The Other Side of Nowhere Read online

  I followed her and waded through the shore break letting the cool water wash away the sweat and dirt. The rhythm of the waves eased the ache in my overheated muscles. The only thing the water couldn’t fix was the massive sense of disappointment brought on by the plane.

  We were still lounging in the shallows when Matt spotted Nick clambering back over the rocks. When Nick saw Matt waving, he started jogging towards us. We all came out of the water to meet him.

  ‘Where’ve you been?’ asked Matt. ‘Did you see the plane?’

  ‘Yeah I saw it. Shame it didn’t see me,’ said Nick breathing hard. His face was covered in sweat and it looked like he’d been running hard for a while. ‘But don’t worry. You’ll never guess what I found.’

  ‘Water?’ George said.

  ‘Even better … The Dolphin.’

  ‘The Dolphin?’ I gasped.

  The yacht had been heading straight for the rocks when we jumped off it. I thought for sure it had been smashed to pieces.

  But Nick was nodding. He pointed back the way he’d come. ‘There’s another bay round there with rocks at the end of it. She’s run aground on them. Jammed tight for now, but I don’t know how much longer she’s got. If we hurry we might be able to get some supplies before she goes under.’

  He raised an eyebrow, as if willing me to challenge him again. But this time it was a no-brainer. I nodded.

  ‘We’ll need some rope,’ Nick said.

  ‘I’ll get it,’ Matt said, turning on his heels before swinging back around. ‘Oh, hang on. But we used it to tie the sheet to the trees.’

  ‘The sheet? What trees?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Never mind,’ George said. ‘Just get the rope, Matt. We’ll put the sheet back up later.’

  He shot off like a rocket up the beach.

  Nick headed straight into the water and only came out when Matt reappeared, strengthening my hunch that he was avoiding me. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. As soon as Matt handed over the rope, Nick set off, and we had to jog to keep up.

  The beach Nick had found was longer than the one we’d landed on. As we reached the sand, Nick shifted from a jog to top gear and George, Matt and I sprinted behind him. It was only when we reached the end of the sand that I caught sight of the yacht. We paused at the edge of the rocks and stood on the beach bent over, trying to catch our breath.

  The Dolphin was stuck all right – impaled precariously on jagged rocks about halfway along the point. With each wave surge she was pushed higher up the rocky outcrop before the backwash sucked her down again. She creaked and squealed as her busted-up hull grinded against the rocks. In her bow was a gaping hole the size of a door. Bits of splintered timber sloshed in the water around her. She was being torn apart.

  I shot a glance at Nick. He was busy tying one end of the rope around his waist. This must be breaking his heart, I thought.

  ‘What are you doing?’ George asked him.

  But Nick didn’t answer. He just told us what he needed. ‘Someone hang onto the other end. If anything happens, pull me back in.’

  ‘But what about your shoulder?’ George asked, looking worried.

  ‘You fixed it. Good as new,’ he answered, waving his arm about as if to prove it. Then he walked right by me and gave Matt the other end of the rope. ‘Hold on tight, Matty. Don’t lose me now.’

  I smarted at Nick’s words. Was he having a dig at me? I snatched the rope from Matt. ‘Here, give it to me.’

  Nick was already gone, scrambling across the rocks. I chased after him, holding the rope. When The Dolphin surfed slightly forward, he leapt aboard in one move. I strained my eyes to see him on deck and saw him moving as sure-footed as a cat around to the cabin. When he reached the rear cockpit the rope pulled tight.

  I could feel him yanking it. ‘Come closer,’ he called, waving to me.

  I edged onto the rocks as far as I dared. Then a wave broke around my knees and almost knocked me off balance. I took a couple of steps back. ‘This is as far as I can go,’ I yelled.

  A set of three waves broke across the stern of The Dolphin in quick succession. Hull timbers popped loudly as they splintered. I saw Nick wobbling as the deck shifted, but he managed to stay upright. As he regained his balance, he began to untie the rope from his waist.

  ‘No, Nick. It’s too dangerous,’ George yelled from behind me.

  But he ignored her, letting the rope slip into the sea. He jumped down into the cockpit and I watched him disappear below deck just as another wave hit. Wave after wave followed, showering a foaming spray over The Dolphin. With each one she groaned and squealed, grinding up and down against the rocks.

  I watched anxiously for Nick, feeling torn. I wanted to help him, but knew that would put us both in danger. Matt was bouncing beside me and I sensed his eagerness to jump onto the tilting deck as well. But with each crashing wave George, Matt and I were being forced to retreat a little further off the rocks.

  I was still watching the deck when a large duffel bag appeared. It came poking out into the cockpit and then Nick reappeared, behind the bag. I could see he was struggling to lift it. Then somehow he managed to lever it onto the cabin roof and roll it across the deck to the bow. I raced forward over the rocks, with Matt close behind. As the yacht surged forward on a breaking wave Nick shoved the bag over the side.

  ‘Catch,’ he yelled, and it landed with a thump into our waiting arms.

  Matt grabbed the bag and carried it back to where George was waiting. I stood waiting for Nick. But he didn’t jump off. He slithered back across the roof and disappeared below again.

  The next wave was the biggest yet. Spray spewed high into the air, falling over me like a shower. The yacht howled and cracked as the water’s force twisted it sideways. I jumped back, watching water flood into the hole on her bow. Then, with a sharp snap, like a bough breaking from a tree, The Dolphin broke free from the rocks.

  I ran to the edge of the rocks, yelling. ‘Nick, get out of there. Nick!’

  He reappeared on deck, buckled under the weight of a huge plastic water barrel.

  Straightaway, another wave slammed The Dolphin forward, sideways this time. She smashed into the rocks directly in front of me. She was so close I could reach out and touch the guardrail. But Matt reacted first.

  ‘Quick, give me a boost,’ he said, grabbing hold of the rail. Instinctively, I cupped my hands together. Matt put one foot into it and hoisted himself up over the guardrail.

  ‘Matty!’ shouted George, appearing beside me and grabbing the coiled rope from my shoulder.

  When Matt got his balance, George swung the rope above her head like a lasso and then let fly. He caught it cleanly and tied it around his waist. George and I watched on as he scrambled over to Nick. Anyone could see the yacht was sinking fast now and Nick and Matt moved quickly across deck. They pushed the barrel forward to the bow and when The Dolphin surged forward one last time, they toppled the container overboard onto the rocks.

  The water around the yacht looked like it was boiling as it pulled her away from the rocks and sucked her under. In seconds the deck had slipped below the surface. But she was too far out now for Matt and Nick to jump onto the rocks. I watched with a lump in my throat as they leapt into the sea, swimming hard to escape the suction that was pulling The Dolphin down.

  I grabbed onto the rope George was holding. For a terrifying moment, it looked like they wouldn’t be able to swim free, even with help from the rope that George and I were pulling with all our might. But then the yacht’s rear end pivoted sharply and shot straight into the air. With a loud hiss as the last gasp of air was expelled from her hull, The Dolphin slipped under the water and vanished. The water calmed momentarily between waves, and Matt and Nick swam back and pulled themselves onto the rocks.

  Matt was beaming as he hauled himself out of the water. ‘That was awesome!’ he said, clambering up beside a grinning Nick.

  ‘Are you two out of your tiny minds?’ shouted George, folding her
arms across her chest.

  Nick grinned slyly at Matt and put out his hand up for a high-five. ‘What?’ he said innocently, as Matt smacked his hand. ‘Everything’s cool.’

  George looked like she was going to explode. ‘No, Nick. No. It is really not cool,’ she shot back, her voice rising again. ‘Your dad’s right. You actually think you’re bulletproof, don’t you? God, Nick, I’ve known you for five seconds and so far you’ve nearly drowned twice. Not to mention almost getting Matt drowned, too. Oh yeah, and you pulled your shoulder out of its socket. I hope it’s feeling all right after that little episode because don’t think for a second I’ll fix it for you again.’

  I was stunned. I’d never heard anyone take on Nick before. But George was letting him have it.

  I guess part of me agreed with her. It was a miracle Nick had survived the storm, so going back for seconds seemed pretty stupid. But on the other hand, he’d only gone back to The Dolphin to salvage supplies for all of us. And then, among my jumble of feelings about the whole thing, there was the fact that I wished I could share in his bravery. That I had been on the deck of the sinking yacht with Nick instead of Matt.

  ‘George,’ I said soothingly, trying to make peace. ‘They’re okay. We’re all okay … and I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty desperate for some of that water.’

  Matt ran over to the barrel. ‘Ladies first?’ he said, coming back with it. It sounded like a peace offering.

  ‘After you then, Matt,’ I said.

  Matt punched me. ‘Nah, go on George. You first,’ he said.

  ‘No, Nick’s first,’ said George. ‘He got it.’

  Nick gave her a winning smile as Matt and I lifted the barrel. Nick positioned himself underneath as George opened the plastic tap and a stream of water poured into his open mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down like a pogo stick as he gulped it down.

  ‘Man, that’s good,’ he said, coming up for air.

  When it was my turn, I let the sweet-tasting water wash over the cracks on my tongue and lips. I could feel it flooding through my body in waves. Nothing had ever tasted this good before.

  As I tilted my head back for one last swig, something flickered in the corner of my eye. It was only a tiny movement, but enough to make me double-take. I looked up at the cliff opposite the beach, a steep wall of rock dotted with windswept trees and splotches of bush. ‘Did you guys see that?’

  ‘What?’ asked George, looking in the direction I was pointing.

  ‘Up there … about halfway up the cliff.’

  The others all squinted up at the cliff. But at that moment it was just barren rock.

  ‘Have you taken your pills today?’ said Matt.

  ‘What was it?’ asked George, still scanning the cliff.

  I shook my head, genuinely unsure of what I had seen. ‘Don’t know. Like a flash of light, maybe?’

  ‘A flash?’ George asked. ‘What, like a camera flash?’

  ‘More like a reflection. Like sunlight on glass.’

  I stared at the cliff a few seconds longer. Whatever it was, it wasn’t there now. I scanned along the craggy face of the cliff, but there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

  ‘There’s nothing there,’ Nick said, sounding bored. He bent down to lift the water barrel. ‘C’mon Matt. Grab the other end, mate. It’s gonna take a while to get back lugging this stuff.’

  George and I walked ahead to grab the bag. As I hoisted it onto my shoulder, she gave me an encouraging little smile. ‘Maybe it was just water on a leaf or something.’

  ‘Yeah, probably,’ I said, unconvincingly.

  We set off back along the beach, taking turns to carry the bag and barrel. Before long, the excruciating aches in my arms and shoulders were enough to drive all other thoughts from my head. By the time we finally made it back to camp I’d pretty much convinced myself that whatever I thought I saw was just a creation of my overtired mind.

  ‘Nice digs,’ said Nick, lying back under our re-hitched bed-sheet tent. ‘Does it have wi-fi?’

  ‘Perhaps Sir would like to see the room-service menu?’ said George, putting on a plummy voice.

  ‘Oh, man, I could totally murder a burger,’ said Matt, licking his lips. ‘And a mountain of fries.’

  Nick rolled over and untied the string at the end of the duffel bag. ‘Well, I don’t know about fries. But let’s see what we have got, eh?’

  The first thing out of the duffel bag was Matt’s backpack.

  ‘Awesome,’ said Matt, his face lighting up when he saw it. He unzipped the front pocket and produced a bottle of Gatorade and a few chocolate bars.

  We scoffed the chocolate on sight. We were like animals. But we couldn’t help it. It had been hours and hours since we had last eaten. As we sat sharing the power drink between us, Matt pulled everything else out of his backpack: the rest of the junk food he bought at the kiosk, some clothes, a bloated and dog-eared sports magazine, a tennis ball and a Swiss Army pocket knife.

  ‘This’ll come in handy,’ he said, flicking open a shiny blade.

  ‘Plus we’re all set if we come across a friendly Labrador,’ I said, picking up the tennis ball and throwing it at George. She caught it and grinned.

  We watched Matt as he unzipped the main compartment of his bag. He pulled out a sodden beach towel, which he laid on the ground so he could up-end the rest of the bag’s contents onto it. In the pile lay an assortment of kitchen utensils, camping plates and cups, a hand-fishing line, a length of rope and a bright yellow waterproof sack containing some not-so-dry clothes. As for food, there was a bag of waterlogged bread rolls, a couple of bruised bananas and a soggy chunk of cheese wrapped in plastic. More appetising was a half-full jar of peanut butter, a can of peaches and two tins of spaghetti and meatballs.

  Nick leant over and plucked the hand-fishing reel out of the pile. He waved it at Matt. ‘Want to try our luck, buddy?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Matt, jumping up.

  ‘I’ll stay and get a fire going,’ said George.

  Nick headed off without acknowledging me at all. Matt ran after him, but stopped and turned back to me. ‘You coming?’

  I hesitated. It seemed obvious to me at least that Nick had only invited Matt, and I didn’t really want to be the spare wheel.

  ‘Nah, that’s all right. I’ll stay here … keep George company.’

  ‘’Kay, whatevs.’ Matt shrugged. ‘Better get that fire started, though. I’m catching us some dinner.’

  When Matt was gone, I noticed George eyeing me suspiciously. ‘I don’t need to be kept company, you know. Why don’t you just go?’

  ‘Bet they don’t catch anything anyway,’ I replied. I was trying to sound like I didn’t care, but was pretty sure it came across as churlish.

  ‘Well, maybe there’ll be oysters or mussels on the rocks,’ she said.

  ‘I hate oysters. They’re like salty snot.’

  ‘No, they’re not. Anyway, all I’m saying is it might be fun.’

  ‘Doubt it.’

  ‘All right,’ George said, sighing. ‘I was just saying. Don’t get in a mood.’

  I was feeling embarrassed. I felt her watching me as I picked aimlessly at a knot in the rope. I knew I was acting weird and that she was desperate to know why. But I was thankful when she seemed to drop it.

  ‘Well, if you’re staying, we will need wood,’ George said, hauling herself up.

  Together we wandered among the trees, sifting through the undergrowth for logs and twigs for a fire. When we had enough for a decent mound we stacked them in the shelter of the boulders around our tent. In about half an hour, with the aid of the firelighter, we had a decent blaze roaring away.

  George opened the tins of spaghetti and meatballs. She placed them close enough to the flame for them to warm slowly. She sliced up some banana and laid the pieces out on a leaf, while I skewered a couple of the soggy rolls. As I began toasting them, I couldn’t help thinking that this was a modest meal for four peopl
e as hungry as us. If dopey Matt can actually catch a fish it will be a welcome addition.

  George and I sat quietly for a time, mesmerised by the flames. But then I noticed George watching me again.

  ‘Do you want to talk about it?’ she said at last.

  ‘What?’ I said vaguely, looking up and noticing the light was fading in the sky. Then I shot a glance at George.

  ‘Whatever it is you don’t want to talk about,’ she said, looking me straight in the eyes.

  The roll I was toasting caught alight. I quickly blew it out and watched the smoke rise off the blackened crust. For a moment George seemed to vanish in the haze.

  ‘I let him go,’ I heard myself saying quietly.

  ‘What? Who?’ George asked, leaning in to me.

  ‘Nick. I let him go in the water. After we jumped.’ I stared at the flames for a minute before continuing. ‘He panicked when we were under the water. He was kicking and scratching and … I just … I pushed him away.’

  When I raised my eyes to George’s face, I searched her face for disappointment and disgust. I was looking for something that mirrored how my words made me feel.

  But all I could find in George’s brown eyes was a mixture of concern and relief. ‘Jeez, Johnno. It was crazy in there. You can’t blame yourself for not hanging onto him.’

  ‘Can’t I?’

  ‘Hell no. And I bet Nick doesn’t either,’ she said.

  I pulled the burnt roll off the skewer and scraped the burned bit off with a knife. ‘Then why is he acting so weird?’

  ‘Is he? I mean, you’d know better than me, but Nick doesn’t seem weird,’ George said, stirring one of the tins on the fire with a spoon. ‘A bit prickly, maybe. Annoyingly reckless, definitely. But not weird. Maybe you’re just a bit hyper-sensitive?’

  There was something in the tone of her voice that made me look up. I felt a strange fluttering in my stomach. George looked away and stared into the fire. I knew she was intrigued by Nick – I was yet to meet a girl who wasn’t. But was it more than that?

  I just couldn’t think of the words I needed. I had this jumble of emotions, but couldn’t find a way to describe any of them. Just thinking of saying what I needed to say, of explaining how I really felt about any of it, made my insides freeze.