Chapter Ninety-Two

As promised to Elise, Lila sent a message to Twisted Bitches’r’Us, letting her know that she’d made it home okay. Though, truthfully, while she was physically okay, mentally she was spiralling.

She immediately went upstairs, still having not said a word to her parents. She didn’t have any capacity to think of anything to say to them at the moment. She didn’t even unpack her bags, instead preferring to lie in bed with the covers up to her neck. She also sent a message to Asher, wishing him a safe flight, and he opened it but hadn’t responded by the time sleep overcame her.

It wasn’t a restful sleep by any means. In fact, Lila felt as though she’d been suspended in a half-asleep state for the whole eight hours that she remained in bed. Her mind had been ticking and whirring, alive with questions she had no hope of knowing the answers to. Why had they left so suddenly? Why was Marlene going? Why didn’t they tell Asher until they were leaving for the airport? Why for a week? Why Vanuatu? She knew nothing about Vanuatu. Was it even a safe place to go to? Marlene had said that there wouldn’t be any reception – so he wouldn’t be able to send her any messages or call her. What happened to Gabriel? Was he staying behind? She hadn’t seen him in the car…

Then, of course, there was the palpable, all-encompassing feeling of disappointment and, frankly, sadness at the fact that they weren’t able to do the things that they had planned to do together. A tiny piece of her (well, maybe it was mid-sized) had hoped that if they kept hanging out… Asher would make up his mind. That maybe they’d be able to start the new term as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Lila finally opened her eyes just as she internally chastised herself for sounding like a sappy idiot. But, as tears sparkled in them, she couldn’t really fault herself for feeling that way. She was a sappy idiot.

“Knock, knock,” a gentle voice called through the door. It was Clare.

“Come in,” Lila replied unenthusiastically. Clare cracked open the door, taking a peek into the room.

“I thought you’d be bouncing all over the walls,” Clare commented, scuffling in.

“I had been,” Lila said glumly. “Until Asher’s Dad took him on a surprise trip to Vanuatu.”

“Lucky,” Clare replied enviously, sitting heavily next to Lila on the bed.

“Maybe for some, but Asher was really pissed.”

“Why? I’d love to go to Vanuatu.”

“They only told him as they were picking him up to go to the airport. We… made plans for the rest of the holidays. Bought tickets for stuff, even. But his Dad told him he had to go. His Dad was… kinda scary, actually.”

Thinking back on it, had that version of Ivaan been the version that had met with Tabitha the night she disappeared?

‘Stop it,’ Lila reprimanded herself, pulling the blankets tightly around her shoulders. ‘You have no evidence for anything like that. He was just mad that Asher was fighting not to go.’

“That kinda is a dick move, to be honest,” Clare nodded sagely. “I mean, they couldn’t even tell him at least a day in advance? Rude.”

“Yeah…”

“Guess that means you have a bunch of free time now,” Clare grinned, turning to face Lila. When she caught Lila’s expression, however, her grin faded.

“Damn, you’re really upset about this.”

“I am,” Lila admitted quietly. “I’m happy he’s having a holiday with his Dad, but… I can’t help but be miserable about the… things we were supposed to do.”

“Things?”

“Well…” Lila’s face grew red, her eyes lowering to the floor. “They were kinda dates.”

“Kinda?”

“We weren’t calling them dates but… we bought tickets for a show at the coast on Sunday. You know, like the carnival-type shows. And for Bounce on Tuesday. There was also a movie in the park on Wednesday night that we wanted to see. Then we were gonna go to the city, look at a rare bookstore on Friday. A-And for the other days, we were gonna hang out at his.”

Clare gave a low whistle. “What a busy schedule. And you say you’re not dating? You guys are crazy.”

Lila paused. Those plans were pretty hectic for people who weren’t dating. She looked up at Clare – what would she think about Gabriel’s strong reaction to their situation? Would she disapprove of it too? “… Uh… Remember when Asher ran to the car the other day? Gabriel got mad at him for… I guess sending mixed signals. Said it wasn’t gentlemanly or whatever. Unfair on me, since he’s the one not wanting to get into a relationship at the moment ‘cause of the whole ex thing. I guess… I wanted to see what you reckon, about all that.”

Clare looked at Lila sympathetically. “Look, Gabriel’s not wrong. Perhaps it’s a good thing that you guys’re taking a break.”

Lila pressed her lips together for a moment. “Maybe… but I wish we weren’t.”

Clare rubbed Lila’s shoulder comfortingly. “I know.”

They sat in silence for a minute or so, with Clare still rubbing Lila’s shoulder, before Lila sighed deeply.

“Asher said… that I should take someone else to the show and Bounce. But Elise and Grace are busy for the whole holidays. Do you wanna go with me?”

“What time’s the show?”

“Sunday, starts at 5pm.”

Clare shook her head. “I’ve got a rare Sunday shift, sorry sis. Daniel might be free, though.”

Lila wrinkled her nose. Go with Daniel? But… with the absence of any other options… she may as well.

“I’ll check with him later,” Lila said morosely.

“Bounce I could probably go with you, though,” Clare nodded. “That’s only open during the day, yeah?”

“Yeah. I got the cheaper tickets. 10am ‘till 12pm or something.”

“Alright,” Clare whipped out her phone, tapping rapidly on it. “I’ve put it in my calendar.”

“Thanks,” Lila said half-heartedly. She was glad that Clare was taking time out of her Uni holidays to hang out with Lila, but… she really would’ve preferred going with Asher.

“You gonna mope around all day?” Clare asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah,” Lila replied in a small voice. Clare exhaled heavily.

“I’ll leave you alone for today, then. But after today, try not to mope as much. I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to waste away your break being upset. You guys can make time to do some of the things you wanted to do during the term, after all.”

“It’s not like we could go to the show or watch the movie in the park during term,” Lila replied stubbornly.

“True… but there may be other events on that are only available during the term,” Clare responded, raising an eyebrow at Lila. Clare’s sensibility was grating on Lila, but she reluctantly considered that she was just irritable generally.

“Annnnyway,” Clare drawled. “I actually wanted to check how your sleepover went. You managed to stave off temptation?”

Clare waggled her eyebrows suggestively at Lila. She rolled her eyes at Clare.

“Of course I did. Although…” Lila started fiddling with the edge of her blanket, her face slightly pink. “It’s getting harder for me to try and keep my hands to myself.”

Clare stared at her for a moment. “Well, that tracks with you being a teenager and all that. Would you like to get on the Pill?” she finally asked, her expression no longer playful.

“I… don’t know if it’s necessary,” Lila said quietly. “I mean, we’re not anywhere near needing contraceptives in general.”

“Look, I was only half joking when I brought it up to you before,” Clare said grimly. “But now I think you should seriously consider it.”

Lila’s face turned red, and she averted her eyes from Clare’s intense gaze. “I’ve been thinking about it for my periods, I guess.”

“That’s the official reason we’ll give Mum if she asks. Since you have some more free time now, would you like me to take you to the doctor to get a prescription?”

Lila felt a tightness in her chest as she considered Clare’s offer. It almost felt as though, by accepting it, she would be setting herself up for a certain expectation with Asher – one that she still wasn’t sure would ever be fulfilled. Would he think badly of her if she got onto it? Like… she was trying to use him?

“Since you’re still in school, the appointment should be bulk-billed. You’ll get a prescription, but we’d need to go to a chemist to fill it anyway,” Clare said gently. “I guess it sounds like I’m trying to push you into a certain direction, but you know me. I worry about you and Daniel a ton. I just think it’s a good idea, just in case. Plus, the fact that you said it’s getting harder to keep your hands to yourself makes me think it’s high time to think about what your plans are for all that. Like I said, I don’t wanna be an Aunty anytime soon. And, look, it might be good to start it even if you and Asher don’t do anything and don’t get into a relationship. There’s plenty of guys out there, after all.”

Lila contemplated Clare’s statement carefully in her mind. Just in case…

“Alright,” Lila acquiesced. “I can at least try it.”

Clare’s posture relaxed, as though she’d been tense the entire time she’d been sitting next to Lila.

“I’ll book an appointment – Monday work for you?”

Lila shrugged. “Guess so…” As she trailed off, she recalled her previous plan for Monday – breaking into her Dad’s filing cabinets, and anything else in his office that might hold information about his investigation. Would she even be feeling up for it on Monday? She didn’t particularly feel inclined to at the moment…

“I’ll send you the deets when I get them,” Clare smiled.

“Thanks, Clare,” Lila said weakly. Clare promptly stood up, patting Lila fondly on the head before departing.

Once Clare closed the door behind her, Lila turned to face the wall. Would taking the Pill be… scary? She’d never taken medication regularly before. What would it do to her, besides help prevent pregnancy and regulate periods?

Lila reached for her phone, checking first whether Asher had responded. He hadn’t. With a dejected exhale, Lila began to research the Pill. It looked like some of the reported side effects were terrifying – particularly blood clots and excessive bleeding – but she reminded herself that Clare had recommended it. Clare wouldn’t recommend something that would seriously harm Lila…

Closing her searches, Lila began scrolling through her various apps. There was nothing in particular going on, though she did spy a picture of Cecelia and Lucas having a dinner date at the local shopping centre. Lila hollowly double-tapped it. She was happy for Cecelia and Lucas, that they were still together and clearly enjoying themselves… but… she couldn’t lie to herself. The twinge of jealousy stung, and her face was beginning to feel hot. She scrolled past it, stumbling across a new post from Holly. It was a progress picture of her pregnancy, celebrating six months.

‘Six months?’ Lila stared at the picture for a minute or so. Holly looked graceful, beautiful, and, most importantly, happy. Was she excited to be a teen mother?

‘The Pill is definitely a good idea,’ Lila thought to herself, opening the comments. Like before, many were congratulating Holly on her milestone. She couldn’t see anything disparaging about an ex this time – but she did see a couple mention how they were excited for Holly and Dylan to become parents. Was that the guy Lila had seen with Holly at the shops?

After some digging, which involved going through most of the profiles belonging to the 254 ‘likes’ on Holly’s post, Lila found it – Dylan’s profile. It was public. Lila eagerly scrolled to the bottom of his posts and worked her way up.

He was indeed the person Lila had seen at the shops. He had a post from the beginning of the year with a picture of him being awarded the Debating Captain badge at Mulberry Heights, which seemed to match Asher’s observation. The latest post, however, showed Dylan hugging a pregnant Holly from behind at the movies. From the comments, it seemed evident that they were dating publicly.

The feeling gnawing away at the pit of Lila’s stomach was odd. She wasn’t necessarily angry with Holly anymore, but seeing Holly happy with someone else definitely worsened the irritation that she had started the day with. Was he the father of Holly’s baby? Had Holly told him that he was, whether he was or wasn’t? Or was he another guy, totally unrelated to Holly’s list of potential fathers of her child, who was taking up the reins of ‘father’ as Holly’s new boyfriend? Lila wished she knew someone who would know, but the only person coming to mind was Piper, given that Mulberry Heights was her new school.

‘Absolutely not going anywhere near her, even if I’m curious as all hell,’ Lila thought to herself with an exasperated huff. ‘Plus, it’s not like she’d tell me anyway.’

In saying that, though, Lila’s train of thought arrived at the platform concerning Piper’s attempt at talking to Asher the day before yesterday. Why had Piper looked like that? The only explanation that Lila could think of was that Piper had been stalking Asher in a bush again, perhaps lying down to not be seen. She knew nothing else of Piper’s hobbies. Maybe she played touch footy?

‘Pretty unlikely,’ Lila thought with a smirk. She was about to scroll through her apps some more when her stomach rumbled. Lila sat up, stretching. She wondered briefly what Asher was eating right now. Had he arrived in Vanuatu yet?

Shuffling out of her room, Lila knocked on Daniel’s door. He would surely be up now, and if she wanted to make sure he could go with her to the show tomorrow night, the earlier she invited him the better.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“What?” Daniel’s voice was groggy and distinctly annoyed.

“Wanna go to a show tomorrow?” Lila asked as she opened the door. He yanked his covers up to his chin, looking bewildered.

“I didn’t say you could come in,” he frowned.

“Sorry,” Lila replied, backing out.

“Well, it’s too late now,” Daniel said begrudgingly, lowering his blanket. “What’s this about a show?”

Lila sat down on his desk chair, swivelling around to face him. “Asher was supposed to go with me to a show at the coast. I say show – you know the ones, like a carnival.”

“And? Why’s he not going?” Daniel questioned, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Did he dump you?”

Lila glared at him. “We’re not dating – never have. So, no, he didn’t dump me. He went to Vanuatu instead.”

“I mean, when faced with the option of a shitty, overpriced pop-up carnival in the middle of winter at the coast versus a holiday at an island destination, I’d say see ya later too,” Daniel said matter-of-factly.

“So, I’m guessing since you don’t have the option of a holiday at an island destination, you’ll go with me?”

“I mean, if you don’t want to go in general, why don’t you just skip it?”

“Asher bought the tickets already.”

“Ah. Well. You know me. I don’t like to waste money,” Daniel smirked, gesturing to his wall of juice boxes. “Fine, I’ll go with you. I’ll shout you a potato swirl or whatever. As thanks for helping me out.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Lila replied, standing up to leave.

“Sure you did,” Daniel said softly. “You got Asher to help me, and you’ve kept it all from Clare and Mum and Dad. Plus, a couple of other things here and there.”

“Siblings are meant to help each other out. Don’t get all lame and gross on me.”

Daniel scoffed. “Potato swirl rescinded.”

Lila laughed. “That’s fine. As long as I’m not going alone, I don’t need a potato swirl.”

“How’re we getting there?”

“We need to get to the train station, then take the train in. We’d leave here at about 3.30 tomorrow arvo.”

Daniel yawned, stretching again. “Cool, cool.”

Lila turned, her hand on the doorknob before Daniel spoke again. “Cheer up, sis. You don’t need to look so sad that Asher’s gone.”

Lila winced. Was everyone in her family going to tell her that she looked sad? She was pretty aware…

“See you later, Daniel,” Lila said plainly, leaving without a second glance.

The rest of Lila’s Saturday was spent in her room, mainly, which prompted her Mum to come in just before dinner time.

“How was your sleepover?” she asked brightly, placing a laundry basket on Lila’s desk. She began folding some shirts before glancing over at Lila expectantly.

“It was good,” Lila replied, raising the book she was reading higher so her Mum couldn’t see her face.

“Did you behave?”

“Yes, Mum.”

“Good.”

She continued folding clothes, none of which belonged to Lila, for a minute or so, sighing every so often. Eventually, Lila put the book down and looked up at her Mum.

“Is… everything okay?” Lila questioned, a slight crease in her brow.

“Yes, my dear, with me,” her Mum replied, happily squishing her pile of folded shirts.

“That’s good.”

“Lila, I know that Asher is a good boy, but you keep coming back from visiting him extremely sad.” Her Mum stopped folding, facing Lila with her hands on her hips. “I’m not sure you should see him again.”

“Not like I will for a while,” Lila mumbled, her eyes falling upon the photo booth photos she’d taken with Asher at semi. That felt like an age ago. She tore her gaze away and focused instead on her hands, which gently fluttered the edge of her book. Her Mum sighed heavily, flapping a business shirt open with force.

“Did something happen again?”

“He went to Vanuatu yesterday.”

“Ah,” Lila’s Mum fell silent, briskly folding a set of pants.

“He’ll be gone for a week.”

“Is that why you’re sitting in your room all day, looking like a kicked puppy?”

It was Lila’s turn to sigh heavily. She’d been right – all her family members were going to point out that she looked sad.

“Yes, Mum,” Lila said morosely, picking up her book again. She couldn’t remember where she’d been up to on this page, and the continued presence of her Mum wasn’t helping that.

“You should make plans for this week. Go outside.”

“I’m going to the show on the coast with Daniel tomorrow,” Lila replied absently, narrowing her eyes as though that would help trigger her memory.

“A show?” Lila’s Mum sounded excited and she looked up again. All the clothes in the laundry basket were now folded, and her Mum patted the top, emitting a satisfying fwomp.

“Yeah.”

“Well, why don’t we all go?”

Lila closed her book again, setting it aside. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea, really. In fact, it sounded a lot better for her parents to come with, rather than aimlessly bumming around with just Daniel.

“Daniel and I already have tickets-”

“Send me the link and I’ll buy tickets for your father, Clare, and me,” her Mum insisted loudly, resting the basket on her hip. “We’ll drive down tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Lila smiled genuinely. It’d been a while since she’d had a family outing. “But Clare’s already busy, so it’ll just be us four.”

“Okay,” Lila’s Mum beamed, her voice light with excitement. “Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Special fried rice.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

----------------------------------------

“Lila, move your damn ass, dude,” Daniel grumbled, shoving her aside.

“Why don’t you move your ass, idiot?” Lila snapped back, buckling herself into her seat.

“Kids, why don’t the both of you give each other room and shut up?” Lila’s Dad asked sternly from the driver’s seat. Despite his severe demeanour, Lila could detect an undertone of amusement in his voice. Daniel continued to mutter under his breath, shoving his red headphones onto his head. Lila didn’t bother to ask him to repeat himself. She already knew it was rude anyway.

Her Mum climbed into the car soon after, holding several sandwich bags of apple slices. She gave one each to Lila and Daniel, and they set off on their journey to the show.

Lila munched on the apple slices, staring out the window for the majority of the ride. It was about an hour-long journey on an ordinary day, however it seemed there was plenty of traffic heading down. Lila’s parents spoke in soft voices, obscured by the volume of the radio, but Lila’s mind was still too busy with her own thoughts to even attempt to join in their conversation.

She’d holed herself up in her room for most of Sunday, too, constantly refreshing her chat log with Asher in case he managed to send her something. Of course, there was nothing, but it still didn’t dampen her hopes that he would. She hadn’t realised quite how much she would miss Asher and his company. She still hadn’t yet unpacked her bags from his place – as though the act of unpacking them would solidify that he was truly gone for the week and that she wouldn’t be back at his for a while.

The longer he didn’t communicate with her, the hollower she felt – his wit, the way he understood her, their banter, his intelligence, his goofiness, and the laughter they shared… his warmth, his kind eyes, his delightful smile, and the details he remembered about her…

It wasn’t fair, that their plans together had been ruined. He’d seemed so angry when he was leaving for the airport… She did hope that he wasn’t mad anymore and instead enjoying himself. Given what he’d said about his Dad, that he didn’t really see him except when they said goodnight, Lila reckoned it was a good opportunity for them to bond… as long as Asher wasn’t focusing on the potential that his Dad was a suspect in his Mum’s disappearance. Maybe, now that they were trapped together in a hotel room, Asher might even get answers out of his Dad or even Marlene.

With a heavy heart, she also hoped, as she traced a squiggle absently on the car window, that Asher wasn’t having night terrors whilst he was away. Though, if he did, perhaps his Dad would be able to help…

The only solace she had, amongst all the worry, was that with each passing day, his return drew closer. She didn’t know what day he’d return, but hopefully, they’d have enough time to see each other before school started.

“You’re sighing up a storm, Lila,” her Dad’s voice pulled her from the depths of her thoughts and she glanced up at him. She could see his eyes in the rearview mirror looking at her and she gave a tense smile.

“Just… thinking, Dad,” she replied stiffly.

“Well, don’t think too hard,” he replied with a chuckle. “Otherwise, your brain might explode.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Love ya, kiddo.”

“Sounds like it.”

He chuckled again, turning up the radio. Lila leaned forward and saw that they had about five minutes to go before arriving at the showgrounds. Daniel was watching something on his phone and seemed none the wiser about anything going on in or out of the car.

Lila reluctantly pulled out her phone again. She hadn’t received a message from Isaac, but she might as well let him know that Asher wasn’t just ignoring him if he’d been trying to talk to him since his departure for the airport.

She opened up her messages with Isaac. It seemed like their last conversation via these messages was him asking Lila to bring a particular book to school.

Hey, she sent, hoping that he would respond soon.

Hi, he replied instantly. Sorry I didn’t msg before

You’re good, Lila responded. I’m assuming you’re busy with work

Yeah. Elise ignored a shift, finally

That’s good! I’m glad she’s taking a break

Yeah – she said she was just going to take a massive nap that day

I’m glad

Lila paused, wondering how to phrase what Asher had told her about the trip to Vanuatu.

By the way, she began, pressing her lips together. Apparently they have no reception in Vanuatu

Ah, that’d be why he wasn’t replying to me, Isaac replied with a sad face emoji. I’m surprised he didn’t tell me about the Vanuatu trip, tho

That’d be because he only found out when they picked him up from the Maccas, remember

Well that’s insane

Exactly what I thought

How are u feeling about it??

Lila considered how to respond – how was she feeling about it? Devastated? Frustrated? Worried? Upset that their plans were messed up?

Not great, Lila finally sent after a minute or so.

Fair enough, Isaac replied with another sad face emoji. I’ll let u know if I hear anything from him

Thanks. Same here

“And we’re here,” Lila’s Dad announced. She sent a quick message to Isaac to let him know that she had to go and unbuckled her seatbelt.

The noise from the show was instantaneously overwhelming, along with the battering wind. She could hear the screams of patrons on rides, and the flashing lights of the various contraptions and stalls were almost painfully bright. Normally, Lila would feel miserable in these circumstances but the distraction from her ruminations about Asher was welcome.

Whilst there was a crowd moving through the show, it wasn’t as though they were packed in like sardines, which Lila was grateful for. They had their tickets checked, hands stamped, and schedules provided to them prior to entry. Lila and her family members all spun around after crossing the entry gates, taking in the sights with keen interest.

“Alright, well, we get one ride for free,” Lila’s Dad said, looking down at his pamphlet. “Looks like there’s a monster truck show at 7, along with some BMX tricks at 7.30, in case that interests you, Daniel. At 8, there’ll be a performance and then fireworks at 8.15. The showgrounds pack up at about 9.”

He glanced up at Lila’s Mum before stating, “Happy for the kids to explore for a bit, and then we meet up at 6.30?”

Lila’s Mum nodded, pulling out her wallet. “Here,” she said pleasantly, handing both Lila and Daniel $50 notes. “Spending money.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Lila smiled. Daniel pocketed the cash, and Lila saw a flash of a guilty expression on his face. From what Lila recalled of his business, he didn’t need the money at all, but refusing it would be suspicious. Speaking of spending money, Lila pulled out her phone to check how much she had in her bank account, in case she needed any more.

She blinked in surprise as she saw the balance in her account – there was a bit more than she’d been expecting. She scrolled through her transactions and saw an entry for some money being sent to her yesterday – from Ivaan Wagner. Curiously, she opened it up further. He’d left a message – ‘Tickets for Bounce’.

Evidently, Asher told him about their plans for the week, and also told him her bank account details. The fact that his Dad had essentially refunded her the money for Bounce puzzled her. Was that his way of apologising for taking Asher away? Or did Asher make him send the money over so that he’d go along without complaint? Both scenarios seemed equally likely…

“Lila,” her Dad’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Lila, I need your confirmation that you’ll stick with Daniel.”

“What? O-Oh, yeah. Of course, I will. We’ll call you at 6.30 and meet up,” Lila confirmed, pocketing her phone. Daniel seemed displeased at these arrangements but didn’t verbally object. With a nod, they split off into pairs.

“Where do you wanna go first?” Lila asked, looking over at Daniel. His eyes met hers and she frowned, folding her arms across her chest. “Hang on, are you getting taller?”

Daniel snorted. “Nah, sis, you’re getting shorter. Let’s go get some potato swirls.”

Surprisingly, hanging out with Daniel at the show wasn’t as lame as she’d thought. They played a few carnival games, with Daniel winning a stuffed dinosaur at one, and Lila winning a stuffed duck at another. She carried it under her arm, already planning to gift it to Asher once he returned. Hopefully, he’d be amused at her choice…

They stood in line for some showbags, with Daniel picking one filled with Wizz Fizz lollies, and Lila picking a generic chocolate one. Afterwards, they used their free ride to menace each other with bumper cars.

Exiting this ride, Daniel insisted they get some fairy floss and then check out some of the stalls for gadgets and other knickknacks. Lila trailed behind, looking around to see if their parents were in the vicinity. Checking her phone, she saw that it was about 6pm at this point. She contemplated calling them early as Daniel ogled at the infinity cubes and popper toys.

“Boo,” a woman’s voice in her ear said, jolting her. She spun around and saw her parents, grinning at her and both holding dagwood dogs.

“Having fun?” her Dad asked, offering her his dagwood dog. She refused his offer but affirmed that she was having a good time. Daniel gleefully purchased some items, and they grouped together by the seating area. There weren’t many people around them here, as one of the show’s events had drawn a large crowd, given the amount of people in the stands.

“Have you two had food yet?” Lila’s Mum asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“A bit,” Lila said, rubbing her stomach. “But maybe we should eat something more substantial.”

“I’m starving,” Daniel said, collapsing his infinity cube with a flourish. Lila looked around to see the food offerings. As she pondered which stall to go to, she saw a woman dressed in business attire underneath a large puffer jacket approach them.

“Hello,” she said politely, smiling at them. A man with a large camera on his shoulder trailed behind her.

“Hello,” Lila’s Dad replied, just as politely.

“We’re from Channel 10,” the lady gestured to herself and the cameraman, “and we were doing a piece on the show. We were hoping to interview a family or two about their experience tonight – would you be interested?”

Lila’s Dad opened his mouth but her Mum cut in before he could speak.

“Very,” she smiled, huddling Lila and Daniel together. “The kids have been having so much fun.”

“Brilliant,” the woman beamed, turning around to the cameraman. “Just bear with me a second.”

She stepped to the side and began discussing something with the cameraman. Lila’s Dad looked grumpy as he turned to Lila’s Mum.

“Why’d you say yes, Edith?” he asked in a low voice. Lila’s Mum was looking in a mirror compact, preening herself, and didn’t respond for a moment. “Edith?”

She snapped her compact shut, glancing at Lila’s Dad, before advancing on Daniel with a napkin.

“Why not?” she asked cheerily, rubbing at Daniel’s face. “Once in a lifetime opportunity to be on the news. Plus, then I get to tell my girlfriends that my kids were on the news.”

“For a show,” Lila’s Dad frowned. “We just happened to be here.”

“They don’t need to know,” Edith replied pleasantly. “They’ll be so jealous.”

Lila’s Dad sighed, shaking his head, before smoothing down his shirt. Lila checked her reflection in her selfie camera before her Mum passed along the compact. The news lady returned with consent forms, which they signed, and prepped them on the questions she would ask, and where to look when the camera started rolling.

Before Lila knew it, the interview commenced.

“I’m here live at the Mudgeeraba Showgrounds,” the news lady declared, having shed her puffer jacket and fixed up her appearance. “After the effects of COVID, this year is set to be the biggest and best year for the show. I’m here with the Moloney family, who have specially come here to visit the show. How are you finding it?” She pointed the microphone to Daniel, who turned red. For a moment, Lila thought that he wouldn’t say anything.

“It’s been brilliant!” Daniel said excitedly, presenting his dinosaur plushie. “I won this guy!”

“Would you recommend this as a great activity for the school holidays?” This time, the news lady pointed the microphone at Lila. She took a deep breath before responding.

“I definitely would. We’ve come down from Forestglade, and we have no regrets. The rides are great and the food’s delicious.”

The news lady smiled at the both of them, before moving on to their parents. After a few more questions about how they were finding it, and whether they recommended it to parents, the news lady wrapped up the segment with a shot of Daniel at a test of strength stall. He managed to get pretty far, and it finally ended as everyone clapped for Daniel’s efforts.

“Thanks, guys,” the news lady smiled. “Enjoy the rest of the show.”

“Thanks for the opportunity,” Lila’s Dad replied with a nod. The news lady and cameraman disappeared into the crowd and Lila’s Mum gave a sunny smile.

“That was fun,” she said, looping her arm with Lila’s. “Let’s get some food.”

The four of them stayed together for the rest of their time at the show, with Lila and Daniel getting on a couple more rides, before wrapping up their time on them with a ride on the Ferris wheel as a family.

Somehow, Lila acquired more trinkets and showbags, and was exhausted by the time her Mum passed her and Daniel cups of Dippin’ Dots ice cream.

“Looks like the fireworks will be on in ten minutes,” her Dad noted, checking his watch. They promptly moved through the crowd towards the stands to try and find a good spot to see the fireworks. They managed to squeeze into a somewhat decent spot and Lila absently finished her ice cream whilst waiting for them to start. The performers, who were singing a funky mashup of some current popular songs, finished their set and hurriedly disappeared from the grounds, signalling the commencement of the next event.

The showgrounds darkened, and Lila’s Mum accepted her empty cup as Lila pulled out her phone. She filmed the fireworks display so she could at least show Asher when he came back. The fireworks delighted her, with its impressive array of colours and dazzling choreography. Her favourite part, besides the stream of sparklers, was, of course, the end, when it seemed that all the types of fireworks in the world went off, setting the sky alight against the twinkling stars.

The crowd applauded and whooped once it was over and she turned off her video, wrinkling her nose as though to prevent the acrid smell of smoke from getting into her lungs. She was mildly successful, but the same couldn’t be said for her eyes, which stung slightly from the smoke.

“Time to go, kiddos,” Lila’s Dad said gently, placing his hands on Daniel’s shoulders and steering him towards the exit. Lila’s Mum looped her arm in Lila’s again, and they walked out together, talking about how pretty the fireworks had been.

Collapsing into bed, Lila was happy that she ended up going to the show with her family. While she would’ve loved to have milled around with Asher tonight, she supposed her family weren’t a bad second choice, even though Daniel seemed grumpy on the way down. Plus, getting on the news – that was a unique side activity. She’d have to find the clip online and send it to her friends.