Reprise

Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

'What?'

I'm sitting in a playground in the middle of the night, staring into the sharp eyes of my childhood best friend and teenage enemy.

Lucas rubs his eyes and stands up. I follow his lead, crossing my arms over my chest.

'That's all I've figured out,' Lucas says. 'But if he is still alive, I think it's important that we find him. Our parents need to know the truth about their friend.'

'But he died... disappeared years ago! If he's alive, where is he?' I ask.

'I don't know, okay?' he says. 'I think he faked his death and disappeared. I'm sorry, it sounds stupid, I know. That's just the theory I'm working off now. From what I've heard about him, it seems like the thing he would do. But I don't know where he has gone. I don't know if he's still here, or if he's still in Australia, or if he's even still alive.'

'That's crazy,' I find myself mumbling.

'I know,' Lucas says quietly. 'Look, I'm sorry I dragged you out here in the middle of the night.'

'Hey, you're nothing if not dramatic,' I say. 'But this is crazy.'

'I just need your help on this one, Benny. I want your help. I want you to help me figure it out,' he says, pushing away from the train and taking a step away from me. He turns and looks back at me. 'I know this was stupid. I'm sorry for dragging you out here. I'm such a fucking idiot. I'm sorry. I guess I'll just see you around.' He turns again and makes to walk away. I suddenly find myself caught between letting him leave or yelling out to him.

I watch as he takes a few more steps, and then I open my mouth, falter, and then snap it shut again. Lucas keeps walking, and I'm rooted to the spot next to the old train, watching his retreating figure. An owl hoots somewhere and I curse myself inwardly before turning and running back across the bridge.

When I get home Julian is still fast asleep in my bed. I pull out my laptop and start doing some Google searches on George Addison. My thoughts are racing, and I think there is no way I'll be able to sleep tonight.

I read articles about his time in the band and a few articles about his unpredictable lifestyle outside of Dime's the Limit. Although I've heard my parents talk about George, I've never really understood the man who was the lead singer and guitarist of my father's band.

I discover that George's real fame came in the years after Dime's the Limit broke up. While all his band mates were settling down and starting a family, George was still living the life of a rock star. He was also well known for his risky stunts to protest controversial issues. I find a photo of him chained to a tree, and another of him smashing his guitar over the statue of a war hero.

I also find hundreds of news articles about his disappearance. Most of the news articles favour the police's opinion that George killed himself. The suicide note and the car parked next to the bridge were evidence enough for most Australians. However I do find some news articles speculating as to whether or not this was true, as a body was never found.

At about four in the morning I finally turn off my computer and fall back into bed next to Julian. I pull out my phone and look at the short messages between Lucas and me. Just before I go to sleep, I add Lucas as a contact to my phone. Something about having Lucas in my address book feels strange, but I know it's time.

*

I wake up late, watch a movie with Julian, and then he finally decides to go home. He's hesitant about it, but he knows he needs to talk to Findlay and start to rebuild their relationship as brothers.