Free Magic Kitten: A Circus Wish by Sue Bentley Page B

at Sadie quickly her face flushed. ‘Who cares…’ She stopped suddenly and then just shrugged. ‘Course she did.’ She grinned. ‘Race you to get changed!’
    ‘You’re on!’ Sadie whipped off her T-shirt and gym shorts in double quick time.
    Jenny was out of her gym kit and into her school uniform in a jiffy. But she lost time trying to stuff her feet into her school shoes. Sadie was almost dressed. She bent down as she pulled on a sock, lost her balance and backed into Jenny.
    ‘Oops! Sorry!’ she said, laughing as they both staggered and almost fell over.
    ‘Hey – you hit me with your bottom on purpose. You cheat!’ Jenny shrieked.
    Suddenly they both burst out laughing. They sank on to the benches, out of breath and clutching each other
    ‘I call that a draw,’ Sadie gasped, holding her aching ribs.
    ‘Suits me,’ Jenny agreed, slinging her gym bag over her shoulder. ‘Come on.We’ll be late. Mum’s waiting for me at the hairdresser’s. I’m having my hair done as part of my present.’
    It was Jenny’s birthday next week. Sadie was planning to buy her a present with her pocket money.
    ‘You lucky thing!’ Sadie said enviously, fingering her long plait as they left the changing room. ‘My mum usually just trims my ends for me.’
    They were almost at the school gate before Sadie remembered something. ‘Oh, no, I’ve left my schoolbooks in the cloakroom.’
    ‘They’ll be OK in there. You can get them tomorrow,’ Jenny said.
    Sadie chewed at her lip, undecided. ‘I could. But I’ve got maths homework to finish. I really need one of the books. Imight as well go and get them all.’
    Jenny fidgeted, trying not to look impatient. ‘Do you want me to come back with you?’
    ‘No. You go on. I’ll see you later.’ She waved as Jenny went out of the gate and down the street.
    Sadie sprinted back into school and hurried towards the gym. There was no one else around and the gym and cloakroom were dark and deserted. Her footsteps echoed eerily as she went to press the light switch. One row of strip lights flickered on, leaving the rest of the benches and clothes rails in deep shadows.
    Sadie spotted her books lying in a pile where she’d left them. She bent down to pick them up when suddenly,out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of bright white light.
    ‘Hello, is someone else in here?’ Sadie called, looking round.
    No one answered. Sadie shivered – this was really creepy. She gave herself a shake and decided to stop being silly. It must have been the caretaker, turning a light on in one of the classrooms outside. She was about to leave when she saw something glowing faintly on a nearby bench.
    Puzzled, Sadie went forward slowly. There on the bench, backed into the very corner of the room, crouched a tiny kitten. Its dark coat glittered with thousands of tiny lights. Sadie blinked hard. Had someone left a toy kitten here?

    As she got closer, the sparkles seemed to fade. The kitten was really lifelike, with glossy black fur and wide emerald-green eyes.
    ‘You’re really cute. I wonder who you belong to,’ Sadie said aloud.
    The kitten sat up. ‘I belong to no one but myself,’ it mewed.
    Sadie’s jaw dropped in total amazement. ‘You can talk!’ she gasped.
    Her books slipped from her numbfingers and dropped to the wooden floor with a loud clatter.
    ‘Mia-ow-ow!’ screeched the kitten. It shot into the air on stiff little legs, its hackles raised.
    ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I… I dropped my schoolbooks,’ Sadie stammered in complete shock.
    She couldn’t quite believe what was happening, but she didn’t want to scare this amazing kitten away, so she bent down and made herself as small as possible.
    The kitten’s black fur all stood on end, but Sadie could see the fear starting to fade from its emerald-green eyes. ‘What is your name?’ it asked in a velvety miaow.
    ‘I’m Sadie. Sadie Allen. I live nearby,’Sadie said gently. ‘Who are