Magic Kitten: A Circus Wish Read online

  Sadie stroked his soft little head. ‘Then we have to make sure they never find you. I’ll take you home. You can live with –’ She broke off suddenly.

  Flame looked up into her face. ‘Is there a problem, Sadie?’

  ‘Sort of,’ Sadie admitted. ‘It’s my dad. He’s allergic to cats.’

  ‘What is allergic?’ Flame purred.

  ‘It means when you have a weird reaction to something,’ Sadie explained. ‘Dad sneezes and his eyes water when he gets anywhere near cats. He’s never going to let me keep you.’

  Flame nodded. ‘Very well, I understand. Thank you for your kindness, Sadie. I will find someone else who can help me.’

  ‘No! Wait!’ Sadie burst out. She really didn’t want Flame to go.

  She thought hard. There had to be some way to get round the problem. ‘I know. I’ll smuggle you into our house. You can live in my bedroom. Dad won’t know you’re there. This is great. I’m dying to tell Jenny about how you can talk and everything. Jenny’s my best fr–’

  She broke off as Flame placed his tiny black paws on her chest and looked up at her. ‘You cannot tell anyone about my secret. Promise me, Sadie.’

  As Sadie looked into his troubled emerald eyes, she felt a surge of affection for the tiny kitten. ‘All right, Flame. I promise. You’ll be my secret.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Flame purred softly, rubbing the top of his soft little head against her chin.

  ‘I think it’s time we went. Can you get in here?’ Sadie opened her school bag, and Flame jumped inside. He settled straight down on top of her books and she heard him rumbling contentedly as she turned off the cloakroom lights and headed for home.

  Chapter

  * THREE *

  The following morning Sadie woke first thing with something tickling her nose. As she went to brush it away, her fingers felt a set of whiskers.

  ‘Good morning,’ Flame purred happily into her ear.

  ‘Flame!’ It was her secret magic kitten! He was really here, living in her bedroom. Reaching for him, Sadie gave him a cuddle. ‘Did you sleep well?’

  Flame snuggled his warm little body against her. ‘Yes. Thank you. I feel safe here with you.’

  Sadie thought she could have stayed there for hours, but she had agreed to meet Jenny at the shopping centre that morning and she knew that Flame must be hungry! Throwing back the duvet, she jumped out and dressed quickly. ‘I’m going down for breakfast, but I’ll be back soon with something for you to eat.’

  Flame jumped across to the window and looked down at the garden.

  ‘Be careful someone doesn’t see you,’ Sadie warned.

  Flame turned to look at her. ‘Do not worry. I will make myself invisible when I am in your house.’

  ‘Really?’ Sadie asked in surprise. ‘You can do that?’

  Flame nodded his little head.

  ‘Well, in that case then, yes. I think that would be a good idea,’ Sadie replied, grinning at the excitement of it all.

  Sadie wolfed down her breakfast and smuggled a glass of milk up to Flame as quickly as she could. ‘It’s all I could get. I’ll buy you some proper cat food with my pocket money,’ she promised.

  Flame purred as he drank his milk.

  While he was washing his face, Sadie grabbed her jacket and put her open bag on the bed. ‘Could you jump inside again? Just to be on the safe side. I’m going to find Dad.’

  Mr Allen was in the garage, tidying his tool kit. He looked up and smiled as Sadie came in. ‘I expect you want your pocket money’.

  ‘Yes, please,’ Sadie said.

  She nearly died on the spot when Flame popped his head up out of the bag. Then she remembered that her dad couldn’t see him.

  ‘Here you are, love…’ Mr Allen’s eyes started watering. He gave a big sniff. ‘That’s funny. I must be getting a cold. Ah-choo!’

  ‘Poor you,’ Sadie said hurrying outside. ‘Thanks for the money, Dad. See you later.’

  ‘Right you are,’ her dad answered. ‘Ah-choo!’

  Sadie and Flame reached the shops, but Jenny wasn’t there yet. Sadie sat on a bench to wait for her. She glanced around and then whispered to Flame. ‘It’s OK for you to show yourself. I can’t see any neighbours or anyone who knows me.’

  Flame jumped into her lap and settled down. As Sadie stroked him, watching people going in and out of the shops, a shaggy little dog, trailing a lead behind it, ran up to her. She recognized him straightaway.

  ‘Presto!’ Sadie reached out and caught hold of his lead. ‘Where’s Lena? Have you run off, you naughty dog?’

  Presto gave her a doggy grin. Wagging his tail, he woofed softly at Flame. Flame’s whiskers twitched. He began purring and then jumped down beside the little dog.

  ‘How sweet. They’re making friends!’

  Sadie looked up, surprised to see Lena looking down at Flame and Presto. ‘Hi, Lena!’

  ‘Hi, Sadie. I’m glad you were here!’ Lena replied. ‘Presto jerked the lead out of my hand and took off! Thanks for holding on to the little rascal.’

  At that moment Jenny arrived too. ‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said breathlessly, reaching the two girls. Her face fell when she saw Lena. ‘Oh. Hello.’

  Lena smiled at Jenny. ‘Hi. I love your new haircut. It’s really nice.’

  Jenny didn’t reply but then spotted Flame for the first time. Her eyes widened. ‘Where did you get that cute kitten, Lena? Is it yours?’

  Sadie shook her head. ‘He’s mine. He’s called Flame. I found him last night – I’m looking after him.’

  Lena leaned down to stroke Flame. ‘He’s gorgeous, Sadie.’

  ‘Yeah, definitely’ agreed Jenny. ‘I like his name. But how come your dad let you have him? He’s allergic to cats, isn’t he?’

  ‘Dad doesn’t know about Flame,’ Sadie admitted. ‘I’m hiding him in my bedroom for now. You have to promise that you won’t say anything to my parents.’ Sadie felt a little bad at not telling Jenny the whole truth but she decided that she probably wouldn’t have believed her anyway!

  ‘Cool! A secret kitten. OK. I promise,’ Jenny said. ‘But I wouldn’t like to be you, when your dad finds out!’

  Sadie rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll worry about that when it happens.’

  Lena chuckled. ‘I’m just about to go back home to the circus school. I wondered if you’d both like to come back for some tea, and meet my mum and dad and the rest of our troupe,’ she said.

  Delighted at the idea, Sadie jumped at the chance. ‘Thanks very much. We’d love to, wouldn’t we, Jenny?’

  ‘Oh, I was going to suggest that we went to the cinema,’ Jenny said quietly. ‘We can do that any time!’ Sadie said.

  Jenny hesitated for a second then she smiled. ‘I suppose we can. Tea sounds great, Lena.’

  The circus was only a few minutes’ walk away. It had once been a cinema and now was painted in cheerful red and yellow stripes to look like a big top. There were bright-blue pillars dotted with silver stars either side of the main door.

  Colourful posters announced the dates and times of the performances.

  ‘I’ve always wondered what it’s like inside here,’ Sadie whispered to Flame. She held him in her arms and he looked round curiously as they went through a gate into a huge yard. Men and women in leotards and track pants leapt and tumbled on circus equipment in front of them as they followed Lena to a modern trailer.

  Inside the trailer smelt of lemon polish. There was a big sofa and chairs with lots of bright cushions. Sparkling glass and china ornaments lined the window sills.

  ‘Mum, Dad, I’ve brought someone to meet you,’ Lena said. She turned to Jenny and Sadie. ‘These are my parents. Olga and Victor Tomani.’

  Sadie smiled at Lena’s parents, who both had olive skin and dark hair. Victor Tomani bore a strong resemblance to his daughter. ‘Hi, I’m Sadie. Nice to meet you,’ she said.

  ‘Me too. I’m Jenny,’ Jenny said.

  ‘It’s so nice to meet some of Lena’
s friends,’ said Olga Tomani with a warm smile. ‘Do sit down.’

  Olga made tea and set out plates of sandwiches and cakes. There was even a dish of sardines for Flame and a meaty bone for Presto.

  Flame gave a purr of delight and began chomping the sardines.

  Victor glanced at him. ‘A black cat is lucky, especially with such bright-green eyes. This little one is very special,’ he said softly to Sadie.

  Sadie smiled. He didn’t have to tell her that!

  As she and Jenny nibbled slices of delicious chocolate cake, Olga brought out a scrapbook. Sadie and Jenny enjoyed leafing through, looking at cuttings with pictures of Lena in circus rings all over the world. She had been performing since she was four years old.

  ‘You might say that sawdust is in my blood!’ Lena said proudly.

  ‘Sounds uncomfortable!’ Jenny exclaimed, as everyone laughed.

  Flame and Presto had finished eating and were curled up together on the sofa. When it was time to leave, Sadie had to tickle Flame under the chin to wake him up.

  ‘You will come again, won’t you?’ Lena asked as the girls were about to leave.

  ‘We’d love to, thanks a lot!’ Sadie said eagerly.

  She expected Jenny to say the same, but her friend remained unusually silent as they left the trailer.

  Sadie, Jenny and Flame retraced their steps across the yard. The acrobats were still practising. There was a sheen of sweat on their bodies. Sadie felt like she could have watched them forever.

  As they walked back home, Sadie was relieved that Jenny seemed to have cheered up. She had noticed how quiet she had been at Lena’s. She thought about what she might get Jenny for her birthday in a few days.

  ‘I just need to pop to the shops,’ Sadie told her. ‘Why don’t you go on without me?’

  ‘OΚ. I’ll see you on Monday,’ Jenny said.

  ‘I’ll call for you before school. And don’t forget we’re going to circus youth club afterwards!’ Sadie reminded her.

  ‘As if you’d let me forget! See you!’ Jenny walked away.

  After buying Flame’s cat food, Sadie realized that she didn’t have much money for Jenny’s present. She wandered around the shelves, looking for something she could afford.

  Flame poked his head out of her bag and watched Sadie pick up a big notebook with sequins and beads on the cover.

  ‘Oh, that’s gorgeous.’ Sadie looked at the notebook for a moment and then put it back reluctantly.

  Flame frowned. ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘No. It’s just that Jenny would have loved that book.’ She picked up a smaller plain notebook and a purple pen, with a pink heart that lit up when you used it. ‘This book’s not as nice. But it’s all I can afford. I hope Jenny won’t mind.’

  As she went to pay for the notebook and pen, Sadie didn’t see the thoughtful look on Flame’s face.

  When Sadie reached home, she opened the front door carefully. She could hear her parents talking in the kitchen. Creeping upstairs, she hid the tins of cat food in the bottom of her wardrobe and put the plastic carrier with Jenny’s present inside on her bed.

  Flame jumped up and curled up on the duvet. He yawned, showing his little sharp teeth.

  ‘I expect you’re ready for a nap after those sardines. I’ll see you later.’ Sadie patted him and went downstairs to the kitchen.

  Her mum was reading the paper, while her dad boiled the kettle for hot chocolate.

  ‘Hello, love. I didn’t hear you come in,’ Mr Allen said. ‘Did you and Jenny have a good time?’

  ‘The best! You’ll never guess where we’ve been.’ Sadie slipped into a chair next to her mum. She told them about meeting Lena’s parents. ‘We had sandwiches and cake. And there were even sardines for…’ she broke off. She had just been about to mention Flame! ‘… for me,’ she said hurriedly.

  Her mum frowned. ‘You hate sardines!’

  ‘I don’t any more. I love them, yum yum,’ Sadie fibbed madly. ‘Anyway,’ she rushed on. ‘We looked through this amazing scrapbook with cuttings and –’

  Suddenly there was the most enormous thud from upstairs.

  Sadie froze.

  Her dad stopped in the middle of stirring hot water into chocolate powder. ‘What was that?’

  ‘Er… What? I didn’t hear anything,’ Sadie said, her heart thumping.

  Her dad eyed her suspiciously. ‘That noise. It came from your bedroom. I’d better go and have a look.’

  ‘No!’ Sadie burst out. What if Flame was asleep and didn’t have time to make himself invisible? ‘I mean, I’ll go first!’

  ‘Sadie?’ Mr Allen called after his daughter as she shot out of the kitchen.

  Sadie felt an unusual warm tingling down her spine as she hurtled up the stairs two at a time. She didn’t have time to think about it – her dad was right behind her. Yanking open the bedroom door, she almost threw herself inside, and then leaned against it to hold it shut.

  ‘Oh, no!’ she gasped. How on earth was she going to explain this?

  Chapter

  * FOUR *

  Flame stood on the bed, his black coat fizzing with silver sparks and his whiskers crackling with electricity.

  The plastic bag with Jenny’s notebook inside lay on the floor, where it had fallen. Sadie gasped. No wonder it had made such a noise. The bag was now as big as a bedside rug! Starbursts of coloured glitter sprayed out of it in all directions.

  There was no time for explanations.

  ‘Dad’s coming! Do something!’ she hissed at Flame.

  Flame looked a little hurt, but waved his paw towards the enormous bag.

  Instantly the bag shrank and the sprays of coloured glitter whizzed back towards Flame’s paw.

  ‘Sadie?’ Her dad banged on her

  bedroom door. ‘Open up! Why are you holding this door shut?’

  ‘Flame!’ Sadie exclaimed.

  Flame vanished. There was only a tiny dent in the quilt where his invisible little form lay.

  ‘Just give me a minute!’ Sadie sang out. She thought quickly. Dashing over to a cupboard, she dragged out an armful of clothes and scattered them on the floor.

  The door banged open and her dad stepped inside. ‘What’s going on in here?’ he demanded.

  Sadie turned round and looked at him innocently. ‘What? Oh, you mean that noise? The bag with Jenny’s present inside slid on to the floor.’

  Her dad glanced at it. ‘It made a very loud noise for such a small bag. Why did you hold the door closed?’

  ‘I was… er… trying to put this stuff away I didn’t want you to see how messy my room was.’ Sadie jammed a T-shirt back into the cupboard.

  Mr Allen rubbed his nose. His eyes started to water. ‘Ah-choo!’ he sneezed.

  ‘It must be all the dust in here,’ Sadie said quickly, starting to edge him out of the room. ‘I’ll get the hoover.’

  Mr Allen’s eyes almost popped out of his head. ‘Hoover? Ah-choo! Are you sure you’re feeling OK?’

  ‘I’m fine. I’m great. Hoovering is no big deal, you know!’ Sadie gabbled, standing in the doorway. She watched until she was certain he had gone, before she went back in and collapsed on to the bed. ‘Phew! That was much too close.’

  Flame padded across the bed and rubbed his head apologetically against Sadie’s arm. ‘I was trying to make Jenny’s present more special. But I used too much magic and it grew extra big!’ he mewed softly.

  Sadie couldn’t help laughing. ‘You can say that again! Never mind. Everything’s back to normal now.’

  Flame looked surprised. ‘You are not angry?’

  Sadie stroked his soft little ears. ‘I could never be angry with you. You were only trying to help.’

  She bent down to pick up the carrier bag and then looked inside. ‘Oh!’ she gasped. The small plain notebook had gone. In its place was a larger version in pink velvet and decorated with shiny beads and purple thread. ‘It’s gorgeous! It even matches the pen. Jenny’s going to adore th
is. Thanks ever so much, Flame!’

  ‘I really want to work in the circus when I’m old enough,’ Sadie confided to Jenny as they left school that day for the circus youth group.

  Flame’s head poked out of Sadie’s bag, taking in everything with his big emerald eyes.

  ‘Working in the circus?’ Jenny said, giggling. ‘What are you going to call yourself? The Flying Sadie? More like the Flopping-about Sadie, I should think!’ She galloped down the path, waving her arms up and down. ‘Look at me, I’m a famous trapeze artist!’ she said in a snooty voice before collapsing in fits of laughter.

  Sadie couldn’t help but laugh. Jenny did look hilarious prancing about like that. But she wished she hadn’t said anything now.

  ‘I don’t mean I want to work in the circus now!’ she said when Jenny had stopped laughing. ‘That would be stupid. I know I’d have to work really hard to get anywhere near good enough. But if Lena can do it, so can I. Everyone has to start somewhere, don’t they?’

  ‘Can’t we talk about something else for a change?’ Jenny grumbled.

  Sadie stared at her friend in surprise, taken aback. She gave Jenny a sheepish grin. ‘Sorry. I suppose I have been going on a bit, haven’t I? Just tell me to shut up if I go on circus overload.’

  Sadie felt a bit nervous as they reached the circus youth club. Lots of kids had turned up and the place was crowded.

  ‘Come on, Flame. Let’s find somewhere to get changed,’ Sadie said, walking across the room with Flame in her arms.

  ‘Fancy talking to a kitten. As if it’s going to answer her!’ a voice jeered.

  It was Grace Davies, a loud girl who was always messing about in class.

  Sadie felt herself going red. ‘Why are you bothered? I wasn’t talking to you!’ she said.

  Grace flushed but remained silent. Someone tittered. Sadie saw Jenny trying not to laugh as she stood up.

  ‘Let’s go and get changed.’ Jenny linked arms with Sadie. ‘Sorry I was moody earlier.’