I looked around the room, gazing into every corner, enjoying the feel of the air con pumping chilled air out. I was grateful that Kevin convinced them to switch from evaporative air conditioning. In the corner I could see the rubbish bin overflowing. I knew that I need to take it out, but I really didn't want to. It's a personal thing against the nauseating stench that comes out of the bin, ever since Jye threw out his footy shoes. It's gross because he hadn't realized how bad it smelt. Before, when he was using them still, they stunk up his room. Also it was rubbish collection and the driver didn't like me or my dog. He and the dog had an unfortunate incident that happened almost four years ago. It wasn't pretty, him that is. I looked over to my calendar and see the day highlighted. I throw my doona back and it lands in the corner opposite to trash central. I raced around the room; looking for something to put on with my jeans. Defeated I ran into Kevin's room. He's lying down reading the Sports Monthly or something like that. I roll my eyes and open his draws.

'Hey!' He yelled at me. 'Don't nick my shirt.'

'But they're comfy. Oh, and I can't find the Chisel shirt.'

'That's where it is? You stole it?'

'Uh, well technically I borrowed it.' I smiled at him cheekily.

Kevin groaned and I grinned even wider. I loved annoying him and it's so easy. I take his Flame Trees tour shirt.

'No!' He shouted. 'No, no, no, no, anything but that shirt.'

But I didn't hear him. I was halfway down the hall. Mum was in the kitchen trying out some new recipe that smelt absolutely toxic, kind of like Jye's shoes. As I ran outside Mum yelled at me to eat some real food and not the rubbish that Jye's bound to let me eat. Mum had always been on a really healthy food diet. No sugar, no seed oils, no fatty take away and no Subway, always balancing exercise with what we ate, it was exhausting. I got bored very easily on a diet and so I would rarely stayed on one for too long, that and I don't like the taste of soya flakes, Mum always had them in the house and they were absolutely nauseating. Now I miss the soya flakes. I see them and run and vomit, literally, I think that I'm allergic to them. I ran outside to avoid her and looked into the driveway; Jye was getting out of a rusty Holden HJ Sandman Utility.

'OMGosh! It's beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!' I cried, throwing myself at him. He looked uncomfortable as he tried, unsuccessfully, to prise me off him. Jye was uncomfortable with PDA's; I think that he thinks that it will pull down the wall that he had carefully built. I walked around the car with a note pad, examining every inch and taking notes on the work that needs to be done. My list was two pages long, a majority of the work needing to be done on the interior. As I was making it I waved to Mum as she left to go post the update to her family in Melbourne and get the food. The only thing on the exterior was the paint that had faded to a rusty greenish colour, I liked the colour; it was more authentic, but it really needs to be resprayed. From what I had observed, Jye and Kanga were happier for me to be interested in cars than in boys. They were so happy in fact that they had helped foot the bill for the last two jobs.

There was something though, about this car that is different. The last two had been newer by about 30 years. This one had a class and character that only a car from the '70's could carry off and it compliments it with the knowledge that you own a piece of Australian history. I don't know why but it was almost haunting. I picked up the stretcher and lay down on it, rolling under the car. Behind me in the driveway Cass and Lyle tried to start the car. I sighed and pushed myself forward rolling into the dingy garage. In the corner a wide screen television blared loudly with the news and, on occasion, it crackled with the inability to cope with the loud volume that we had it turned it up to. I walked over to Lyle and booted the car. Actually that's kind of insulting to cars. It was a heap of junk.

'Excuse me Katarina!' Lyle yelled his face red from the heat and exertion, and more recently, the humiliation of being superseded by me.

'You're excused Lyle,' I said smiling at him as I turn the car key slowly. A steady purr slowly arises from the bonnet. 'I believe your problem is fixed.' And I held out my hand for money.

'I'm not paying you.'

'It's custom to pay the mechanic.' I reminded him and then add whining; 'Besides I need the money for the car.'

He sighed and took out his wallet that is lined with fifties. He placed one in my hand; I looked at it and then back again. Muttering he added another three to the pile. I smiled sweetly and headed inside to place it in my stash. I had lied to him, Mum and Dad would have obviously foot the bill for it, but I had a stash going for me to buy my way around Australia later in life. As I walked back into the garage the headlines scrolled across the screen and I ignored them. Two minutes later the news reader crossed to a reporter who's standing next to the post office. I stood leaning against my car and watch the screen as the video unfolds. When it was over the reporter was standing next to Brian Hawkes, the Police Commissioner

'Is there any word on who this is?' She asked

'No, unfortunately not,' he replied as a picture of her driver's licence appears on the screen. The tool I was holding in my hand clatters to the ground and inside glass shattered. I ran inside.

'Dad are you okay?' I asked, my eyes wild and scared.

'They took your Mum away love. They took her away.' He whispered to me looking just as scared, as though they're going to take him away as well. He looked so sad and vulnerable. I sat him down on the couch and walk to the kitchen to make a coffee. I looked on the ground around the microwave and slowly realize what the glass was, I sighed and began to pick up the pieces carefully.

About three hours later Dad was calmer and Kanga took me down to the police station. I couldn't drive and because of my fascination with cars and my absolute lack of interest in school I barely passed year seven. I think that the only reason I passed was out of generosity for my poor Father.

I read over the pages that I have written, scribble my name on the bottom and tuck my hair behind my ear and take it to the teacher. He scans over it and watch me walk back to my seat, I smile ironically at the fact that only weeks ago I showed absolutely no interest in school and now it's almost a haven for me. That car I fixed in record time and resold it at auction for three times more. I look over at the kids sitting next to me and the girl smiles. I smile back and then start draw absently on my folder. The girl looks over my shoulder and I reposition myself. I never really know any girls and this chick is starting to not only annoy me but she's kind of scaring me. I don't like people staring at me, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

After school she comes up to me.

'Do you have a problem with me?' She asks, but I only see her mouth move. She's getting agitated and she shoves me hard into the lockers. I blink furiously and take out my earphones.

'What the hell do you want?' I say.

'You are one really weird girl,' she laughs harshly. The noise from her is grating on my ears.

'Yeah whatever,' I mutter and walk out of the school, but she follows.

'Aren't you Kevin's younger sister?'

'What gave it away? Was it the family resemblance?'

'That's just silly, everyone knows that he's adopted.' She giggles. 'But he is cute.'

I feel sick and then she starts to get violent.

'Why won't you talk to me? I'm a very nice person!' She yells pushing me again. This time my space has been violated and I push back harder, she slaps me so I slap her, she pulls on my hair and before I know it we're rolling on the floor biting, slapping and tearing at each other's hair. Then I'm lifted off of her and restrained.

'Calm down Kat, calm down,' Kanga says with his arm across my shoulder protectively.

'Thank goodness you came when you did Kevin,' the girl gushes breathlessly. 'I don't know what came over her, she just started hitting me.'

'I bet she did America,' He says supressing a smile. 'But I know my sister and I highly doubt that she did. I also know you and you do have a tendency to get into catfights.'

'That's not fair. You're just biased towards her because she's your sister, teachers can't do that!'

'I'm not being biased towards my sister; you're record does show that you have some violent tendencies.'

The crowd is starting to dissipate and Kevin tells the rest to rack off. I drop my head and he tells me to go wait with Jye who gives me a hug.

As we pull into the street I see a truck rumble out of our driveway and I unbuckle myself and run down the street.

'Dad! Dad?' I yell. 'Dad, what are you doing?'

'We're going to move,' he tells me as he wraps up an ornament that Dad had gotten Mum for her birthday, then he realizes what it is and starts to unwrap it again and drops it. It shatters into millions of pieces, joining the other shattered memories.

'So when you say "move", you mean down the street or to the other side of town. Right?'

He looks at me and scoffs, 'No, when I say "move", I mean to Melbourne.'

The vase I'm holding slips and I grab it quickly and I look at him in shock. He loves Darwin, why would he want to move away from his home? I look at him and roll my eyes.

'Pathetic,' I spit. 'Just because she's dead doesn't mean that we have to move. I like it here, it's my home.' As tears prick my eyes, I turn and do the thing that I've begun to do a lot. I run. As I run down the driveway, I slam into a tall, broad body.

'What's going on Kat?' Jye asks.

'We're moving to Melbourne,' I tell him bluntly.