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they’d kill him,’ I said. ‘Perhaps. Although his youth might save his skin. The army often makes captured children do their
    dirty work. Portering, cleaning dishes, digging toilets, that sort of thing.’ ‘Can I try and find him?’ Captain shook his head, ‘I’ll put out some feelers to see if anyone knows anything. But the chances of
    seeing your brother again are not great... I’m sorry.’ Back in the main room, Captain told everyone his decision. All the neutrals pulled into line, but Don
    and Amin still looked unhappy. Captain called them over. ‘Boys,’ Captain said. ‘Take Jake to your hut. Make sure he’s kept busy and if he tries to escape, kill
    him.’ Don grabbed my shoulder, ‘With pleasure.’ Don grinned like he’d been given a new toy to play with. ‘Be firm, but don’t’ go mad,’ Captain said. ‘He’s been through a lot and he’s still weak.’ Amin twisted my arm behind my back and pushed me to their hut. It was a small shack with an earth floor, two sleeping mats and a cooking stove. There were empty beer bottles everywhere. They took off their boots and the tiny space filled up with the warm stench of feet. ‘On the floor,’ Don said. Before I had a chance, Don bundled me down and dug his knee in my back. I don’t think he’d washed
    in his life. The B.O. was gross. He bound my wrists and ankles with strips of cloth. ‘Try running now,’ Don laughed. They laid on their sleeping mats and fell asleep quickly, leaving me on the bare earth. Cockroaches the size of credit cards clattered around in the dark. If I rested my head on the baked earth, the cut was agony. I managed to wriggle around and find some clothing. I picked it all up with my teeth and made a soft pile. It stank of sweat, but at least I could put my head down.

6. LESSONS
Dad was on the golf course; it was a hot day. I liked golfing with Dad, even though I sucked. Trouble was, Dad always bumped into his cronies and we had to play as a four. They’d bore the arse off me, going on about mortgages, gardens and wine. The bears were different, the blue one kept hitting the ball into the clubhouse and the yellow one was dancing and complaining that it’s nose was sunburned. There was a red one in the trees, but I don’t remember what it was doing. It was one of those dreams where you wake up and smile a bit as you think about it.
    It took a second to remember what was going on: drowning in sweat, the pain in my head, a million insect bites dying to be scratched; cloth tearing into my wrists and ankles. There was a tiny set of lizard eyes glowing a few centimetres from my nose. I moved, trying to get comfortable and it scampered away, feet scratching the earth.
    Two days earlier I thought I was something. A bright kid, rich background. I had good mates. Mum gave me plenty of money, so I always had whatever CD’s and games I wanted and cool clothes. If I laid awake at night, it was usually worrying about an exam the next day, or because I’d fallen for some girl. But now, for the first time in my life, I had real problems. If I messed up here, I wasn’t gonna get detention or get shouted at by Dad. I was going to die.
    The two slabs of muscle sweating and farting on either side of me didn’t care if I lived. I had no way home. Dad was dead. Mum probably thought I’d been killed in the crash. I was trying not to even think about Adam; but trying not to think about something always makes it worse. He might be fast asleep in a friendly house, or dead; or that very moment some drunk soldier could be slicing lumps out of him.
    I couldn’t take it. I felt like a tiny helpless speck. I wanted to cry, but I’d get slapped if I woke up Don or Amin. The same thoughts churned over and over and always led to the same conclusion: I wished I’d stayed on the plane and died quickly like Dad.
. . .
    It didn’t feel like I’d been back to sleep long. Don jammed his big toe in my ribs. ‘Move it.’
    There was no window, but