For a second he hesitated.
My heart stopped.
Then he took the ticket and said, "Yeah, we're even now."
My heartbeat slowed down again. I even took a breath. Okay, I admit he can be a pretty good brother sometimes. I watched him swagger over to the side of the boat where the captain's assistant was tying a chunk of raw pork to the bamboo. She made a fuss of him. Charlie loved the attention - I could tell by his stupid smile.
I didn't want to watch, but my eyes darted from the raw meat to Agro (who had just slid into the water) to Charlie (who was still smiling). If Agro decided that Charlie's head looked tastier than the pork, it'd be my fault.
I crossed my fingers, sat on my hands and stared. Charlie waved the bamboo, so the pork dangled out in front of Agro. She glided closer and closer, not taking her bulgy yellow eyes off the meat. And then she jumped up high, but Charlie lifted the pork even higher. Agro went ballistic. She thrashed about, letting everyone know she wasn't happy. People laughed. I glared at them. Agro settled down and glided up and down along the side of the boat. Charlie waved the pork over her head but she ignored it.
Suddenly I had a real bad feeling. The same way I felt before I took off the handbrake of Dad's car the other day. Something terrible was going to happen; I just felt it. But what could I do?
I tried to watch the pork, Agro and Charlie all at the same time. Then she leapt way up in the air. But for some reason, Charlie pulled the bamboo in and the croc lunged toward him. Cameras clicked and people screamed, including me. Agro missed Charlie and the pork. My heart raced.
Charlie hadn't moved. He just stood there real calm. The captain made a joke about Charlie being a daredevil. I didn't laugh. Charlie smiled like it was nothing. Then he waved the meat over Agro's head again and this time she soared up and got it. Everyone clapped.
Charlie came back to his seat with that stupid grin on his face. Alyson carried on like he was a hero.
Harry jumped off his seat and said, "You're so brave."
Seemed more stupid than brave to me.
Charlie still couldn't stop grinning. Alyson and Harry fired questions at him as though he'd only just escaped death.
Weren't you scared?
Did Agro look you in the eye?
Could you see down Agro's throat?
Tyson's arms were folded and I could tell he didn't like all the attention on Charlie.
I didn't care. Well ... I sort of did. I wished I wasn't a scaredy-cat. I wished I were brave.
Finally, the boat ride ended. As we walked back to the LandCruiser, Dad pulled out his digital camera and showed Charlie the photos he'd taken of Charlie feeding Agro. I didn't care. I got into the car, lay across my back seat and closed my eyes.
I heard Dad start the car and say, "It's a fair way to Jabiru."
Sleeping would make the time go faster, I decided.
***
"Max, we're here. Wake up," Mom said softly as she shook my shoulder.
Slowly, I got up and looked out the car window. "Where are we? And what's that?"
"That's our hotel. You slept the whole way."
"Why does it look like a humungous monster?"
Charlie laughed.
I turned round and gave him an evil stare.
Mom replied as she stuffed things into her handbag, "The hotel is in the shape of a crocodile. There's a pool in the middle."
"What? We'll be sleeping inside a croc?"
Mom huffed. "Come on. There's Dad with the key."
While Dad got the bags out of the back I said real casual, "So, if there's a fire, then we'll all be trapped inside a croc."
Charlie looked at me and rolled his eyes, while Mom said, "At least we'll all die together."
I replied, "I don't mind being an orphan, you know."
"MAAX!" said Dad in that voice. "There'll be fire alarms and sprinklers and you'll be safer in there than at home." He picked up a bag and marched off toward a staircase - a staircase that had a roof in the shape of a croc's foot.
Charlie and me had our own room, which meant we could stay up all night and watch cable TV. He jumped on the bed closest to the TV and grabbed the remote. Typical - he was so immature. I opened up every drawer and cupboard, in case someone was hiding.
No one was.
We went downstairs for a swim and even though it was as hot as, Charlie and me were the only ones in the pool. We played water polo and, as usual, Charlie was thrashing me (even though I was jumping off the bottom of the pool when I went to shoot a goal).
Mom called out to us just as Charlie got his twentieth goal, "Time to get out; we're going for a walk."
"Walk?" I leant over the side of the pool near where Mom sat. "Where?"
"On a walking trail," she said.
I whispered, so Charlie wouldn't hear, "Out in the bush? Are there fences?"
Mom didn't lower her voice. "Why would you want fences?"
Charlie laughed from behind me. "Oh, Max, you're not scared of going for a walk? You can't be serious."
"Am not." I jumped out of the pool and grabbed a towel. I'm going to be brave, I said to myself. But then I realized the crocs would've sunbathed all morning and would be ready to eat. Although they'd probably go for Charlie, because he was bigger and they'd get more meat.
I wrapped the towel around my waist and said, "Hurry up, Charlie. Let's go."