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We stared at each other as the motor hummed, then she grabbed Kirby’s elbow. “All right. We’ll be back in a minute.”

She left the passenger door open as they took off together, close but not touching, heads dipping as they checked their phones again.

Weeds pushed through the mulch in the playground, and an empty swing creaked in the breeze. As they disappeared inside the building, I felt more alone than I had sitting by myself outside the airport.

Thinking about my flight brought a memory rushing back. A hacking cough and blood-speckled pyjamas, a breathless voice begging me to use my ticket even though she was too sick to use hers. I hadn’t even hugged her goodbye. She wouldn’t let me get close.

Was she gone now? Had she died while I was somewhere over the ocean?

I dragged a hand down my face and pushed the thought away. Now wasn’t the time, not when I had more immediate concerns—and at least I could be useful to Ava and Kirby.

I let out a slow breath, easing the tightness in my chest. It took the movement at the toilet block to bring me fully back to the present.

Ava stepped outside first, her eyes snapping straight to me. The second she confirmed I was still here, her shoulders loosened. Easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention.

I almost smiled. So much for trust.

“We’ve been talking,” she said as they approached the open passenger door. “My sister’s in Ivanhoe, and Kirby’s parents are in Greensborough. We can drop her off first.”

“They were alive when I spoke to them a week ago.” Kirby jumped in the rear again, hauling the orange backpack onto her lap. “I’m hoping they’ve kept the streak going.”

Ava slid into the passenger seat and turned to me. Up close, her eyes weren’t hazel like I first thought. They were green, with darker rings around the irises.

“I told my sister to stay put,” she said. “If I take too long, Sadie’s going to picture all sorts of things happening to me.”

“What about you?” Kirby asked me. “Ava said you were heading to South Australia. Do you still have family there?”

“No, I don’t.”

Ava met my eyes. I hadn’t told her much about my life, but it must have been enough for her to come to her own conclusions. Her mouth softened, and she held my gaze for a moment.

“I haven’t worked out what I’m doing yet,” I said with a glance at the fuel gauge. “We’ve got enough in the tank to make it halfway to Melbourne. I’ll figure the rest out later.” I pushed my door open, leaving the engine running and the handbrake engaged. “Back in a minute.”

“Wait,” Kirby said. “Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom—if that’s okay with you.”

Ava smiled a little. “Don’t ditch us.”

I let out a laughing breath. “Don’t turn off the ignition.”

I left them to it and crossed the playground, checking the road and surrounding houses before ducking into the toilet block.

When I stepped outside again a few minutes later, the SUV was exactly where I’d left it, the engine still humming.

The tightness in my stomach eased.

Apparently, I wasn’t too sure they’d still be there either.

I headed back past the playground and climbed behind the wheel.

“—and can we all agree we’re not stopping for anyone?” Ava said.

Kirby paused as she rustled through the backpack we’d inherited. “Roger that. I don’t want any company back here.”

I released the handbrake and shifted the car into reverse. “No argument from me either.”

A boom echoed through the air as I pulled out onto the street, and all three of us flinched.