Free Domino by Ellen Miles Page A

made it to the top of the hill. Mia plopped on her red saucer and sat waiting, waving a mittened hand at Michael.
    “And me!” Carmen plopped down belly-first on her sled, too.
    Michael looked at Jackson and shrugged. Then he knelt down to give Mia a light shove. Herhappy squeal faded as her sled zipped down the snowy path. Michael scooted over, pushed Carmen, and then stood up.
    “See?” Jackson said over his shoulder. “They’re fine. They’re totally safe here on the kiddie slope. You gotta check out the other side. Super steep. And icy. I made it all the way to that tree.” Jackson pointed a red fleece glove at a tall, bare oak at the bottom of the steeper hill nearby.
    Michael judged the distance. He could make it past that tree, maybe even out to the path, but he had told Dad that he’d watch Mia and Carmen. “Maybe in a little while.”
    “Come on. My mom can watch them. Right, Mom?” Jackson yelled. “Can you watch Mia and Carmen?”
    Michael turned around to see Mrs. DeVries wave at him from where she stood with a bunch of other parents. “No problem, Michael. I’ll keep an eye on them. I’m here to watch Ben, anyway.” Michael scanned the hill and saw Ben DeVries ina red hat that matched his big brother’s. He was racing Mia up the hill.
    “Thanks, Mrs. DeVries,” Michael called.
    “You boys have fun.” She waved again.
    Jackson slapped Michael on the shoulder as they headed to the steep side of the hill. “There’s no way you’ll get past that tree. Not without your lucky striped socks.”
    “You wanna bet?” Michael said. After a quick look at the track down the icy slope, he gripped his sled’s handles and ran, flopping down onto his sled at just the right moment. His stomach slammed against the sled as it hit the ground. Chunks of cold snow prickled his cheeks. Michael zipped down the hill, gaining speed as he neared a group of pine trees. He held his breath and steered away from their snow-covered trunks. The big oak was only ten feet away, and he still had lots of speed. He’d show Jackson!
    Just as Michael was about to pass the oak, he saw something flash by on his left side. Somethingdark … and fluffy? It couldn’t be what he thought it was. There was no way. Glancing back, he dragged his feet by mistake, lost his balance, and skidded out. His knee jammed into the ground as icy snow worked its way down inside his collar. He struggled to sit up so he could get a better look at the dark thing he’d seen.
    “I can beat that!” Jackson yelled from the top of the hill. Michael saw him throw himself onto his sled.
    “No, wait!” Michael cried. But it was too late. Jackson was already speeding down the hill. Michael’s heart was beating fast. He had to hurry, because now he was sure.
    Pointed ears.
    Long whiskers.
    A twitching tail.
    The dark thing he had passed was a kitten.

CHAPTER TWO
    “Jackson, stop!” Michael yelled, but it was no use. His friend was going way too fast to be able to hear him. Michael struggled to stand up, slipping and sliding on an icy patch of snow. He had to get to the kitten. Jackson’s sled was heading straight for it.
    Michael scrambled as quickly as he could. Now he could hear the runners of Jackson’s sled whine as it zipped down the hill.
    “Watch out!” Jackson yelled.
    Michael had lost sight of the kitten. Desperately, he scanned the drifts of snow. A dark blur caught his eye and he reached out to grab at it. “Gotcha!” he cried. But just as he scooped the kitten up, Jackson’s sled slammed into his legs, and both of them keeled over into the snow.
    “What are you doing?” Jackson wiped a wet crust of snow from his face. “Are you okay, man?”
    Michael lay on his back, cradling the kitten against his chest. He lifted his head to take a good look. The kitten trembled in his arms. Wow, was he cute! He was a tuxedo cat, mostly black except for a long blaze of white fur that shot up between his eyes and patches of white under his chin