Page 56 of Dauntless

“You weigh a ton!”I accused her when I set her back down.

“Fuck off,” she said happily.“But I know, right?And I’ve still got three months to go.How long until the entire island knows I’m a fallen woman?”

“Well, considering Young Harry Barnes brought you over, it’ll be all over the island by tonight.”I bumped her shoulder.“You doing okay?With the ex?”

“That loser?”Amy asked.She shuddered.“We’re completely over, believe me.”

There was a story there, and I was sure I’d hear it later.I slung an arm around Amy in a quick hug, then went and collected her luggage.

“Oh!”said Young Harry Barnes, slinging a pack over onto the jetty.“What have you got in here?I could use this one as an anchor, Amy!”

“It’s not that bad!”Amy protested.

I lifted the pack and slung it onto my back, my muscles straining.“No, it really is that bad.”

We walked toward the shoreline.Hiccup met us, shaking herself dry and then bouncing and wriggling in enthusiastic circles around Amy.

“Hiccup!”Amy crouched down and hugged her.“I missed you so much!”

“Oh, thanks,” I said dryly.

Any straightened and shot me a look.“You go without saying, dickhead.”

I snorted, and we walked slowly along the main street.

The statue of Josiah Nesmith cast a long shadow in the afternoon sun.

We passed the tourist information centre, which was open for the summer.Next door, the museum was closed, but the sign on the door said it would be open tomorrow.We walked further up the street, past the familiar sandstone cottages, following the path our feet had worn since we were children.

“Holy shit,” Amy said.“Has Mavis’s shop got a new sign?”

“And a new ice cream fridge,” I told her.“It’s been a whirlwind of change.The whole island’s talking about it.”

Amy’s eyes danced.“Oh, I can imagine.First we get a new mayor, and suddenly it’s fancy signs and fridges as far as the eye can see.When will the madness end?”

We started up the hill.

“How’s that going, by the way?”Amy asked.

I shrugged.“It’s not too bad.The lady from the Electoral Commission said she’d never seen a ballot paper with only one name on it before.They had to ask a judge if it was legal.”

“Well, who was going to run against Red Joe Nesmith?”

“I didn’t even want to run!”I muttered.“Mavis just announced that I was, and I couldn’t back out.”

“That sounds like her,” Amy agreed.

“It made the papers in Sydney.”

“Well, it’s not every day that the former mayor tries and fails to kill the guy who turns out to be his successor, and then launches himself off a lighthouse,” Amy said.“That’s probably newsworthy, even for Sydney.”

That was fair.

We trudged up the hill toward the lighthouse.

* * *

Acloud of smoke swirled out of my kitchen door, followed by an idiot waving a tea towel.

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