Kira

This morning we all woke bright and early. Then we had to roll up our sleeping bags, deflate the airbeds and pull down the tent. How I hate putting up the tent when you know you'll just have to pull it down the next day and do it again that night!

I thought Tammy was avoiding Marissa. She hasn't spoken to her, but then again, I don't know if I've spoken directly to Kendra, or even Bethany, so I thought maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing. But there was something about the way Tammy didn't make eye contact and her tenseness around Marissa, so when everyone else went down to the river to wash the dishes, I confronted Tammy about it.

"You okay?" I asked her, unsure of how to go about this.

"You tell me. Am I okay?" She replied, giving a confused look.

"I dunno. I mean, yeah, it's just that… you seem to be… avoiding Marissa… I dunno."

"I'm not avoiding her." Tammy said indignantly. "What? Did I not score high enough on the 'making small talk' test? Did I not laugh loud enough at her jokes?"

"What's wrong?"

Tammy let out an exasperated sigh. "Nothing's wrong."

It was my turn to sigh. She was not one to give up easily. "Look, I just wondered what was going on between you two because I know that something is wrong." Tammy shrugged. "Oh, how do I explain this?" She looked to me as if for an answer but I didn't reply. She sighed. "She's so pretty and perfect and I just feel like I'm not good enough for her because I don't spend every free moment painting my toenails while reading magazines and… I don't know." She looked back at me but when I didn't say anything she threw herself back in her chair and rolled her eyes.

"You're right, Marissa is a pretty girl." I said, envisioning her straight jet-black hair, her bright blue eyes, her long, thin body and her complete air of elegance. "But she's not like that, I'm sure. Have you actually seen her fussing over her fingernails or acting like an airhead? She not that immature. She's here camping with us and enjoying herself."

Tammy gave an insolent shrug.

"Did she do something…?"

"No. She's just… not like me. If you haven't already noticed."

"She's not like that." I repeated. "Just try talking to her and give her a chance."

Tammy shrugged again. I know how she hates being vulnerable and often hides behind her cynicism and wit, but she looked me in the eye and said

"Thanks."

I saw Bethany, Marissa and Kendra making their way back up the bank. I stood up to greet them.

"Come on! Let's hit the road!" said Kendra. So we packed up the last of our stuff and piled back into the van, me in the front passenger seat with Kendra driving this time. As we turned out of the near empty camping ground, I heard Marissa and Tammy giggling together and knew that things would be all right.

Bethany

Today's drive was a long hot one. The road stretched out before us as far as the eye could see and we were surrounded by low scrub and tussock. We sat and listened to DJ Dan talk about the beach until we lost signal. Then suddenly there was a bang and the van swung to one side. Kendra pulled off the road onto the dirt and we hopped out to see what had happened.

The back right tyre had been popped. And we were in the middle of nowhere in the hot searing sun.

"This might be a problem." Kira said.

"Just a bit." Tammy laughed.

"Do we have a spare tyre?" I asked.

"Yup, but it's under several tonnes of luggage." Kendra grimaced.

"In the boot?"

"Uh-huh." We stood there for a few moments until I said,

"Well, I guess there's nothing for it but to start unloading stuff." We unpacked and unpacked and unpacked. I had no idea we had managed to fit so much in the van. We moved the food into the shade of the van, which was hardly more than a sliver due to the midday sun. After what seems like ages we reached the spare tyre and jack. Eventually we replaced the tyre and were confident it was secure. Then we packed everything back in.

"Let's have a drink before we go." This suggestion was met with strong support. But when I turned the tap on the carton, there was only enough water to fill half a cup.

"What happened to the water?"

Marissa bit her lip and pointed to a wet patch of dirt below the tap. We all stared at the mud.

"Someone must have left the tap on." I said, stating the obvious. "Unless there's a leak."

"There's no leak." Said Tammy certainly.

"Well how did the tap turn on?" said Kendra, frustrated.

"Maybe you bumped it." Said Marissa.

"I couldn't, I wasn't around here."

"I know." Snapped Kira. "You were standing over there and not even helping us."

"I was so! I was moving everything out of the way."

"Who cares?" said Tammy, throwing her hands up. "Who cares how we lost the water, I just want to have a drink!"

"Well you can't." I said, not meaning it to sound as sharp as it did.

"Why didn't anybody notice the tap running?"

"We did, but we thought it would be a good idea to leave it going!" Marissa said sarcastically.

"Shut up."

"I'm thirsty."

"Join the club." I said wearily.

"What are we going to do?"

"I tell you what." Kira spoke up. "We're going to quit moaning and squabbling, get in the van and drive to the next town and get some water. Because standing here all day arguing is not going to achieve anything, believe me!"

We all did as she said, and drank our new water slowly, ashamed of our behaviour.

Tammy

Last night was our third night away from home. It feels so strange yet so good to wake up every morning and wonder what we will do and where we will go. Yesterday we had a picnic on the beach and spent the afternoon playing in the waves together then falling asleep in the soft white sand. We were the only ones on the shore; the beach continued as far as the eye could see.

Tonight we were all in bed or in the process of getting in to bed. I could hear the dull roar of the waves in the distance. I didn't feel like going to sleep, I felt like going out to just laugh and play in summer bliss. Maybe Marissa had the same thought as me because she drew out a bag of lollies but asked for something in return.

"You can have a lolly…" Marissa said when Kendra gasped in delight on seeing the bag. "if you tell us something about yourself that we didn't know before. Secrets."

"I don't have any secrets!" Kira said.

"Just anything."

"Bethany, I used your toenail clippers without asking." I piped up, grinning greedily when a lolly landed in my lap. This seemed to encourage everyone else to share.

"I sing into my hairbrush." Said Kendra.

"I'm addicted to Bubble Pop Madness v3 on my I-pod touch."

"I prank called my primary school teacher when I was 13 and told him he'd won twenty thousand dollars."

"Did he believe you?"

"No, sadly. He said 'is this Marissa?' and I hung up quick." We all laughed, our mouths full of party mix. We continued sharing long after the lollies ran out.

"I'm scared of dogs." Kira contributed

"I backed our car into the letterbox last week."

"I have never been kissed." I said, then immediately wished I hadn't.

"Really?"

"Oh, wow."

"You don't need to make a big deal out of it." I snapped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It doesn't bother me." I explained. "What bothers me is the way people treat me like a little kid when they find out. They think I'm all innocence and ignorance because I haven't kissed a guy."

"We know you're not." Bethany said gently.

"It's not a big deal, it's just… it's like initiation to be in some sort of club, and I'm always on the outside looking in because I haven't gone through that rite of passage yet." Everybody looked at me sympathetically but I could see that they didn't truly understand. I shrugged. "Looks like I dampened the mood a bit. What a party pooper."

"No, no, it's… good." Kira said quickly. It was quiet again.

"You know how Lisa Banks' face was all red after lunch one day?" said Kendra.

"And she said it was just the heat? I remember, I saw her putting make-up over it in the bathroom before I went off to Fabric and Textiles class." Said Bethany.

"Yeah, well, I'd slapped her." Kendra said promptly.

"What!"

"Kendra!"

"You slapped Lisa Banks?" I said incredulously, my untainted lips forgotten.

"Yeah." Kendra answered nonchalantly. "Believe me, I don't slap people. But Lisa was being…"

"Lisa?"

"Yeah! She's so nasty and snobby and she said something totally mean and rude about my family… so I slapped her."

"Wow."

"And I slapped her good!" Kendra said proudly. "She didn't even know what hit her."

"Hmm." Bethany said. "Worst I've probably ever done is make my cousin a coffee with salt instead of sugar."

Marissa

When I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be a lazy day. I have no idea what time we got up; my cellphone battery died long ago so its of no more use to me. I finally wriggled out of my sleeping bag and went and had a long hot shower in the camp's bathroom. I hadn't washed in two days and felt so icky.

Leaving Tammy and Kendra to laze about outside the tent while Bethany washed the dishes, Kira and I took a heaped armful of clothes each to the coin-operated laundromat.

While the laundry swished around inside the machine, we talked about how much we had learnt about each other so far on this trip. I used to think quiet Bethany simple-minded and old-fashioned, which she would probably would take as a compliment, but I've seen that she's more than that. She's practical and has a real servant-heart, loving nothing better than serving us up food she spent time and effort preparing. I envy her contentment in life; her purpose is to grow up, marry and raise children, as she told us last night. I will never understand how she enjoys cooking and cleaning and tidying up the tent all day long, but I hope her future husband truly appreciates her.

Tammy prides herself on being unique and independence. She has a quick tongue and an optimistic outlook on life. She gets on with Kendra better than anyone else, maybe because they are the younger two, or because they both have such wild imaginations.

Kira told me how she came here from Thailand two years ago. I asked her about her life back in her home country, since she never talks about it much, but she just said she never spent much time at home, preferring to be outside painting or relaxing in a café.

"My parents never really approved of my love of art." Kira had said. "I hardly knew them anyway, they were always so busy. I love it here and I want to finish art school before I even think of going back."

We carried the wet laundry back to our campsite. Tammy is in charge of our funds, minimal as they are, and would not allow us another dollar to use the dryer. When Bethany heard us discussing it and said we would not consider using a dryer in the height of summer when there's a perfectly good clothesline between the trees. She said she had never used a dryer and never would.

The last of our bread is stale so we toasted it up with spaghetti for lunch. I wonder what we are going to do for food now that we have no fresh meat or vegetables. We have a few tins, the packets of dried veggies and a whole load of rice and flour. Don't ask me what the flour is for, because it'll take nothing short of a miracle to make edible bread out here.

Bethany

No travelling today, just chillaxing and blobbing out. I did take Kira to find the nearest dairy and bought some sausages, bread, lettuce, broccoli, carrots and corn chips, just the bare essentials. Our money going to run out in a few days if we shop like this all the time but I think the girls are getting sick of pasta in mushroom sauce.

For dinner I made kebabs with sausage and carrot slices with chunks of tinned pineapple and barbecue sauce. If I was at home I would have used capsicum and mushroom and cherry tomatoes and real meat but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

Our van is not doing so well either. A big dent in the front caused by some-one else's useless parallel parking now means that the bonnet doesn't close properly. We didn't want to risk it flying up while driving but duct tape seems to have fixed the problem. The hand-brake has decided to stop working. We found that out the hard way but lucky no damage was done. Also, a windshield wiper has rusted off and the glove box keeps falling out. Nothing major.

It was while I was trying to put the glove box back in that I saw a piece of folded paper in it. Nothing strange about that, except it was the only thing in there and I hadn't seen it before. I picked it up and opened it. It looked like a hand-written letter.

'Dear Libby' it started. Libby? Who was Libby? I continued reading.

'Please know that I have always loved you. I always will love you. Not a day goes past when I do not think of you. It sounded like a love letter, but there was something about the way it was written made me think otherwise. I will never forget that horrible day when I let you go… even though my heart is still broken over you I do not regret my decision; I could never offer you the hope of a good life. I just have to pray that you are safe and happy where you are now.

You may never know how hard it is to look into the face of every young girl I pass in the street and wonder if it is you. I probably would not recognise you anyway, I only knew you for a few minutes. You must be a beautiful young woman now.

Oh Libby, you have your own life now. Your own parents, your own family, your own values and morals and beliefs. I fear I have ruined it all with this letter, but truth is something that will never stay hidden forever…'

I was so engrossed in reading the letter that I didn't see Kendra approaching the van. It was until she opened the door and ripped the paper out of my grasp that I thought that I might have been reading something I shouldn't have.

"What were you doing?" Kendra yelled at me. "This is private!"

"I didn't know it was yours." I said defensively. "I just found it here in…"

"Do you make it a habit to snoop around in other people's business?" she shouted, sending the other girls running over.

"What's going on?" questioned Kira.

"I just found this letter…"

"She was being nosy and reading my personal stuff!"

"Look, I don't think Bethany knew…" Tammy said gingerly.

"I don't care!" Kendra was getting really distressed. It must be really private property I had stumbled upon. "This is secret!"

Suddenly a thought popped into my head. It couldn't be… it couldn't be…

"Kendra, are you Libby?" The change in Kendra was frightening. Her face drained of colour before she narrowed her eyes and growled

"No." Then she was gone.