Watery Graves (8 page)

*

That afternoon Emmy spotted Ingrid head up the path towards the
Bexleys’. Hiding among the grape vines, she watched her mother struggle with the gate into the neighbours’ acreage.

It seemed ridiculous to be hiding, watching her walk off alone. Emmy knew from the time she followed Sebastian, there wasn’t enough cover to follow her mother that way. She had to act quickly.

Emmy ran into Maya’s room. “I’m heading up to the lookout,” she said, casually pulling a book off the shelf. “Just in case someone asks. I’m heading up there early. Libby and I were meeting up there in a half an hour anyway.”

“Sure Em
,” Maya muttered. Emmy helped her place the drink she was sipping on the night stand.

“You okay?”

“Exhausted.”

Emmy kissed her, helping her settle under the blankets, then crept out. Instead of heading up the slope, she hooked a right and went up the path to the lookout. In the protection of the trees she ran. At the t-junction, she took the path going left instead of the one going right to
the lookout. The path to the left wound through more trees and came out below the Bexleys’ home.

The hard thing was Emmy didn’t have a plan.
She wondered if her mother did this a lot. She was taking off on her own more and more these days. Maybe, she visited Mrs Bexley more than she knew.

But Libby hadn’t said anything.

Unless Libby was in on this too.

She stopped. “I’m paranoid.” She turned one way and the other to see if anyone heard her talking to herself
. “Yep, that’s paranoia.”

Emmy walked the rest of the way to the place where the trees opened out to the lower paddock on the Bexleys
’ property. She couldn’t see her mother anywhere, which could only mean a few of things. Her mum had a rethink and headed back home, she was superfast and was already out of sight or the worst, she was already inside the Bexleys’ home and Mrs Bexley was already serving up something delicious.

Emmy sat. She waited. She watched.

Until finally Libby came out onto the back deck. She leapt down the stairs, striding her way across the paddock, heading straight for Emmy.

A pile of shredded leaves was growing in front of Emmy. She stopped only to chew on a finger nail.  As Libby drew closer, Emmy rose to her feet.

“Libby Bexley. I’ve been waiting an eternity for you.”

Libby’s chest heaved. “So you know,” she squealed, gripping Emmy’s hands in each of hers.

“What happened?” Emmy asked.

“It’s your mother. She came to visit. She wants me to take you and Sebastian to the river to meet my friends. This weekend.”

Libby jumped and Emmy half-jumped with her, lagging a half beat behind. Emmy couldn’t make her mouth smile.

“Libby, I…”

“I know. I know. It’s what we always wanted. I can introduce you to everyone. We can swim.”

“I can’t swim.”

“I’ll teach you.”

“No. You know I can swim.” Emmy rolled her eyes. “But I can’t swim in the river, not without Kristian there.”

Libby stopped, “Oh yeah. That’s right. Everyone dies in your family.”

“No
drowns. They all drown.”

“There’ll be heaps of people to look after you and make sure that won’t happen. I’ll look after you. That’s what your mum wanted to know, if I’d make sure you were okay. She thinks you’re going to need help fitting in.”

Emmy’s cheeks felt heavy on her face. She slumped down on the hard earth.

Libby dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Emmy. “You’ll finally see how much fun the river can be,” she said. “And Sebastian will love it too.”

*

Ankle deep in water, mud clasping her feet, Emmy heard Sebastian approach, but didn’t turn. Her pocket was filled with smooth, flat pebbles she’d collected from around the bend.

She heard him sit behind her and sigh. Drawing her arm back, she hurled the stone far out into the river with a plunk. 

“Not bad,” Sebastian said.

“I’m seeing how far I can get it.”

“Does anyone know you’re down here by yourself?”

“I’m not here by myself. You’re here,” Emmy snapped. “Besides, all they have to do is look out the window.”

“They’re busy with Mum. The doctor’s here.”

“Hmmm, Maya…Maya,” she whispered under her breath.

“Everything’s changing, isn’t it?”

“Maya and you are making it change.”

“Mum’s had time to think, lately. That’s all.”

Emmy turned to Sebastian with her eyebrows raised. “We all have time to think around here and no one’s come up with a crazy idea like going down to the river on the weekend to make new friends. You’re losing your mind. She’s losing her mind.”

Sebastian dropped his head and nodded mournfully.

Emmy watched him get up and walk away. She dropped the pebble in her hand.

“Sebastian
!” she called, lurching out of the water. The mud held her back, tripping her. She fell to her knees with a splash. Scrambling up, she lifted her feet high and trudged free of the mud’s grip. Her wet skirt felt grainy from the silt and wrapped around her legs as she stumbled up the slope after him. She cursed herself, knowing she now had evidence to hide from her mother.

“Sebastian
!” she yelled, but he kept walking.

She caught up, grabbing his arm.

He reefed it from her.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s not about Mum or me losing our minds. It’s about you. Everything always has to be about you.”

“What? How?” Emmy placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t want to go down to Mercy Falls. I don’t need to. I have everything I could ever want here at home. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Sebastian punched the air, “Listen to you. I…I…I…I…I…”

Emmy’s breath was shallow and fast. She turned and ran past the grape vines, aiming for the lookout. But she only made it to the first pine tree at the forest edge. She heard Sebastian pounding the earth behind her. He was closing in. She wasn’t going to make it. It was easier to surrender. She threw herself down on the ground, and curled into a ball. He fell behind her, wrapping his arms around her shaking body.

“What?” she snapped.

He spoke into her ear. “I don’t want you to wreck this for me, Em. This is my chance to make a friend. I’ve only ever had you.”

“What’s wrong with having me as a friend?”

“Nothing,” Sebastian let her go and rolled away from her.  “There’s nothing wrong, Em. Just don’t wreck this for me. Please.”

The grass near the river was thick and cradled them like a hammock. A clear blue sky opened like a dome above them. They lay side by side, catching their breath. Emmy absorbed the vibrant greens and blues.

“Mum and I have been talking about this forever,” Sebastian told her.

Emmy raised her eyebrows at him again. “Define forever.”

He shrugged
. “The last few months maybe.”

“Well, aren’t you full of little surprises.”

“She wants this for me as much as I do.”

“People watch me and whisper. They think they know more about me than I do,” she said quietly.

“Well, they probably do.”

She looked at him.

“Em, come on. Be real about this.”

Emmy reached out to him, weaving her fingers in his.

Sebastian smiled, and started to laugh. “How are you going to explain the mud?”

Emmy swiped at the air, as though it was nothing
. “Ah, who’s going to notice? Maya’s sick. That’s all anyone sees these days.”

“A wet muddy skirt can only come from one place.”

“A mud fight with you?” Emmy suggested.

Sebastian scoffed. “Don’t bring me into it.”
             

“I’ll do some washing,” she mumbled. “How many dirty clothes have you got?”

“You desperately want to make me an accomplice, don’t you?”

“You owe me
,” she smiled.

Chapter Thirteen

As much as Emmy worked to avoid it, the day did come. Kristian was the one to wave them over the footbridge. Emmy knew she was clinging to him, wanting him to change his mind. That last minute begging would have worked on Ingrid, but that was why Ingrid didn’t come down.

Kristian pulled her to him in a hug, “Emmy, if I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t care less if you went or not.”

“It doesn’t feel like love.”

“It is.”

He turned her to face Sebastian and Libby who were now at the other end of the footbridge waiting for her.

“Off you go.”

The chains lurched and groaned under her. Emmy’s legs shook. She gripped onto the rail so tightly it left divots in her palms.

At the other side, Libby grabbed her arm and tucked it in hers. “This is going to be great
.”             

Sebastian fell in behind. “You might surprise yourself about how much you love it.”

Emmy spun around. She eyed him off. “I don’t know what to say to you, but it is something along the lines of please don’t speak to me.”

“No, you want to say,
shut up,” Libby helped her. “It sounds less proper.”

Emmy shook her head at them both.

The pathway took them through the forest of blue gums. She recognized the t-junction that would have taken them to the graveyard. They went the other way. The blue gums gave way to wattle and weeping willows.

Libby pulled up.

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked.

“You’re perfect,” she said. Out of her bag, she pulled a red bikini a white tank top and skirt, pressing them into Emmy’s arms. “Go behind that tree to change.”

“I’m not going swimming, Lib.”

“It doesn’t matter if you swim or not. I’m just helping you look good. What you’ve got on - well, no one wears stuff like that down here.”

Emmy looked down at her shorts and embroidered blouse.

“What about me?” Sebastian asked.

“I said you were fine. You’ll pass anyway. It’s not so bad for boys. They’ll love that stone choker. The girls will think you look hot in that shirt. Nice and tight.”

“It’s old.”

“It’s a good look. Like you’re not really trying. Besides I only have sisters, no brothers to help out with styling issues.”

“So do I look okay though?”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t change anything,” Libby said.

“So who’s the nervous one now?” Emmy said, as she turned and scrambled behind a bush. She took a moment to inspect the triangles held together by string. She stuffed them in her shorts pocket, before changing into Libby’s outfit.

A branch snapped behind her.

Emmy looked up. That girl in black from the markets stood above her. Emmy was drawn in by her sea green eyes. Even if it was only for a few seconds, they connected. It was
as if the girl could see right through her. But as suddenly as she appeared, she vanished.

“Hello?” Emmy cried out after her.

“You right Em?” Libby called.

Emmy scrambled out from behind the bush
. “There was a girl here.”

“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked. “You’re so white.”

“She just needs some sun,” Libby said, heading off again.

Emmy’s skin crawled
. “I don’t know if she was watching me get changed.”

“Em, it was probably just someone going for a bush walk who stumbled across you and then turned away looking for a quieter path when they did.”

Emmy thought about that. It was a reasonable explanation, but she couldn’t decide if it fitted with what happened.

It wasn’t long before the path broke through the scrub and opened onto a grassy slope bordering the ridge of the river’s bend. Sebastian had known what he was talking about. It was the place to be on a weekend. Emmy had never been around so many people her own age before. Her mouth went dry,
and all she wanted to do was run home. But Sebastian shoved her forward.

“Keep going.”

“So how did you know about this Sebastian? You’ve been off on your own again, haven’t you? Quite the little adventurer.”

“Mum knows what I’ve been up to.”

“It’s not safe,” she said, falling into step behind them, gaze to the ground. When Sebastian’s bare feet edged away from Libby’s, Emmy looked up, stumbled forward and yanked on the back of his t-shirt.

“Where are you going?”

“There’s a cricket game, Em.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“The boys are over on the flats. The girls are down near the water.”

Emmy looked around noticing the segregation. Girls sun
-baked in a group, lolling about like seals. The guys stood around an open field, all eyes on a makeshift pitch waiting for a ball to come their way. “It looks boring.”

Sebastian tugged her hand off his shirt.

“I can’t go with you. I’m going to play cricket, Em.”

Libby led her away, as Sebastian strolled off. “See? He knows what he’s doing. Come meet the girls.”

Sebastian tugged on the brim of his cap and winked at her. He was so happy, it made her want to make him unhappy. Maybe he was right. Maybe everything had been about her. She just wished he wasn’t enjoying it all so much.

Emmy hung back, letting her hair fall in her face like a shield, pretending to be focused on the uneven ground. As they approached the group of girls, she noticed Libby’s walk change to a swagger. The scent of coconut sunscreen laced the air.

“Hey,” Libby said, with a grin and a wave.

“Hey
,” came a chorus of voices.

“Everyone
, this is Emmy,” Libby said, pulling Emmy out from behind her. “I told you I’d get her here someday.”

Emmy smiled and gave a flutter with her fingers in a half wave.

Libby shook out a towel and spread it at the edge of the group. Emmy dropped her folded towel beside Libby’s and sat on it. Mindful of the short tight skirt she had agreed to wear, she tried to keep her knees together. The skirts she usually wore were flowing. They fell past her knees and allowed her to sit any way she pleased.

A redhead leant forward and caught Emmy’s eye
. “Hey, how are you?”

“That’s Teagan,” Libby said.

Emmy nodded and smiled, her throat was constricted and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Air swirled inside her chest, making it hard to talk. She could tell by looking into Teagan’s eyes that she saw her discomfort. Teagan pulled back a bit with a tighter smile and looked away.

“And this is Jen, Mia, Leisl, Nerida, Hope and Dee. And over there is Lea, Tina and Beth.” More girls glanced curiously over at her, but they weren’t a part of Libby’s group.

Emmy gave a stiff wave. “Hi,” she mumbled. As she fidgeted, she was sure she heard one of the girls giggle. Their names were a blur.

“So how did you get her here finally, Lib?” one of them asked. It could have been Nerida.

Libby tapped Emmy’s leg. “Isn’t it cool? I’ve been wanting to bring her down here forever.”

The words in Emmy’s mind were
Define forever
. She didn’t say them. She didn’t see what point they served to the conversation. There wasn’t a lot Emmy wanted to say.

“She’s nervous,” Libby said.

“I would be too,” Teagan said. “Meeting all of us would be overwhelming.”

“We just had a family meeting and it was decided that it was time for me to come down here,” Emmy said, answering the girl
’s question from before. “And Sebastian too.”

“Mm, yes, Sebastian,” one of the girls drawled.

Several others laughed.

Libby smiled too as though she was in on the joke. Emmy didn’t get it.

“Gotta love those family meetings,” someone threw in.

“Yes,” Emmy said, though she was hating them lately.

Libby melded into the group. The girls spoke the same, giggled when someone else did and primped and preened their bodies. She saw them grab at fleshy thighs and grimace. They painted lip gloss on plump lips like artists and smothered lotion on their bodies until their skin shone. Emmy felt more and more conscious of the blonde hairs on her legs glinting in the sunlight. But the longer she sat there, the more accustomed she became to their curiosity. She leant back on her arms and finally stretched out lazily under the sun. Closing her eyes, closed out the world, until the sound of thunder rattled underground.

Emmy jerked upright.

Some of the boys charged down the hillside, kicking up grass and dirt. One of them, wearing a bright red shirt and a lop-sided grin, tumbled to a stop near Libby. He made out as though he was guarding her from the stampede. High pitched squeals from the other girls sent shivers down Emmy’s neck like fingernails scratching at ice. The guy in the red shirt was the last to run into the water. Libby buried her face in her hands, giggling. Her flushed pink cheeks glowed through the gaps in her fingers. The girls around her fell about laughing. Emmy sat so stiff and straight her neck ached. She had no idea what had just happened and failed to see what was funny.

Sebastian was still on the hillside, playing cricket. Emmy crouched, thinking about going to join in the game. But a small fight had broken out on the sidelines, and several boys rushed over to grab at a mess of flailing fists and tumbling bodies. She lost sight of Sebastian. She wanted to run again, but with all these boys now on the loose, she didn’t want to stumble across one on the isolated pathway home.

In the water, more boys dived in, breaking through the surface, shooting brazen spurts of water from their mouths and flicking their hair in spikes and cowlicks, stroking out to the pontoon in the middle.

“That’s our call, girls,” the red
-haired Teagan said. “Let’s go swimming.”

“Yeah, baby.”

“Thank God. I was getting hot.”

Emmy found herself standing when the group did, following Libby’s lead. But she couldn’t peel her clothes off like them. She couldn’t strut down to the water’s edge joining in the parade of
Lycra. And she definitely wouldn’t take to the water as they did, squealing and breast-stroking, their long necks above water like swans. One by one shimmering bodies slid onto the pontoon in the middle of the river. Their hair remained dry in elegant styles high on their heads, exposing naked arched backs.

Libby was among them. She was one of them, no longer resembling the friend Emmy had grown up with. The swirling air trapped in Emmy’s chest began to spin faster, tightening her ribcage.

With shaking hands, Emmy picked up her bag, stuffed her towel inside and trudged up the path that would take her home. It took her a moment to realise the high pitched screeching from the pontoon was Libby. “Hey boys. Don’t let her leave, will ya?”

A collection of shadows surrounded her from behind, crowding her in. She smelt their toxic odour, a mix of sweat and sunscreen. The whirlpool in her chest became more like a hurricane. Her legs and arms grew weak. She couldn’t get a good breath. Two of them hooked their arms through hers, leading her down to the water. She couldn’t feel her feet touch the ground. She didn’t know if she went willingly or if they carried her. But she was there, her feet in the water, sucked down by the mud.

“I’m not wearing the bikini,” she mumbled, her dry gums sticking on each word. “I mean- ” Emmy pressed her face into her hands and cried.

It was Sebastian
who pried her fingers free, and peered up at her. “It’s okay. Everything’s all right.”

“Don’t let them touch me.”

“Nobody’s near you.”

The boys had dispersed, sharing a joke but sneaking sideways glances at her.

“I’m going home,” she said, but her feet stayed planted in the mud.

“I’ll take you,” Sebastian said.

“You stay. Just get me to the path.”

“He shook his head. I made a deal with Ingrid that we’d stick together.”

“Define together.”

“
Emmy!” they both heard Libby shout, as they marched up the hill.

Only Sebastian turned around. “We’ll be back another time, Lib.”

The hurricane subsided into a thunderstorm. A lump in her throat brought on tears.

*

“They think I’m a froot loop,” Emmy whined to Maya before flopping down on the bed, jolting the mattress.

Maya winced, and Emmy snuggled down into her lap, pretending not to see the pain. The embarrassing memories of her first trip down to the river were an easy distraction. Maya waited expectantly
, wanting to hear everything.

“I howled like a baby,” Emmy moaned.

Maya rubbed her back. “It was your first try.”

“I played cricket,” Sebastian piped up from the doorway. “When there’re heaps of guys playing
, you don’t get to bat.” He sat down on the bed.

Maya reached out to trail spindly fingers across her son’s back. “Well when you do
honey, you’ll show them how it’s done. You and Kristian have had more than enough batting practice over the years.”