into the tub and unwrapped todayâs food package, then went back to stroking him. He slowly stretched and rolled onto his back. And thatâs when I noticed definite teats on his chest, and gasped. Silver wasnât a he at all, but a she !
Chapter Seven
âEms, I think Iâve discovered something. Only I need you to check.â
My friends were waiting for me at the top of the little side lane that leads down to the humanities block where we were about to have history.
âWhat?â they all wanted to know.
âWas he there?â asked Nicole, looking excited.
I nodded. âOnly I think⦠think â¦that he is a she !â
It took a moment for my words to sink in, then Sasha asked how I could tell. âI donât know much about cats,â she said, blushing a bit, âbut is it kind ofâ¦obvious?â
âThe thing is,â I said, in my usual straightforward way, because I never feel embarrassed about things like this, âI think sheâs got teats.â
Emily had set off towards the humanities block, following Nicole and Antonia, but she stopped suddenly and turned to face me when I said that. âTeats arenât usually that obvious on cats actually, Bryony, unlessâ¦â
âUnless what?â
âNothing.â
âOh come on, Ems! What?â I was getting exasperated.
âIâll come and look at her after school,â she promised.
I nodded. âThanks, Ems. Andâ¦thereâs something elseâ¦â
âWhat?â
âMr. Monkâs fixed the catch so I opened the window, because I didnât want Silver to be trapped. Also itâs boiling hot in there. Sheâd roast with the window shut.â
âWhat if Mr. Monk notices the window is open?â asked Izzy as we went into the humanities block.
âI donât think heâll go up there now heâs fixed the catch and taken the mousetrap away,â I replied.
âNo, I mean, what if he sees it from outside?â
A little alarm bell rang somewhere deep inside me, but I ignored it as soon as I realized Mr. Monk would have to be round the side of the building looking right up to the roof to even notice the window.
We were about to troop into our history class when Mrs. Pridham came into the block with Hannah and smiled round at us.
âOh good, Iâve caught you just in time. This is Hannah, girls, and sheâll be joining us at Silver Spires next year.â
âHi!â said Sasha warmly. âI really like your hair! You look so different with it short!â
Hannah thanked her and gave us all a nervous half-smile. I didnât think Iâd ever seen anyone look so anxious.
âWeâre on a bit of a Silver Spires tour at the moment,â went on Mrs. Pridham in an over-the-top cheerful voice that she didnât often use. I thought she was probably trying to make up for Hannahâs quietness. âBut thereâs a lot to take in, isnât there?â
Hannah nodded, but didnât say anything. She must have been really shy. She was wearing light-coloured cut-off trousers, a very plain brown and white top and soft brown shoes that were the nearest thing you can get to trainers without actually being trainers. I donât usually notice what people are wearing but I did this time, because I was remembering how Iâd struggled to decide what to wear this time last year for my own introductory day. Anna had thought I should wear a skirt but, as I never ever wear skirts normally, and the only one Iâd got in my wardrobe made me look about seven and a half, Iâd been dead against that. Iâd wanted to wear jeans and trainers, and in the end weâd compromised on cut-offs and some shoes that were almost trainers.
The main thing you noticed about Hannah, though, was definitely her hair. It was even shorter than mine, and a lovely dark coppery colour, whereas mineâs almost black. I wondered