"Hey Hannah, have you seen this water bill?" Sacha held the document in question between her thumb and forefinger, away from her body as if it was a dirty rag.

"Oh yeah, I haven't paid that yet" Hannah answered her. "Sorry. But it was only due a couple of days ago, wasn't it?"

"It's not that" Sacha said, even though it was partly that. "I mean have you seen how much it's for?"

"Same as usual, isn't it?"

"No, it's more" Sacha said. "Quite a lot more."

"Huh." Hannah looked at the bill, without taking it from Sacha's hand. "Maybe water's got more expensive. I mean there's not much of it around these days. I guess. Or has the drought broken? Weren't there floods?"

"In Queensland, Hannah" Sacha said. "That wasn't here."

"I knew they were somewhere."

Sacha looked at the bill again, just to make doubly sure - triply sure, really: she'd double-checked it already. She was annoyed at herself for looking at it again now in front of Hannah, because it wasn't necessary and it seemed in her mind to weaken the stance she was taking. "It's not the price of water that's gone up" she said to Hannah. "It's how much water we're using."

"I've been trying to have shorter showers, I promise. Just like you said."

"The amount of water we're using has gone up by about fifty percent over the bills last year" Sacha said. "And that's been the case for a while now."

"You've still got the bills from last year?"

"It says it right here, Hannah. They compare it for you."

"Maybe we've got a leak" Hannah suggested.

"I've checked that. I've checked the water meter. That's not the problem."

"Where's the water meter?"

Sacha rolled her eyes. "Out the front, Hannah. Where water meters always are. But like I said, the bills have gone up by close to fifty percent. And have you noticed what's changed since last year?"

"What?"

"I'm saying it's gone up as if there's another person living in the house. You see? Another person who wasn't here a year or so ago?"

Hannah looked at Sacha, then at the bill, then back at Sacha. "Ohhh . . ."