Bundling into the back of Aunty’s car with Mum, I realise Uncle has Laney in there too, draped half over his lap, checking for injuries. Sam is at the wheel. I get a look at Aunty Mel and Rhi waving at me as they fly past in Uncle’s car. May is looking over the front passenger seat, grinning at me.

‘Good girl,’ is all she says before Sam hits the gas.

Sam floors it out of there, past the Dodge parked to one side that makes everything in me crumple. I collapse into Mum’s arms sobbing.

She hugs me close, wrapping me tight in one arm, while her other hand rubs Laney’s leg.

‘It’s okay,’ she whispers. ‘It’s okay.’

But she doesn’t know. It will never be okay again.

A Few Days Later

A Few Days Later

Light-filled rooms with bright white walls stretch out around me. Sitting in the hall I rub at the stains on my hands. The door opens and a nurse steps out. She’s one of the white ones from around here, but a good one. There’s no judgement, she just smiles and motions me in.

I go straight to Laney’s bed, climbing up beside her and cuddling close. Our faces on the same pillow, I lift my right hand and she lifts her left. Palm to palm, we weave our fingers together.

Tucking our joined hands between us, I close my eyes.

‘I knew you could see me,’ she whispers.

I crack one eye open and raise the accompanying eyebrow.

She smiles. ‘I knew you were with me, those times when you were dreaming. I could feel ya beside me.’

I open the other eye and frown at her, but she just laughs. ‘Mum told me.’

I shake my head and close my eyes again.

‘You know it’s been a while now. Are you planning to never talk again?’

I keep my eyes shut.

The doctors want me to go to a trauma psychologist in Bundaberg. They say I’m punishing myself for something. I know what, but they won’t believe me so why bother? When they did a search of the place for ‘whoever’ took Laney, they found Dan’s car, and the real panic set in. They’re still searching those hills for him like they hadn’t for Laney, even went into the cave yesterday after Uncle agreed to show them where it was. They couldn’t beg, bribe or force any blackfullas into that cave though. When they did go into it there was no sign of Dan and the white people didn’t see nothing in there.

‘Nuthin they don’t want to see,’ is how Aunty Mel puts it.