Faster Than Lightning Read Free

I’ll put you on speaker phone.’ She pressed a button and a girl’s voice filled the kitchen.
    ‘Thanks, Hannah. Angus? Are you there? You won’t believe what’s happening!’
    Hannah rolled her eyes. Gabby sounded like she was exaggerating again.
    Angus tried to listen but it was increasingly hard. A motorbike was coming across the empty paddocks opposite Hannah and Sean’s house, its high-pitched two-stroke scream getting louder and louder. It stopped at the fence line while its rider kicked a gate open, then went across the road into Hannah’s driveway and stopped outside the kitchen window. The rider grinned and revved the bike.
    ‘It’s E.D.!’ yelled Sean, looking out at E.D.’s 80cc trail bike.
    ‘No kidding,’ said Hannah sarcastically.
    ‘Hello? Can anyone hear me? Angus?’ The voice on the phone was getting higher.
    ‘Sorry, Gabby,’ said Angus. ‘It’s a bit hard to hear you. E.D.’s just arrived.’
    E.D. took off his motorbike helmet, shook his head so his black hair flew around, and revved the bike again.
    ‘Go, E.D.!’ Sean whooped.
    ‘Shut up, Sean.’ Hannah pushed the phone closer to the window so it was even harder to hear Gabby, and shouted, ‘Can you hear him, Gab? What do you want, E.D.?’
    ‘Pizza delivery!’ E.D. yelled and pointed across the paddock.
    ‘Angus! Can you hear me? Can anyone hear me?’ Gabby was yelling as well.
    ‘You’re making the phone vibrate,’ said Hannah.
    ‘Where’s the pizza?’ Angus shouted to E.D.
    ‘I haven’t got any pizza!’ screamed Gabby.
    ‘E.D. has,’ yelled Sean.
    ‘It’s not here,’ said E.D., revving again. The window glass rattled. ‘It’s at your place.’
    ‘Whose place?’ Angus shouted.
    ‘Your place! I ran into your dad and he said he was getting pizza. I said that he’d better make it ten because I’m pretty hungry.’
    Angus grinned. ‘So you’re coming to eat pizza?’
    ‘I’m not eating pizza,’ said Gabby. ‘I hate pizza. It slows me down when I swim.’
    ‘He wasn’t asking you,’ yelled Hannah.
    ‘Sorry, Gabby. Can’t talk to you now.’ Angus grabbed his school bag and started to walk out of the kitchen.
    ‘But I have to tell you what’s happening.’ Gabby sounded frustrated. ‘I’ll ring you tomorrow.’
    ‘We’ll be at the races. Dad’s got a new horse running. See you later.’ The door banged shut behind him.
    E.D. revved again, shoved his helmet on his head and rode after Angus, who ducked and weaved on his pushbike to try to get ahead of the motorcycle. They went into the paddock, slamming the gate behind them.
    ‘Ten pizzas? We’re going too. Come on, Sean. Gabby, you come as well.’ Hannah scribbled her mother a note and left, her brother running to keep up.
    ‘I can’t. I’m training tonight,’ Gabby shouted.
    There was silence.
    ‘Hannah?’
    No one answered.
    ‘Thanks a lot, guys,’ said the phone.

Chapter 3
Teasdale Racecourse: Saturday
    ‘Is that who I think it is?’ Hannah said, straining to look out past the swarm of people clustered around the betting ring at two girls striding in their general direction.
    ‘What? Hey, Dad!’ called Angus. ‘We’re just going to look around.’
    ‘And there’s someone with her,’ Hannah continued, determined that Angus should take some notice of her.
    Mr MacDonald nodded quickly and turned back to the horse and jockey in front of him.
    ‘Come on, Hannah,’ Angus said, folding his form guide and sticking it into his back pocket. ‘Too many last-minute instructions going on here.’
    ‘Did you hear a word I said?’ she asked, following Angus as he jogged past the horse stalls.
    It was Teasdale Racecourse’s first meet of the spring season and the place was humming. Although it wasn’t as big an event as the city races, the meetings at Teasdale drew jockeys, trainers, horses and owners, as well as hordes of people, from all over the state. It was one of the biggest country meets in Australia and took place on the