Watery Graves (17 page)

Chapter Twenty Nine

When Libby came charging through the trees at the lookout, Emmy was sprawled on her blanket lost in her book
.
She threw it aside and sat up straight, her heart pounding. “What?”

“Emmy,” Libby panted, dropping to her knees on the blanket. “Mum’s found a pile of bottles. Your bottles. Mercy River Winery Bottles– Kristian’s. She found them in the recycling bin and wants to talk to you.”

“But they weren’t labelled.”

“She knows Em.”

“She wants to see me now?”

“Now,” Libby confirmed, standing and pulling Emmy to her feet. “What are you smiling about?”

Together they charged down the path.

“Wait. Wait,” Emmy said pulling up. “I have to tell you something, Sebastian and I– we kissed each other.”

Libby stepped back, her mouth agape and top lip curled. “That’s so gross. What happened to waiting until he’s older?”

“You’re the one drooling over him.”

“That’s not me drooling. It’s my friends.”

“No
, it’s you too. There’s always some drool there just on the side when you see Sebastian, especially without a shirt.”

Libby cocked her head to the side
. “So what was it like?”

Emmy shrugged. “It felt nice.”

“And you think that’s a good reason to continue?”

“Yes.”

Libby shook her head. “I can’t keep up with you. I don’t want to keep up with you.” Then she paused for a moment. “You’re trying to put this off, aren’t you.”

“No,” Emmy lied.

She yanked Emmy by the arm. “Let’s just get this over with.”

*

A subdued Mrs Bexley had her arms folded on the dining table when Libby led Emmy through the door. The bottles were lined up in a row in front of her. It surprised Emmy how many there were; more than the ones she’d taken.

“I found some of these scattered down the back paddock this morning. The girls had already stashed a few in the bin for you. But I found them too,” Mrs Bexley said.

“Am I in trouble?”

“Maybe. Is there a reason you think you might be in trouble?”

“I won’t be doing it again, Mrs Bexley,” Emmy said, glancing across at Libby for some support.

“Libby, go to your room please.”

“Mum, don’t be too hard on her.”

“Go please, I need to speak to Em alone.”

Emmy sighed. There was some relief at hearing the affection in her shortened name.

When the door clicked closed down the hallway, Mrs Bexley beckoned to Emmy, “Okay Emmy, out with it. I want the truth.”

Words tumbled from her mouth as though someone else were in control. “Libby’s friends told me that some of them were trying to turn Libby against me. They said that if I took some wine for them then they would like me and not make her hate me.”

“Okay let’s get real clear here Emmy. Let’s change the word ‘took’ to ‘stole’. You stole the wine. Unless Kristian knows about it?”

Emmy shook her head. “He’s got his mind on other things at the moment.”

“Do you think he’s not going to miss all these bottles? I mean
, you took more than a few.”

“I only took enough to fill a crate,” Emmy said. “I don’t think he will blame me. I think he might think we’ve had a burglary or something. Because judging by how many bottles are here, I think that’s happened.”

“Well, in a way there was a burglary. But it started as an inside job.”

Emmy’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Mrs Bexley reached out and tapped her hand. “Now don’t worry about it. You’re not going to jail or anything like that at this stage of your new criminal life. But you need to think about how you’re going to break the news to Kristian about what you’ve done.”

“I’ll never do it again. The girls didn’t even speak to me after I handed over the bottles.”

“Of course they didn’t, dear. They’re sixteen and looking for fun. They pulled the wool over your eyes. It’s your job not to let them do it again. It doesn’t say much about their characters, as much as I love each of them. And it doesn’t say much about how much trust you
should
have in Libby. She would never allow those girls to turn her against you. In fact, if Libby had to choose, and from time to time she does, she would choose you over them.”

“Really?”

“That shouldn’t be a surprise to you Em. Do you want to tell Libby the whole story so she knows the truth about what happened?”

“She might hate me.”

“She won’t hate you Em. She might be disappointed in the girls though.”

Emmy pressed her lips together as she thought it through. “I’d rather forget it ever happened,” she said.

“In the meantime, you might need to get a lock for that cellar door.”

*

Emmy knocked on Libby’s bedroom door.

“It’s open,” Libby said.

Emmy slid through a crack.

“How’d it go?” Libby asked.

“Not so bad. Your mum wants me to tell you something.”

“Tell me what
?”

“Why I brought the wine to the party.”

“Why did you? You don’t drink it.”

“The girls. Your friends. Two of them.”

“Who?”

“Ah. Do you want names?”

“Yes.”

“Gertie and Jen.”

Libby rolled her eyes.

“They said that you would make sure that if any of the other girls ever tried to speak badly about me to you or anyone else they would make sure they stood up for me so that you would always like me.”

Libby raised one side of her lip in disbelief. “Really?”

“I get scared sometimes that could happen. That I’m kind of boring. That you wouldn’t see me as someone who’d be fun to hang out with.”

“Oh Em. Shut up. If I think you’re being a bit boring I’m lucky I can go down to the town and hang out with my interesting party friends any time I want. But I’d never fully trade you in.”

“Huh?” Emmy asked
, not sure if she heard correctly.

“I’m joking.” Libby reached up for her and pulled her onto the bed into a hug. “Get real Emmy. I’d never pass you up over anyone, especially girls like Gertie and Jen. I know what they’re like.”

“Really?”

“They played you big time.”

Emmy laughed. “Yeah they did, didn’t they?”

“I think Sebastian brought in more wine though. I think he was played too.”

“I hope. Or do you think they stole it?”

“Get a lock for the cellar.”

“Your mum said I need to confess to Kristian.”

“Are you crazy?”

“He’ll be mad.”

“Let me teach you something here. You never follow any adult
’s advice to confess anything. That will get you in more trouble than you’ve ever known. Go undetected as long as you can, in the hope it blows over and goes unnoticed. They never forget things like stealing. It breaks trust forever.”

“But your mum told me to.”

“I’ll tell her you told him and they were all so mad and I’ll make up a big story about it and tell her it’s kind of sensitive so don’t raise it again with any of them. That will cover your butt.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just believe me. Keep this one to yourself. It won’t be worth the grief you’ll get for the rest of your life. You all have enough stuff to deal with over there in those cabins without adding this to it. I have no idea what Mum is thinking getting you to do something as stupid as that. It’s cruel giving someone like you that kind of advice. Crazy.”

“Crazy,” Emmy repeated, dully.

“So are you going to come with me to the river bank today?”

Emmy closed her eyes. “I don’t know Lib. You go.”

“Emmy, stop it.”

“But I don’t get how to be with these girls.”

“Just be yourself.”

“But if I was myself they’d think I was strange and… and…”

“Weird.”

“Huh?”

Libby nudged her. “Just joking.”

“There are rules that I know nothing about.”

“There’s no rule book.”

“Exactly. If there were I could study it.”

“You’ll pick it up. All you have to do is come down there. I’ll be with you.”

“I don’t want to be something I’m not.”

“No one’s asking you to do that.”

“But you change when you’re with them.”

“No I don’t.”

“You do, Lib.”

“I just know what to do to fit in with the group. It’s fun being with people. Just hang out and you’ll see.”

“I’d rather go see a movie or something. I haven’t done that yet. Why don’t we go do that today?”

“Because everyone will be down at the river.”

Chapter Thirty

As usual, the girls were sunning themselves on their towels by the river bank. They were adorned in a regalia of coloured bikinis. Their hair flared like manes. Emmy found it hard to believe that she was following Libby and Sebastian down there again. It was a lioness
es’ den, a place where the girls made all the rules and changed them at their whim.

As soon as they broke through the shrubbery onto the grassy hillside, Sebastian hooked his towel around his neck, and headed towards the boys playing a game of soccer.

Emmy called out after him, “Do you want me to take your towel?”

He turned back, but looked down at the gawking girls instead of her, shaking his head
. “I’m fine, thanks.”

It wasn’t like it used to be between them. It wasn’t easy anymore.

Libby tugged at her shirt. “This way Em. Sebastian knows what to do.”

Walking down to the girls, Emmy said, “He’s not the one I’m worried about.”

“Are you two
lovers
okay?”

“Sh. Someone will hear you.” She paused for a moment, then dared to ask. “What do you mean?”

Libby scoffed. “I was the only one talking back there. I felt like an idiot, raving on just so there wasn’t complete silence. Did you fight?”

“I’m just nervous,” Emmy dared to say as they drew nearer to the girls.

“You’re supposed to be all over each other, you know, unable to stop it and all that.”

Emmy felt the heat grow in her face. “How am I
supposed
to know how it’s
supposed
to be? Is that one of the rules of dating or something?”

When Libby didn’t reply she looked across at her, noticing her face change, and realising the Libby she loved had gone.

“Hey girls,” Libby trilled, galloping the last few steps. She dropped her bag at the outskirts of the group and scurried among the girls, pressing a cheek to each of theirs and kissing the air. “Gorgeous day, isn’t it? Emmy’s come to join us.”

Emmy raised a meek hand to a chorus of bored hellos.

“Hangover city,” Libby joked.

Laughing, half the girls pointed at Gertie, who was sprawled out on her towel, not moving.

“She was the worst,” one of them said.

“So, so sick,” Gertie moaned, not even lifting her head. “Never drinking again.
”

Emmy spread her towel out alongside Libby’s and plonked down. The sun’s rays were strong on her back. Libby stripped to her bikini. Emmy went as far as taking her shorts off, but kept her t-shirt on
, not wanting to risk sunburn.

One of the girls threw a bottle of something to Libby
. “We’ve all got this on. It helps you tan.”

Libby looked at the label, shrugged and smothered it all over herself. It looked like some kind of oil. When she offered it to Emmy, she took it, looked at the label and then placed it back on the towel beside Libby. “I like my skin the way it is. It’s smooth. And freckle free. Sunscreen’s better than oil.”

One of the girls snickered. She whispered to another, who glanced over her shoulder, looking Emmy up and down, her top lip curled in a sneer.

Emmy pulled her shirt over her bent knees and hugged them to her chest.

“Em,” Libby whispered. “Everyone can do with some self-improvement.”

“Lib,” Emmy said, not bothering to whisper. “It’s the hottest bloody day on record and these girls are asking you to bake like a piece of meat in an oven.”

“A good tan looks great,” Libby replied, her lips tight.

Emmy read the stare from Libby as saying something like,
Follow the rules.
But in that moment, for her it was more like
Stuff the rules.

Emmy stood and pulled her shirt off exposing the horizontal striped two-piece swimmers in the style of fitted shorts and halter top. Her mother had just finished making them for her. “I’m going for a swim,” she announced.

“The soccer game has only just started,” a girl with long blonde hair said, shading her eyes from the glare. “The boys won’t be ready to cool off for ages.”

Emmy caught a glimpse of Sebastian tearing down the sideline and yelling for the ball. It sailed across to him. He bounced it on his knee, gained control of it and dribbled it several more paces before making a pass to a boy she thought she recognised as Jed. At a distance she couldn’t be sure. It made her wonder again how much Sebastian remembered from that night.

“Maybe we should see if we can join in on the game,” Emmy said. “It looks like fun.”

Libby tried to pull Emmy back down onto her towel
. “It’s a boy’s game.”

“Or lesbians have been known to like it,” Gertie mumbled.

Emmy sat for a moment. She decided then and there that Libby’s friends weren’t ever going to be hers. Even though the town was small she knew they couldn’t be the only girls her age. And she gave up caring.

“Well maybe I’m a lesbian then. If I was, I’d be fine about that.”

Jen covered her mouth, loudly whispering to the girl next to her, “I told you. She’s just like her mother.”

“Being like my
mum would make me happy.”

Libby squeezed her hand. Emmy yanked it free. “Remember when we used to play cricket, Lib? You and Matilda and Cassidy. Me and Sebastian and Kristian?”

A look of panic slid across Libby’s face, but she nodded. Her eyes begged for Emmy to stop.

“Sorry. I’ll be quiet. Don’t mean to embarrass you,” Emmy said, rising to her feet and flouncing down to the river, leaving a trail of giggles in her wake. And she did feel bad for Libby. Just because she didn’t want to be a part of the group, didn’t mean she should spoil it for her friend.

Gutless insults floated down after her.

“Nice swimmers.”

“I couldn’t pull off those stripes.”

“Not many people can.”

At the waterline, Emmy crouched down and splashed cool water over the humiliating heat in her face. She questioned what she was about to do, but found herself knee deep before she knew it. After all, swimming was fast becoming something she did when she needed an escape. She took to the water.

“I can do this,” she said, under her breath. “Whatever is, is.”

Thigh deep.

Waist deep.

Her shoulders bobbed just above the water. She sank low, enjoying the way the water lapped at her neck. With her eyes closed, she summoned courage, held out her arms and pushed off the muddy bottom.

She swam, enjoying the rush of water in and out of each ear with every breath. It was more comforting than that poisonous conversation. Through squinted eyes she saw the shadows of her supporters in the depths. Schools of tiny silver fish darted past her fingertips. By the time she heard the barking dog, the faces came through the murk clearly. They didn’t come close enough to touch her, but they were smiling at her.

When the river bed came up to meet her on the other side, it was almost unexpected. She drew her body out of the water but didn’t dare look back at the girls. And she definitely didn’t want to know if Sebastian had seen her swim across on her own. The swim suit sagged as the waterlogged material drained onto the flat rock. It was a great place to rest. She stretched out in the sun. Water lapped at the rocky edge. She was different. She didn’t fit. Perhaps she never would. Lolling her head to the side, she realised with the river between her and the Mercy Falls girls, she’d already been forgotten.

A creature scrabbling in the gravel behind her made her sit up. Expecting to see a lizard or something cute and furry, it surprised her when she saw a pair of sad sea-green eyes rimmed with thick make up. A fake tear was painted on a skeletal cheek. The girl in black shook her long gothic hair over her face. Strands of it stuck to her blackened lips. She clomped down closer to Emmy, her chunky boots skidding to a stop as she squatted, taking care to stay sheltered by the bushes.

“Are you all right?” she asked Emmy, her voice gravelly and strange. 

Emmy nodded, biting down on her tongue.

“You of all people shouldn’t swim alone.”

Emmy checked back over her shoulder, wondering if any of the Mercy Falls crowd was watching.

“Don’t worry about them. They can’t see me anymore. It’s easier on them. Selective, you could say. They choose to ignore what they can’t face. It stops the guilt.”

On shaky legs Emmy sidled down to the river’s edge. The shake became a visible tremor. She hunkered down to hide the fear.

The girl in black backed away, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Be careful in the water. That’s all I’m asking. I’ll be watching to make sure you’re okay on this side. Just get back safely.”

Emmy shuffled closer to the edge and slid back in. Preparing her limbs, she ducked under and pushed off the rock. Her heart was thumping. At each breath, she gasped for air.

Underneath her the silver fish darted, the dog barked and the friendly faces of her support crew smiled at her in pride. Her arms ached as she sailed past the pontoon. A part of her wanted to stop and rest but a larger part of her wanted to prove how easy it was for her to swim in that river.

The swimming costume weighed her down. Her hair fanned out around her. The stream of bubbles she blew out her nose wouldn’t have been glamorous. But the gushing water in and out of her ears made her deaf to the group’s jeering.  

When Emmy pulled up at the bank she was welcomed by two sets of familiar legs. She stood up in water chest deep and was greeted with two beaming faces, Sebastian and Libby.

“Want to go again?” Libby asked.

“I need to catch my breath,” Emmy panted, but turned back to the water anyway.

“To the pontoon,” Sebastian shouted as he ran, throwing his sweaty body into the water, and starting to freestyle.

Libby breast-stroked, keeping her head above water.

Emmy rolled her eyes, taking a couple of labo
ured breaths before ducking under the water. As she swam she held up her thumb to the smiling crowd of supporters and headed after Sebastian. By the time she reached the pontoon, Libby was beside her, long hair very wet.

“More than one Mercy Falls rule has been broken huh Lib?” Emmy said, pulling her own wet hair off her face.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, here we are girls swimming without the town boys to flirt with and…”

“And?”

“And our hair is wet.”

“Yep.” Libby ducked under the water so it smoothed her hair down her back.

Sebastian held a hand out to them and hauled them up together. Emmy’s swimmers had stretched to the point of sagging near her knees. Chuckling, she pulled them up and flopped down on the pontoon, her arms wide. It rocked as Sebastian and Libby dropped each side of her. They stared up at the sky. Birds flew across the blue, in a perfect V. Emmy sighed. Relief softened stiff muscles, the tension leaving her.

Libby gave a nervous giggle. “The sky didn’t cave in.”

“It was never going to,” Sebastian replied.

Emmy looked from one to the other, satisfied to be with her friends.

“Next time I’m being a
sociable teen, I’m going to see what it’s like to go to a movie,” she said.

“I’ll take you. There’s some good ones playing at the moment.”

“Any rules in movie cinemas I need to know about?” Emmy said.

“Just, you know, sit and eat some popcorn.”

“If you can’t do that Emmy, there’s no hope,” Sebastian joked. “Libby and I will be there to show you how easy it is.”

Emmy didn’t like his tone. She was sick of the underlying jabs about how hopeless she was out in the world. “How many times have you seen a movie Sebastian
?” 

“Dad takes me out at night sometimes.”

Emmy sat up, looking down at him. “Really?”

He shielded his eyes against the sun. He nodded with a cheeky grin.

“I hate secrets, Sebastian. How come I was never told?”

“I was scared it would stop.”

“So this whole time you’ve been on the internet, going to movies, doing anything you like.”

“Not anything. Just those couple of things.”

“So really that’s why you have no trouble fitting in out here. And here I am with no understanding about people and everyone rolls their eyes and gets all critical about me not knowing, like I’m this frail little thing…”

“You’re raving Em,” Sebastian said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, I’m so glad you did Sebastian. Now everything makes so much more sense to me.”

She flopped back down. “Don’t need you there Sebastian. I think this will be a thing I do with Libby.”

“Any time Em,” Libby said.

*

When Emmy and Sebastian arrived back, Kristian and Ingrid were still in the kitchen baking basil, tomato and shallot quiches for market day.

“How many have you done?” Emmy asked.

“Enough,” Ingrid and Kristian said in unison.