide. Something must be wrong.

‘They're at the hospital,' Hector called from the track. ‘I saw them leave about half an hour ago. Eide blacked out. Come to my place. I've got cold water.'

Lily scowled. Hector was beginning to irritate her. She wanted to talk about last night again with Decima, not hang around with him.

‘OK,' Christina said, ‘I'm dying of thirst.'

Lily opened her mouth to object but Christina was already walking up the track to Hector's hut. Reluctantly, Lily followed.

Hector's grandfather was unpacking fishing gear from his jeep.

‘Catch anything, Ibu?' Hector asked.

‘A bad day, just one rainbow runner. I gave it away.' The old man turned to look at the girls and smiled his rubbery smile.

Lily returned the smile but she came no closer to the house. Her mother's words reverberated in her mind: Riki was crazy and she shouldn't associate with him. But why should she believe anything Lorelei said? All her mother wanted to do was keep her in the house and thump her.

If she could think of an excuse to leave then she and Christina could go somewhere else. But how would she convince Christina? Her new companion was happy to spend time with Hector and Riki. It would be rude to drag her away, just like her mum had done to her. She decided to wait for the right moment.

‘Never mind, Ibu. We want water, it's so hot today,' Hector said as he disappeared inside.

The old man chuckled, ‘Go ahead. It's a good day for swimming at the channel, Hector.'

‘You take us!' Hector said from the kitchen.

‘Well, wait for me to finish,' Riki said and he walked around to the back of the hut.

Hector motioned from the door for the girls to come forward. Lily hesitated, but followed Christina to the steps of the hut and drank the cold water he offered. The chill was like a thread of ice snaking down her throat. If she was this hot now, imagine what it would be like at the channel? It would be cooler in the forest.

‘How far away from the channel is that bunker you told me about, the one with the bath?' Lily said.

‘Not far, the entrance is right near the restaurant on the bay,' he said.

‘We could go up to that bunker instead of swimming,' Lily suggested. Exploring the forest was the best time she'd had with Hector.

‘OK,' Hector nodded. He shouted around the side of the hut, ‘Ibu, how about we go for a walk in the forest, to a bunker?'

Riki appeared at the opposite corner. He was draped in a huge fishing net and carried an old jerry can. ‘Where?' he asked.

‘Baringa, you know the one up on the cliff.'

Riki raised his eyebrows in agreement. He walked up the steps and put the fuel in the kitchen. Then he pulled the net from his shoulders, reached up to the rafters and threaded it through. ‘I might be a bit slow, though,' he said.

Old bleached car bodies marked the beginning of the trail. Hector pushed past them and through the hanging vines and chest-high shrubs that blocked the track. Beyond were two pinnacles like guardians at the gate. He slipped behind one, hiding from his grandfather and the girls.

He ambushed them as they drew level.

‘Whaha! I'm a ghost!'

Lily jumped back, her mouth wide with fright, and fell against Christina. They toppled to the ground in a tangled heap.

‘Shit!' Lily gasped and the three of them erupted with laughter.

‘You should have seen your face,' Hector said as he helped Lily to her feet.

She pushed him aside and swore at him.

Christina stood up, brushing soil from her clothes. ‘We'll have to get him back later, Lil,' she smiled.

Riki coughed behind them. ‘The path is overgrown,' he said in a strange hollow voice. He looked about slowly, his eyes troubled and weary. Then he began a rhythmic muttering that Lily couldn't understand.

She turned to Hector, but he shook his head, frowning at her and Christina to silence them.

Lily felt nervous. Her mum was right, there was something creepy about Riki.

The group trudged along a marshy floor that rose towards the darkness of the scrub. Mud oozed over the edges of their thongs and tiny black insects hovered in clouds about their ankles.

Fern outcrops hugged the bases of rocks and pinnacles that bordered the path through the black soil. The trees made a canopy that let in shafts of sunlight, each illuminating clumps of fern in a vivid glow. Everything between these pockets of green looked faded in the bronzed light. To their left the ground rose steeply and a hedge of tree hibiscus partially hid the ridge that loomed before them like the wall of a castle.

They plunged through the hibiscus. With each step Hector took, another branch flung back to whip Lily in the face.

‘Watch it, arsehole. Do you want me to follow or not?' she said.

Hector chuckled. ‘We're nearly through it. You should have brought the sword to cut a path. The bush grows back so quickly.'