‘What if he realises? We’re not exactly the same, memba?’

‘Pfft, he’s a man. If it’s not boobs or a bum he’s not lookin that hard.’

‘Nice, real nice.’

‘Plus, he was already tipsy when Aunty went over there before. What’s the bet he’s drunk now?’ She leans forwards in her chair, willing me to listen. ‘Come on, Tace, we can do this.’

Maybe I’m going a little mad myself because the more I think about it the better Rhi’s idea looks. Laney and I dress differently, wear our hair differently. But with a bit of darkness as cover and a whole lot of make-up, there’s a decent chance someone will mix us up.

‘Alright. It’s worth a try.’

Rhi whoops before she remembers to be quiet. I hold a finger up to warn her. ‘But if he tries to touch me I’mma start swingin.’

‘Fair enough.’ She grins back.

Day 3, Midnight

Day 3, Midnight

‘How do you talk me into these things?’ I mumble to Rhi.

She’d gotten me kitted up in Laney’s hip-hop clothing and massive hoop earrings, slapped some make-up on to cover the freckles and wrapped a bandana around my hair to hide the fringe I had but Laney didn’t. I looked into the mirror and burst into tears. Rhi let me go for a bit, then quietly fixed everything up. No car tonight so it’s a long trek, which is the only reason I am in my Nikes and not in Laney’s high-platformed strappy sandals that Rhi tried to force me into. The need for speed and silence won that argument for me.

We keep to the sides of the roads, cutting across paddocks and through places we know can’t be seen easily in the dark. When we have no choice but to use roads we walk like we aren’t sneaking around. Rhi says that’s the key. If someone looks out a window and you’re running or sneaking, then they’ll look harder. If they see two people walking they’ll look to see who it is, but that’s all. Rhi is the queen at this stuff so I do as I am told.

Rounding a corner I spot Troy’s place and baulk. Rhi is frigging psychic because her hand is already on my elbow, dragging me forwards. I feel bile rise in my throat.

‘I can’t do this.’

‘Yes. You can. And you will.’ Rhi spins me around and brings us nose to nose. ‘Because we need to know what the fucker did with our sister.’

It’s the most serious I’ve ever seen her and the steel in her body slips through to my spine.

‘It’s all about breath, Tace, follow mine.’