Free Mystery at Silver Spires by Ann Bryant

into the tub and unwrapped today’s food package, then went back to stroking him. He slowly stretched and rolled onto his back. And that’s when I noticed definite teats on his chest, and gasped. Silver wasn’t a he at all, but a she !

Chapter Seven

    â€œEms, I think I’ve discovered something. Only I need you to check.”
    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.
    â€œWhat?” they all wanted to know.
    â€œWas he there?” asked Nicole, looking excited.
    I nodded. “Only I think… think …that he is a she !”
    It took a moment for my words to sink in, then Sasha asked how I could tell. “I don’t know much about cats,” she said, blushing a bit, “but is it kind of…obvious?”
    â€œThe thing is,” I said, in my usual straightforward way, because I never feel embarrassed about things like this, “I think she’s got teats.”
    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. “Teats aren’t usually that obvious on cats actually, Bryony, unless…”
    â€œUnless what?”
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œOh come on, Ems! What?” I was getting exasperated.
    â€œI’ll come and look at her after school,” she promised.
    I nodded. “Thanks, Ems. And…there’s something else…”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œMr. Monk’s fixed the catch so I opened the window, because I didn’t want Silver to be trapped. Also it’s boiling hot in there. She’d roast with the window shut.”
    â€œWhat if Mr. Monk notices the window is open?” asked Izzy as we went into the humanities block.
    â€œI don’t think he’ll go up there now he’s fixed the catch and taken the mousetrap away,” I replied.
    â€œNo, I mean, what if he sees it from outside?”
    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.
    â€œOh good, I’ve caught you just in time. This is Hannah, girls, and she’ll be joining us at Silver Spires next year.”
    â€œHi!” said Sasha warmly. “I really like your hair! You look so different with it short!”
    Hannah thanked her and gave us all a nervous half-smile. I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone look so anxious.
    â€œWe’re on a bit of a Silver Spires tour at the moment,” went on Mrs. Pridham in an over-the-top cheerful voice that she didn’t often use. I thought she was probably trying to make up for Hannah’s quietness. “But there’s a lot to take in, isn’t there?”
    Hannah nodded, but didn’t 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 don’t usually notice what people are wearing but I did this time, because I was remembering how I’d 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 I’d got in my wardrobe made me look about seven and a half, I’d been dead against that. I’d wanted to wear jeans and trainers, and in the end we’d 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 mine’s almost black. I wondered