Page 23 of The Summer Island Swap
Out of breath, I stopped. I’d been walking upwards for fifteen minutes. My whole body dripped with perspiration. I’d tripped over a rock and scratched my arms on bushes. I pushed myself up. My knee was bleeding. I ignored the voice in my head telling me I should have worn long trousers.
Around the corner, I came to a fork and turned left. Down I went, following a path. Nothing seemed familiar – no, scrub that, the problem was it did. The mish-mash of plants with gleaming leaves all looked the same. The sprawling canopy of trees meant only chinks of sunlight got through. I almost shrieked as I walked straight into a huge sticky spider’s web.
I brushed the silky strands away and decided to climb straight down, through vegetation. I pushed straggling foliage out of the way. My hair got tangled. A nail broke. What if I got stuck in the rainforest overnight? I might rub up against some venomous frog. Maybe there would be a bout of tropical rainfall and I’d catch hypothermia. Did wolves or bears live here? There was nothing for it. I was just about to yell for help when I heard laughing. I hurried further down, slipping every now and again in the soil underfoot. Eventually the trees began to clear.
I emerged at the back of a building and peered inside. The canteen. The chef had a round smiley face and looked as hot and discomposed as me. Smoothing down my hair, I walked around the side. Rick stood with his hands on his hips.
‘Where on earth have you been? I was just about to instruct staff to search, what with evening approaching…’
‘I decided to take a look around,’ I said. ‘I didn’t realise I had to inform anyone of my whereabouts.’
‘Well, you do – until you are more familiar with the place. With due care Seagrass Island is a perfectly safe place to explore, but newcomers need to be aware of the risks – plants that cause bad reactions on the skin, marshy areas of ground that mean you might fall and sprain your ankle and be unable to get back.’
‘I did look out for snakes,’ I said, trying not to sound totally naive.
‘You’d actually be lucky to spot one. The vibration of footsteps normally scares them off. You’re more likely to come across blood-sucking leeches and...wait a minute...’ His voice sounded strained. ‘Please tell me you’ve had your jabs.’
‘Of course,’ I said, irritated. ‘Sorry for the inconvenience.’ I wasn’t used to feeling like a nuisance. ‘I would have climbed a tree if wolves had come or—’
Was that amusement or irritation that flickered across his face?
He pulled a twig out of my hair, passed me a tissue and looked down. I followed his gaze and wiped my bleeding knee.
‘Weren’t you worried about trekking through the vegetation on your own? Anyone else might have just waited and looked around the zoo until someone returned to guide them back.’
I shrugged. ‘I’d rather give things a go myself. You don’t get anywhere in life by relying on a hand up.’
His frown softened. ‘Right… yep… okay, well, we’d better get you something to eat before chef stops serving. Your sister’s inside. The smaller building, to the left of this canteen, is the Games Room with a snooker table, darts and board games. Most people pile in there after dinner and…’
Without saying a word I went in, politely listening to him.
Amy hurried over and stared at my knee. ‘Sarah! What’s happened? Are you all right?’
‘Nothing to worry about,’ I said breezily. ‘I got lost for a while, but it… it was fun, although I’ve reassured Rick I won’t go AWOL again.’
Jonas waved and pointed to a seat next to him. I went over and sat down. Amy sat opposite. I swigged back a glass of water.
‘Rick tells me that all the electricity comes off at nine to save costs,’ I said. ‘Apparently it sets a good routine. Many volunteers are up very early if they are trail clearing or doing a bird count. He said there are torches for everyone.’
‘Living the high life, eh?’ muttered Jonas.
I couldn’t help laughing at his expression. ‘It’s funny,’ I said, gazing right, at Helga, with her starched top tucked into her trousers and scraped back hair, and then back to Jonas’s dreadlocks and flowing cotton shirt. ‘Going by appearances you look far more laidback than your sister. Yet none of this seems to faze her. She’s happily unpacked in our shack and said she couldn’t wait to see her first tarantula.’
‘Iamlaidback,’ he said indignantly. ‘Just in more of a… a bohemian, find-me-in-the-bar-jamming-with-musicians kind of way.’
I pushed his shoulder. Amy took me up to the serving hatch. There were flaky-looking burrito style wraps called roti, stuffed with curried meat or vegetables, with peas on the side.
‘They are delicious,’ she said, when it was my turn.
Malik’s smile widened further and he reached for my plate. ‘You must have two, after such a high recommendation.’
I went back to the table where Benedikt was also sitting and a couple of long-term volunteers. It was basic with hard chairs and reminded me of eating lunch at high school. I took several bites. The roti was delicious.
‘Curried goat,’ said someone.
I gagged. In the supermarket I liked my well-known brands. I was all for taking risks, but not when it came to food and that meant not trying other labels, let alone eating something like goat. Jonas went up to the serving area and game back with two mangos.
‘You okay?’ asked Amy and stared at my plate.
