Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier Read Free Book Online Page A

machine?”
    “Yup,” said Tom, grinning. “I can make any kind of clothing you can name.”
    He pointed to one of the drawings pinned to his notice board. “See that?” Tom was proud of his sketches. He looked at it, admiring the way he’d caught the flow of the fabric. The ruching on the sleeves was more complicated than he’d’ve liked, but you had to please the client. At least he’d managed to talk Jessica out of the bow on the back. He grinned to himself. He’d told her it’d make her arse look fat.
    Reason peered at Tom’s work of art. She didn’t seem very impressed.
    “Check this out, then.” Tom went to his wardrobe and pulled out the dress. This would impress her. It was the same one as the drawing, though the colours differed. Jessica had said scarlet and then gone and picked a silk that was more maroon. Very annoying.
    “Designed it. Made it,” he announced.
    “And you wear it?” Reason laughed.
    “Nah,” said Tom. “Jessica Chan gave me a hundred bucks to make it. She paid for all the material and stuff too. Final fitting’s today.”
    “A hundred bucks?” asked Reason with an odd expression on her face. Tom winced. He should’ve realised a hundred dollars wouldn’t seem much to her.
    “When I finish high school, I’m going to study fashion and then I’m going to become a world-famous designer and make clothes for movie stars. I’ll get a lot more than a hundred dollars a dress then.” Now I sound like a total wanker, he thought.
    “Can you make normal clothes?”
    “Like what?”
    “You know, like jeans or shorts or T-shirts. Normal stuff.”
    “Sure. But why would I? Do you want me to make you something?”
    “Could you make me pants with lots of pockets? All the way down both sides. Really big pockets, you know? Like army pants. Not for decoration.”
    “Sure,” Tom said. “I can make anything.” He didn’t care that it sounded boastful. It was true.
    Reason’s stomach rumbled very loudly. They both laughed. “Are you hungry?”
    Tom led them downstairs to the kitchen, conscious with every step of how crap his house was compared to Mere’s. There were only two rooms and a bathroom upstairs. Downstairs there was a lounge room, a kitchen, a tiny laundry, and a toilet. He felt stupid worrying about it, especially as Mere owned this house too.
    Tom poured them glasses of orange juice and made cheese-and-tomato sandwiches. They took their sandwiches and juice up to his room, Tom with the Gregory’s under his arm. They pushed fabric aside and sat on the floor. Reason wriggled a bit as if she was uncomfortable.
    “Are you sitting on something? There might be pins, sorry.”
    “Nah, it’s fine.” She settled and took a bite of her sandwich. “Good sambo. Actually tastes like tomato.”
    “Yeah. Dad grows them in the backyard.”
    “Best kind.”
    They got stuck into them. Reason ate as fast as he did and the sandwiches disappeared in no time.
    “How’d you get that?” Tom asked, pointing at the big graze on Reason’s shin.
    “Tripped on the stairs in the cellar.”
    “Yeah, those stairs are treacherous. Do you like living with Mere?” Tom washed the last bite of sandwich down with the rest of his orange juice.
    Reason shifted again. “I’ve only been there one night.”
    “Yeah, but you’ve known her your whole life and—”
    “We’re not close. I only really met her once before and I was little. Don’t really remember.”
    “You never met your grandfather?” Tom wondered what kind of a man Esmeralda would choose to have a baby with. Had she been married? He couldn’t picture it. Tom had never seen her go out with a man.
    Reason shook her head. “So where’s Kalder Park?”
    “Oh, yeah,” Tom said, grabbing the directory and turning to the map of all Sydney. Reason’s eyes widened.
    “Pretty big, eh?”
    She nodded.
    “So that’s Kalder Park,” he said, pointing, “and that’s where we are.”
    “Not so far.”
    “Well, I reckon it’d