Outback
Outback
Robin Stevenson
orca soundings
ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS
Copyright © 2011 Robin Stevenson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Stevenson, Robin, 1968-
Outback / Robin Stevenson.
 (Orca soundings)
Issued also in electronic format.
ISBN 978-1-55469-420-4 (bound).--ISBN 978-1-55469-419-8 (pbk.)
I. Title. II. Series: Orca soundings
| PS8637.T487O984 2011 | JC813'.6 | C2010-908050-5 |
First published in the United States, 2011
Library of Congress Control Number:
2010942084
Summary:
Jayden ends up in the unforgiving Australian outback, fighting for his life.
Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed
this book on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
Cover design by Teresa Bubela
Cover photography by Getty Images
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Printed and bound in Canada.
14 13 12 11 ⢠4 3 2 1
For Cheryl and Kai, my fabulous travel
companions; and for Ilse and Giles, who
first took me into the Australian outback.
Love you all.
Contents
My uncle Mel believes in learning through experience. When I was five, he threw me off his boat. He figured swimming was instinctive and thought he could save my mom the cost of lessons. Turned out he was wrong. I swallowed half the lake before he finally fished me back out. I guess his version of events was a little different from mine, because instead of being mad, Mom gave him the credit for saving my life.
Mel has always taken an interest in my education. Still, I am surprised when Mom tells me that he has invited me to go to Australia with him. I am even more surprised that she thinks it is a good idea.
“Seriously?” I stare at her. “What about school?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret having said them.
“Jayden, please.” Mom's forehead creases. “You've skipped more classes than you've been to this year. And that's not including the times you've been suspended.”
I look away from her, out the window. The sky is gray. Half-frozen rain is falling at a steep angle, tapping against the window like a thousand ghostly fingertips. I hate school. You read about stuff, you listen to people talk about stuff, you write about stuffâ¦and you never actually get to
do
anything. I used to go just to see Anna, but since she dumped me, I couldn't see the point in school.
Actually, I couldn't see the point in anything at all. “It's just so⦔
Mom blows a stray lock of blond hair out of her eyes and tucks it behind her ear. “I know. That's why I thought this trip might be a good idea.”
I don't care much either way. Going to Australia sounds like it would take more energy than I have. On the other hand, maybe Mom wants me out of her hair.
“It'll be summer in Australia,” Mom says. “Sunshine. Beaches. No school.”
No having to watch Anna walking around with her friends and laughing, obviously doing fine without me. “When's Mel going?” I ask.
“He's already there. He's been doing some research at the university in Adelaide for the last couple of months.”
“I don't know,” I say.
“Come on, Jayden. Kangaroos. Koalas. Gum trees and blue skies. You could take your camera. Get some great wildlife shots.”
“I guess.” I haven't taken any photographs for months.
She sighs. “Think about it, okay?”
“You want to get rid of me, huh?” It's supposed to be a joke but it comes out sounding all wrong. Angry and bitter instead of funny.
“Oh, Jay. Of course I don't. I just⦠You've been moping around for months and you won't go to school and you won't see a doctor and you won't even
talk
to me.”
I look at her and look away quickly. Her green eyes are shiny with tears. I feel a hot spreading sense of shame, like I've done something awful, messed something up, and I don't even know what. “Fine,” I say. “I'll go then.”
“Are you sure?” She hesitates. “I don't mean to pressure you. I just thought maybeâ¦well, maybe it would help.”
It seems like an awfully long shot to me, but it's not like I have any better ideas. “It's fine,” I say again. “I'll go.”
“You'd have to fly down in the next couple of weeks.” She sounds hesitant now, like she isn't so sure of this idea after all. “Mel says he could use your help with his research.”
“What kind of research?”
“I don't know. Bugs of some kind.
Or maybe it was frogs.” She makes a face. “I tuned out a bit. You know how he can be.”
I do know. If you met Uncle Mel walking down the street, you'd probably think he was a crazy homeless guy or something, all scruffy-looking and always talking a mile a minute about weird stuff that sounds like something out of a B movie: giant elephant shrews in Tanzania, six-foot-long gelatinous fish in Brazil, ghost slugs in Wales.
He's not actually homeless or anything like that. He has an apartment in Toronto, though he is hardly ever there, and he has a PhD in biology.
Mom's always been impressed by him. But he really is a little crazy.
Mel is my mom's half-brother. When I was five, my grandpa died. A few weeks later, Mom got an email from this guy who explained that he was her older brother. Turned out, Mom's father had got his high-school girlfriend pregnant and had kept it secret for his whole life. Mom was happy about it once she got over the shock. Her mother was dead, and she'd grown up an only child. So Mel, strange as he is, is the only family we have.
Also, my dad has never been part of our lives, so Mom had this idea that Mel would be a good male role model for me. When we had to make Father's Day cards in first grade, I made one for Mel. I even brought him to school once for family show-and-tell. He brought a tarantula to show the class, and when a kid dropped it, Mel lost his temper pretty badly. I wasn't allowed to invite him to the school after that.
These last few years he hasn't been around much anyway.
“I think you're making a good decision.” Mom shuffles through the papers in her filing cabinet, pulls out my passport and flips it open. “Yup, still valid.” She hands it to me. “It'll be an adventure, right?”
“Sure.”
She ruffles my hair. “You'll be away for your birthday though. Sweet sixteen.”
I snort. Girls have sweet sixteen. Guys like me haveâ¦I don't know. Scrawny, spotty, sad-ass sixteen.
“I'll miss you, Jay-Jay,” Mom says softly.
I look at her: messy long hair, freckles, slight buck teeth. She is thirty-five but looks ten years younger. “I'll miss you too, Mom.” A wave of guilt washes over me. My mom is awesome, and I love her tons, but the weight of her worry is more than I can take.
It will be a relief to get away.
Two weeks later, I walk out of Adelaide airport. The sky is an intense blue, and the air scorches my lungs with every breath. The guy who stamped my passport said
G'day, mate
, just like in the movies, and I realize that I am actually grinning. Monday morning and here I am, on the other side of the world.
No sign of Mel. I dump my backpack on the sidewalk beside me, wipe the sweat from my forehead and look around for a pay phone.
A girl's voice startles me. “Are you Jayden Harris?”
“Uh, yeah.” I look at her. Faded denim cut offs, yellow tank top, short dark hair and smooth brown skin. Black geometric tattoos inked around undeniably impressive biceps. Snakebite piercings in her lower lip. Huge sunglasses. Cute accent.
And, unfortunately, not even a hint of a smile.
“Mel sent me to pick you up,” she says.
I lift my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. “Thanks. Um, I'm Jay.”
“Yeah, we already established that.” She walks ahead of me, not bothering to introduce herself.
I follow. Mel doesn't have a daughter, and she's way too young to be his girlfriend. “So how do you know my uncle?”
“I'm his research assistant.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I'm studying biology at the Uni.”
“Cool. So, um, your name isâ¦?”
“Natalie. But everyone calls me Nat.” She jangles her car keys and points them in the direction of the parking lot. “Shall we?”
We drive in silence for a while. Nat isn't exactly giving off warm and friendly vibes. I sneak a sideways glance. She is staring straight ahead at the road, her eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.
“Does Mel live far from here?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I'm taking you to the university. Mel's getting stuff ready for the expedition.”
“Expedition?”
She turns toward me. “I thought that was why you were here. To help out.”
“Um, with his research. I never heard anything about an expedition.” I wonder if Mom told me and I wasn't listening.
“So where's he going?”
“Hasn't he told you
anything
?”
I shake my head. “I haven't even talked to him. He and my mom arranged this.”