When Mum calls to check on us I’m parked on the couch watching Charmed and make out Laney’s in her room doing her own thing. No matter the shift she always checks in. I rush her off the phone by telling her I got detention for being late. Her guilt has her hanging up the phone quick. I finish Charmed and do some channel surfing – all two of them we can get in this house – and give up when all they want to talk about is the Sydney Olympics next year. Boring! Collapsing into bed after a quick sandwich and some study (just to get ahead), I close my eyes and imagine all the places I’ll see and waters I’ll dive in once I’m a marine biologist. Stuff swimming with dolphins, I want to get out there with killer whales.

Big saltwater dreams for my little freshwater Murri, Nan had always said with pride. Rolling over to throw her voice out of my head, I pass out.

Racing through the bush, scrub whips my legs. Stepping high over the layers of leaves, branches and bark that coat everything, I can’t escape it entirely. Every step sends out a scream of sound. I can’t hear the others. The plan was to split up if they found us so why do I feel like they’ve abandoned me?

Dogs howl over the shouts of men. I’m running through ironbarks that give no cover. Torchlights flash through the trees – they can see me. A loud crack and wood splinters.

Holy shit, they’re shooting!

‘Go low and zigzag!’ Troy’s words fire through my head. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I double over and force myself to dodge erratically. Hurtling through the trees, I’m moving away at a much slower pace now.

The torchlights wave randomly. They’ve lost my position.

I duck behind a big tree and press my back to the rough bark. Gulping breaths as quietly as I can, I watch the beams of light dance in the trees around me. They keep jerking like the people controlling them are running. Straight towards me. My heart tries to fight its way out of my chest. I force myself to wait.

Listening to the crunching footsteps getting closer I stare up into the face of the nearly full moon. I told Troy we should have waited. It was too soon since we last raided this place and the light of the moon would make us sitting ducks. Bet he wishes he’d listened now.

‘Where the fuck did he go?’

‘He’s gotta be close.’

Off in the dark the dogs set to howling and shouts of excitement ring out. My pursuers stop.

‘Come on!’

‘But we saw someone—’

‘I told you it was just a big roo. But you can keep chasin it if ya want; I’m gettin some of the real action.’