How to Get to Rio by Julie Fison Read Free Book Online Page A

much, but it means a lot to me.’
    ‘We’re not going so you can see Persephone,’ Mia reminded me. ‘We’re going to find Rio.’
    ‘Yeah, of course,’ I said, taking a deep breath. ‘But, um, just one more thing …’ I knew the only way to tell them was to say it. ‘I told Persephone we were staying in a luxury villa … so it would be good if you didn’t mention we’re camping.’
    Izzy stopped. ‘What?’
    ‘I’m not asking you to lie,’ I said quickly. ‘Just don’t say anything about where we’re staying.’
    Mia frowned. ‘Are you embarrassed to be camping with us, Kitty?’
    I shook my head. ‘No. I think Persephone might have just misunderstood something and thinks we’re staying in a five-star rural retreat.’
    Izzy caught up with me. ‘Sorry, I’m not going to lie to impress some stuck-up girl.’
    ‘She’s not stuck-up and I’m not asking you to lie – I’m just asking you to avoid the subject.’ Now I was getting annoyed. ‘And I don’t know why you’re so huffy. You both lied to me about camping.’
    Mia jumped across a crevice. ‘Yeah, that was kind of mean,’ she admitted. ‘We took it too far, didn’t we?’
    ‘You did,’ I said, indignantly.
    ‘Hey,’ Izzy protested. ‘That was different. We were thinking of you when we said all that stuff about digging your own toilet. You were just thinking of yourself when you lied about camping. That’s selfish.’
    I glared at Izzy. ‘If I’m so selfish how come I just walked through a leech-infested rainforest for you?’ I said. ‘And saved you from a leech attack?’
    ‘Saved me? That was just –’
    Izzy was stopped mid-sentence by a flying blob of jelly. It smacked her right between the eyes. She was looking around wildly, just as something whacked me in the back of the head. Then three more jelly missiles landed on the rocks beside us. I looked at the boulders above us and spied where they were coming from. Izzy’s and Mia’s brothers were pelting us with jellyfish. They dived behind the rocks, laughing like crazy.
    ‘Get down here, you rodents!’ Izzy shouted.
    The boys responded with another volley of jellyfish.
    ‘You’re dead! Dead! All of you!’ Izzy screamed.
    We weren’t waiting around to find out how many jellyfish the Rodent Tribe had stockpiled. We quickly scrambled off in the direction of Paradise Point, with Izzy hurling nonstop abuse at her brothers as jellyfish rained down on us. We didn’t slow down until we reached the beach on the other side of the headland.
    Paradise Point was like another country. For a start, there were no boys throwing jellyfish at our heads. Then there was the beach – no slippery rocks, just white sand and lots of people. It was jammed with beautiful girls lounging on their towels and guys in board shorts throwing balls. Kids shrieked as they caught small waves on their boogie boards. The smell of coffee drifted on the breeze, and in among the beachfront shops and restaurants I could see our destination: Shake Shifter.
    ‘I just hope she’s still there. It must be nearly four by now,’ I said, pushing my daggy socks down to my ankles and trying to rearrange my top. ‘And, remember, we’re staying in a luxury resort.’
    ‘How could I forget that five-star treatment we’ve been enjoying,’ Izzy grumbled.
    As we got closer to the Shake Shifter, I was relieved to see Persephone sitting outside, talking to Jordan. Even from a distance, I could see that she didn’t look as polished and perfect as usual. Her hair had a messy beach look, which made her look even prettier – if that was possible. I watched her and Jordan for a moment, until someone else caught my eye. I started backing away.
    ‘It’s Rio,’ I said, feeling breathless.
    ‘Cool,’ Mia said. ‘That’s who you wanted to see.’
    ‘Yes, but not now. Not like this!’ I looked down at my top and suddenly realised why it wasn’t sitting right: there was a tear down the side. My shorts were muddy