His ears pricked up as he heard Hannah coming up the front path, followed by her dad, who’d gone to pick her up from the rehearsal. He longed to leap out and run to her – but Zak might grab him again. Better to stay hidden. He crouched down behind the bag, still shivering.
“Oscar?” Hannah sounded surprised. Usually he was there, dancing around her as soon as she came in the door, but today he was nowhere to be seen.
“I wonder if he’s got shut in somewhere,” Dad suggested, as Hannah went to put her school bag away under the stairs.
As soon as he saw her, Oscar wriggled out on his tummy, making a little whining noise.
“Oh! He’s here! Oscar, what’s the matter? Dad, he’s shaking.” Hannah knelt down to cuddle him, and Oscar snuggled against her gratefully.
“Ossa growled,” a small voice said behind Hannah, and she turned round to find Zak standing in the living-room doorway, looking half-guilty, half-scared.
Dad frowned. “What happened, Zak?” he asked.
Mum rushed out into the hall. “Oh no! What’s the matter? I was just putting the pasta on and I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of the kettle.”
“Zak’s been bothering Oscar again, I bet!” Hannah burst out. She had felt Oscar tense up as soon as Zak appeared.
“Don’t always blame Zak, Hannah. He’s only little,” Mum said gently.
Hannah sighed.
“Zak, were you chasing Oscar?” Dad asked, looking into Zak’s eyes.
Zak wriggled away from him. “No. Jus’ stroking.”
“You have to be gentle, Zak,” Dad explained. “He’s only a puppy.”
Hannah glared at Zak. He’d got away with it, again! It just wasn’t fair! As she cuddled Oscar closer she could feel how upset he was. She only wished she could have been there to protect him.
“I have to make some wings as part of my costume,” Hannah told everyone at the dinner table later on. “Mr Byford’s going to give me some tissue paper to bring home.” She smiled to herself, but it wasn’t because of her excitement about her beautiful angel costume. Under the table, a small, warm muzzle was resting lovingly on her foot. Hannah lifted a piece of meat on her fork, and “accidentally” dropped it down the side of her chair. Oscar deserved a treat. A little black and white blur raced to snap it up.
“What else are you wearing, do you know?” Mum asked.
“A gold tunic thing and a halo,” Hannah told her. “Mrs Garner’s making the halo, she’s the lady who comes in to help with art. She’s brilliant at making things.”
“Sounds good.” Dad smiled. “I’m really looking forward to seeing this show next week. We’ve heard so much about it, I feel like I could join in!”
Hannah grinned. She had gone on about the play a bit, she supposed.
She brought home all the bits for the wings that Friday. They were quite complicated to make, and Dad had to help her over the weekend. Hannah cut out all the tissue paper feathers, and Dad made her a wire frame to stick them on, and helped her tie ribbons on to fasten the wings around her shoulders. They worked on them for two whole evenings, dabbing on gold paint here and there, and making them look really special.
So it was a total disaster when Hannah came home from school on Monday, the day before the dress rehearsal, and found her wings lying on the living-room floor, with half the feathers ripped off.
“Mum!” Hannah called out, horrified. Mum rushed in from the hallway, where she’d been taking off Zak’s coat.
“What is it?”
“Why weren’t you watching him?” Hannah wailed. “How could you let him tear them up like that? I hate you, Zak!” she added angrily, as she saw Zak peeping round the door.
“Oh, Hannah, I don’t think this was Zak,” Mum said, shaking her head. “And don’t say that, please. It’s mean.”
Hannah blinked. “Who was it then?”
“Oscar! Look, they’re all chewed. I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have left them to dry on that low shelf, but I just didn’t think about it.” She sighed. “We need to be a bit more careful.” She looked down at Oscar, who’d just emerged from behind the sofa. “No, Oscar! Look at this mess!”
“It wasn’t Oscar,” Hannah said stubbornly, sweeping him up in her arms. But she could see the white tissue paper sticking out of the corner of his mouth, and she knew that Mum was right. Cuddling Oscar tight, she marched out of the living room. There was no way she was saying sorry to Zak.
Dad had helped Hannah remake her wings in time for the dress rehearsal, but they weren’t quite as good as they’d been before. Hannah wriggled her shoulders nervously, fussing with the ribbons that held the wings on. She couldn’t believe it was the night of the performance at last.
“Can you see them?” Lucy asked, as Hannah peeped round the side of the curtain.
Hannah shook her head. “No. Oh, but your mum and dad are over there!” She frowned as she stared around the hall again. “They’re going to have to sit at the back,” she murmured. “It’s really filling up.”
Mum had promised Hannah that she and Dad would be there in good time – they were going to leave Zak with Gran. So where were they?
Somebody giggled loudly behind Hannah, making her jump. Everyone was chatting excitedly backstage. They’d brought a packed tea to school, so they could fit in one last run-through before that night’s performance. The nerves had been building ever since the bell went for the end of school. Hannah glanced down at the little photo in her hand, a favourite one of Oscar that she’d glued on to card to keep in her school bag. She was feeling a bit jittery about her part, and looking at Oscar’s gorgeous face made her feel better.
There was a little flurry at the hall doors, and Hannah’s eyes widened. There was Gran! She seemed to be explaining something to Mrs Garner, who was taking the tickets.
But Gran was supposed to be babysitting Zak. Hannah wished she could go and ask Gran what was going on. But she had her costume on ready, and the play was due to start in a few minutes. Hannah stroked Oscar’s photo with one finger, her tummy twisting. Why hadn’t Mum and Dad come?
Chapter Six
Oscar padded into the hallway, and went to sniff at the front door. Then he sat down for a couple of minutes, before trailing back into the kitchen for a drink from his water bowl.
Where was everyone? Hannah’s mum had taken Zak out as usual, and come back on her own to make a cup of tea. But then the phone had rung, startling Oscar out of a sleep. He’d got up from his cushion, feeling sure it was close to food time, and hoping that if he stood next to Hannah’s mum and wagged his tail she might feed him.
But she had crashed the phone down so fast it fell out of its holder – and she hadn’t even bothered to pick it up again! And then she ran out of the kitchen, so fast that she fell over Oscar. She didn’t stop to say sorry, or stroke him, or even tell him off for being in her way. She simply dashed out of the house, without even a coat, and drove off in the car.
She still hadn’t come back. Hannah should have been home from school by now, Oscar was sure. And Zak? Surely he should be home now, too? It felt close to the time that their dad should be back from work as well. Oscar didn’t like being left on his own for so long, and he was getting really hungry now. He pattered up the hallway again, his tail hanging low, and then suddenly brightened as he heard footsteps.