Missing

by Gabrielle Lord

  I listened. I could hear something, a slight rustling of the leaves, and the sound of steady movement. Thankfully it wasn’t footsteps—this was a continuous sound, almost like a low hiss. I could see movement on the path ahead and I swung the torch beam in front of me.

  Immediately, I jumped back in alarm! Caught in the intense glare of the torch, the beady eyes of a swaying python stared coldly into mine as it dangled from a tree branch right in front of me. The snake had to be at least two metres long, with mottled skin and yellow eyes.

  Don’t run, don’t make any sudden movements. My heart hammering in my chest, I cautiously backed away, slowly changing direction, moving sideways into the undergrowth away from the creature. But no matter where I went, those beady eyes remained fixed on me, the reptile’s head turning with every move I made. I’d never been scoped out by a snake like this and it was very unnerving. After I’d gone a little deeper through the undergrowth, I shone the light back through the leaves and saw those eyes still staring after me.

  Taking long, deep breaths to calm myself, I continued my descent, but now very carefully watching where I put my feet and flashing the light quickly ahead of me in case there were more snakes hanging around. For all I knew, the one I’d just encountered came from a big family.

  Almost there, I paused and checked the contents of my backpack, making sure both phones and the charger were safely hidden under the false bottom. I pulled out the USB with SI-6’s Stealth Hacker program on it, ensuring it was safe in the pocket of my trousers. From now on, I would keep it with me at all times, just in case an opportunity arose for me to download information about the resort or the Paradise People.

  I was thinking about how to find Ryan when a voice called out, ‘Is there someone there? Identify yourself! Say the password!’

  Quickly, I crouched down, taking cover behind a clump of bushes. A password? BB hadn’t mentioned anything like that.

  I peered around the leaves and saw a young man in a loud Hawaiian shirt and white shorts standing by what I saw now was a fence. Looking around, I realised the buildings were ringed by a tall security mesh with barbed wire running along the top. Inside, bright flags flew and huts painted in bright holiday colours contrasted with the fence running around them. What a fantastic place, I thought, taking in the beautiful beach huts, the basketball courts, and hearing the soft roar of the surf only a little distance away. But what was with the fence? Who were they trying to keep out? Or keep in? Perhaps the security fence was to keep the pythons out?

  The man turned and looked straight at me. He started hurrying in my direction. If I broke cover and ran, he’d see me for sure. But if I stayed, my chances weren’t much better. As he came closer, I saw that he was actually looking past me. I remained frozen where I was, barely breathing. I didn’t dare look to see what had attracted his attention.

  Behind me, I heard someone crashing through the jungle, running away back up the mountain.

  ‘Hey! Come back!’ the man in the Hawaiian shirt yelled. But whoever was running away kept going. The man looked undecided, unsure whether to chase whoever it was, or remain at the fence. Eventually, he must have decided to give up the pursuit and he moved away, head down, using a two-way radio, aiming towards the corner where the fence made a right angle.

  I was puzzled. Who was the runner? And why would you run away from the Paradise People Resort?

  I remained crouched down for a while, thinking that it was going to be tougher to get to Sophie and Ryan than I’d expected.

  7:25 am

  By now, the sun had risen out of the sea, after turning the sky gold and pink. Through the fence, I could see what looked like dormitory blocks with washing lines alongside, and beyond them, I caught glimpses of a swimming pool, surrounded by tall palm trees decorated with fairy lights. A blue and gold flag with a cross of white stars billowed on a tall flagpole. Beneath it a smaller, dark pennant fluttered.

  From somewhere in the resort, the smell of a delicious breakfast teased me, reminding me how hungry I still was. I jumped as a loudspeaker broke the silence. ‘Breakfast is served!’

  I saw people in friendly groups laughing and talking as they made their way towards a long, block-like building that I guessed was the dining hall. Others with beach towels and swimsuits ran through the grounds, heading for an early morning swim. I could hear the joyful cries and yells of teenagers as they splashed into the sparkling swimming pool. But I didn’t have time to admire the attractions of the island resort—I was on a mission and needed to stay focused.

  My attention was caught by the red door of one of the nearby dormitory blocks opening and three people walked outside, laughing. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that one of them was Ryan! He looked well and happy as he laughed and joked with his companions. But as they turned away, Ryan’s expression changed. Not much, but enough for his twin brother to spot it. His face had gone from happy to I’m-not-sure-about-this, the same expression I had when I was worried about something. He seemed to be limping, too. Maybe that’s what was causing the face, I thought. He’s injured himself in some activity and is putting a brave face on it.

  There was no sign of any staff now so I ducked over to the mesh fence, calling from the outside as loudly as I dared. ‘Hey! Ryan! It’s me!’

  My brother stopped in his tracks. I saw his face register complete disbelief, then astonishment, then a worried smile. He hobbled over to join me on his side of the wire.

  ‘Cal!’ he frowned. ‘How come? What are you doing here?’

  ‘It’s a long story. But I’m really pleased to see you—we’ve been worried about you. The way you just took off. What happened to your leg?’

  Ryan looked around behind him, checking that no-one was watching.

  ‘That’s a long story too. And yeah, I did just take off. I had my reasons. We can talk about that later. But we can’t talk here. The CCTV cameras might pick this up.’ He sighed. ‘See those boats over there?’ He pointed to a couple of kayaks lying upside down outside the corner of the fence. ‘I’ll meet you there after breakfast, before rollcall.’

  ‘Rollcall? That sounds like school,’ I said.

  ‘They do it two times a day for safety reasons. But I think it’s to make sure everyone is where they should be. I’ll be done in half an hour or so, OK?’

  ‘I’ll be there,’ I said. ‘There’s a password.’

  ‘That’s right. They change them every now and then. The current one is Hannibal. Not sure why they have them. The counsellors—the people in the Hawaiian shirts—keep an eye on everyone and help out. Mostly they’re pretty cool. But that guy over there? The groundsman?’ Ryan pointed to a thin guy with black hair slicked back from a narrow face. ‘That’s Elmore. Watch out for him—there’s definitely something off about him.’

  Ryan must have noticed the look on my face. ‘I know it sounds weird, but there’s a lot about this place that just doesn’t add up. Some of the other kids told me if you’re somewhere you shouldn’t be, you have to stay out of the security camera range. If Elmore spots you, you get called up to Damien’s office. Damien says it’s because he has “a duty of care” for us—he’s responsible for us and needs to know where we are at all times, like good parents do. Look. I’ve gotta go. You’d better get lost, too.’ He looked around and I saw teenagers coming out of their dormitories, all heading down towards the breakfast room. The smells were unbearably tempting.

  ‘Mmm. Something smells good—sausages?’

  ‘They have great cooks here,’ Ryan explained, ‘I’ll give them that!’

  ‘Grab some food for me, please, Ryan?’ I asked, my mouth watering at the thought.

  We parted, Ryan to join a small group of chattering girls, while I headed back to the undergrowth where I hid myself, watching the proceedings. The Paradise People and the resort here sounded different from any resort I’d ever heard about. It looked like a whole heap of fun. But what sort of resort has rollcall? And something was going on here that had
caused Brittany Philips to have nightmares. Maybe she was just the sort of person who couldn’t really cope with being away from home. But she had said some weird things and maybe there was something more sinister involved. And that’s exactly what I was here to find out.

  Breakfast was over and I was about to sneak over to the trees by the kayaks, when I heard someone calling, ‘Ryan! Ryan!’

  I turned around, thinking someone was calling out to my brother, but then I saw that the counsellor was yelling at me—I’d been sprung! Then it dawned on me. The counsellor thought I was Ryan!

  As casually as I could, I strolled over towards him. I saw now that he was only a little older than me and very well built, as if he’d been working out a lot. He was wearing another of the crazy Hawaiian shirts, this one covered with yellow pineapples. I noticed it had Paradise People Resort embroidered on one of the chest pockets and his fair hair was flattened down under a baseball cap decorated with the intertwined PPR.

  ‘What are you doing outside? You should be having breakfast,’ he said, his eyes suspicious. ‘Password, please.’

  ‘Hannibal,’ I said confidently.

  ‘And you haven’t answered my question,’ the counsellor said.

  ‘I don’t have to answer to you,’ I said, feeling defiant to this guy. Who did he think he was?

  ‘Ryan, you know the rules around here.’

  What was this place, I wondered, a detention centre?

  I thought quickly. ‘I was told to check the kayaks,’ I said vaguely. ‘Make sure they’re ready for anyone who wants to use them later.’

  The counsellor looked puzzled. ‘Who told you that? The boss?’

  ‘Yep. That’s right.’ I didn’t want this conversation to go any further so I turned and started walking away.

  But the counsellor hadn’t finished with me. ‘I’ve been watching you, Ryan. And I don’t like your attitude. I’m not sure if you’ve got the right team spirit. You’d better not be late for the rollcall. You’ve already got one black mark against your name.’

  I kept walking away, giving him a wave as if to acknowledge what he had just said. But my mind was in turmoil. What kind of a resort was this with overzealous counsellors, a nosey groundsman and passwords and black marks?

  I risked a backward glance to see that he was still staring suspiciously after me. I prayed that Ryan was safely eating breakfast and would stay out of sight until I could do the same.

  7:48 am

  Once the counsellor had left, I stopped fiddling with the kayaks and snuck off into the jungle. As I looked for a way through, I skidded to a halt in front of a large tree with heart-shaped leaves—it was the Gympie Gympie stinging tree! Phew, that was close, I thought, looking at the prickly little barbs covering the plant and making a mental note of its position.

  I turned to walk away and promptly stumbled into something stuck in the ground. It was a headstone. I looked down and saw Solomon Foote 1818–1842 carved into the leaning tombstone.

  ‘Oops. Sorry, Solomon,’ I whispered, scrambling back. I’d ended up in an almost overgrown clearing set back from the beach. It must have been a cemetery for the convicts from years ago. It was fairly small—I counted around thirty to forty headstones scattered around. It was a peaceful place and I settled down nearby to keep the resort compound under surveillance, nestled down in some leaves to stay hidden.

  From here, I could hear the yells and shouts of kids surfing and others playing a fierce game of volleyball further along the beach . It wasn’t long before I saw my brother hurrying in my direction, limping slightly, looking behind him as he came. I whistled to him and within moments, he had ducked down beside me.

  I gave him a brotherly hug but Ryan pulled away. ‘Here, I brought you some food,’ he said, handing over sausages and some squashed bread rolls he’d smuggled out of the dining room.

  ‘Thanks, bro,’ I said carefully. Clearly he was upset about something.

  ‘So what are you doing here? Checking up on me?’ Ryan asked abruptly.

  I started to explain why I was there and how I’d arrived. Ryan was suspicious at first, but eventually, he was satisfied.

  ‘Are you OK?’ I asked, finishing the last sausage. ‘Tell me what’s been happening.’

  ‘Like I said, something weird is going on here. At first, I didn’t notice. I was so stoked at all the activities and the cool campfires on the beach at night. But then—’ He shrugged before continuing, ‘Things just didn’t feel right.’

  I told him about when I thought the first counsellor had spotted me. ‘But it wasn’t me he was after, it was someone else behind me running away through the jungle up the mountainside. Do you know who it was?’ I asked.

  ‘Might have been one of the kids who are hiding up in the jungle. They break in and steal food sometimes. And they raid the supply boat when it arrives. I don’t know who they are for sure. I heard Damien say that there were some hot-headed kids that came here quite a few months ago—they didn’t fit in and were really aggressive so he asked them to leave. But they refused and ran off. Damien’s been looking for them since then.’

  ‘They just live in the jungle, do they?’

  ‘Apparently. I haven’t been here long enough to really find out. None of the new people know anything about them and the ones who have been here for a while won’t say.’

  I thought of Rebecca and what she’d told us about Brittany and her nightmares. ‘Have you heard anything about some kind of key?’

  Ryan shook his head. ‘But, whoever these missing kids are, they aren’t the only mystery around here. I think some others have disappeared. One day they’re at rollcall, then the next, I don’t see them anymore.’

  ‘They probably just go home. What’s weird about that?’

  ‘But there’s no way off the island except for the supply ship, and that only comes once a fortnight to bring supplies and transfer people on and off the island. Apart from that there’s only Damien’s submersible. And I’m talking about kids just vanishing between rollcalls, on days when there’s no ship.’

  This sounded bad. What if Sophie had disappeared?

  ‘And did you know there are snakes in there?’ I pointed to the jungle around us. ‘I had a run-in with one on the way down from the mountain.’

  ‘Yeah, the pythons. Damien has warned us about them. He says they’re too small to be a danger to humans, and to just watch where we’re going.’

  ‘The one I saw didn’t seem so small!’ I said, remembering those eyes and long scaly body. ‘Any other ideas about what happens to these kids?’ I asked, my concern deepening.

  ‘Well, I noticed one guy being escorted into the office building the other day—Damien’s study is in there and it’s strictly out of bounds. He didn’t show up at evening rollcall that night. I wanted to know what happened to him. That’s how I did this.’ He pulled down the thick sock above his sneaker to show me a bandage. ‘I sprained it when I came off the roof,’ he said.

  ‘You jumped off a roof? Is that why you’re limping?’ I asked.

  ‘I was eavesdropping, but I didn’t hear anything—and then I lost my footing and I fell, and twisted my ankle. I was really lucky nobody saw me. I told everyone I’d hurt it playing volleyball on the beach.’

  ‘How many kids have disappeared?’ I asked.

  ‘He’s the third one I’ve noticed. I asked other people and they said not to worry about it. Damien says sometimes kids get news from home and have to be taken off the island quickly. And in that case, they’re taken in the submersible. Then they don’t have to wait for the supply ship. But Cal, I don’t believe him. Because I saw one of the disappeared kids—the one I’d spotted being escorted into Damien’s office block. He hadn’t left the island.’

  ‘Why don’t you just ask him what happened?’

  ‘I couldn’t. I saw him running as if he was late for something, but he was running away from the resort. I took off after him but I couldn’t catch him because of my ankle. And then—he jus
t kind of disappeared near the mountainside.’

  ‘You mean you lost him?’

  Ryan shook his head. ‘I didn’t lose him. He lost me. One moment he was running through the jungle. Next minute he was gone—right into thin air.’

  ‘Not possible, bro. He must have gone someplace.’

  ‘I searched everywhere. I had to be really careful because there was a big clump of Gympie Gympie trees near where I saw him vanish.’

  ‘Maybe he fell down a mine shaft or something.’

  ‘There aren’t any mine shafts here. This is all just tropical rainforest and volcanic rock. I looked everywhere. Then I made the mistake of mentioning it to one of the counsellors. He reported me for being out of bounds. That guy’s been on my case for a while.’

  That explained the counsellor’s comment to me about my poor attitude when he thought I was Ryan.

  Ryan winced as he went to get up. ‘What is it?’ I asked.

  ‘It’s my ankle. The nurse in the first-aid office told me it’s a bad sprain and to keep off it. Instead, I’ve been running around after disappearing kids. It’s getting worse.’

  I had another look at his ankle and could see the swollen flesh around the bandage. ‘You’ve got to rest that,’ I said. A plan was forming in my mind. It was bold but I hoped it just might work. ‘Ryan, listen to me. You can’t keep going on this—’ I indicated his injured ankle. ‘But I can. How about I take your place? We swap clothes, and nobody will know the difference. That way, I can start investigating this place as well as making contact with Sophie.’

  ‘Sophie Bellamy?’

  ‘You know her?’

  ‘Yeah, she’s a really nice girl. She’s had a tough time at home. We’ve talked a couple of times. I think she likes me.’

  I grinned and punched his arm and Ryan couldn’t help smiling. Then I became serious again.

  ‘Well? What do you think of the changing places idea?’ I could see that Ryan wasn’t one hundred percent happy about it. ‘Look,’ I said, ‘I know it looks like me coming onto the scene and taking over. But it’s not like that. It makes sense, Ryan. You’re out of action with that ankle. Think about it.’