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Back The Orchardist's Daughter Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. DEDICATION
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART I SEEDS
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. PART II GERMINATION
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. PART III GROWTH
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. PART IV UNDERSTOREY
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. EPILOGUE
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Max knew there was nothing wrong with the matches: Jaden was just useless at lighting them.

‘This is how you do it,’ Jaden said. ‘You’ve gotta suck as you bring the match up so the smoke catches alight.’

Jaden was dragging on the smoke like an expert, and the tip of the cigarette went red. But then Jaden started choking. Max almost laughed, but stopped himself just in time.

Then it was Max’s turn. He was worried he would cough too. It couldn’t be that hard; he’d seen Dad and Mum do it a thousand times. Sticking the next-best cigarette on his lip, he lit a match. He was good at matches because Mum let him light the fire at home. In front of Jaden, he squinted his eyes, trying to look pro. Then he made the match touch the cigarette, concentrating hard so his hand wouldn’t wobble. He was nervous. The cigarette hissed and he sucked on it a bit, but kept the smoke in his mouth without pulling it into his lungs. The tip of the cigarette went red and smoke came out of his mouth. It was like he was on fire on the inside.

Jaden was watching him. ‘Hey, why aren’t you coughing?’

‘He’s a natural,’ Callum said, excited.

Jaden was pissed off. He kept looking at Max, waiting for him to cough. ‘You’re not doing it properly.’

‘Yes, he is,’ Callum said. ‘Look at all the smoke coming out of his nose.’

Max stayed cool. When he finished the cigarette, he chucked it on the ground and squished it in the dirt with the toe of his shoe, like Mum and Dad did. Then he picked up the stub.

‘What are you doing?’ Jaden said.

Max gave him a look and said, ‘I’m going to chuck it in the bin. If the teachers find it, we’re dead.’

He was ready to go home, and he thought it was over, but Jaden gave a twisted smile and said, ‘More.’

‘What do you mean?’ Max asked.

‘I want more smokes.’

‘What if I can’t?’

Jaden grinned. ‘You will.’

Max felt sick. Every time he tried to steal smokes it would get harder. And if he couldn’t get cigarettes, Jaden might hurt the pups. He would have to find homes for them fast. But what if the bullying didn’t stop when the pups were gone? What would he do then?

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