Free Missing by Gabrielle Lord Page B

it.’
4:42 pm
    As we crept out in the late afternoon to take food up to Ryan, I paused. ‘Sophie,’ I said. ‘I think you should leave.’
    â€˜With you and Ryan still here? And all the other kids? No way!’
    â€˜OK, OK,’ I said. I knew exactly what she meant. I decided to make a call to BB later that night to brief him on our suspicions. But what wereally needed was proof that something was up. ‘Sophie, I’m definitely going to stay here until we get some answers. So that way, you can go home, knowing that Ryan and I can deal with whatever is happening here.’
    I saw the look on her face. It said,
You’re joking, right?
She rolled her eyes. ‘If Ryan’s staying, and you are staying, so am I. Ryan is my friend!’
    For the time being, I let the matter drop. I thought of her father and how he would worry if he knew about our concerns.
    The three of us settled into Ryan’s hide-out to discuss what to do.
    â€˜What do
you
think’s going on here?’ I asked my brother. ‘You’ve been here longer than me.’
    Ryan thought for a moment. ‘I get the feeling that there’s some sort of
selection
process going on. Damien picks out certain kids who are really good at sports.’
    â€˜What are they being selected
for?
’ asked Sophie.
    I was just about to ask another question when a sound made the three of us freeze. Someone or something was moving stealthily through the jungle near us. We shrank further back into our overhanging shelter, trying to be as invisible as possible.
    I peered through a gap in the hanging vines. Two boys and a girl, all wearing bright red and blue shirts, were creeping along the pathway. Ryan leaned closer, whispering in my ear. ‘I haven’t seen these guys for weeks. What are they doing here?’
    I waited until the small group had vanished from sight. ‘I’m going after them,’ I hissed.
    â€˜Me too,’ said Sophie.
    â€˜No, only me. Two people will make too much noise.’
    Lifting the veil of vines and creepers, I crept out from our hiding place, my eyes fixed on the spot where I’d last seen the trio. Moving as quickly as I dared, I went after them.
    Ahead of me, I could see movement and the occasional flash of red and blue as I followed them further up the mountain. We were now high above the resort compound. Keeping my eyes peeled for pythons and stinging trees, I followed them for almost ten minutes. Then the sound of quiet voices carried on the wind to me. They seem to have stopped for a conversation.
    Very carefully, I moved closer. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but I could see them quite clearly now, standing under a dense group of rainforest trees. The girl took out something small and black from her pocket and pointed itahead of her. I noticed a wound on her upper left arm, just under what looked like a new tattoo—three lines, like a ‘Z’. In surprise I saw that the boys had similar wounds and tattoos on their arms.
    Before I had any more time to consider what it might mean, I heard a whirring sound. I crept closer and closer, trying to see what they were doing. Then I jumped back. I’d almost walked into another Gympie Gympie tree! I ducked around to avoid it, and when I’d straightened up the sound had stopped. I came forward, pressing close to a large rainforest tree, hoping to overhear their conversation. Now there was only silence and the occasional piercing sound of a rainforest bird. I peered around the tree, keeping my body well hidden.
    The trio had vanished! There was no-one there. I blinked a couple of times, scarcely able to believe my eyes. One minute they’d been there, huddled together talking—the next minute they’d simply disappeared. I stepped out from behind the tree, wary of a trap. Maybe they knew they were being followed and set me up for an ambush. I took a few more careful steps towards the spot