"Kirsty, calm down. What's happened?" Kane could hardly understand a word Kirsty was saying.
"I'll tell you when you get here, you have to come quickly."
"OK, I'll be there as soon as I can." Kane had to tell the boss he couldn't work anymore. That wasn't going to be easy, especially since he had to coax his wages from him.
Meanwhile, Kirsty was frantically searching for Kane's car keys. At least if she loaded the car, they could leave as soon as he returned. Kirsty didn't want to go home. Not now, not ever. She didn't feel like she belonged in Summer Bay, she was always messing up, getting moaned at by her parents. Even before Kane, her relationship with her mother was hardly straightforward. They always argued, especially with her school troubles, or rather lack of school. She didn't want to be like the 'perfect' residents of Summer Bay, who did what was expected of them. She dared to be different. She was having the greatest time of her life with Kane. She didn't want it to end now. Having fun was hardly selfish, was it? She eventually found the keys, she'd accidentally packed them. She headed towards the car, but alas, Jayne was waiting.
"Jayne, get out of my way."
" No," Jayne held onto Kirsty, her sharp claw-like nails digging into her arm. "You're not going anywhere. Your parents are gonna be here soon, don't you wanna get back to Mummy and Daddy?"
"Jayne, just get off me! My family is none of your business." Kirsty whacked Jayne with her rucksack, but unexpectedly Jayne kicked Kirsty, sending her to the floor. Jayne pinned Kirsty down with her hands. They were face to face. They stared at each other for a moment, their hate for each other the same. Kirsty took her by surprise, kicked her in the stomach, and broke free.
"I'm not letting you go!" Jayne ran after Kirsty and grabbed her, by the stomach.
"This is getting tiring, just get the hell off me!" Kirsty swerved round and punched Jayne in the face, sending her to the floor again. It was like in slow motion. Jayne bashed her head on the paving, blood spilling over her face.
Jayne was out cold. Kirsty stood motionless. Was she alive?
"What's going on?" Kane was back.
"Kane, I didn't mean to, but she was grabbing me, she wouldn't let me go! We've got to go, but I don't know if she's alright."
"Well she has a pulse." Kane leant by her. "She's just unconscious. I'll ring for an ambulance and we'll leave. " He saw her worried face, and squeezed Kirsty's arm. "It's gonna be okay." Kirsty started loading the bags into the car. She was still reeling. What would her parents think of her, when they arrived? She hastily scribbled a note to them. 'I love you, but I can't come home yet. I'm sorry.' She left it on the veranda. "The ambulance coming?"
"Yeah, " said Kane. "Any second. We all packed?"
"Yeah, I put all the bags in the car. Let's go. As far away from here as possible."
***
The Sutherlands returned home unsuccessfully. When Shelley and Rhys had arrived, they'd found out that Jayne had been admitted to hospital, with concussion. When she awoke, she'd had no recollection of Kirsty or Kane ever being there. Luckily, the owner of the caravan park had remembered them, but she didn't know where they'd gone. Kirsty had so kindly left them a note saying she couldn't come home, and she was sorry. Rhys was fuming. As if she was sorry, running off with Kane. Was she doing this just to spite the family? Dani grew more suspicious by the day. Everyone pretended not to know whom the 'mystery boyfriend' was, yet they seemed to stop talking about him the moment she entered the room. Her father seemed too angry for it to be a complete stranger. She sighed, and got back to watching television.
"Hiya Dani." Josh entered, "It was open. Any luck with finding Kirsty?"
"Well we got a call saying that Kirsty was with her boyfriend at this caravan park, but when Mum and Dad got there, she'd left."
"Her boyfriend? What Kane?"
"Josh, why'd you have to bring him up, okay?" Dani was angry. That reference was totally unnecessary. "Kane is not Kirsty's boyfriend. She agreed to stop seeing him." Dani looked at a guilty Josh. From his face, she could tell that he knew different.
"Look, I'm sorry Dani. Your parents said to keep it quiet. Are you okay."
"Fine." Dani felt a surge of fury. "Just fine. My sister's ran away with a…" Dani didn't want to say it. Too many bad memories. Dani felt sick all of a sudden. It all fitted together, the secrecy, Kirsty's strange behaviour, her parents covering up all the time. Dani ran upstairs, too confused to cry. She wasn't quite sure how to react. How could Kirsty betray her in this way? All this time she'd thought Kirsty was depressed and alone, when she was with him. How could her family lie to her? Even Josh knew, her ex-boyfriend. This was unforgivable, everybody else knew but her. Dani truly felt alone.