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She found herself thinking about Mrs Tucker, something shehadn't managed to do since she'd understood the amount of death a cloud of dustmight bring. Mrs Tucker, who had beensubstitute art teacher for all of two weeks when Madeleine was in Year Ten, whohad asked Madeleine to stay after class on her last day there and hadmercilessly deflated an over-inflated bubble of pride, pointing out issues ofcomposition, and Madeleine's complete absence of backgrounds. Cutting her to bits for deliberately avoidingareas she was weak in, for acting as if she had nothing to learn.
Mrs Tucker, a scrawny, wrinkled, grey-haired woman, the'wrong demographic' for survival. Shehad given Madeleine the contact details of a talented university studentwilling to tutor cheaply, and left not the burgeoning art genius who had stayedback expecting praise, but a begi
And of course there were now new people to worry about, onesshe didn't have the luxury of ignoring – nor even wanted to. Proving Madeleine's expectations wrong onceagain, Nash made several comments which showed he had a very goodunderstanding. And Fisher – Fisherlooked at her as if she had become suddenly real to him.
"I'm jealous," he said, handing the sketchbook backwith a solemnity which lent the words weight. "I can't do anything like that. It's a revelatory skill, isn't it?"
"Revelatory?" It wasn't a word Madeleine associated with her work.
"You see Noi as beautiful, and when we look at theseimages, we realise that beauty as well."
"If we managed to miss it before now," Nash added,mouth curving.
Madeleine, suddenly very glad she'd taken out most of thesketches of Fisher, moved hastily on to another uncomfortable topic.
"I heard from my cousin before we left today. He'll be back this evening." She pushed on through the begi
She kept her gaze steadily on Nash as she spoke, and saw howhis face closed.
"A revelatory skill," Fisher repeated. Rather than disturbed, he sounded almostpleased. "Also a skill whichinvolves paying attention to people. Isyour cousin returning home? We'refinding that it takes all three of us to keep Nash up – at least, withoutneeding to frequently rest. Though he'shighly stained, which must impact on the need."
"Can Greens gives you energy as well?" Madeleineasked Nash, and flushed at the flat, accusatory note in her voice. "Is this why there's been so manystories?"
"They can." Nash sounded resigned, then straightened, as if refusing to let himselfbe ashamed. "Shaun's a good friend– he volunteered to allow me to check. It's a different kind of energy." His candy-cream voice was grim. "And much less. If I had noother Blues around me, if I had spent the last few days surrounded only byGreens, I would now be a murderer. Orperhaps have found the courage to face the consequences of not killing."
"I'm surprised this isn't already widely known,"Madeleine said. "Though – I guessI'd..." She paused, considering howshe'd instinctively wanted to hide simply the amount of her stain. "What are you going to do?"
Nash hesitated. "It makes most sense to be proactive, to clearly describe thesituation and pre-empt any...less calm a
Now that most of the Greens were up and having opinions. If Madeleine was a Green, she'd probably havean opinion about Nash too. But thenthere was Tyler.
"Noi and I should be able to support my cousin,"she said. "Though I guess he'salready managing. We've been working onthe relocating plan, in case things get weird, and have keys to enough boats tostage a carnival. Is it okay if I tellher?"
They agreed to that, and left her considering the sketchshe'd just completed: Shaun and Nash watching Pan. Would Tyler and Nash be able to feed offnormal humans as well, or only Blues and Greens? Would all Blues be seen as dangerousmonsters, either destructive or life-stealing?
Before long a car arrived carrying five Blues in their earlytwenties. More people drifted in whilethese were ru
Madeleine drew. Facesfull of excitement, strain, hilarity, irritation, hope, suspicion. People who clumped together, never strayingtoo far from their particular friends. Those who sat apart. The grouparound Fisher, Shaun and Nash, pontificating at each other. The handful who had decided to jump off thewalkway and force shield bomb the sand, and the group who went to lecture them.
Among the small sea of strangers Madeleine spotted FingerWharf residents, and stopped sketching to talk to Asha, and to meet Mrs Jabbour.
"It is the feeling of taking a positive step," Mrs Jabbour explained, gazing fondly at her husband anddaughter as they prepared to test. "Even though we saw that you had more than enough participants, westill wanted to come, to take part."
"Saw?"
With a smile, Mrs Jabbour nodded atthe railing above and behind them. "The special news broadcast. Did you not know?"
Madeleine looked, and saw two women with aprofessional-weight camera. Wincing, sheturned away.
"We will be leaving, early tomorrow," Mrs Jabbour went on. "To the house of a cousin on the South Coast. If you and your friends wish to join us, youwould be welcome."
"Aren't the roads still closed?"
"The main roads perhaps. We will find a way."
The idea of just getting out of Sydney was tempting, butMadeleine didn't want to go too far from her parents, and explained theirsituation.
"You, too, have been blessed then." Mrs Jabbour heldout her hands as Faliha came bouncing up, glorying inthe length of her punch. "Cherishthat gift."
Like Madeleine, the Jabbours wererare in not having lost anyone from the very core of their little family. Even Madeleine's grandparents were fine, offup in Armidale.
Reminded of Noi, Madeleine looked about and couldn't spother. Tucking her sketchbook into hershoulder bag, she climbed the stairs and wandered across to the Bondi Pavilion,a low, square building with galleries and a gelato shop, lockers andshowers. No sign of Noi, no response toher tentative call in the toilets.
Not quite concerned, Madeleine headed back toward the beachand stood at the top of the flat series of stairs to the left of the lifeguardtower. Bondi Beach was enormous, largeenough for ten thousand, let alone the few hundred clustered around itscentre. Noi shouldn't be hard to find.
Far to her left an isolated figure in a sunhat was standingat the very eastern end of the beach. Noi. Madeleine headed in herdirection, and Noi must have seen her, starting back.
"I think they're about through," Madeleine said,when she reached the older girl. "The flow of new arrivals has slowed, at any rate. Did you know it's being broadcast?"
"Yeah. Casey and Djella, ABC Sydney's newest – and only – rovingreporters. One of them was a soundeditor, and the other some kind of junior-league production assistant. They knew a heap of interesting goss. You know thehome billeting thing being set up – people volunteering to take in some of thecity outflow? Blues and Greens are goingto be specifically excluded, no matter what the science types say about therebeing no sign of person to person transmission. And they want to collect any Blues and Greens who are already outsidethe city, and not let them stay with uninfected people. Even their own families that they've beenstaying with for the past week without any sign of passing this on."