11. Missing

I helped Alice and Mikaela untack the horses while one of Mr Shearer’s stablehands brought us each a glass of cold water. I couldn’t drink mine. I was feeling too sick. Mrs Bacton would go nuts when she arrived. I hadn’t stuck in pairs and I hadn’t stayed within the boundary fences. I’d ridden unsupervised and I’d done more than wander off. I’d run off! On a racehorse!

I’d be sent home immediately. Mum and Dad would give me another lecture on letting my imagination run wild, and Mum would cut off my tuckshop money for a month. There’d be no sleepovers, and no play dates with friends, and I’d never be trusted to go on riding camp again.

I kicked the dust with my too-big borrowed boots.

There would definitely not be a horse of my own.

It was dark by the time a big old four-wheel drive rattled up the driveway, a horse float towing noisily behind it. I recognised the battered hat as soon as the light inside the car came on.

‘Thank goodness,’ said Mrs Bacton, rushing over. ‘You’re safe!’

But her smile soon dropped as she took in my ripped T-shirt, scratched arms, and filthy face.

‘I want to hear all about it,’ she said, ‘but for now, let’s load up the horses, and get you back before it gets any later. Just wait here a second, I want to say a quick thank you to Mr Shearer.’

‘Make sure you tell her,’ I whispered to Mikaela once Mrs Bacton had gone over to him. ‘You know, how you tricked me.’

Mikaela stuck out her chin. ‘You ran off, not me,’ she hissed.

‘But you tricked me.’

Mikaela flicked her ponytail behind her shoulders. ‘Prove it!’ she said.

‘Prove what?’ asked Mrs Bacton, coming back.

‘Oh, nothing,’ said Mikaela. ‘Lucky Alice and I found her, hey?’

Mrs Bacton smiled. ‘Yes, thank you, Mikaela. And Alice. I’m very grateful to you both. Not a nice place, the bush in the dark. Now, I can see Joey and Razz over there, but Charli, where’s Spud?’

Spud? My mouth went completely dry. I stared at my boots, wishing I could squeeze my eyes shut and become invisible.

‘Charli?’

‘She couldn’t stop him,’ whispered Alice.

‘I beg your pardon?’

Alice studied her fingernails, as if the dirt might hold all the answers.

Mikaela wore a giant smirk on her face.

Mrs Bacton’s lips were tight. ‘Charli?’

Alice started to cry. I didn’t dare look up as her sniffles grew louder. I focused on the bottom of Mrs Bacton’s jeans. They were frayed at the back where they hung over her boots.

‘Where’s Spud?’ she repeated.

‘I’m sorry,’ I murmured in a voice that wasn’t mine.

The jeans walked away. I heard Mrs Bacton say something to Mr Shearer. Alice’s sniffling developed into sobs.

‘Mikaela, Alice, get your horses, please. Charli, best you go wait in the car.’ Mrs Bacton marched around to the back of the float, taking Alice and Mikaela with her. I was left standing alone, my face burning.

I didn’t blame her for being angry. I’d broken every rule. But didn’t she understand? I was worried about Spud too. I turned towards the four-wheel drive, keeping my eyes firmly on the ground.

‘Your horse was the big grey thoroughbred, wasn’t he, love?’ wheezed a voice.

I jumped. Mr Shearer’s wheelchair was right behind me. ‘Yes,’ I mumbled, more to myself than to him. ‘His name was Spud.’

‘Well, then! Bet you a month of Sundays young Spud will turn up (wheeze) as soon as he hears the feed buckets rattle. Take it from me, all thoroughbreds are the same. Love their tucker. Don’t you worry – he’ll turn up.’

He winked and gave me a knowing nod, but I opened the door to the four-wheel drive, pretending I hadn’t noticed. How would he know? Crazy old man. It was his fault Spud was missing. If he hadn’t been raving on about shooting and killing and …

I busied myself moving a pile of old feed bags, bridles, and buckets into the boot, and slumped against the back seat as soon as I’d cleared a space.

‘All set?’ said Mrs Bacton, hopping in the front. Alice and Mikaela crammed in the back with me. Alice’s nose was red from crying.

Mrs Bacton said a last thank you to Mr Shearer before turning on the engine and jamming the four-wheel drive into gear. She’d taken off her hat and her thick black hair lay squashed against her head, as though it wasn’t used to being free. Without her hat and her straight white smile, she didn’t look like herself. I hoped she wouldn’t be too mad when we got back.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Alice as we roared down the driveway. ‘We’ll find him.’

Mikaela sat with her head pressed against the window. If only she’d own up.

But I already knew the answer to that one.

Fat chance.

Mrs Bacton didn’t say another word until we got to the stables. Silence. The worst kind of trouble. She got Alice and Mikaela to help her unload the horses while I was sent to my room. I lay on my bunk, listening to the bats screech and flap outside. The others would have fed their horses by now. If Spud were here, he’d be gobbling down his pellets, dropping them from his lips because he was gulping them too fast.

If Spud were here.

‘Charli?’ said Alice, flicking on the light. ‘You okay?’

I sat up, wiping away a rolling tear. ‘Is he back?’

Alice squinted, and squished her lips together like she’d eaten a sour worm.

I lay back down. I guessed not.

‘But don’t worry, Mrs Bacton’s going out to look,’ she said. ‘She’ll find him and bring him back, and he’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.’

‘She’s going now? In the dark?’

‘Yep. She’s just waiting for Mr Shearer to come and watch us, cos she doesn’t trust us on our own. Then she’s taking Razz and going out.’

‘She doesn’t trust me, more like,’ I muttered.

Alice padded over to my bunk. ‘I told her about the dead bat – in case you were wondering. She’s going to call someone to remove it.’ Then she chewed her lip. ‘It was my fault, too, you know,’ she said. ‘I tried to tell Mrs Bacton that I encouraged you. But she said I shouldn’t try and take the blame for someone else.’

I shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. Spud’s gone.’

‘Well … anyway, you have to come wait in the common room. Mrs Bacton’s made us some sandwiches and we’re to stay there until she comes back.’

And face the sneers and whispers and sly nudges? No thank you. ‘I’m not hungry,’ I said.

‘But Mrs Bacton said—’

‘Yeah, well, looks like I’m in the habit of ignoring what Mrs Bacton says. I’ll just stay here, thanks.’

Alice hovered in the doorway. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

‘You go. I’ll be okay,’ I said. ‘And can you turn off the light? Great.’

But she didn’t go. ‘Charli?’

‘What?’

‘There’s one more thing.’

‘What?’

‘She’s cancelled the gymkhana.’