Lucy’s mum sighed, and went to pick Sky up and stroke her. Sky gave a tiny purr – it was nice to be cuddled – but she was still gazing at Lucy. She was confused. Why didn’t Lucy want to play any more? What had gone wrong? It was as though Lucy was a different person. And not a very friendly one.
Chapter Four
By Monday morning, Sky was even more confused. Lucy gave her lots of cuddles and was wonderful to play with when they were on their own, but as soon as anyone else came into the kitchen, she would pretend that she couldn’t even see Sky. It was horrible. Sky couldn’t help feeling that she must have done something wrong, and she was desperate to make it better. Lucy’s mum was trying to keep her in the kitchen until she settled in, but Sky had other ideas. She wanted to follow Lucy everywhere. She trailed determinedly round the house after her, and tried to climb into Lucy’s lap every time she sat down.
Lucy was sat at the table eating breakfast, so she tried it again now. But Lucy gave her one quick, unhappy glance and slid her off. Sky crept back to her basket, her whiskers drooping. Kieran made a huffing noise at Lucy, as though he thought she was being stupid. “Here, Sky,” he murmured, holding out his hand. “Kitty, kitty.”
Sky sniffed his fingers politely, but it was Lucy she really wanted. She gave him a little purr as he tickled her ears, though. Then she looked up hopefully at Lucy one last time, but she was staring firmly at her cereal bowl.
Lucy’s mum was watching them as she buttered some more toast. “We’ve got to be really careful not to let Sky out of the house today when our new sofa is delivered. She isn’t big enough to go outside yet.”
Lucy shrugged and saw her mum give her a worried look – she was obviously thinking that Lucy still hadn’t changed her mind about Sky. She stared into her cereal, not feeling hungry. Things were going just as she’d planned, and she’d never felt so miserable.
School seemed even worse on Monday. A few times during lessons Lucy glanced at the red-haired girl, hoping she would look back, but she never did. It would be so good to have someone to talk to, and the red-haired girl – Lucy was pretty sure she was called Izzy – had seemed friendly before.
At home time Lucy trailed silently down the road after her mum.
“Did you meet anyone nice today?” her mum asked cheerfully.
“No,” Lucy sighed. “There isn’t anyone nice.”
“Oh.” Her mum looked upset, and Lucy felt a bit guilty.
Lucy glared at the new house as they turned into their road. Then she grinned. Sky was perched on the back of the new sofa in the front room, peering out. Lucy blew her a kiss behind her mum’s back as Mum fumbled for her keys, and Sky made a flying leap off the sofa. Eventually, Lucy’s mum opened the door, and Sky shot out…
“Oh, catch her, Lucy! We mustn’t let her go into the road!”
Lucy tried to grab the kitten, but Sky was too fast for her. Sky danced about all over the garden, enjoying the game of chase. She hadn’t had any time with Lucy today, and now Lucy was giving her lots of attention! She hid behind a large plant, her tail swishing excitedly, waiting to jump out.
“Sky! Here puss, puss…” Lucy was creeping closer, hoping to take the kitten by surprise and grab her. She could see Sky’s whiskers twitching from behind those big leaves. She jumped behind the plant and her hands closed on nothing as Sky clambered on to the garden wall.
“I’ll go and get some cat treats,” Lucy’s mum said. “Just try to keep her in the garden, Lucy, please!”
“Oh, Sky,” Lucy whispered, as Mum disappeared into the house. “I know I haven’t been very nice, but don’t run off, please. Come on…”
Sky stretched out to sniff Lucy’s fingers as Lucy moved slowly closer. Lucy’s eyes were bright and wet, and she looked so sad. Sky rubbed her head against Lucy’s hand, hoping to cheer her up, and Lucy smiled a little.
“You’re just so beautiful,” Lucy murmured, as she scooped the kitten gently off the wall and into her arms. She brushed her cheek against Sky’s face, and Sky purred happily.
Gazing down the road, Lucy blinked in surprise. There was Izzy! Just turning the corner, with a bigger girl who had the same red hair. They looked so alike that they had to be sisters. Did Izzy live in this road, too? Lucy watched hopefully as the two girls walked along the other side of the road, and stopped at a house a couple of doors down. Izzy suddenly looked round and caught Lucy’s eye, and Lucy blushed, embarrassed to be caught staring.
Izzy gave Lucy a quick smile and a tiny wave, almost as though she was shy, too. Then she followed her sister up the path.
Lucy held Sky close, imagining how great it would be to have a friend living just across the road. They could walk to school together. Maybe have sleepovers at each other’s houses. She’d always gone by car to her old school, and none of her friends lived anywhere close, not even Ellie. Without thinking, she rubbed Sky gently behind the ears, making her close her eyes and purr with delight.
“So you caught her then?” Lucy’s mum was now standing right beside her, holding a packet of cat treats, and smiling.
Lucy looked up, still lost in her thoughts. Then she remembered. Ellie was her friend, not Izzy. She didn’t want a kitten to make her forget. She didn’t want a kitten at all. She’d told her parents that… She stuffed Sky into Mum’s arms, and dashed into the house.
But she could hear Sky mewing, and she longed to rush back and cuddle her again…
Chapter Five
Lucy was staring gloomily at the bean plants in the school garden, and wondering why they bothered growing beans when nobody liked them. Suddenly, somebody tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped.
Izzy grinned at her. “Sorry to scare you. I guess you didn’t hear me coming up behind you!”
“Um, no…” Lucy murmured.
“I’m Izzy. Do you live in our road, Hazel Close? I saw you yesterday on the way home from school.” Izzy stared eagerly at Lucy.
Lucy nodded. “Yes, we’ve just moved there,” she said quietly.
Izzy didn’t seem too bothered by Lucy’s flat tone of voice. “That’s brilliant. There’s no one else my age in our road – well, only Sean Peters and he’s worse than no one. It’ll be really good to have another girl around.”
Lucy smiled. It felt so nice to be wanted!
“So is that gorgeous kitten yours? Is she a Siamese? Have you had her long? You’re so lucky, having a kitten!”
Lucy said nothing. She didn’t know what to say. Sky was her kitten, but she wasn’t going to be keeping her, was she?
Lucy stared at the ground. There was an uncomfortable silence. Izzy turned to go.
“Orla said you were stuck-up,” she said. “I told her you might just be shy, but maybe she was right.” She shrugged, and marched off across the garden.
Lucy stared after her, her thoughts racing. Izzy was really nice, and seemed to want to be friends. But now she thought that Lucy was stuck-up. As Izzy opened the garden gate, Lucy dashed after her, trampling most of a row of carrot plants in her rush to catch her up. She caught hold of Izzy’s sleeve.
“I’m really sorry, I’m not stuck-up, honestly. I just didn’t know what to say.” She sighed.
Izzy just looked at her. It wasn’t a very encouraging start, but Lucy took a deep breath and began to explain.
“Look, I really didn’t want to move here. We had to because of my dad’s job. I just kept hoping and hoping that my mum and dad were going to change their minds. It’s not that I don’t think Hazel Close is nice,” she added quickly, not wanting to be rude about Izzy’s home. “And I guess this is probably a nice school, but I’m really missing my old school, and it’s just not the same.”