Free Unleashed! by J A Mawter

‘There’s no school. It’s a pupil-free day.’ She smiled inwardly, pleased at her brainwave.
    ‘Tomorrow might be too late. I’ve got a hunch we have to move quickly.’ Clem was insistent. ‘That means now.’
    Bryce held out his hand then said, ‘Count me in. Go the Freewheelers.’
    One hand didn’t join in.
    ‘Mio?’ asked Clem.
    Mio trrrang her bell again. ‘I can’t. I’ve got homework and violin practice and study and stuff.’ She sat back on her saddle, ready to push off. ‘I have to go.’
    ‘Do them tomorrow. You’ll have heaps of time then.’
    ‘No.’ Mio shook her head as she faced Clem’s glare. ‘I must go.’
    As she put her foot on the pedal Clem grabbed the handlebars and said, ‘You’re no Freewheeler, then.’
    Mio could see that Clem didn’t understand. She knew that her parents worked hard to give her the opportunities they hadn’t had. She couldn’t let them down. She just couldn’t. She held Clem’s stare for the longest time before pushing off with a ‘Suit yourself’.
    Bryce called out, ‘Mio, stop,’ but she pedalled faster. He whirled to face Clem, saying, ‘Whatcha say that for? Being a Freewheeler means you’re free to make your own decisions. You don’t have to go along with the rest.’
    Darcy spoke quietly. ‘He’s right, Clem. Mio doesn’t have to jump just because you tell her to.’
    Clem closed her eyes and whispered, ‘Whatever.’ She sighed as she adjusted her seating. ‘You two still coming or do I have to do this alone?’
    ‘I’m in.’
    ‘Me, too.’
    Clem glanced at her watch, saying, ‘We’d better let Mum know, then.’
    The twins phoned home, explaining that they were doing a ‘project’ and that they needed another couple of hours. ‘Okay,’ said their mum. ‘But be home before dark.’
    Bryce borrowed their phone and called his dad’s place. ‘C’mon, Cara,’ he pleaded. ‘What am I gonna do at home? Sit on my bum and watch TV?’ He scuffed at a clump of grass, making a hole in the soft soil. ‘Sit on my bottom, then. Bike-riding’s far better than that. Please can I go?’ He listened intently. ‘Sure. I will. And Cara, er, thanks.’ He looked at Clem and Darcy and told them, ‘I’ve got two hours. Any later and I’m grounded.’
    ‘Yes!’ Clem pushed off. ‘Let’s go.’
    The sun was low in the sky when they pulled up outside the animal shelter. A lamp light illuminated the only car that was still in the car park.
    ‘At least one person must be here,’ announced Clem.
    They propped their bikes and helmets against a wall before heading for the Emergency section of the main office.
    ‘Closed,’ read Darcy, pointing to the door. ‘Open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sundays.’
    Clem thumped the door frame with the base of her hand as she said, ‘What sort of Emergency is that!’
    Bryce pointed to the sign. ‘Look. There’s an after hours number. Maybe we should give them a call. You never know. Someone might be out the back.’
    Disappointment sat like a boulder in Clem’s throat. She swallowed, trying to push it away, then said, ‘It’s worth a try, I guess. Darce, hand me the phone.’
    ‘I’ll do it,’ said Darcy. He punched in the number and waited. Clem cracked her knuckles. Bryce inspected the hole in his sleeve. ‘Recorded message,’ said Darcy. ‘It says to ring the animal hospital at Wandinya.’
    ‘Keep the number,’ said Clem. ‘You never know, we might need it.’
    As Darcy keyed in the number Bryce reached up and gave a sharp rap on the door. He looked at Clem and shrugged. ‘No stone unturned and all that.’
    They waited, eyes glued, hoping someone was working back late. No-one came.
    ‘Not hard enough,’ said Bryce, then he gave the door a thwack, thwack, thwack.
    They waited again, their hearts pounding.
    Bryce rubbed his reddened hand, saying, ‘Let’s go. No-one’s here.’
    Just as they turned to go an Owww-woww-woww could be heard.
    ‘It’s her!’ cried Clem,