Free The Wicked Cat by Christopher Pike Page A

alive?”
    â€œThat’s right. As a cat she couldn’t break in here. I’m looking forward to talking to her.” He paused. “I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m not as handsome as I used to be. Do you think I’ll have a problem there?”
    Adam nodded reluctantly. “I’m afraid so, Jack. The girls I know are not really into dead people.”
    â€œBut I’m not dead,” Jack said briskly. “I thought I made that clear. I’m just malnourished. No offense, but you won’t look much better if you hang around here long enough.”
    Adam sighed. “I guess. But I would like to get out of here. When Jessie returns can you talk her into letting me go?”
    â€œI hope so. She used to be my friend. But I don’t know how she’s changed over the last two hundred years.”
    â€œI hate to say this, Jack, but she’s not the nicest girl in the world. She stole my friend’s body and turned her into a cat. She was the one who chained me here.”
    â€œOh my,” Jack said, shocked. “That doesn’t sound like the Jessie I knew. I wonder why she changed so much?”
    â€œMaybe it was being a cat so long.”
    â€œThat’s no excuse,” Jack said. “I’ve been stuck in here all this time and I haven’t lost my manners.”
    Adam frowned. “How did you pass the time?”
    â€œI whistle to myself mainly. Would you like to hear me whistle? The more flesh you lose the better you can whistle. The air seems to blow through my whole body these days.”
    Adam heard a sound at the mouth of the cave.
    â€œYou can whistle for me later,” Adam said. “I think someone’s coming.”

12
    J essie appeared a moment later, pushing Cindy in front of her and holding a flashlight. Cindy had her arms full. In one hand she carried the cat—Sally—and in the other she had a bag of cement. The cement looked heavy and Cindy appeared weary. But when Cindy saw Adam chained to the wall, she dropped both the cat and the cement and ran to his side.
    â€œWhat has she done to you?” Cindy cried.
    â€œHung me up for decoration, I think,” Adam said.
    Cindy turned on Jessie. “You are a horrible creature! You let him go this instant!”
    Jessie laughed loudly. “You fool! No one is leaving this cave except me. Even Sally, this old cat, is staying. I’m going to wall you all in here and let you die in darkness.”
    Cindy stepped forward and tried to push her out of the way. But Jessie still had a cat’s reflexes and struck Cindy across the face. The blow was strong, and Cindy landed in a heap at Adam’s feet.
    â€œHey!” Adam shouted. “You don’t have to get rough. We can talk about the situation.”
    Jessie sneered. “Talk about what? How I suffered the last two hundred years? How you tried to drown me the day after I finally freed myself? I trusted you, Adam, and you tried to trick me.”
    â€œI tried to trick you because you tricked Sally. You stole her body.”
    The cat growled angrily.
    â€œI deserve a human body!” Jessie snapped. “I earned it!”
    â€œRight,” Adam said sarcastically. “You earned the right to torture and kill people. What if Jack was here today? What would he say about his sweet Jessie?”
    Jessie strode right up to Adam and drew herhand back to slap him. She almost stepped on Cindy, who was slowly regaining her wits and sitting up.
    â€œDon’t talk about Jack!” Jessie cried. “Jack belonged to me! If he was here now he’d understand what I’ve gone through! He wouldn’t blame me!”
    There was a long pause.
    Adam hoped Jack would say something soon.
    He had set the situation up for Jack to speak.
    â€œI don’t understand why you are hurting these people,” Jack said softly.
    Jessie leapt back as if she had been shot. Her head twisted left and right. Her