Chapter 16

"RISE AND SHINE, SURFING CHAMPION!"

I jumped awake, my pale turquoise eyes shooting open to find Heath looming over me with a massive grin on his face. His chocolaty eyes were gleaming with excitement in the dimness of my room. Behind him, through the curtains, I saw swathes of grey sky, sheets of cloud and drizzling rain. Water droplets pitter-pattered on the other side of the window pane.

Out of routine, I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table and saw that I'd been woken up at stupid o'clock in the morning. It was so early. No wonder my eyelids were feeling so heavy. Then my attention was drawn to the date at the bottom of the alarm clock and I groaned, covered my face with my blanket and rolled back over in bed, like a hedgehog curling up in a ball, or a bear preparing for hibernation.

"Hey, don't be lazy, Lex." Heath taunted, as he shook me roughly by the shoulder. "It's your big day. You should be excited, you numbskull."

"Can't you just wake me up tomorrow, when it's over?" I begged.

Heath tutted. "There is no way I'm letting that happen. We've put way too much training into this. You're going to win the surfing carnival. End of. "

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll smash you." My brother said simply, before grabbing the duvet and pulling it and me with it, off the bed. I sprawled onto the floor. "Now, hurry up and get ready fast. Brax has made you a winner's breakfast through in the kitchen."

I perked up. "Bacon?"

"Is that the breakfast of athletes? No." Heath said, then frowned. "It's some kind of oaty, wheaty gruel. It's good for you." He clapped his hands together and stepped over me as I lay on the floor like a starfish. "Up and at 'em, Sis!"

From an upside down kind of angle, I watched as my brother walked out of my bedroom door and I was left to wonder why I had ever agreed to doing this in the first place.

*

The beach was heaving by the time I arrived with my family. There was a mix of spectators from every area that was competing, and the crowds were rather large. Everyone was dressed up or were waving flags or signs in their team's chosen colours. There were four entries in total; Summer Bay, Mangrove River, Chatworth and a place nearby called Newsborough Grove. Each place had offered up as many teens as interested to fill up the spots in the competition. It would be males against males and females against females. Summer Bay were orange and blue, Mangrove River were purple and green, Chatworth were red and black and Newsborough Grove had yellow and white.

Each competitor was easy to pick out of the gathering: they all wore their team's swimwear, which usually always looked revolting. That's why I was surprised when I noticed Brody stood with his mates and saw that he looked as annoyingly attractive as ever in his violet and emerald surf shorts that represented Mangrove River. Unlike him, I wore Blue and Orange. I was going to be winning for Summer Bay, since it was the place I'd come to call home (and Brax would have been really suss if I'd demanded to be on the Mangrove River team.) With me, the only people I really knew were VJ, Jett and Hunter for the boys and for the girls, a blonde in my school I'd had one conversation with once, called Aurora. The rest of them playing for Summer Bay, I didn't know. Luckily, I'd managed to somehow rope Olivia into signing up. She's been worse than reluctant to compete, but my constant pestering had finally worn her down and she'd begrudgingly agreed.

"I promise you, I'll do terribly." She vowed, looking uncomfortable in her swimsuit and pulling at it as if it was hurting her. The two of us were walking down the beach together, joining up with the rest of the competitors as they stretched and readied themselves for the challenges ahead.

I subtly blended in next to the River Kids, and tried not to pull too much attention to myself as I threw a smile in Brody's direction. He gave me a dimpled smile back, which made my insides buzz. Beside him, Amy gave me a small wave and Jackson gave me a thumbs up. I could tell that they wanted to chat to me as badly as I wanted to go over and talk to them, but we all knew that Brax and the rest of my family were observing, so they might see. The River kids knew I wanted to keep a low profile where they were concerned. It was something they didn't necessarily understand, but they had accepted it straight away, without question.

Olivia, who knew that I'd been secretly meeting up with them behind my brother's back, gave me a droll stare and squinted her eyes as she rested her hands on her hips.

"What?" I asked.

"Brody Johnston and the river kids, that's what." She said, shaking her head.

"Is it obvious?" I whispered.

"You couldn't be more obvious if you tried." She told me. "He hasn't stopped looking at you and you've not stopped looking at him."

"Serious?"

"Serious." She nodded, then peeked over my shoulder. "Luckily, I don't think your brothers have clocked on yet."

"Good." I sighed in relief. "That's the last thing I need right now."

Olivia regarded me strangely. "I really don't know why you insist on hanging out with them, Lex. You remember what I first told you about them? Trouble. A whole hell of a lot of trouble, just waiting to happen."

"Ollie! Stop! Seriously, I get enough lecturing from Brax without you adding to it." I laughed. "They're just people. Friendly, fun, crazy people. You'd like them too if you came with me when I invited you out places with them."

"No, way!" She huffed without doubt or hesitation. "My life is perfectly fine uncomplicated, thank you very much. I think I'll keep it that way."

I rolled my eyes in amusement. "You're missing out, Ollie."

"On what? A police cell?" She snorted, chuckling.

"Ollie!" I chastised, but I was cracking up too.

When the crowd thickened a little bit more, blocking my family's view of me, I found myself being drawn nearer and nearer Brody and the team from Mangrove River. Olivia, though uncomfortable, followed me in amidst them.

"Hey." Brody grinned when I was close enough to him. He shoulder bumped me gently, his hand brushing mine for a split second. They were bigger than mine, strong and masculine, rough from working on mechanical projects, fixing up cars and revamping motorbikes.

"Hey." I said back. "You look adorable in your shorts."

Brody laughed outright at the tease. He gave me a wink. "Not as good as you, Lex. Orange is so your colour."

I smacked him playfully and the two of us beamed like idiots. I cocked my head to the side. "Ready to lose to Summer Bay?"

Brody's eyes twinkled. "If we lose to Summer Bay, it's only because I let you."

"Hey!" I protested. "That's no fair. You're just covering your own back so you don't have to admit fair defeat in the near future."

"Maybe." Brody smirked with a shrug.

"By the way, I've got good news."

Brody's eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah?"

"Today I'm going to tell Brax." I promised, feeling shaky even at the thought of it. "After the carnival. Hopefully, everyone will be in good spirits so it'll be a good time to tell him."

"Genuinely?" Brody looked ecstatic. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded.

"I could kiss you." He smiled, looking pained because he had to refrain from doing so. Then his face dropped, becoming suddenly serious. "Hey, have you seen who's here?"

"No." I said blankly. "Who?"

Jackson was the one who answered me. "Look to your left, cupcake. The ones wearing red and Black."

I did, and I couldn't believe my bad luck. In amongst the Chatworth team, adorned in crimson and jet black was Gaz Hodges and his sister Anya. They looked pretty bad. I hadn't seen either of them for ages – they'd not been into school since crashing the party in Mangrove River. Now I finally got to see what they'd come away with. Though, the marks were healing, it was obvious that Gaz had been clipped by Brody's fists. There was a welt on his cheek that had bloomed brown and started to turn yellowy, and a blue bruise by his chin. It made him look even scarier than he did before. But he wasn't the focus - Anya was. Mostly, she looked okay, except for when it came to her nose. It looked dodgy and out of shape. There was a slim red cut across the top of it, which had scabbed over. The skin all around it looked tender to the touch, and glowed an angry red.

"Oh my god," I gasped, a little too loudly. "I broke her nose?!"

"Looks like it." Amy stifled giggles, but I didn't find it funny. I couldn't believe it was me who had done that.

"Nice one, Lex." Jackson commended, patting me encouragingly on the back. "You've got a mean punch!"

"Brutal." I winced, scanning Anya's nose again and trying not to be sickened by the way it just didn't look straight anymore. I had done that to her. Maybe permanently. Despite hating myself for it, I felt guilty. I couldn't help the niggling sensation in my stomach, even though at the time, she'd brought it on herself. "I guess I do."

Next to me, Olivia was wide-eyed. "What? You did that? To Anya?"

I nodded numbly – wordlessly – in answer.

"Well, hello, friend of Alex." Jackson grinned wolfishly, as his eyes landed on Olivia. "You're the cutie always working at Angelo's, right?"

Olivia squinted at him and acknowledgement dawned on her. "And you're the guy who always orders meat-feast with extra meat."

Jackson touched his hand to his heart. "You memorised my order? Babe, that's love right there."

Olivia laughed and I had to double take. She was genuinely laughing, a lively giggle erupting from her grinning lips, as if she'd actually found what Jackson had said funny. He looked thrilled with himself. I couldn't help thinking that maybe there was hope yet in getting the first friend I'd made in Summer Bay to like the River Kids.

"Hey there, kiddos." Matt appeared next to us out of nowhere, wearing some casual shorts and a t-shirt, his skateboard tucked under his arm as he carried it over the sand. "Excited for the comp?"

"Matt, hey!" I smiled. "Aren't you going to try out the waves?"

He pulled a face. "I don't surf. Not my thing."

"Surfing is too challenging a task for Matthew here," Amy added, winking at him to show she was joking. "Takes too many brain cells, muscles and skills to stay on a wave. He doesn't have enough of any. Isn't that right, Mattie?"

Matt pretended to laugh. "You're hilarious, Clayton."

She shrugged, smiling. "I try."

"The truth is, I'm too cool to surf." Matt disagreed. "Why ride a wave, when I've got one of these?" He waved his skateboard in the air. "Takes a lot more talent."

"Oh, really?" Amy rolled her eyes.

"Yup."

"Prove it." Amy dared him. "I'll go to the skate park with you, if you surf Wilsons. We'll see which sport is the most challenging."

"You're so on." Matt grinned.

A look was passing between them. A very intense one. I couldn't quite tell what I was seeing and didn't have the chance to analyse it because someone shoulder barged me. Hard. I was shoved sideways into Olivia, who was pushed straight into Jackson. The only reason we all managed to stay upright was his oxen strength. Accidentally, I stood on my friend's small foot, making her yelp with pain.

"Ouch!" She squealed, as Jackson held us both up.

"Sorry, Ollie." I winced, backing away as quickly as I could, before turning on whoever had bumped me so that I could give them a tongue-lashing. Turned out I didn't need to – Brody was already on the job.

"You wanna watch where you're going, Gaz?" Brody rumbled. He was squared up to Gaz Hodges, behind whom Anya was stood, glaring daggers at me. Her brother must have been the one to nudge me.

"Shove off, Johnston. This has nothing to do with you." Gaz spat, before jutting his chin in my direction. "It's between my sister and that Braxton mongrel."

"The only dog around here is you and your pathetic gang." I answered fiercely, all fired up after having been thrust into Olivia. My hands were in fists. "So quit calling me a mongrel."

Gaz's eyes sharpened on me. They were icy cold and pierced me the same way I imagined sharp shards of glass would if they were wedged under my fingernails. It was painfully uncomfortable to be the centre of his attention.

"Have you seen what you've done to my sister's face?" He growled, his voice gravelly and dangerous, his face twisted up into a spiteful sneer. "Look at her!"

I did. I took in her bruised face and ugly, bent nose and I tried to be nonchalant.

In all my life of being tough and having to pretend that I was stronger than I was, my skin thick and my sensitivity non-existent, this was the first time I'd really felt myself pretending to be monster. I had to act like I really didn't care what I'd done to Anya; that the guilt wasn't wriggling around inside me like a ton of unsettled, restless ants.

The truth was, I'd never meant to break her nose. I hadn't known I had until today. That had been the drink and the anger. I'd lost my temper, drunk and become hazardously violent. Of course, I felt bad. Her nose had been broken and might always be out of shape, all because of me. No matter how much I hated her, I hadn't meant to mess up her face permanently.

I hid these thoughts as the Chatworth gang stared me down. Pride and defensiveness made me mean. So I didn't apologise. I didn't let them know I cared in the slightest. My face was blank, indifferent, maybe even a little bit mocking, and I shrugged.

"Then maybe you should tell your sister not start something she can't finish." I said simply. At my words, Anya dove towards me. Her friend, Nora, just about managed to hold her back, clearly worried she would injure her nose further.

"I hate you, Braxton!" She snarled, pushing out of the grip of her friend so she could glower at me threateningly. "Better watch your back, because I'm going make you regret this. You can bet on that."

"Hey, chill!" Jackson hollered, hands up in surrender, smirking wickedly. "There's no need to get your nose all out of joint."

A fight would have surely broken out if it wasn't for the fact that just then, the klaxon blared, signalling that the carnival was about to begin. The tension in the atmosphere shattered as all eyes were drawn to the stage.

The man organising it was called Hugo Tames. He was a whitehaired rounded man, with a big, kind smile. He had wrinkles around his warm eyes and was stood atop a kind of platform which had been set up on the sandy beach front. Beside him stood John Palmer, Alf Stewart and the other organisers from the three local areas competing. Chris Harrington was there too, beaming in his lifeguard getup. The rain and fierce wind made the four vibrant flags behind Hugo whip in the air. He had to speak through a megaphone to be heard by everyone spread down the length of the bay.

"Hello everyone!" He bellowed joyously, "And welcome to the Northern Districts Surf Life Saving Carnival! I'm so glad that so many of you have joined us for this fun day on the beach. I'm terribly sorry about the wait for it to begin – There were some objections to continue due to the weather conditions, but after a discussion with the board and an assessment of the situation, we have decided that the carnival will go ahead. It's a shame about the gloomy rain forecast, but I'm sure our brave competitors can soldier on through!" The crowd cheered and Hugo chuckled. "Righto, we've got a load of tournaments lined up for you today. There's swimming, running, rescue sled races and of course, last but not least, the surfing comp! By the end of today, we'll have a new winner to hold the crown for the next year. The question is, will it be Summer Bay, Mangrove River, Chatworth or Newsborough Grove? Let's find out, shall we?"

The first race was on foot, from one end of the stretch of sand to another and back again. For the boys, Brody was second and a whippet-fast guy from Newsborough Grove came first. When it came to the girls, I was swift and speedy, but not quite good enough. Running over sand wasn't my favourite thing to do and I kept losing my footing. Nora, one of Anya's cronies, won and she gave me a smug grin afterwards, when I came third behind Aurora, the other girl playing for Summer Bay. Brax and Heath cheered me on anyway, still calling me a champion.

The swimming race went a lot better. Jackson came first for the boys, followed by Gaz and then V.J. Brody was fourth, but I suspect that was because he was being held back by the other lads on the Chatworth team, who had seemed determined to get in his way the whole time. On the girls' swimming race, I won hands down. I'd swum out to my buoy, got my flag and sum back again in time to hit the buzzer before anyone else was even halfway there. Anya came second, and third was Amy.

It was when the surfing started, that things started really getting serious. Brody and Jackson were constantly being snaked by the Chatworth boys, and too soon, a fight broke out between the two. Both teams were immediately disqualified, neither of them getting any points for boys surfing. That was a substantial loss and a huge shame. VJ, Jett and Hunter carved up the surf no problem at all, and Summer Bay's boys' team won against Newsborough Grove. Then it was my chance to shine as the girls were cheered into the surf. To begin with, I got in a few good waves, managing to stand and stay upright for the majority of them. It was a fabulous start and I was impressed with myself as the score boards climbed ever higher. From the shore, my family applauded me and I could hear my brothers over everyone.

The rain started getting heavier as I was surfing and I felt a noticeable drop in the temperature. Every second, the waves grew gradually bigger, and they came faster. I continued to paddle out, diving through the crests of water mountains and battling through the surf, determined to catch another one and win the competition. The sky had darkened drastically overhead and there was a rumble of thunder just as my surfboard was overturned and I was driven into the currents of the rampant sea.

And I realised, too late, that I should have stopped. I should have turned my board around and paddled to shore. I should have taken notice of the turn in the weather and the change in the sea. I should have read the warning signs, and obeyed that alarm bell that had been blaring in my head. But I hadn't. And now, it was too late.

After what felt like an age of being dragged after my board, and spun below the surf, I finally managed to swim back to the surface. I gasped, desperate for air and made a frantic grab for my surfboard, which had bobbed up beside me. I clambered onto it, and searched urgently for the shore, because my internal compass had been completely obliterated and I wasn't even sure which way was up anymore.

Through a haze of fear and water, I saw the lights of the stage, and the bloom of colours from the flags. My heart sank. They were a terribly long way off. I had clearly been towed out by the deep of Summer Bay. Someone was calling out over the megaphone, but whatever they were saying was cut off and difficult to piece together. I could hardly hear a word.

"Over here! Help!" I shouted, hoping someone might hear me. No such luck.

The surf swelled again, and each wave was a leviathan. They were humongous and monstrous, rough and choppy. And they weren't going to slow anytime soon. Wave after wave surged and flooded, and sheets of rain descended in dreadful downpours. The rain fell hard, like bullets being fired from the sky and pelting my skin, my surfboard and the rocky surface of the water surrounding me. Through squinting eyes, I saw that overhead, the sky was black with thick swirling storms of dark brooding clouds. I could hardly see. My vision was blurred beyond believe and narrowed to slits.

Due to the torrential rain and the awful situation I was in, my grip on my board was slipping and the waves were ferocious and unforgiving, threatening to throw me off any second and send me plummeting into the sea's depths, where I would be flipped and tossed around. The sea seemed to be dragging me further and further from shore. The more I kicked and paddled and thrashed with all my might, the bigger the distance between the beach and I grew as the raging ocean claimed me. I belonged to the sea now.

White noise filled my eardrums, an inner scream of sheer panic, mixing with the hard thump, thump, thump of my rushing blood and beating heart. The ocean was roaring and hissing like a hungry beast as the fierce gale howled.

On the wind, I caught the sound of a scream. It had come from behind me, somewhere to the left. When my gaze followed the noise, I noticed a head bobbing and arms thrashing wildly, as someone cried for help, drowning amidst the surf. And I recognised them with a stab to the heart.

"Ollie!" I called out, and without hesitation, I dived towards her.

"Alex!" She choked out, spluttering. "Alex, help!"

"Ollie!" A wave thrust me aside, and my view of Olivia was lost to walls of turquoise. "Olivia! Where are you?"

"Ale-!"

Another crash of waves and I was pushed into the cold bay. I could hardly breathe. My eyes burnt with salt and my muscles were stiff and tight and in agony. I clawed my way upwards, dying to breathe again, to fill my lungs with oxygen and wanting to survive, wanting to live.

I swallowed air by the mouthful, but water too. It was impossible not to. And then, my friend swam back into my vision, just her head, floating on the roughest sea I'd ever seen.

I screamed her name as I came towards her, pulling her onto my board with me, so that it would keep us both afloat. She scrambled onto it in desperation, and coughed up what she'd gulped of the sea. I could tell that she was crying, though the tears were unnoticeable because of the rain. Her face was crumpled up and her sobs loud. They shook her small frame, which was wavering with fear.

I wasn't crying. I was too alarmed - too focused on living – to cry. Crying would have been a waste of my energy, and I didn't have any of that going spare. If I survived this, then I might cry afterwards, once the adrenaline wore off and the reality and trauma set in.

"We're going to die!" Olivia wailed.

"No, we're not!" I shouted at her, squinting against the spray of white froth and lashing torrent of hail.

"We are!"

"Olivia!" I barked, my voice hard. "Listen to me. We need to swim that way, towards the shore. Kick your legs with me."

She shook her head and whimpered. "I can't. I can't -"

"You can." I argued. "Just try!"

"Alex -"

"Do you want to die, Ollie?" I roared, above the noise swelling around us. "Then paddle! Come on!"

We pushed as hard and fast as we could through the rocking sea. We kicked and kicked and kicked with our legs, propelling ourselves onward with every ounce of strength we could muster, cutting through it as best we could. It was worse than tiring. It was exhausting. It ate up every scrap of power, and left our bodies weak with effort. A few times, Olivia's grasp slipped on the board and I almost lost her to the bay again. Her eyes kept trying to shut, her body shutting down with fatigue, willing her to drown. But I would not let that happen. The only reason she was out here was because of me – because I had begged her to join the team for Summer Bay's surf carnival with me. I was the one who had signed her name on that form. She hadn't even wanted me to.

"We're getting closer, Ollie!" I told her, short of breath, trying to give her hope. "They'll spot us. They'll send out the rescue team. They'll help us."

"ALEX!"

"ALEXIS!"

"OLIVIA!"

Voices from the beach were calling our names, over and over again, hysterical, worried, screaming at the top of their lungs. To my great relief, someone finally saw us.

"There! Their right there!" A man bellowed urgently through the megaphone, pointing in our direction. I recognised the voice – it belonged to Brax. "Alex!"

The next thing I knew, rescue sleds were zooming towards us, crimson coloured and battling through the surge. They surrounded us in an instant, and my friend and I were plucked off of my board and hauled onto a sled each, by strong arms.

I clamped my hands around the guy driving my sled and realised, with the flash of electric eyes, that I was being rescued by my River Boy. He must have stolen the Jet Ski himself.

"Brody," I choked up, and the tears finally came as I crushed myself to him in a tight hug.

"I'm here! Don't worry." Brody promised me, shouting over the storm. His next words threw me back to the time I'd gone with him on his motorbike for the first time. "Hold on tight, okay?"

I nodded as we began to zoom over the mad water.

"Olivia-!"

"Is safe!" Brody reassured as I glanced back over my shoulder at the other rescue sleds behind me. "Heath and Jackson have her!"

I pressed my cheek to the bare of Brody's muscular back and squeezed my burning eyes shut. My face was getting hammered by rain and the splash of waves, the wind ripping at me as the Jet Ski flew over the swaying sea.

Before long, we were at the beach again, and the sand came into view, along with a mix of concerned faces, and screaming voices. The Rescue sled stopped when it hit the sand in the shallow end, and Brody leapt into the sea, bundled me into his arms, bridal style, and carried me the rest of the way ashore.

Brax was on the beach, being tackled and held down by a group of authoritarians. It looked as if he'd been trying to get to a rescue sled, but they hadn't let him. When he saw me, he shoved them all away like the hulk and raced forwards.

"Alex!"

"Brax!" I cried, shivering in Brody's arms. The River boy passed me to my brother, who lay me on the sand and checked me over.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" My brother demanded. He looked like he'd been close to tears. His eyes were red and his face strained.

"I'm f-fine." I stuttered, watching as Brody grabbed a handful of towels off a lifeguard who had come running with them. He then returned, and threw a few over me, wrapping me up tight, and drying off the wet, trying to shelter me from the wind and rain and keep me warm with his body. Brax looked at him.

"Mate thanks," He said appreciatively, shaking his head. "You saved her."

"Of course I did." Brody answered and I realised for the first time that his azure eyes were glittering and watery too, and his usually steady hands were trembling a little bit. He set his jaw, obviously trying to hide his true feelings and appear tough. There really wasn't that much of a difference between him and Brax. "Nothing would have stopped me from."

"You didn't hesitate to steal the Jet Skies. Even though you could have died yourself out there." My brother regarded him intently whilst the two were knelt down next to me.

"It would have been worth it." Brody replied shortly, and then he tore his gaze from Brax. Instead, clasping my cold hand in his giant one and giving it a reassuring squeeze, his eyes bore deep into mine and he smiled his gorgeous smile. He looked like he wanted to cry with a mix of stress and delight.

I saw the very moment it click and everything fell into place for my oldest and most protective brother. Brax looked between us, and his expression changed as quickly as the weather had. His eyes had narrowed, and he leaned back on his haunches.

Just then, Olivia was ushered towards us held by Jackson and joined by Heath. Kyle appeared out of the crowd, and he and Heath fussed over me the same way Brax had. Within minutes, my whole family was there along with a team of paramedics and police and lifeguards.

The beach was hastily evacuated. Everyone was shepherded up to the surf club. Olivia and I were escorted up by paramedics, both of us in the arms of two best friend River Boys, who didn't leave our sides. My brothers were close next to me, barley a step away as we all headed for safety and a place to hideaway as we waited for the aggressive, deadly storm to pass.

*

It was amazing to behold how Summer Bay, a massive close-knit community, worked together throughout the rainstorm. The surf club was full of people and both downstairs and upstairs was crammed with bodies, all the tables and chairs overflowing. The ladies from the Diner had brought free food over to distribute to everyone, John Palmer's café downstairs was sending out warm drinks and Angelo's were offering pizzas and chips to anybody who wanted it whilst we huddled together and waited for the tempest to end. It was surprisingly cosy.

The paramedics and the police hung around, even after they had checked on everyone and judged that we were all okay. There were still some people in shock and one or two contestants had been injured a little by the tumble of the waves, having been hit by their surfboards or thrown into rocks. The Surf Carnival had been cancelled and would be recommenced on another day, when the weather conditions were back to normal.

I had finally dried off, so I was no longer quivering from the cold. John Palmer had opened up some packages from storage that contained uniforms for lifeguards, so everyone who'd been in the water had changed into the red shorts and bright yellow polo shirts. Although a little baggy, they were comfortable, dry and a lot warmer than soggy swimwear and wetsuits.

Brody, who'd brought his signature black leather biker Jacket with him on Brenda (his motorcycle) gave me that to wear too. The worn calfskin was smooth and supple and smelt really nice; like proper leather, the sea and Brody's subtle, manly cologne. The silky inner lining was soft against my skin. My hair fell around my shoulders in a rippling waterfall of glossy blonde. I had no makeup on, because I hadn't bothered with it this morning – knowing it would be washed off by the sea.

Olivia was wearing a lifeguard outfit too. Her hair had bushed up a lot after being in the sea, so she'd styled it into a messy plait, which I thought really suited her. She was wrapped up in Jackson's stylish brown leather bomber jacket which had a cosy fur collar and was sat at a booth with the rest of the River Kids.

Next to her, Amy was using a towel like it was a blanket, and had her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them tightly. She was leaning heavily against Matt, who was chatting animatedly to Jackson – the two of them trying to subdue the tension. Stella was staring blankly into her steaming cup of coffee as Jade chewed her nails anxiously and tried to focus on what the boys were joking about.

"Okay, Amy. Maybe you're right. Maybe surfing is the tougher sport." Matt tried to make her feel better as he rubbed her arm encouragingly.

She achieved an Amy-like grin. "Don't think you're getting out of our bet that easily, Page." She mumbled. "I still want to see you try it."

"Tell me when you're doing it. I want to be there to watch." Jackson added. "With a camcorder."

Matt threw a chip at him. "Jerk."

Jackson ate the chip, which had bounced off his neck and landed on his lap. He gave Matt a thumbs up. "Mm. Thanks, mate. Saves me feeding myself."

Matt narrowed his eyes at him. "Dude, you've got the brain of a seagull. You know that, right?"

Everyone gathered around laughed, including Jackson, who seemed to take the insult in his stride. I didn't hear what else was said, because I chose then to slip out of Brody's arms, where he'd been holding me. I wandered out to the balcony to look out over the ocean and get some fresh air and quiet, where I could watch the storm swirl around me and loose myself in a trance. I heard the door open and close behind me, as my eldest brother came to join me by the barrier.

"Hey, what are you doing out here, all by yourself?" Brax queried, after pausing a second to take in the fact I was wearing Brody's jacket.

I shrugged and sighed. "Ah... Just thinking."

"About how lucky you are to have me as a big brother?" Brax grinned, his muscular arms rested on the balcony banister.

"Actually about how lucky I am to be here right now." I corrected with a sly smile. "And how great it is to be related to Heath. He's without a doubt the boss of all brothers. Couldn't have asked for better."

Brax laughed loudly and gave me a friendly nudge with his elbow. "Yeah, righto. I'll remember that." He gazed out over the ocean and his face grew distant with thought.

"Did you think I was dead?" I blurted out all of a sudden.

Brax's eyes snapped to look at me. He said nothing for a beat. Then he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I thought you might be. I was clinging onto the hope that you weren't." His voice was low and gravelly. "When we realised what was happening and lost sight of you, Heath and I argued with the lifeguards. Told them to send the rescue sleds out for you and Olivia. But they wouldn't do it. The dogs said it was too dangerous; that even the jet skis wouldn't stay upright in waves that rough and we'd have to wait for the helicopter and the emergency boat. Then old mate over there –" Brax gestured through the glass door at where Brody was chilling at the table with the rest of my friends. He had on his dimpled smile and his hair was ruffled, falling handsomely around his shining blue eyes. He was in the middle of laughing at something Jackson had said. "And his buddy, came over. They were quick as lightning. Slipped straight past the lifeguards and grabbed a Jet Ski each. Heath joined them. I held the lifeguards back, so they wouldn't try to stop them from saving you."

"So it was a team effort then?" I said.

Brax frowned. He said nothing.

"I wouldn't let myself think I might die. I couldn't give up hope." I told him. "Then I saw Olivia and I knew I had to make sure she got out alive. It was my fault she was there – I roped her into the surf carnival."

"I'm the one that roped you into it." Brax murmured quietly. "I've surfed all my life. I should have known it wasn't safe. I was just so keen to see you win."

"Hey, none of this is your fault." I rested my hand on his arm. "I wanted to do the comp. And no one was to know it'd turn out like this. Besides, I'm safe now. That's what counts."

Brax inhaled deeply. He looked concerned. "You should call your mum. Let her know what happened. Tell her that you're okay."

I shook my head resolutely, and ran my hands over the railing. "Nah, I don't want to worry her."

Mum was too frail and too much of a worrier to deal with any form of bad news. I remembered how the hospital had told me that her condition had worsened sufficiently the time she'd known I'd been taken into care. She'd ceased eating and sleeping altogether and made herself weaker than ever. As far as she could know, everything in Summer Bay was perfect – no fights, no trouble and definitely no near-drowning experiences.

"Your call." Brax nodded.

"We'd better get back inside." I said after a second, spinning back to the door. "Before we end up catching colds or something."

"Oi, Alex." Brax stopped me in my tracks by calling me back. I turned to look questioningly at him. He was still scowling. "You know, you should've told me."

"What?" I played dumb.

"About Johnston, and the rest from Mangrove River." He said, face and voice hard. "How long?"

"How long, what?" I asked.

"How long have you been lying to me about it?"

I sighed and glanced back at the table where my friends were all sat. "I've been friends with them since my first day at school. And I've never stopped being their friend since." I faced my brother again. "Brax, I know I said I'd stay away from them, but you have to understand that I-"

"I understand." He cut me off tersely.

The moment froze and I couldn't quite believe my ears. "What?"

Brax nodded, seeming to hate himself for it. "I can understand. They're your mates. They look like they make you happy. I... I shouldn't have stopped you from seeing them." He saw the triumphant, smug smile spreading on my lips, and growled, very quickly, "But you still should've told me."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you and that I didn't want to be honest with you, but I was just scared you'd lose it." I answered. "And that you'd clamp down harder. Make sure I never met up with them again."

Brax shook his head. He struggled to get out his words. "You're old enough and smart enough to choose your friends. I'm willing to give them a chance. But they'd better not get you in trouble."

"They won't." I smirked.

Brax cleared his throat. "As for Brody Johnston..."

"Ah," I winced awkwardly. "Brax, can we please not?"

"Are you together?" My brother pushed, not even a little bit willing to let it go.

"Erm, no. Not technically. I don't actually know what we are. We're..." I frowned. "Seeing each other, I guess."

"Seeing each other?" Brax raised his eyebrows. "You haven't..." He trailed off.

I covered my face with my hands, turned away and laughed all embarrassed when I got his meaning. "You did not just ask me that..." Brax crossed his arms. "No! God, no! I've only known him for about a month." I cringed. "Not that it would be any of your business anyway."

"Good." He sniffed. "Because, you know, you're young, Alex. You're still just fifteen. And there are... some risks that come with..."

"Stop!" I protested, trying to block out the whole scenario. "Seriously, Brax, stop talking."

"I'm just trying to look out for you."

I shifted on my feet. "Right, okay. Well, tip for the future, bro. You don't need to worry about it. I might have missed year nine and ten, but I'm not stupid. I know how the world works. I definitely don't need you checking up on me, and asking awkward questions and I certainly don't need The Talk, alright? So drop it."

"Alright, just... Just, as long as I know that you're not planning on -"

"For god's sake, no. I'm not. You can relax."

We were awkwardly quiet for a moment, before Brax spoke again. He looked a little more at ease than he had been before.

"I'm not his biggest fan."

"Who? Brody's?" I quizzed.

"I've heard a lot of bad stuff about that bloke." Brax told me, seriously. "Vandalism, fights, criminal activity, drinking, drugs, bad reputation..."

"Whichever Brody you've heard of – he isn't the same guy as the one I know. He's really not like that." I defended.

Brax snorted. "Really? So what was he doing at that party in Mangrove River? Not drinking?" He pointed out. "And how come he was one of the ones involved with the fight against Chatworth that got them both disqualified from the competition? Or did I imagine that?"

"That's different." I said.

"Different how?"

I shook my head. "Brax, you don't understand..."

"I do understand, Alex. Better than anyone else, because I was just like him when I was younger, in exactly the same position." Brax's tone was calm and level, trying to reason with me. For some reason, this just made me more protective and defensive.

"Which is why you should give him a chance." I argued.

"I never said I wasn't going to give him a chance." Brax said. I stared, slack-jawed, as my brother continued talking. "I'm not saying that I approve, and I'm just warning you that there's a possibility he's not who you think he is. That he might have a darker side to him and he might bring you trouble. But I'll give him a fair chance to prove me wrong and show that he really has changed. If he manages to convince me, then great. If not..." Brax fell into silence. "I'm going to make sure he knows that if he hurts you, if he gets you into trouble, if he messes up your life or breaks your heart, it'll be the last thing he ever does. I'll kill him."

"He won't do that." I said certainly.

"For your sake, I hope not. And for his sake too." Brax responded, glimpsing through the glass pane at Brody. "But if he does, remember that you've always got me, and your brothers. And Ricky and the girls too. You can come to us for anything."

I smiled, and gave my eldest brother a hug, which he accepted.

"I already know that." I mumbled into his chest. I could hear the steady beat of his heart in my ear, and couldn't help thinking how much I loved him and the rest of my Braxton family.

"Hey, what's happening here?" Heath's voice boomed from behind us, making me jump. He had his hands up and a big grin on his face. "Don't I get a mushy love hug too?"

"Shut up, Heath." Brax rolled his eyes as our other brother strolled forwards to join us on the balcony. He punched Brax friendlily in the arm.

"Aw, c'mon, mate. Don't be like that. Where's all that girly, touchy-feely, sentimental affection gone to, eh?"

"You scared it away, Boofhead."

Heath pulled a face. "Want me to get Kylie out here so you can hug him too? He might feel left out otherwise. You'll make 'im cry."

"Heath, do you want me to deck you?" Brax fixed him with deadly green-blue eyes, but there was a slightly amused smile pulling at his lips.

"That's a swanky jacket you've got there, Lex." Heath's eyes gleamed and I could tell what was coming next. "Thought I wouldn't notice, didn't ya? Only worried about what the Silver Back Gorilla here would make of you hooking up with a no-good River Boy. Didn't care what I might have to say about it."

"Why? Do you have something you'd like to say?" I inquired with a sigh, resting my hands on my hips.

"Actually, yeah." Heath bristled, gesturing at Brax. "Just because he's said yes, doesn't mean I'm okay with it, does it? I'm your big brother too."

"Right. So... what?" I said. "You want me to ask your permission to keep seeing Brody?"

"Yup." Heath nodded, his arms crossed stubbornly.

For the sake of playing along and keeping him happy, I said. "Heath, is it okay with you if I see Brody?"

"On one condition." He told me. "You babysit Harley and Darce on Friday night."

"You know I would have done that anyway, right?" I informed him. "I'm always dying for extra time with the little man and my cousin."

"And," Heath raised his voice, holding a finger up to silence me. "If this Johnston kid makes you cry, then I get to smash him."

"That's two conditions. Not one."

"Agree to them, or don't see him at all. Your choice." My brother replied.

Laughing, I put my hands up in surrender. "Okay, alright. I agree to both of your conditions, but you might have to compete with Brax about who gets to smash him first if he ends up breaking my heart."

"We'll do it together." Heath grinned, clapping our oldest brother on the back. "Just like the old times, eh bro?"

"Only I know for a fact that he won't give you a reason to beat him up." I responded assuredly, putting my total faith in Brody. The way he'd reacted today had already told me how much I meant to him. I didn't need any more proof of how deep his affection ran.

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Brax murmured. "Rescuing you today was one step, but he's got a long way to go before he changes my mind. Now, come on. Let's go back inside. The rain is getting worse again and I want to check on Ricky."

"Yeah, I need to let Bianca know that we've got Friday night together too, now that Alex here has stepped up for baby-sitting."

Brax chuckled. "Now look who's being a sook, organising a date with his missus."

"Mate, trust me, there's nothing romantic about this date." Heath smirked suggestively.

"Heath, too much information." I laughed, disgusted, as the three of us turned our backs on the storm outside and left the balcony, all in high spirits, now with no more secrets wedged between us.

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Hey! 

Not the best update ever I know and probably riddled with mistakes, but I was kind of rush-writing it, which is never a good thing to do :/ Hope you liked it anyway though and figured you all deserved a long chapter this time, to keep you busier for longer! Please keep reading - just because the secret's are all (supposedly)"out", doesn't mean there aren't more shockers to come ;) 

Pretty please keep voting and commenting your thoughts! 

Much Love  - TheSnowWolf