Nowhere Island by Tania Unsworth

Author:Tania Unsworth
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781804540060
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Twenty-four

Although he was too high up to hear any conversation, Grayson had a clear view of the grassy verge from his spot in the lookout tree, along with a stretch of motorway on either side. Unlike the others, he had seen everything that had happened after the ambulance and the police arrived. For a while, everyone had rushed around, getting things out of the ambulance, and putting them back again, talking on their phones and talking to each other. Then they had gone, leaving the family sitting on the ground next to the wreck of their car.

Grayson had watched them for a bit, but his attention had soon drifted to a hawk, circling high above him. Three or four smaller birds had surrounded the hawk, darting and swerving across its flight path, as if trying to drive it away. But away from what? Grayson scanned the empty sky, his thoughts moving from one distant cloud to the next, as wordless as the breeze.

He started suddenly and glanced down. Nothing had changed. The family were still sitting there. Grayson shifted uncomfortably on his branch. Like Ashton, he needed to pee. The feeling had come over him with great urgency as it often did. Not because he had no warning signs, but because he was usually too busy thinking about something else to pay any attention until it was almost too late. He took another quick look at the family, then twisted his body and swung from his perch, his feet reaching for the branch below.

If Grayson had waited thirty seconds longer, he would have seen Ashton get up and start heading his way. And if he hadn’t been rushing to get to the bottom of the tree, he might have spotted the little boy, approaching through the green gloom. But Grayson’s attention was fixed on where he was placing his hands and feet. He reached the last branch, dangled, then dropped.

Ashton was standing in front of him, barely two metres away.

They stared at each other in shock. Grayson had lost two of his curlers in his dash up the tree, but the rest were still in place, along with an assortment of leaves and two large twigs, stuck fast in the Velcro. Riley’s lipstick was also still in place, stretching like a huge, red, horribly lopsided grin from ear to chin.

Ashton’s mouth opened and his eyes filled with terror.

He’s going to scream, Grayson thought. The minute he catches his breath, he’s going to scream louder than anyone has ever screamed before.

Grayson’s first instinct was to run, although he knew it would be pointless. The little boy had seen him, and as soon as he raised the alarm, Grayson would be followed. Equally it was useless to stay where he was, rooted to the spot in panic. Out of sheer desperation, he did the first thing that came into his head.

He began to dance.

His movements were timid to begin with. He swayed, arms waving, shifting his weight slowly from foot to foot, his gaze fixed earnestly ahead.

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