Free Through the Cracks by Honey Brown

could he find a way to speak them? And how would saying them help? Adam was pretty sure an explanation would only push Billy away.
    Billy fell quiet. He pulled the car into a narrow street.
    They got out and shut the doors.
    ‘Those shoes all right, kid? Need me to tighten the laces? We’ll get you some better gear, hey? You’re real pale. You feeling all right? You need food. You need some sun. We’ll get you sorted. Watch your step.’
    A gust of wind met them as they rounded a corner. The pavement was uneven and littered with empty bottles and cigarette packets. Houses here were joined together, with no front yards. They came to a busy road and waited before crossing it. Adam watched the traffic. He looked at the people who came to stand beside them. One woman had a towel over her shoulder and thongs on her feet, wearing nothing but a bikini and an open shirt. Once over the road Adam saw the reason for the woman’s way of dressing. They were at the beach. It was down some steps and across a strip of grass. The ocean was louder in real life than on TV. Windy. They didn’t go to the water. They stayed beside the road. Adam moved across and walked near the railing, keeping sight of the sand and the sea. Beach air smelled of fried food and traffic. Birds drifted and floated above the waves. Billy tapped Adam’s shoulder. He pointed behind them.
    ‘That’s the city.’ In the distance were the tops of tall buildings. ‘You seen that before?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘What about this?’
    Billy stopped by the railing and leaned out over it. Adam held the rail and peered down. Below was a sandy pocket tucked away from the rest of the beach. Music drifted up. Naked people were lying on towels. Being nude clearly didn’t bother them. They were stretched out and relaxed. There weren’t many naked bathers, not compared with the people along the water’s edge. Adam’s mouth grew dry. Blood pulsed behind his eyes. He blinked a dizzy spell away. Billy nudged him.
    ‘You haven’t seen that before either, I bet.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Watch this.’
    He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled down. ‘Cops,’ he called through cupped hands.
    The sunbakers sat up and reached for their tops, they wriggled into their shorts and bikini bottoms. They shaded their eyes and looked up. Billy pulled away. Adam quickly straightened. Billy laughed and swiped Adam’s head.
    ‘Come on.’
    They walked along a street lined with shops, chairs and tables on the footpath. Billy and Adam then turned down a side street, and into an alleyway. It smelled of rubbish. Flies buzzed around the tops of bins. Seagulls sat in a row along the fence.
    ‘I told you Scotty’s a good guy, and now I’m telling you this guy isn’t. Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you alone with him. Don’t say nothing, don’t get nervous, don’t fuck it up. We can stay here until we’re sure everything’s all right.’ Billy shrugged. ‘It’s worth keeping low for a day or two. I hate this prick, but what can you do, yeah?’
    Adam hoped keeping low involved getting a drink. He knew he should be concentrating more on the things Billy said, but with so much information it was difficult. Whole sentences melted the moment they entered Adam’s overheated head.
    They started up a staircase made of mesh and iron. Adam used the handrail for support. The ache in his lower back had returned.
    The bottom floors of the shops were busy, the top floors weren’t. The steps finished at a glossy black door. It opened into what Adam first thought was a large storage area. Framed pictures leaned against the walls. Paint-splattered sheets were spread out on the floor. Then he saw, over by the windows, a long table with paint pots and brushes on it. An easel. Fans spun overhead. Billy closed the door.
    A man came out from a room down the back. He had a thick beard and woolly hair. His shorts were baggy and his shirt was loose. He was fat. There was a spray of green paint across his