Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier Read Free Book Online

Tom flicked it away and wiped his hand on his shorts. “Bat shit. Be careful.”
    “Flying foxes!” Reason said, sounding excited. “I thought I recognised that smell.”

    The view from the top of Filomena was spectacular. They were a long way up. Higher than the top of Mere’s house. Up here the wind moved the tree and they had to stay close and hold on. Tom assured Reason it was safe.
    Several times he accidentally touched her arm. Reason’s hair blew into his eyes. He wished the flying fox smell wasn’t so intense. He wondered what her hair smelled like.
    He pointed out the city skyline, showed her the tops of the Harbour and Anzac bridges. It was a perfect day. The sunlight glittered on the harbour and the tall glass buildings. It was amazing. Tom could tell she was impressed.
    They turned around slowly, admiring the view that stretched forever in all directions. Tom pointed out all the parkland, all the trees.
    “Huh,” Reason said. “I thought cities were all concrete and glass, not parks and flying foxes.”
    “Haven’t you seen the bats at night? Or at least heard them squeaking?”
    “I haven’t been here very long.”
    “When’d you get here?”
    “Last night. Afternoon, I mean.”
    “This a surprise visit? Did Mere know you were coming? Can’t believe she didn’t tell me. It’s going to be cool having you around,” he said, barely taking a breath. “Right now the neighbourhood’s mostly littlies or uni students. Most of my friends live ages away.”
    Reason smiled. Tom hoped it was because she liked the idea of hanging out with him.
    “Do you go visit her?” she asked.
    “Visit who?”
    “Your mum. In Kalder Park.”
    “Yeah,” said Tom, his voice a bit quieter. “Not as often as I should. I don’t like it. She’s all . . . you know.”
    Reason nodded as though she knew exactly what he meant. “Is it far from here? Could we walk?”
    “It’s not that far. But easier to get Mere to drive you or take the bus.”
    “Have you got a map? Could you show me?”
    “Sure. We could go together if you want. Might be better to have someone to talk to afterwards. Dad never really wants to talk about it. Visiting mum’s about the only thing that shuts him up.” Tom shook his head. “Hey, where’s your dad?”
    “Don’t have one.”
    “Did he bugger off?”
    “Nah. Mum got pregnant, but she never found the bloke to tell him. So I’ve got no dad. She says they only slept together the one time. Wasn’t like she really knew him or anything, so why track him down and tell him? She couldn’t see the point.”
    “I guess,” said Tom. He couldn’t really imagine it. “Was he an Aborigine?”
    Reason laughed. “What do you reckon?”
    Tom blushed again. He could be such an idiot. “Should we go find you a map? My dad’s got a mini Gregory’s. ”

    The route to Tom’s place didn’t involve them stepping foot on the ground once. He pointed this out to Reason, who nodded as if to say, Well, of course, and Tom instantly felt like a total dag.
    From the fig tree, they crept along the top of the fence between Mere’s and Tom’s. They had to push their way through bushes and trees. Reason giggled and Tom lost the dag feeling.
    “You can go for blocks and blocks using only trees, fences, and roofs. I can show you if you want.”
    “That’d be great,” Reason said with what sounded to Tom like genuine enthusiasm.
    From the fence they swung up onto Tom’s balcony. He was suddenly aware of how small his house was compared to Mere’s. His room must seem tiny to Reason. He watched her staring at the samples, fabrics, and sketches strewn about his room. It must look really messy. To Tom it was his workroom. As far as he was concerned, everything was where it was supposed to be. Every random-looking piece of cloth had found its place in the chaos, a spot where its texture and color balanced all the others. He could find any of them with his eyes shut.
    “You have a sewing