The Knife Thrower

Chapter 25

I tip toe around the quiet house, careful not to wake them. My watch says 9:15am, so they are really sleeping in today. I start a fire in the kitchen fireplace and rub my frozen hands. It might be freezing here but we never get any rain. Technically we should all be at school now. But I have something else in mind. I hear the soft pad of feet coming towards me and I turn around to see Izzy stumble in groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Good morning." I say brightly, determined to make this last morning with them count. She stares at me confused, and checks the clock on the wall. I cringe, waiting to see the realisation hit her. Her eyes widen and her mouth falls into a perfect 'O.' A look of horror and alarm comes over her face and she starts to pace frantically across the room. I get up and walk towards her, grabbing hold of her shoulders to make her stand still.

"Why did you not wake me? I know it is your thing to be late to school, but it is not mine!" She angrily breaks out, eyes blazing and mouth twisted into a frown. I ignore the dig and make her take a deep breath.

"You are not going to school today." I say, waiting for the weird reply of dissapointment. But she just stares at me confused.

"What?" She says and I release her shoulders, guiding her over to a chair.

"The flight leaves in three hours. We need to get going soon." I see the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out what I mean. Finally the realisation alights in her eyes and she starts to shake her head.

"No. No! I am not leaving you!" She cries out.

"Izzy, I have to get you and Jay out of here. I have no choice, I-"

"No! No, no, no! Kyra, I am not going!" She starts to cry, angry words coming out between sobs. I pull her into my arms like I did when she was little and stroke her hair.

"Shh. Shh. Everything is going to be fine. You and Jay will get on that helicopter and fly safely to Aunt Marcia in England. But you have to be strong. Be strong for Jay, you are all he has." I make my words forceful and brave, hoping to cover the fear and sadness underneath.

"B-but Ky-yra-" She splutters, eyes pleading and desperation written all over her face. It breaks my heart. I choke back my own sob of sorrow and put on a wobbly smile. She is not the only one that needs to be brave.

We walk out of the room and into her and Jay's room. Jay is still fast asleep, wrapped in his covers in his bed. He looks so peaceful, so innocent. I lightly kiss his forehead, feeling his soft skin against my lips. I pull the hair out of his eyes and put another blanket over him. No need to wake him now. I help Izzy get out two rucksacks and together we pack them. We put in canned food, blankets, jugs of water, spare clothing, candles and Jay's blue dinosaur. I gave him that dinosaur when he turned four. I found it in an antique store for five dollars and I saved up all year for it.

Finally we finish packing and it is about 10:00. I wake Jay, explaining where we are going. His bottom lip trembles and his eyes start to water. I hug him too, whispering reassuring words into his ear and funny comments to make him laugh. Though I'm not very good at being funny. He nods his head and bites back his tears. He is being brave for me. Again. My heart swells with pride and I feel as if I can going to shatter into a million peices. I love them so much.

Izzy runs into the room, panting, holding a short, feminine blue cloak. It reaches my waist and is made of soft cotton. There are buttons down the front and intricate designs sewn onto the hem with golden thread. It takes my breath away.

"Where did you get this? I have never seen anything like it." She pulls it onto my shoulders and secures the buttons.

"It was mothers." She whispers quietly, eyes on the floor. I give her a small smile and she looks up at me with her big, clear blue eyes. I pull it closer around me, feeling safe in the blue coat. One last part of the parent I never knew.

Together we walk out of the small house into the sunny street. The glare of the sun hurts my sensitive eyes and I cast them downwards. Jay slips his hand into mine and holds tight. We walk through the lonely, crumbling streets towards The Divider, taking in our last moments together, last moments of a being family.

*****

We finally reach the large, crumbling block of yellow sandstone. I tilt my head, trying to see the top. I can't. We walk around to the right side of The Divider, squinting in the harsh sun to find the steps. Maybe if we...

I tell Izzy and Jay to stay here and I continue walking down the side of The Divider, but with my hand pressed to the wall. I walk for about a meter, feeling only the sunbaked rock, when the consistency changes. I stop and glance closely at the rock, trying to figure out what is different. The Rock face is getting rougher, like it has been chizled. I stand with my back against the rock, and press myself into it. Then I look forward parallel. There! About half a meter away is the first step, so narrow you can barely spot it.

I call Izzy and Jay over, and together we climb the staircase. Izzy goes first, then Jay, then me. Our progress is slow and careful, for there is only room for one foot on a stair. Perspiration starts to fall from my neck and brow and my hair starts to heat from the sun. I pull the cap of the cloak over my hair to protect my face from the sun.

We are about halfway up the staircase when I see Izzy stop. "Iz, what's wrong?" I call out.

"The next step has fallen away, so you will have to jump over it." She calls back over her shoulder. I watch her get ready, tensing her muscles and moving her feet, then she jumps and lands gracefully on the other side. She walks up two more steps, then turns around to watch us.

It's Jay's turn to go next. He trembles slightly so I give him a reassuring squeeze. I hold my breath. He gets ready and he jumps. Flying through the air, he lands awkwardly on the next step. I breath out my sigh of relief. He tries to move up onto the next step when he losses his footing. He falls sideways, towards the ground.

He screams out, hands hurriedly gripping for something to hold on to. I hear Izzy also scream and I dive forward, heart pounding, ready to save my little brother.