Don't Look Back (Warders of Earth) Read online

  Dan was a real sweetheart. I’d do anything for him.

  “Bob has suggested a couple of interesting ideas. Check it out, Sis.” His excited voice made me smile.

  A chair scraped along the rough vinyl floor as Alex moved further along to make room.

  Curious, I edged to the table only to trip over a chair leg. Catching myself just in time, I narrowly averted falling into the sensei’s lap. From the corner of my eye, I could see the smirk twitching Alex’s lips. I’m such a clutz.

  Clenching my fists over the table edge I scanned the large document, my cheeks as hot as a lit stove. It took a few moments for me to knit the lines together into recognisable images but I still didn’t get it. “So? What is it?”

  “We’re going to build a bomb shelter!” Dan grinned.

  “Seriously? Why would we need a bomb shelter?”

  “It’s best to be prepared for any contingency,” Bob Garroway said in his firm ‘no-nonsense’ voice. He stabbed a finger at the paper. “See. This is a sketch of the room itself. And this is where it can be built under the house.”

  I did my best to repress my shiver at the sensei’s use of the word ‘prepared’ and stared fixedly at Mum. This was her doing. “A bomb shelter. Honestly, Mum, this is the absolute limit.”

  Mum pinched her lips together and bent over the elaborate plan.

  “Please don’t start again, Tara. Bob and I think it is an excellent idea especially considering the meteor shower. Of course it won’t be ready in time. But if we survive, it may come in handy in the future. We can build up our own seed bank for vegetables as part of our preparations. Look this is where we’ll excavate and here is where the entrance will be.”

  There was that word again. Swallowing, my gaze followed the line Mum drew on the paper with her finger. With difficulty I managed to identify the front of the house and then imagined the layout of the house. I snapped straight as a steel rod as realisation smacked me upside the face.

  “But that’s my bedroom!”

  “Well, we have to have the entrance somewhere.”

  “But why do we have to dig up my bedroom? Why can’t we dig up your bedroom, Mum? And why are you discussing this idea with him?” I could feel the pressure building deep inside. Any minute now and I’d be the one exploding.

  “If you will just calm down and be courteous, Tara. Bob has said he can build the shelter at a reasonable price. See, this area here which is the dining room is going to be made into your room. We don’t use it anyway and it is much larger than the one you have now. Bob says it will be easy to wall it in. I was thinking we could leave the French doors as they are. They open onto the side verandah and I’m sure it will look just fine.”

  “Are you for real, Mum?”

  “I think it’s an excellent idea.”

  “Guess what, Mum? I don’t want a bomb shelter under our house. I don’t want to sleep in the dining room. I want my own room. The one I’ve got now.” Even better, I’d like a room in a house far away from this crazy shit.

  I stared around the table. The sensei sitting as stiff as a poker, with an expressionless face. My mother tracing the lines of the plan with her forefinger. Alex…well, his hotness was eyeing me in a speculative fashion that sent my hackles rising further. Then I noticed Dan, his forehead wrinkled with worry as he glance from Mum to me then back again. Get a grip! I was scaring him.

  Summoning control, I managed, “It’s your house, Mum, if this is what you want to do.” And was rewarded by a smile breaking out on Dan’s face.

  “It’ll be fun, Sis.”

  “I guess it will be. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do in the garden.” One brief nod and I fled.

  ***

  I drew a deep breath sucking in the familiar scent of earth and foliage and exhaled slowly. Some of the tightness inside my head eased. I jumped over the railing and landed on the path outside the house. What I needed now was some time-out.

  What I needed was a new family.

  Feeling more than a little depressed, I ambled around the garden. Already my top was clinging to my back and my skin was damp with prickling sweat. I flung myself down on the grass under the shade of the old apple tree and looked at the cloudless sky. The air was heavy and sultry. I closed my eyes, wanting to drift away from the madness that existed in my life.

  Our neighbour had moved on from the lawn mower to the whipper snipper, the noise loud then fading as he wandered along the boundary fence. Now and then a car bumped down the gravel road.

  My eyelids grew heavier, my breathing deepened.

  The sound of crunching dry leaves startled me. My eyes snapped open and I propped myself up on my elbows, staring around. Wow, I’d almost fallen asleep.

  “You sure have a great garden,” said Alex as he sat down on the grass.

  Beside me.

  Not too close.

  Careful not to intrude into my personal space.

  Dumbfounded I nodded in response, aware that my pulse rate had kicked into overtime. I closed my mouth with a snap. What was he doing here?

  “All these trees and flowers just growing anywhere. It looks restful.” He linked his hands around his knees. “We didn’t have a garden in the city. We lived in an apartment building. Before that, we moved around a lot, overseas mostly, depending on where Dad was posted. That’s why I think this quiet town is so great. No guns. No fighting.”

  I said nothing, nerves clenched like a fist around my throat. So he was an army brat. Still, that didn’t explain what he was doing out here in this one road town. Feel vulnerable lying there like an offering, I sat up and brushed dirt off my legs.

  “Parents can be difficult at times,” said Alex.

  I looked at him so quickly, my hair whipped into my eyes. Impatiently I brushed it aside. He was smiling at me, his cool eyes softened like a misty grey dawn. My heart did an odd thump.

  “Yeah,” I muttered. Maybe I was wrong about him! Maybe he wasn’t so bad. When I came to think about it, I rather liked the colour of his eyes.

  “My father’s had some crazy ideas in the past.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, maybe, but I bet he never came up with a bomb shelter.”

  Alex grinned. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that it. The plan might not go ahead. It’ll take ages to go through Council for approval. An engineer will need to calculate first whether it’s doable without your existing house collapsing. And then it always takes builders months to do anything. We had some guy in to renovate our bathroom once. He ripped up the tiles, yanked out the tub and loo and said he’d be back after lunch. Didn’t hear from him for five weeks. Dad said he was going to rip his throat out. He was so mad.” He laughed revealing straight, white teeth.

  For the life of me, I couldn’t think of anything intelligent or witty to say. He was staring straight ahead, his stern profile just like his father’s. He looked harder and more worldly than any of my male friends and former school mates. He looked just like my idea of a city tough.

  Or an army grunt.

  “Why did you move here?” The words tumbled out of me before I could bite them back. I hadn’t really meant to speak my thoughts out loud. Not this time, anyway. Hardly breathing, I waited for his brush-off to my nosy question.

  Alex grabbed a handful of leaves and crushed them in his fist. The glance he gave me was cold as frost. Almost calculating.

  I shivered.

  “Mum was killed in some botched hold-up at the local shop. We stuck it out for a while then Dad reckoned there was too much violence and drugs in our neighbourhood. I guess he just wanted to find some peace. While Dad was in the Army, we’ve lived in some pretty bad places around the world. I’m thinking this was the furthermost town he could find and when he spotted the garage in town was up for sale, he decided to buy it. I came along to give him a hand for a few months.”

  “I’m sorry. I had no idea,” I whispered. No wonder both of them seemed so hard and distant. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of a
life he had led. The things he’d seen. And lived through. It would be awful to lose one of your parents.

  At least my mother and father were alive, even if they did drive me nuts.

  “My parents met at University where Dad studied genetics and physics and Mum studied biology,” I mumbled, sneaking a sideways peek at him. He turned and smiled so I kept talking. “When Dad was offered a position in England after they’d both graduated, they got married. They came back to Australia when Mum fell pregnant with me. We’ve moved around a lot, so I know what it’s like starting new schools over and over. I remember the first school I attended was in Perth. Next thing I know, Dad had a new job and we were in Brisbane. ” I grinned.

  Funny though, I held little memory of my early years apart from a recurring dream of being trapped inside a white room. Although why I’d always felt the dream to be connected to my childhood and not some movie I’d seen, I couldn’t say.

  “Yeah, it can be tough but you do get to see a lot of the world. Whereabouts did you live?”

  I shrugged. “Capital cities mainly. A couple of times we lived for a few months in the US. The last big city we lived in was Canberra. But then Mum and Dad decided on a tree change and we moved out west.”

  All those moves, never staying long in one place.

  Constantly being lectured to never draw attention, to never err on the wrong side of the law.

  Even a parking ticket had been the subject of an argument.

  Now, for the first time, I wondered why.

  Alex didn’t respond. He’d plucked a blade of grass and sucked on the end, staring straight ahead as if lost in his own thoughts.

  Silence stretched out between us like a rubber band.

  What would happen if it snapped?

  I needed to change the subject. Desperately I searched my mind then blurted, “There’s a live band playing at the pub next week. My friends are home for a bit and we’re gonna go. Why don’t you come along with us?” OMG! Did I just ask him out?

  “Yeah, I heard it was on. Maybe I will.” He reached out and took my left hand in his turning it over to smooth his thumb across my palm. His touch spiked a flurry of goose bumps skittering up my arm.

  “What’s your story, Tara? Why are you here in this town?”

  My throat tightened. Should I pull my hand out of his grasp or act cool? Act as if I’m not imagining pulling him down on top of me and running my fingers all over those hard muscles.

  Clearing my throat, I said, “I’m only here until I’ve finished my land care course, then I’m long gone.”

  He quirked his eyebrows as his cool gaze studied me. “Really? You seem to be very close to your mother and little brother. I can’t see you up and leaving them any time soon, even if your parents do piss you off with their odd ideas.”

  “You know nothing about me or my family.” I glared at him. It was okay for me to be annoyed, but that didn’t mean I was going to let anyone else cast judgement. I remembered the bomb shelter. This guy had better not spread any rumours about Mum.

  “I know more than you can possibly comprehend.”

  Now, what’s he talking about?

  I yanked free of his hold and wiped my hand against my shorts. His gaze followed my movements. The intentness of his stare made me feel all trembly inside.

  “What’s the story with your old man working as a cleaner? With his qualifications he could get a job anywhere in the world.”

  Why was Alex so interested in my family? Had he heard gossip about Dad’s involvement with drugs?

  “What my father does for a living is none of your business.” Anxious to be rid of him, I leaned closer and almost hurled the words in his face.

  “When I make a pledge, I stick to it,” he drawled, his eyes ice cold.

  Huh? This conversation is totally off the scale of weirdness.

  Feminine voices floated towards us. The scowl on his face vanishing as if it’d never been there, Alex stood up as Marnie and Em sauntered around the side of the house. Their faces lit up like they’d spotted Liam Hemsworth and they both smiled.

  He lifted a hand in greeting and tossed me a casual, “I’ll see you later, Tara. Dad’s staying for lunch but I’ve got some work to do at the garage.”

  My friends stared after his retreating back. Their drooling over Mr I’m-so-awesome irritated me.

  It annoyed me even more when I realised I was also staring after him. I still didn’t get it though.

  Why come here? Over all the places to pick and most had a far better economy, why had his father decided on our town? Why not the coast? Close to large shopping centres, malls, tourists. I sighed at the wonderful images springing to life inside my mind, then squashed them.

  Then there were Alex’s questions about my life, about my family. Why should they bother me? Everyone asked questions, especially when meeting for the first time.

  Why am I analysing everything these days?

  But shit yeah, the way he’d so smoothly rolled out that info on his past, it had sounded rehearsed and somehow evasive. As if he were holding something back. As if none of it was real. But why would Alex lie?

  I rubbed a hand over my nape where my hairs stood as stiff and straight as a brand new toothbrush. Come on girlfriend, get a grip. I was not the one with the out-of-control imagination. I usually left that up to Mum.

  Or Em.

  I smiled as I looked at my friend. With her blue eyes and curly white-blonde hair, she always reminded me of a china doll I’d had when I was small.

  True to form, Em flapped a hand in front of her face and cooed, “He is soooo hot. What was he saying to you, Tara?”

  “Oh, nothing much but I did ask if he was going to hear the band.”

  “Awesome.” Em fluttered her lashes and heaved another dramatic sigh.

  “You’re wasting your time there, Emma,” said Marnie smoothing her long hair over her shoulder. “If you ask me, Alex has his eye on Tara.”

  “Me?” I snorted, truly astonished. Damn though if my tummy didn’t quiver at the thought. “Try Crystal and she’s welcome to him. Have you heard the latest crazy development in the Ferguson household?” I quickly changed the subject.

  Em and Marnie exchanged glances, then laughed.

  “Yes, your Mum told us when she greeted us at the front door. She showed us the plans. At least the bomb shelter looks big enough for all of us. Have you spoken to your Dad today?”

  I shook my head. “Why do you want to know, Marnie?”

  “Em and I were wondering whether there was any further update on the meteor shower. Emma told her parents and guess what?” Marnie pulled a handful of her hair in front of her face and critically examined it for split ends. “It’s seems they already knew about it. Apparently there’s been rumours flying about this town for ages. So much for secrecy.”

  “How come we haven’t heard about this before?”

  Em shrugged her shoulders. “Well, this is the first time I’ve been home since January. And Marnie was only here for Christmas Day before heading back to her glam life in Sydney.”

  Marnie playfully swotted Em’s shoulder. “Glamorous, is not the word. I spend ten hours a day holding impossible poses for incredible lengths of time while some stupid photographer takes four million shots. I’m so stiff at the end of a photo shoot, I can barely move.”

  “It has to beat uni.” Like a dog hounding a rabbit, Em turned her big eyes in my direction. “Dad didn’t even tell Mum until yesterday. He’d been told to keep it quiet for as long as possible. He’s even had a direct fax from the Prime Minister’s office telling him to keep the story under wraps.”

  I said, “Wow. That sounds serious.”

  “Maybe,” murmured Em wrinkling her forehead.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, I got the impression that Dad knew something else that he was keeping from us. Something very newsworthy. He’s been so preoccupied lately.” She flicked me a quick glance as if gauging my reaction then looked do
wn at the ground.

  “What could be bigger than this?” I exclaimed, refusing to share the doubts niggling away in my mind. I don’t want to sound like an idiot. Best if I keep my mouth shut. It’s all nothing anyway.

  Em jutted her chin and turned away.

  “I’ve got more news, unfortunately, Tara. Crystal’s been posting snide comments on Facebook and Twitter about your family. I’m sorry.” Marnie crouched down and enclosed my hands in hers giving them a gentle squeeze.

  “Maybe we should start working on that bomb shelter straight away.” I plucked a dandelion weed from the grass. “Maybe, I can incarcerate Crystal in the walls or something.”

  Em giggled, apparently over whatever was eating her.

  “I have a bad feeling, Tara.” Marnie met my gaze, her brown eyes sad and serious. Her mouth drooped downwards. “I felt it first when my apartment was broken into but since then it’s grown stronger every day. I think we’re going to need something a lot bigger than a bomb shelter.”

  Chapter 6 – THE CAMP

  “I can’t take any more. All this doom and gloom is giving me a headache.” I jumped to my feet and brushed grass off my clothes. “Let’s go quad-bike riding.”

  “Oooh, fabulous idea, Tara” Em clapped her hands. “With luck, there’ll be bikes still available for hire at Carstairs. We could go out to the creek and see if we can find a deep enough waterhole to swim in.”

  “Now that sounds like a plan,” Marnie said as we hustled toward the house.

  I trotted up the back steps, saying over my shoulder, “We could drive past those acres your Dad purchased last year, Em.”

  “Why?”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing how he intends to improve it. The soil on that land is nutrient poor and would need a lot of work before he could even run cattle on it. Any idea what he intends to do with it?”

  “None, Tara. I haven’t been there since he bought the land and Dad never mentions it much. I know he goes out there every so often. I guess he checks on the fencing or something.”