Free Extreme! by J A Mawter Page A

adding, ‘With thanks to baby Liv.’
    ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ said Darcy, handing his back.
    ‘Normally, that’d be the case in our house too but Liv hates these pureed apples. Won’t touch them. Which is why we’ve inherited them.’
    Darcy pulled a face. ‘The only one who still eats this stuff in our household is Drew.’
    Bryce pretended to look offended, then he snatched the tub from Darcy’s hand announcing, ‘More for me, then.’
    Clem peeled the foil top off her tub and licked it. She grinned at Bryce, saying, ‘I love this stuff!’ Then she scooped up a spoonful and popped it in her mouth. ‘Oma and Opa serve this as a dessert. They call it apfelmousse .’
    At the mention of apfelmousse Darcy took his tub back, saying, ‘Never said I didn’t want it,’ and peeled off the lid.
    Mio and Tong traded quizzical looks at the sight of their friends eating pureed baby apple. What had the Freewheelers come to?!
    ‘Something wrong?’ asked Darcy, smacking his lips.
    ‘Not quite the seaweed-flavoured noodles or sukiyaki-style beef with rice gruel that I got as a baby,’ joked Mio.
    Tong shrugged, trying not to offend. ‘Jackfruit better. Or lychee. Or rambutan.’
    Clem frowned as she asked, ‘What’s a rambutan?’
    Tong searched for the words. ‘Hairy lychee.’
    ‘Oh.’
    At Bryce’s insistence Mio and Tong opened a tub and sampled the baby food. The apple tasted tart, yet sweet, and they soon found it sliding down. Mio shook her head as she said, ‘I can’t believe that tasted so good.’
    ‘Me either,’ agreed Tong.
    ‘I can’t believe I’m eating baby food again,’ said Darcy, at which Clem reached over and tousled his hair, saying, ‘I always thought you were a big baby.’
    ‘Am not.’
    And then it was on.
    Darcy grabbed another tub of apple, peeled off the lid, then scooped some up, using the spoon like a slingshot to shoot it at Clem. ‘Apologise,’ hesaid as he watched the goop of apple slide down her cheek.
    ‘Will not!’ Clem grabbed the last tub and spoon, and armed herself likewise.
    Mio and Tong melted against the wall, trying to avoid being targets but Bryce decided to join in. The apple pinged off his spoon, landing with bullseye accuracy in the middle of Darcy’s forehead. Never one to miss an opportunity, Clem lobbed another spoonful and this one landed in Darcy’s hair.
    Darcy responded in the only way he knew how. By-passing the spoon, and with an ingenious double-flick of his hand, he managed to cover both Clem and Bryce with the contents of his tub. Then he shot out the door before they could retaliate.
    Immediately, they gave chase, running round and round Linley Park till, with a bit of teamwork from Clem and Bryce, they managed to bale him up in a tunnel.
    ‘What now?’ asked Bryce.
    Clem stuck her head inside the tunnel. ‘Apologise, Darcy, or else.’
    ‘Or else what?’
    ‘Or else I’ll get you. I don’t know how. I don’t know when. But, Darcy Jacobs, you’re going to have to watch your back!’
    ‘Boo hoo, I’m scared,’ said Darcy, rolling out of the tunnel and standing over his sister.
    Clem loomed closer. ‘You should be.’ The pair went eyeball to eyeball, the threat hanging in the air, neither of them daring to blink. It was a duel that went back to their childhood. Eventually, they broke apart and returned to the Van. ‘Mr Lark’s expecting us,’ announced Clem when everyone was inside. ‘He’s got all that information for us, remember?’
    The kids looked at each other then back to Mio, the problem of the missing dog tags unspoken on their lips.
    ‘I can’t face him,’ she said.
    Tong nodded and clicked his tongue saying, ‘Me understand.’ There was only so much face you could lose in one day and Mio had lost enough. ‘I go see Mr Lark,’ he said. ‘I happy to go.’
    ‘Me too,’ said Clem.
    Bryce joined in. ‘Mio, you don’t have to come. We’ll tell him you’re at home doing homework.’
    ‘Or violin