Free Homeless by Laurie Halse Anderson Page A

start to yowl. I bet they can tell they’re close to home. They want to get out.
    Gary kicks a pebble toward the railroad tracks. “That wouldn’t be fair to the cats. They have been through a lot of stress being captured and treated. Let’s release them now, then we’ll set up the meeting. It will just take a minute.”
    Dr. Mac studies the cats, then nods once. Gary jogs back to his truck to get two more cages.
    “I think Gary’s right. The best thing for them right now is to set them free. There is plenty of space back here. I’ll talk to Mrs. Frazier and her kids about not leaving food out for the cats. If they stop doing that, then the ferals won’t stay so close to the houses. Now back to the van, everyone.”
    “Dr. Mac,” I say, pointing to the road, “you might need to have that emergency meeting right now.”
    A crowd has gathered around Gary’s truck. It is not a welcoming committee.
    “What are you doing?” asks an angry man.
    “Get rid of those filthy cats!” another man says. “I’ll do it myself if you won’t.”
    “You said you were getting rid of them,” Mrs. Frazier says.
    “Who’s protecting the children?” asks a concerned woman.
    “Who’s protecting us?” asks the woman next to her.
    Gary ignores what they are saying to him and carries the cages down to the clearing.
    Dr. Mac walks into the middle of the crowd. “Please, if you will all just listen to me, I will explain,” she says loudly. “Let’s all calm down.”
    A police car pulls up, followed by a TV news van and another Animal Control truck. What would Mother say if she were here? She’d say this is getting out of hand.
    Maggie’s eyes get wide. “ Now what’s going to happen?” she asks.
    “This would be a great TV show, if it weren’t true,” Zoe observes.
    Gary’s boss waves him over. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but it looks like a tense conversation. I think he’s in trouble.
    The crowd in front of Dr. Mac grows louder and louder.
    “Didn’t you read the article in the paper about that poor girl who got rabies?” asks one person. “That could happen to our kids, you know. We have a right to keep them safe!”
    I hide my bandaged hand behind my back. No use making matters worse.
    “The girl did not get rabies. She’s being treated for possible exposure,” Dr. Mac tells the crowd. “No one understands the risks of unvaccinated animals better than I do. We keep the cats who are being treated until we are certain they have no diseases they could pass on to people.” Her voice is strong and firm.
    “Maybe we should walk back to the clinic,” I suggest quietly to my friends. “I don’t want anyone to recognize me. If they start up with the whole rabies thing, we’ll never be able to help these cats.”
    “And leave all this?” Brenna says. “No way!”
    “No one even knows we’re here,” Maggie says. “Don’t worry about it, Sunita.”
    Gary turns away from his boss and starts to load the empty traps into the truck. He won’t look at us or say anything. Mrs. Frazier hurries over to the truck to talk to him some more.
    “Psst! Sunita! Over here!”
    A bush is calling my name.
    “Sunita!”
    The bush rattles and the face of Jamie Frazier briefly appears, with Katie next to him. “Over here,” he repeats. “Hurry!”
    I glance at the crowd. All the grown-ups are busy yelling at one another, and my friends are watching them. No one else heard Jamie.
    I scurry over to Jamie’s hiding place. “What are you doing out here?” I ask quickly.
    “We need help,” Jamie whispers.
    “Can’t it wait?” I ask. If Mrs. Frazier sees her kids out here while Gary is releasing the ferals, she’ll flip out.
    Jamie shakes his head. “This is really important. That black cat you were looking for, Mittens—she’s having her babies.”
    “Really? That’s great!” I shout—then clap my hand across my mouth. I don’t want to call any attention to us. “So what’s the problem?” I