The Survivors, стр. 99

went ahead to check the route. The key dangling from the torch in her hand as she soaked up her surroundings, exploring this territory that was – for her, at least – uncharted. Gabby, happy to wait for him, feeling grateful to be there. Gabby, surrounded by tunnels of clean fresh rock, with a key in her palm and an idea forming. Gabby, finding a spot and carving her name, the way she’d been told others had done before her. Carving Sean’s name. Perhaps to mark the day they explored the cave together. Perhaps as a thank you. Perhaps because in that moment she’d believed, in some small way, they were almost friends.

It was all Sean could do not to bury his face in his hands. Instead, he sat completely still and didn’t let himself move. ‘You’re going to that spot again?’

‘Yeah, definitely.’ Bronte was nodding. ‘It’s really eerie. I’ll get an exhibition out of it, for sure.’

‘You reckon you’ll be able to find it, though?’

‘Yeah, I will. Not off the top of my head, but once I’m in there.’

She looked on through the shots. Sean sat next to her, his eyes unseeing. Finally, he spoke.

‘You probably shouldn’t go back down there. You could get fined.’

She smiled. ‘I’ll risk it. I’m trying to get into this art school in New York. It’s so competitive; they only take a few people a year. I need something really good for my exhibition topic.’

‘And this is it?’ Sean looked at her art desk with the boxes of pencils. His voice sounded odd to him but she didn’t seem to notice. ‘I thought you were mainly into drawing?’

‘I am, but this is for my advanced photo module next term. We all get some temporary space in the state gallery, plus there’s a bunch of national competitions I’ll probably enter.’ She tapped the keyboard. ‘This interior life of the caves stuff will work. It’s the kind of thing that gets attention.’

In the darkened window, Sean could see himself reflected on the bed, his shape distorted in the glass. He could hear the sea outside.

‘Please don’t go back down there, Bronte.’

‘Why?’ She turned to him, her face close to his. She was – he could hardly bear it – touched by his concern.

‘It’s dangerous.’

‘I’ll be careful.’ She smiled at him. ‘Anyway, you obviously got in and out alive.’

The ocean was calm, but when Sean spoke again he could barely hear himself over the sound of the waves.

‘That’s true.’

He looked back to the window. He couldn’t believe it when he felt himself put his feet on the floor. The bed creaked as he stood up. Sit down. The thought was hard to hear over the noise of the ocean. Please sit down. Sean remained standing. He went over to the window. Placed his torch back down on the desk, next to a little wire sculpture of a crayfish.

‘The moon’s great tonight.’ His voice wasn’t his own. His mouth was forming words that came from a place so deep inside him that he hadn’t known it existed. ‘The light was making these really beautiful patterns over the water. Did you notice?’

He couldn’t bring himself to turn around, but he saw Bronte’s reflection watching him.

‘Really?’ she said. ‘No. I didn’t see.’

‘You can’t really tell from in here.’ Sean stared out at the waves for what felt like a very long time, but he knew wasn’t. Because he really didn’t need that long to decide. Some part of him had already decided, the instant he saw the photo. ‘Do you want to go out to the beach? I’ll show you.’

Bronte looked up from the bed. He turned and could see the doona creased from where he’d been sitting next to her. She was still there, her fingertips resting lightly against the bed where he’d just been. Waiting, maybe. When he didn’t move, she shrugged and smiled.

‘Sure. Let’s go and see.’

Was that a tiny hint of disappointment in her voice? Sean still couldn’t hear properly; the sea was loud enough now to drown her out. She stood up, right in front of him, and he moved past her and walked to the door before he could stop himself.

‘Great,’ he said. ‘Bring your camera.’

Chapter 41

A thousand thoughts were crowding Kieran’s head, but the only thing he could see clearly was the way the water was circling Sean. The swell was waist-high and rising. His friend still didn’t move. Kieran took another step down the cliff path, stopping at the point where dry land disappeared.

‘Come out.’

Sean had both hands over his face and Kieran could see he was crying.

‘Come out, mate.’

No response. The water surged.

‘I can’t find Gabby’s carving,’ Sean said at last. ‘I’ve been looking, but I don’t know which tunnel she was in. The police will find it, though. Or someone else will one day.’

‘Sean, mate. That’s okay. All right?’ Kieran tried hard to keep his voice calm but he was struggling. ‘You can explain. A decent lawyer will –’

‘That doesn’t matter.’ Sean almost laughed. ‘Everyone will know, won’t they? Liam. And Olivia. And Trish. You.’ His voice dropped. ‘I know.’

‘Okay. I get that, mate. But come out of the water. Please. Now. I know you can feel the tide, Sean.’ Kieran was afraid to look too closely out to sea, scared to see how high the water was lapping against The Survivors. ‘You know what that means out here.’

Sean wiped a rough palm over his eyes. When he dropped his hands, he wasn’t looking at Kieran or the path. He was staring at the caves. ‘I knew what high tide meant back then, too.’

‘No, mate, just –’ Kieran was already punching in the emergency number on his phone. He took another step and was in the water now. He blurted his location to whoever answered and turned back to Sean, who was standing very still. Kieran’s heart lurched with every wave rolling in. ‘Sean. Come out.’

No answer.

‘Sean. Please.’ The tide felt like it