Below, p.15
Below, page 15
She laughed, ruffled his hair. ‘Really really? Make sure you take things carefully, then. And wear your dark glasses.’
He did wear them — till he was round the corner. His skin looked pale, he noticed, except for the grazes and bruises and scratches. He walked slowly, staring at the things around him. A hedge, letterboxes, lawns, trees moving in the breeze. He knew them all, but today they looked strange: strange and brilliant. I’m going to give everything my best shot from now on, he promised himself yet again. Everything.
He felt wobbly by the time he reached school; was glad to just sit with Noah for a while. Kids stared at him when they went into Room 9 for Form Time. Imogen was in her usual seat, talking to Sonja.
‘Right, people,’ Ms Salisi said. ‘Nice to have a full class again. Liam and Imogen — we just want to say it’s wonderful to have you back here. That’s all. Now we can start breathing properly once more.’ Room 9 laughed and clapped. Liam stared at his desk.
At lunchtime, he and Noah sat outside together again. Sonja appeared, said ‘Imo’s a bit stuffed. She’s lying down in the sickbay for a while.’ She looked at Liam. ‘Thanks for helping her.’
‘She helped me,’ Liam said, and meant it.
When the bell went, Noah wandered off with Sonja. Liam watched the two of them talking and laughing together, and felt … did he? Yes, he did … he felt jealous.
It took him much longer than usual to walk home that afternoon. He had to stop once, and sit down on a low wall. The phone rang just after four o’clock. His mother was in the kitchen, so Liam answered it. ‘Is that Liam?’ a woman’s voice said. ‘Liam Geary? This is Marama Court from Profile magazine. Your friend Imogen may have told you that we’ve been talking to her about an article.’
My friend Imogen? Liam mumbled something. ‘Well,’ Marama Somebody went on. ‘We’d love to write something about the pretty scary time you two had, and how you handled it. Imogen says she’d like any payment to go to the rescue people. You all right with that? I think it’s a great idea.’
This time, Liam managed to mumble a yes.
No nightmares on Monday night. Liam walked to school the next morning feeling stronger. A few kids still stared at him, but most of them took no notice, and Liam liked it much better that way. People have their own lives to live, he thought, and I’m gonna live mine so well.
‘Hey?’ He recognised the voice as he headed for Room 9. Imogen was with Sonja; the other girl smiled at Liam, and moved off. He and Imogen gazed at each other for a moment. She looks clean, Liam told himself. Man, what a weird thought! The green eyes were clear and calm.
‘You had any hate mail?’ the girl asked.
Liam gaped. ‘What?’
‘Mum says if I get any calls or texts or anything saying we’re stupid and ignorant and we put other people in danger, then I shouldn’t take any notice of them. I think — I think she and Dad might have had some, but they’re making sure there’s nothing reaches me.’
Liam shook his head. ‘My mum and dad haven’t said anything.’ He paused. ‘They’re brilliant, aren’t they — our parents?’
Imogen nodded. A couple of girls who were passing stared at them and started whispering. Liam pretended not to notice.
Imogen was speaking again. ‘Those things you were talking about down there, about tunnels and stuff. Some of that was amazing. You got any books I can borrow? Are there any good websites?’
‘Yeah. Sure.’ Liam hesitated again. ‘Your group — the environment one. Can anybody come along?’
‘Yeah. Sure.’ They both laughed, then went silent. When she spoke again, Imogen’s voice had changed. ‘You think about it much?’
Liam nodded. ‘All the time, nearly. Especially that water coming in. Had a scary dream about it the other night.’
The girl shivered. ‘Yeah. And the cabin lights going out, and the first cave-in. When we thought we’d starve to death. All those things.’
As the bell rang for Form Time, Liam remembered something else. ‘Hey, you kept that journal you were doing down there, didn’t you? You should write a book about what happened. You’ll be famous.’
Imogen laughed. She shook her head, and the dark hair swung. ‘I was writing mostly the stuff we talked about, how the tunnel people and environment people could maybe work together. Anyway, I don’t want to be famous.’
Me neither, Liam thought. They turned to head towards Room 9, and Imogen glanced sideways at him. ‘You remember how we said down there that when we got out, we’d go sit in the sun?’
Liam glanced at her. ‘Yeah?’
‘We could do that some time.’ Imogen was gazing at the ground. ‘If you want to.’
‘Yeah,’ Liam heard himself say again. ‘Cool. Hey, we could talk more about what you said. Tech and nature stuff. How to get the best for both sides.’
The girl nodded. ‘I’ve got heaps of ideas.’
Yeah, I bet you have, Liam thought. But he was grinning while he thought it.
David Hill has written more than 40 books for children and young adults over the past three decades, which have been published all around the world, translated into several languages, and have won awards in New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. In 2021 he was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction. He lives and writes in New Plymouth, New Zealand.
ALSO BY DAVID HILL
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In dense jungle they meet a Solomon Islander who says he has information that will shatter Japanese defences. But he could be working for the enemy. What if it’s a trap to get them killed?
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A Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book, 2022
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A family boards a ship bound for New Zealand. What will they find there?
Tests lie ahead — war, earthquakes, brushes with death. And so do some thrilling discoveries …
Follow the fortunes of two New Zealand families over seven generations, through wars, depressions, disasters, protest and social change in this exciting novel for intermediate readers.
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A gripping novel for young adults that captures both the daring and the everyday realities of serving in the Air Force during the Second World War.
Pete and Paul yelled together. ‘Bandit! Nine o’clock! Bandit!’
Jack spun to stare. There was the Messerschmitt on their left, streaking straight at them.
Eighteen-year-old Jack wanted to escape boring little New Zealand. But he soon finds that flying in a Lancaster bomber to attack Hitler’s forces brings terror as well as excitement.
With every dangerous mission, he becomes more afraid that he’ll never get back alive. He wants to help win the war, but will he lose his own life?
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It’s 1942, and Featherston is about to receive hundreds of Japanese soldiers into its prisoner-of-war camp. Ewen, whose dad is a guard there, can’t stop wondering about the enemy down the road. Some say the captives are evil and cruel, but when Ewen and his friends ride to the camp to peep through the barbed wire, the POWs just seem like … well, people.
Then a new group from a captured warship arrives and the mood in the camp darkens. As tension builds the boys are told to stay away. But on 25 February 1943, Ewen and his friends are there at the moment the storm breaks — and terrible, unforgettable events unfold before their eyes.
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Sixteen-year-old Boy Seaman Russell Purchas is stationed on HMNZS Taupo, which has just entered hostile waters off the coast of Korea. It’s 1951, and his ship is part of the United Nations force fighting in the Korean War. Russell is determined to prove himself against the communists — not just because he wants to be brave, but because he wants to escape the shadow of his Uncle Trevor, killed in World War II. Everyone thinks Trevor was a hero, but Russell knows the shameful truth.
But can Russell keep himself together when the shells start falling? And does he really know what courage means?
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It’s New Zealand, 1914, and the biggest war the world has known has just broken out in Europe. William eagerly enlists for the army but his younger brother, Edmund, is a conscientious objector and refuses to fight. While William trains to be a soldier, Edmund is arrested.
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… my right foot slipped on the accelerator. The engine revved, and the car shot forward. For half a second my eyes met Ash’s. He was staring past me, through the windscreen. He began to yell something. Somehow I knew what it was. I wrenched my head round, foot stabbing for the brake. And there was the girl, right in front of us.
Tara is heading home. Ryan is driving his mates. Neither of them is paying attention. The tragedy that follows changes many lives.
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Stuart and his twin sister Sandra are coming home to Wellington on the ferry. Stuart knows he’ll enjoy the trip — he’s a good sailor. But it’s April 1968 and the ship is the Wahine. As the tragic events unwind Stuart and Sandra must battle to stay alive.
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Simon is a typical teenager — in every way except one. Simon likes girls, weekends and enjoys mucking about and playing practical jokes. But what’s different is that Simon has muscular dystrophy — he is in a wheelchair and doesn’t have long to live. See Ya, Simon is told by Simon’s best friend, Nathan. Funny, moving and devastatingly honest, it tells of their last year together.
Winner of the Times Educational Supplement Nasen Award, the Silver Pen Award and the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book
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PUFFIN
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Puffin is an imprint of the Penguin Random House group of companies, whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published by Penguin Random House New Zealand, 2023
Text © David Hill, 2023
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Design by Cat Taylor © Penguin Random House New Zealand
Cover illustration by Phoebe Morris
Author photograph by Robert Cross
A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.
ISBN 978-1-77695-670-8
penguin.co.nz
THE BEGINNING
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David Hill, Below
