Sweating under the hot, desert sun, I made the mistake of glancing up at the pure blue sky.
‘Oh god,’ I groaned, tearing my eyes away.
‘What?’ James asked, sticking his head out from underneath the open bonnet.
‘That’s a vulture,’ I pointed up. ‘We’re being honest-to-god, circled by a vulture right now.’
He rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the engine.
‘Any luck?’ I asked him, wandering over.
‘Not really,’ he sighed, wiping oil-soaked sweat from his forehead. ‘I can’t figure out what the problem is.’
I know exactly what the problem is, I thought, plastering on a supportive smile. We should have gotten a logbook service for our car before we took this stupid road trip.
‘Ah well,’ I shrugged. ‘Someone will come along eventually.’
‘On this road?’ James frowned. ‘I’m not so sure.’
‘Well that’s… helpful,’ I grimaced, trying not to make my anger obvious. Don’t mention the logbook service, don’t mention the logbook service–
‘Maybe I should have gotten that service after all,’ he said, stepping back to look at the engine.
For just a brief moment – and just for me – the desert flashed a deep, deep red.
‘Ah well,’ James waved the thought away with a smile. ‘These things happen.’
‘The mechanic near Morayfield,’ I blurted out.
‘What?’
‘When we passed that really good-looking mechanic near Morayfield,’ I glared at him. ‘I told you we should get the car looked at.’
‘Did you?’
‘Yes!’
‘Did I hear you?’
‘Oh, now that you mention it,’ I said, scrunching my face up like a cartoon detective, ‘I was actually alone in the car.’
‘Really?’
‘No!’
He raised his hands in a calming gesture, but the world was still red around the edges. I let out a yell and kicked the tyre, balling up my fists and sinking to the ground. I took a couple of deep, shuddering breaths, trying to regain my calm. A dark shape blocked out the blinding sun, and I looked up to see James standing over me, hand outstretched.