Out of the Blue Read online

  ‘Day two, anyone?’ Gabby said again, sounding irritated.

  Hannah finally glanced up. Gabby wasn’t looking at her. Instead, she was twisting bits of serviette around in her fingers like she was trying to invent a new knot. Hannah sighed. ‘Day two? Of camp? Oh, I can’t remember, Gab. We did lots of outdoor things like rock climbing and canoeing. I didn’t like it much. Ask Angus.’

  Angus was gazing up at the sky. Even though it was only lunchtime, it was dark and cold. The morning had started off sunny so Angus had taken off King’s rug. Now he was wondering whether the big chestnut gelding might be getting cold. He looked across at Hannah as she spoke. ‘What?’

  Hannah frowned at him. ‘Tell Gabby about our camp. She wants to know what we did.’

  Angus looked at Gabby. ‘Why?’

  Gabby crossed her arms. ‘Because I’m interested!’

  ‘Oh.’ Angus thought hard. ‘We did rock climbing and canoeing.’

  ‘Hannah’s already told me that.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Angus again. He could hear a grumbling sound in the distance which grew louder until he could see a motorbike coming towards them over the paddocks. Angus nodded in the direction of the sound. ‘You’ll be able to ask E.D. now.’

  The motorbike pulled up at the fence, and E.D. got down, pulling off his helmet and shaking his long black hair all around his face. He smiled up at Gabby and she gave a small smile back. ‘Any pies left, Gab?’

  ‘No,’ said Angus. ‘I ate the last one.’

  ‘Never mind,’ said E.D. cheerfully, coming up to the party table and stuffing three sausage rolls in his mouth. ‘Thesh are pretty goob.’ He swallowed, wiped his fingers on his jeans, and reached for more. ‘So, what’s happening?’

  Hannah looked at him blankly. ‘What do you mean?’

  E.D. rolled his eyes. ‘What’s going on? What’s cooking? What’s in, dude?’

  ‘Gabby wants to know what we did on camp,’ said Angus with another anxious glance at the sky.

  ‘I did as little as possible, Gab.’ E.D. grinned. ‘I mean, there were no motorbikes! We had to walk everywhere or go down the river on flimsy little bits of fibreglass. Bit different to your last camp, Gabby.’

  ‘You mean that trip to France?’ Gabby sighed. ‘Sometimes I wish our school did things like yours. Maybe my next—’ She stopped suddenly and bit her lip but no one noticed. E.D. had threaded Cheezels onto his fingers and was waving them at Hannah.

  ‘Seen the UFOSITE van yet?’ E.D. asked.

  ‘What is a UFOSITE van?’ Hannah took one Cheezel from the bowl and licked the cheese flavouring from the outside.

  ‘The vehicle for the “Unidentified Flying Object Sighting Intelligence Team Establishment”. It says that on their van.’

  ‘You’re joking, right?’ said Hannah. ‘There are official UFO hunting teams? What did they look like?’

  ‘Oh, a bloke and a woman dressed in white uniforms. They handed out little flyers saying they wanted to talk to people who’d seen those lights. Mario said they were asking all sorts of questions about what people had seen or if they’d noticed anything unusual. Mario hadn’t seen them—he was too busy texting his girlfriend.’ E.D. rolled his eyes. ‘Brothers, huh?’ He leaned over to Gabby. ‘Did you see any lights?’

  ‘No. I was asleep.’

  ‘Sean saw them,’ said Hannah. ‘He said they were like a series of bright flashes.’ She shrugged.

  ‘We didn’t see them at camp. We had to be in bed by nine o’clock and anyway, we were a long way away from here.’ Angus rubbed his hands through his hair. ‘Maybe I’d better duck home and put King’s rug on.’

  ‘He’ll be okay,’ said E.D., helping himself to meringues. ‘He’s one tough horse.’

  Angus nodded but still looked a bit worried. He glanced at Gabby’s pool, which was covered with thick plastic to keep in the heat. ‘Is Ling coming to stay with you these holidays?’

  Gabby shrugged. ‘I think so. She usually does.’

  Angus looked down but Hannah saw the pleased expression on his face. She bit her lip. Ling was Gabby’s cousin but she was friends with them all. It seemed that she was especially friendly to Angus—and Hannah wasn’t too sure what she felt about that. Angus was her best friend, after all. It was hard to share sometimes. ‘I thought Ling was going home soon.’

  Gabby shook her head. ‘They’ll go back to Hong Kong at the end of the year.’

  ‘They might end up staying longer,’ Angus said, stretching his arms over his head. ‘Ling said her dad was applying for a job in Australia.’

  ‘Well,’ said E.D. ‘Now that we’ve eaten all the food—’

  ‘You’ve eaten all the food,’ interrupted Hannah.

  ‘—we should figure out what we’re going to do this holiday.’ There was silence. ‘Don’t all speak at once.’

  ‘I hadn’t thought about doing anything different,’ said Angus. ‘I’ll be helping Dad with the horses. I’m doing track work tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, I know you’ll do that,’ said E.D. putting his elbows on the table. ‘But there are strangers in town looking for UFOs. Doesn’t that make you want to do something different? Like, hunt down a Martian or two?’

  Hannah looked at him crossly. ‘It’s all rubbish, E.D.’

  ‘How do you know?’ demanded Gabby suddenly. ‘Why are you always so sure of everything?’

  There was a shocked silence. Angus glanced at E.D., who raised his eyebrows in return.

  ‘I’m not always so sure,’ said Hannah after a moment.

  ‘Yes, you are. Maybe there are UFOs out there. You don’t know that there aren’t.’

  ‘I just think it’s pretty unlikely.’

  ‘So why is there a UFOSITE van here? Someone thinks UFOs are real.’

  ‘Well, they’re not me.’

  E.D. held up his hands. ‘Okay, maybe we won’t go Martian hunting. It was just a thought.’

  Hannah gave him a scowl. Gabby had turned away and was looking across the empty paddocks. Angus stood up. ‘Well, I think I’d better go. I reckon it’s going to rain.’ He turned to Gabby but she didn’t look at him. ‘Thanks, Gab. It was really nice of you to have a party for us.’

  ‘Yeah, thanks for the food,’ E.D. said, taking a handful of lollies and stuffing them in his jacket pocket. ‘You’re the best.’

  Gabby stood up and started picking up the plates. E.D. gave her a puzzled glance, then shrugged, waved goodbye to Hannah and took off after Angus. ‘I’ll give you a lift,’ he yelled.

  Hannah watched the boys ride off on the motorbike, Angus wearing the spare helmet that E.D. kept strapped to the back of his seat. ‘I’ll give you a hand to clean up, Gab.’

  ‘No, it’s alright.’ Gabby kept picking things up until she had a tall stack in her arms.

  ‘Don’t be silly. You’ve done all this for us. At least I can help clean up.’

  ‘Hannah, I said NO!’

  Gabby’s shout lingered in the air. Hannah froze. Carefully, she lowered the bowl of chips back to the table. Still moving slowly, she turned, put on her jacket and started walking towards Gabby’s gate. She half expected Gabby to call her back, but it didn’t happen. By the time she reached the gate, Hannah was red-faced and angry. What was with Gabby today? She had arranged the party, not Hannah. It wasn’t Hannah’s fault that the weather was disgusting. And it wasn’t Hannah’s fault that Gabby was in a bad mood. I thought she’d be glad to see us, Hannah muttered to herself. We’ve been away for a week. She marched down the road without bothering to look back.

  If she had, she would have seen Gabby sitting at the table, her head in her hands, sobbing.

  Sean was in the kitchen with his father and Bob, one of his dad’s friends. He stood up as Hannah came in the door but his sister went straight past them and disappeared up the corridor. Sean followed but by the time he got to Hannah’s bedroom, she’d gone inside and shut the door—loudly. He knocked once or twice but there was no answer. Sighing, Sean went back to t
he kitchen.

  Bob and Mr Williams were talking about the recent bushfires.

  ‘We were lucky—they didn’t get to the town,’ Bob said, taking a big gulp of his coffee.

  ‘Nick Wells lost his hay and they had to work hard to save the homestead.’ Mr Williams passed Sean a biscuit.

  ‘That’s bad luck,’ said Bob. ‘And there was a lot of bush that went up. The range at Hawthorn was okay, though.’

  Range? Suddenly Sean was listening. He’d forgotten that Bob was a member of the Sporting Shooters’ Association. He was a rifle shooter and entered most of the local competitions. ‘Do you know the old rifle range, Bob?’ Sean leaned over the table, his half-eaten biscuit forgotten.

  ‘Yes, yes. Used to shoot there when I was a kid. The fires didn’t get there either.’

  ‘I go there sometimes, looking for things.’

  Bob shook his head. ‘Not much to find except lumps of clay. They cleaned it up pretty good when they closed it. Opened the new rifle range at Hawthorn—it’s a much safer set-up.’

  ‘So there wouldn’t be anything valuable on the old range?’

  ‘You mean, like bits of stuff from the war? No, mate. They went through that place with a fine tooth comb and a heap of metal detectors. Nothing left but stones.’

  ‘Why are you asking, Sean?’ said Mr Williams.

  ‘Sometimes I find bits of metal there. Old bottles, too.’

  ‘I’m afraid they wouldn’t be valuable. They would’ve been dumped there since it closed—too new to be worth anything.’ Bob glanced at his watch. ‘I’d better get cracking. Got to get those things I picked up in town home for my wife. She’ll have my guts for garters if I’m late.’

  ‘Can I show you what I’ve found, Bob? Maybe you’d know what it is.’

  Bob stood up and ruffled Sean’s hair. ‘Next time, mate. When I’m not in such a rush. See you later, then.’

  ‘See you, Bob.’ Mr Williams glanced out the window. ‘Looks like you’ll be driving in the rain.’

  Outside, the weather had turned at last. Cold blasts of rain spattered on the window.

  ‘Can I show you, Dad?’

  Mr Williams smiled at his son. ‘Sure, mate, but can we do it later? I’ve just got to finish the job I started yesterday. I’ll be home for tea. Hannah’s home—why not show her?’

  Sean stood in the kitchen dejectedly as his father drove off. Hannah was still in her room. No one’s going to help me here, he thought. They just aren’t interested.

  But he knew who would be. He could always count on getting someone interested in what he was doing at the De Lugio household. If only it would stop raining so he could get to E.D.’s.

  CHAPTER 4

  Saturday

  And then his wish was granted.

  Sean stared out the window. A small ray of sunshine suddenly broke free from a heavy bank of clouds to the west. It was the moment he’d been waiting for. He slid his fingers into his pocket and touched the cold metal of the silver object he’d found. It felt smooth and important.

  ‘I’m heading out for a bit,’ he shouted, grabbing his coat from a hook by the back door. There was no reply.

  By the time Sean had retrieved his bike from the shed, strapped on his helmet and moved out onto the street, the brief burst of sunshine had gone and Sean could feel fat, heavy raindrops hitting the top of his helmet.

  He paused, wondering whether he should turn back now, before the rain got too heavy. As he looked up at the dark sky, droplets of rain splashed onto his face. On the other side of the street two girls were playing in their front garden.

  That does it, Sean said to himself, clamping his mouth closed and turning his bike around. A few spots of rain never hurt anyone.

  Sean had only travelled the length of his street before he was already regretting his decision. In a matter of minutes, the rain clouds had darkened and gloominess had settled over Teasdale. It reminded Sean of the atmosphere during the fires. At least there’s no smell, he thought, tucking his head down as the rain began to get heavier.

  Ten minutes later, Sean wearily pedalled into E.D.’s driveway. Noticing the lights on in the garage, he wheeled his bike across the front yard, water splashing his feet and legs.

  ‘Hello?’ he called, tossing his helmet to the ground and shaking his head. He stood in the doorway of the shed, dripping water onto the floor.

  ‘Hey there, Sean,’ Mario, E.D.’s eldest brother called, wiping his hands on a piece of cloth and walking over to him. ‘Here, grab a towel and dry yourself. You look like a drowned rat.’

  ‘I feel like one, too,’ Sean grinned, not exactly sure what it would feel like to be a drowned rat.

  ‘You looking for Emilio?’

  Sean nodded, took off his coat and started to dry himself. The towel was hot and smelt oily but he kind of liked it.

  ‘I’ve got something important to show him.’

  ‘Yeah? Sounds cool. Follow me. E.D.’s inside on the computer looking up stuff about regrowing forests.’

  ‘Is he?’ Sean followed Mario to the front door. A warm, delicious cooking smell greeted him as soon as they entered.

  ‘Emilio! You got a visitor.’

  They went into the kitchen where E.D.’s other brother, Antonio, was sitting at the table drinking something hot and steamy.

  ‘Hey, Tony. You remember Sean?’ Mario said.

  ‘G’day, buddy.’ Tony smiled, holding out his hand. ‘Get you some hot chocolate?’

  ‘Yeah, that’d be great,’ Sean replied, feeling pleased he’d made the trip to E.D.’s. People here actually paid him attention; they would be interested in the metal object.

  ‘Hey there, Sean,’ E.D. said, coming into the kitchen and slapping him on the back.

  ‘So, a phone call from Gabby couldn’t drag you away from your forest research, but at least you’ve got the manners to come out and see Sean,’ Mario said.

  ‘Research,’ Tony scoffed, shaking his head. ‘What a joke. My little brother is going to save the planet by studying the bush.’

  E.D. sighed. ‘How many times do I have to tell you? This is a cool job. Did you know that the Australian bush actually thrives on fire?’

  ‘It what?’ Mario called, taking down a mug from the cupboard above the stove.

  ‘Yeah. It actually needs fire to regenerate.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Tony opened a tin of homemade chocolate cookies and offered them to Sean.

  ‘And I’ll tell you something else I found out. There are people called “garden guerillas”. They go out in the dead of night and plant flowers and stuff. In cities. They’re turning the world green. Think I’ll join. I reckon I could head up the Australian end.’

  ‘And they get put in jail for their trouble,’ Mario muttered. ‘Where are they doing their planting? Inside banks?’

  ‘Don’t be stupid,’ E.D. said, taking the steaming mug of hot chocolate from his brother and passing it to Sean. ‘Come on, mate. We don’t have to listen to this.’ Sean followed E.D. out into the family living room.

  ‘What do you mean by gorillas, E.D.?’ Sean asked, sitting down next to him and carefully placing his mug onto the low wooden table in front of him. He rubbed his hands on his trouser legs, trying hard not to let E.D. see that the hot cup had nearly burnt him.

  E.D. explained that he wasn’t talking about the animal variety. Sean felt even more confused.

  ‘Anyway, it’s no big deal. Just trying to get myself some extra cash by doing a bit of work over the holidays. I’m saving up for some wicked new tyres for my motorbike. I’ve just got to take photos and record information about some plants in the forest. I’ll find out more tomorrow.’

  ‘Sounds like a good idea to me,’ Sean said, reaching into his pocket and taking out the shiny, cylindrical object.

  ‘What you got there?’ E.D. asked, taking a hold of it. He turned it around in his hands, frowning. ‘Never seen anything like it in my life. Hey, Mario? Tony? Come and have a look at
this!’ he called. ‘Where’d you find it, Sean?’

  ‘Up at the old rifle range. It was sort of just inside the gate, lying in the grass.’

  ‘Lying like someone had put it there especially or lying like someone had accidentally dropped it?’

  ‘Dropped it, I think,’ Sean said, after a moment. ‘It was in the open but hidden, if you get what I mean.’ E.D. nodded then passed it to Tony.

  ‘Never seen one before,’ he said, ‘unless it’s some kind of spark plug with internal workings or something.’

  Tony held it up to Mario, who shook his head. ‘Beats me,’ Mario said. ‘Looks a bit high-tech for Teasdale. There’s no way you can open it?’ he asked, taking the gadget from Tony. He rolled it in his hand. ‘Heavy, isn’t it?’ He tossed it back to Sean, who caught it tenderly in his cupped hands.

  ‘Well, if it’s high-tech, why don’t we go and show it to Byron Watts?’ E.D. suggested, jumping up.

  ‘You might want to wait till it stops raining,’ Mario said. ‘He’s only just got himself dry.’

  ‘Okay. We’ll give him a ring. Maybe take a photo of it and email it to him. What do you think, Sean?’

  ‘Sounds great.’ Sean finished his drink, grabbed another biscuit and followed E.D. out of the room.

  ‘But it would be more fun to ride over! This way,’ E.D. called, heading outside. Sean raced after E.D., who was sprinting across to the garage.

  ‘We are going on your bike, aren’t we?’ Sean asked, excited.

  ‘You bet,’ E.D. grinned, tossing Sean a huge black overcoat. ‘Chuck that on and then the black and red helmet over there.’ He indicated a row of helmets sitting on a shelf.

  Sean had ridden with E.D. a couple of times but the excitement of being on a noisy and powerful motorbike hadn’t diminished. And this time they would be riding in the rain!

  But hours of riding experience told E.D. that today wasn’t a day for fun and games. He stuck to a wide track that ran along a fence line to the east of Teasdale. It was slightly elevated, which meant the rain had run off it and the path was still relatively dry.