Free Extreme! by J A Mawter Page B

practice,’ said Darcy.
    Mio knew that all this might sound perfectly plausible to Mr Lark but she also knew it might not. When they visited Mr Lark it was as the Freewheelers. Four would look very odd when he’d be expecting five. She wondered if it would be possible to visit but avoid the conversation aboutthe dog tags. If they focused on the petition and the council meeting maybe he would forget to ask for their return? But then there was the matter of honour. Facing Mr Lark and confessing the loss was the only honourable thing to do. With pinched lips Mio announced, ‘I will come too.’
    No-one argued.
    ‘Come on, then. Let’s go.’
    Normally, the journey to Mr Lark’s involved worlds to conquer but today Mio felt like it was she who was being conquered by the world. Every push on the pedal was an effort, her saddle pinched, the hand grips felt rigid and the steering felt like she was riding underwater.
    ‘Race you!’ said Darcy pulling alongside.
    ‘Go right ahead,’ said Mio, making no effort to pick up her pace.
    ‘Last one there sucks rotten eggs.’
    ‘Got it in one,’ said Mio. ‘That’s me. A rotten egg.’
    Darcy accelerated, then twisted to flick out his back tyre and skid to a halt in front of Mio. Only quick wits and precision handling avoided an accident as she stopped. ‘What did you do that for?’ she snapped.
    ‘Rotten eggs can’t ride like that.’
    Mio twitched with irritation. Why couldn’t Darcy just leave her alone? ‘It’s not your job to cheer me up.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I’m fine!’ she hissed.
    ‘Are you?’ Then Darcy did something she’d only ever seen him do with Clem. Hopping off his bike he wrapped her in his arms and gave her a big brotherly bear hug. Mio tried to push him away but Darcy was used to that and held firm. ‘In our house hugs are a cure-all,’ he said. ‘In fact, they’re mandatory.’
    Mio couldn’t remember the last time she’d received a hug from either of her parents. She stood rigid. Hugs were so not her thing! Before she knew it, Clem joined in. Mio noticed that between the two of them no words needed to be spoken. It was at times like this that Mio cursed her only-child status. But cursing wouldn’t change anything, and besides, there was always Yuki.
    Several metres away Bryce cleared his throat. ‘Sorry to put a dampener on this lovefest but time’s moving on.’
    Clem and Darcy laughed and broke away.
    Mio pulled back, her cheeks tinged with pink. But with shoulders straight and head held high she followed the others to Mr Lark’s place.

Chapter Thirteen
    Mr Lark was in the kitchen when they arrived, surrounded by a range of ingredients. ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked. ‘Thought you might like some nachos for afternoon tea.’
    The Freewheelers looked at each other, the taste of apples still clinging to their mouths, then back at Mr Lark’s expectant face.
    ‘Sure we are,’ said Darcy.
    ‘Starving,’ agreed Bryce.
    Clem picked up the packet of corn chips, her stomach still bloated with baby food. ‘Nachos would be lovely,’ she said.
    Mio and Tong nodded, although Tong had no idea what nachos was.
    ‘Nachos it is,’ said a beaming Mr Lark. He leantdown and removed a large, flat-based dish from the cupboard, at the same time turning the oven on.
    ‘Can we help?’ asked Clem.
    ‘Absolutely.’
    While Darcy mashed some three bean mix with a fork in a bowl, Mio spread the corn chips over the base of the dish, and Clem grated some mozzarella cheese. Tong was given the task of chopping avocado, which proved to be a challenge. At home he’d been used to drinking avocado; grinding the flesh and mixing it with milk. Here, he was expected to cut it. Not only was the fruit slippery, it was also overripe and squishy so that he ended up with more avocado smeared on his fingers than on the chopping board. He hoped no-one would notice.
    ‘Found out some interesting information about Wheels Park from the Department of Sport and