Catch Me If I Fall

Barry Jonsberg

Also by Barry Jonsberg

A Song Only I Can Hear

Game Theory

Pandora Jones (Book 1) Admission

Pandora Jones (Book 2) Deception

Pandora Jones (Book 3) Reckoning

My Life as an Alphabet

Being Here

Cassie

Ironbark

Dreamrider

It’s Not All About YOU, Calma!

The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body

First published by Allen & Unwin in 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book 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, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

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ISBN 978 1 76087 761 3

eISBN 978 1 76106 056 4

For teaching resources, explore www.allenandunwin.com/resources/for-teachers

Cover & text design by Debra Billson

Cover illustration by Iaroslava Daragan/Shutterstock

Set by Midland Typesetters

For Evelyn Rose Lutz, with love from Bampa

CONTENTS

SIX YEARS AGO

PRESENT DAY …

19: THREE MONTHS LATER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SIX YEARS AGO

The storm had taken out the power again, so Aiden and I were in our beds and Mum was reading us a story by candlelight. I remember thinking that stories were so much better by candlelight because the flame danced and that sent ripples of shadows and light across Mum’s face as she read. It’s like her moving face was part of the story, that the words changed her expression as if they touched a switch inside her, turned something on and off, on and off.

Aiden had the bedcovers up to his eyes, which were wide, unblinking and fixed on Mum. The candlelight made his hair, black and wavy like mine, shiver against the white of the pillowcase. It’s as if there were thin worms crawling and creeping across his scalp and the thought made me giggle and then it made me afraid.

I don’t know what the story was about because I’d been thinking about candles and lights and worms, but Aiden was drinking it in, thirsty for every word.