The Magic Collector

Chapter One

Chapter One

Summer sat on the back seat of the car, her eyes closed, her head tilted back as she listened to her music through ear headphones. The car door was open, but it didn’t help. Her entire body felt like it was coated in a layer of sweat and the slight breeze could have come from an oven. Central Queensland wasn’t the place to be in summer and just because she was named for the season, didn’t mean she liked it. Yet one more reason why they should have left her at home. Right now she could be swimming at Mooloolaba Beach, only a few blocks away from where her family lived. Instead, her mum and stepdad had dragged her along to a family celebration for a great-aunt’s eighty-fifth birthday. It wasn’t her family. Just because Oliver, her half brother, had to go didn’t mean she needed to.

She’d had plans for the coming week. And they hadn’t included a picnic birthday party at some national park, far from anywhere, with no phone or internet coverage. She wanted to text her friends and check for messages. It’d be hours before they returned to civilisation and she found out what she’d missed. Other than the party that had been planned for this evening, and every Saturday in December. It was how they’d decided to celebrate finishing year twelve. Today would be the second party and she was going to miss it. Which was unfair as it had been her idea in the first place.

She was partway through one of her favourite songs when a shadow fell over her and the music stopped abruptly. Opening her eyes, she stared up at her mum who held her phone that had been on the seat beside her. The headphones were now unplugged and Kimberley, her stepdad’s sister, stood beside Julie slowly shaking her head, giving her a look that clearly said she was a major disappointment. Both of them blocked the breeze.

“I’ve been looking for you for ages,” Julie said.

Before Summer had a chance to say anything, Kimberley interrupted. “Inconsiderate as ever.”

She pressed her lips together, knowing that anything she said would only make things worse. Kimberley had hated her since the first day they’d met. Not straight away. That had only come after she’d offered to let Summer call her aunt. Politely telling Kimberley ‘I’m right, thanks’ hadn’t been a good idea. The woman had looked like someone who’d seen a dead fly in the cup they’d been drinking from. A mix of disbelief and disgust.

“You agreed to watch your brother for part of this weekend. Tim rarely gets to see his family and there are people I haven’t met that he wants to introduce me to,” Julie said. “And stop sulking. You couldn’t have expected us to leave you home alone for a week. You’re too young.”

She’d turn eighteen on the twenty-eighth of February, less than three months away. More than old enough to look after herself. She kept her lips pressed together, barely managing to hold back the words.

“She should be watching him all the holidays with the money you’ve spent on her for the next semester of sword training. I don’t know why you bother. How many times has she quit activities partway through a semester?” Kimberley asked.

Quitting hadn’t been her fault. The activities had changed. Like gymnastics when she was seven. The balance beam hadn’t looked that high until she was actually on it. And Scouts when she was twelve. Who would have thought they’d take twelve-year-olds abseiling? The instructor was wrong. It hadn’t been a small hill suitable for kids half her age.

“Are you listening?” Julie demanded.

After a glance towards Kimberley, she nodded. Why did she have to stick around making things worse? “Where’s Oliver now?”

“My brother-in-law’s boys are looking after him,” Kimberley said.

Like she could remember who half the people were. “Which ones are they?”

“Grayson and Spencer. I introduced you to them five years ago at the last family celebration you attended.” Kimberley’s tone made it more than clear that her inability to remember was a major fault.

Why would she remember a couple of boys from when she was twelve? “Where are they now?” Somehow she managed to keep the anger from her voice. She wasn’t going to let Kimberley get to her. Not this time.

“Some of the kids went for a walk along the easy walking trail. They’ll be back any minute. You can wait at the start of the trail for them,” Julie said.

“She should be grounded for making you spend so much time looking for her,” Kimberley said.

Leaving the headphones on the seat, Summer got out of the car. It’d probably be best to get started before Kimberley had an entire list of punishments she thought were suitable. “What am I meant to do with him?” She took her phone from her mum and pressed in the plug of the waterproof cover, which hid the headphone jack, before sliding it into a pocket of her shorts.

“It’s not that hard to entertain an eight-year-old boy,” Kimberley said. “Try using your brain for a change.”

Julie sighed heavily. “Just keep him out of trouble, Summer.” She brushed strands of black hair away from her face before momentarily lifting up the cascade of messy curls that were tied at the nape of her neck.

Summer bit back the words she wanted to say. They wouldn’t help. Only give Kimberley more ammunition. “You could plait your hair, it’s a lot cooler.” She’d plaited her own messy black curls into a single plait earlier that morning, wondering as she did every summer why she didn’t cut it short instead of leaving it waist length.

“Watch your brother. Please, Summer.”

Ignoring Kimberley’s next complaints, Summer met her mum’s dark brown eyes, identical to her own. “I’ll look after him.” It wasn’t like she had much of a choice.

“Thank you.” Julie lifted her hair off the nape of her neck again and turned to Kimberley when she continued her complaints.

Seeing the forced smile on her mum’s face, Summer felt a touch of sympathy. Not enough though to want to stick around and listen. With a last glance at her mum, she strode towards the start of the easy walking trail. She had no idea why anyone would want to take a walk in this heat. Mid afternoon and she was still sweating. If the previous day was anything to go by, she’d be sweating long after the sun went down.

Spotting a group of kids hanging around the sign for the walking trail, Summer hurried forward, scanning the group for Oliver. As the kids began to disperse, she reached the group, turning in every direction as she tried to find her half brother.

“Something wrong?”

She turned to face a young man who had to be at least six foot. He had broad shoulders, short brown hair that was damp with sweat and blue eyes that seemed vaguely familiar. “I’m looking for my brother. Half brother.”

He glanced around before facing a boy that looked similar to him, several inches shorter and his shoulders a little narrower. “Spencer, you seen Oliver?”

Spencer shook his head after a single glance around. “Want me to go back along the track and find him, Grayson?”

“You’ve lost him?” Could this day get any worse? She was sure Kimberley would figure out some way to blame it on her.

“He can’t be too far back.” Grayson moved closer to his brother, lowering his voice. “Get the rest of the kids back to their parents and cover for us. Tell them Oliver was tired and couldn’t keep up so I walked with him.”

Summer had moved close so she could hear what Grayson said. He wasn’t going without her. “Tell my mum I went after them.” Hopefully that would prevent Kimberley from blaming her for her brother being the last one back. Especially if they could hide the fact he’d been left behind.

Spencer nodded, calling out to the rest of the kids to follow him.

Summer walked beside Grayson as he strode along the narrow trail. “How could you have lost him?”

“Easy. There were nine kids with us.”

She wiped at the trickle of sweat that ran down the side of her face. “How far did you walk?”

“We didn’t exactly stay on the track.”

She grabbed his arm, coming to a stop and tugging so he faced her. “He could be anywhere?”

Grayson shook her hand off. “Of course he isn’t just anywhere.” He continued along the track.

She hurried after him, dust from the track coating her sneakers. As sweat trickled down her back she thought longingly of the beach. “Who had the crazy idea to run around the bush in this ridiculous heat?”

Grayson glanced towards her with a grin. “You complained about the heat the last time you were here.”

She reached his side. “You remember me from last time?” Apart from his eyes seeming familiar, she couldn’t recall having met him before. But it was five years ago. He’d probably looked different. She knew she’d changed a bit in the past five years.

“You have to remember I was only thirteen,” Grayson said.

It sounded like he was trying to apologise. She tried to think what he could have done. Her mouth dropped open for a couple of seconds. “You tipped the bucket of water on me.” It had been balanced on the door of the bedroom she’d shared with her brother.

“I had help. My brother and one of my cousins.”

She remembered the water cascading over her. It hadn’t been so bad after the initial shock. At least it had cooled her off on an extremely hot day. She vaguely recalled turning around at the sound of giggling and running footsteps, catching a glimpse of three figures retreating, one of them glancing back over his shoulder. “Why did you do it?”

He shrugged. “You were complaining about the heat and we’d watched a movie about a kid who played a lot of practical jokes on people. It had looked like fun.”

“Was it?”

He chuckled. “Until we were grounded for half of the Christmas holidays. My mum also lectured us on how you could have been hurt by the bucket falling on you.” He glanced towards her. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

She hadn’t been. The bucket had missed her, only dousing her in its contents. But she didn’t know if she should tell him. She was tempted to let him suffer a little first. How could he have lost her brother?

“Summer?” He reached for her hand, drawing her to a stop. “Did we hurt you?”