Out of Shadows Read Online Free

know.
    â€œWatch,” he said. “You won’t have seen these in England.”
    The tiny grains at the bottom of the hole started to shift. I thought he was making it happen somehow, then suddenly they lifted in a mini eruption and something too quick to see darted out, grabbed the end of the grass from Nelson’s fingers and pulled it down and into the sand. The grass wriggled as it went, as if trying to escape.
    â€œThat’s so cool.” I’d never seen anything like it.
    â€œ
Lekker
, hey?” Nelson agreed with a smile.
    â€œYou didn’t wait,” said another voice.
    I smelled then heard Simpson-Prior coming up next to me. His feet landed too close to the lion ants and filled in all their holes, and Nelson got up and stood back slightly.
    Simpson-Prior hovered accusingly, sweating. The brown grass was taking a particularly harsh beating that day, and even though the sky was full of clouds they seemed too afraid of the bullying sun to get in the way.
    â€œI thought you were going to wait,” he said again.
    When I didn’t say anything he took my elbow and led me a few feet away.
    â€œSorry about that,” he went on, meaning the yellowing bruise that Ivan and De Klomp had taken turns in kneading into my arm the night before.
    I hid my annoyance and made as if it was no big deal. Simpson-Prior had been caught whispering to see my work during prep and everyone in the study room had got a task for it. As far as Ivan was concerned it had been my fault.
    â€œHascott’s right, we should have been more careful,” I said.
    â€œThat’s not why he picks on you. He’s only like that because . . . You know.” Simpson-Prior checked over his shoulder and made his voice low. “
Jislaaik!
You’ve got to be careful what you say these days. He’s only like that because you’re friends with that Ndube. He hates him.”
    â€œNelson? Why, what’s he done?”
    â€œHe hasn’t
done
anything.” He smirked horribly. “He’s just, you know . . . I don’t know what it’s like in England but you don’t really make friends with
them
here. You will let me copy in tests, hey?”
    A bee flew close by and he ducked and swatted like a madman. Some of the other boys from the class jeered at him.
    â€œI’m always getting stung,” he explained to me proudly. “Once, when I was eight, a bee flew into our car and stung me five times and I didn’t cry.”
    â€œI thought bees could only sting once,” I pointed out.
    He paused before shaking his head. “This one stung me five times.”
    Suddenly the whole class erupted into commotion. I thought there were more bees but something rustled through the brittle scrub and I felt it move over my foot. By the time I looked, I saw the green markings disappear into the trees. I yelped and staggered backward into a bush just as Mr. Dunn appeared.
    â€œJacklin!” he bellowed. “What the hell are you playing at? I said
no talking
.”
    The snake had slipped deeper into the leaves. It moved quickly, tail flicking. Everyone rushed around and talked at once.
    â€œWhere did it go?”
    â€œWhat sort was it?”
    â€œMust be a python,” Ivan declared. “We get hordes of them on our farm.”
    â€œOr a boomslang. It looked like a boomslang.”
    â€œHey, Ndube. Catch!” Ivan shouted, flicking something snake-sized at Nelson and making him leap. Ivan and De Klomp cut him with laughs. “Jeez, it’s only a piece of bark, you poof. Do one of your witch doctor dances, that should bring it out.”
    All the while no one had noticed that Simpson-Prior was now a few meters away and moving stealthily through the tall grass. He stopped to break off a bit of tree, snapped the end so that it was forked, and then gently stabbed the ground.
    â€œ
Eweh!
Check it out,” he called.
    We rushed over.