Free Alone in the Night by Holly Webb Page B

Good. Proper stroking. 

    Jasmine smiled down at her, wishing she had a beautiful kitten of her very own. It was such a pity her mum and dad weren’t really pet people. But maybe gorgeous little Star could help convince them?

    From then on, Jasmine always looked out for Star in the garden, and Star soon worked out what time Jasmine got home from school. If she was bored, or wanted someone to play with, she would wriggle under the fence – she’d had to make the hole quite a lot bigger by now – and jump from the bench on to the kitchen window sill. Then she would mew plaintively for Jasmine to come out and see her.
    Jasmine’s mum thought it was funny at first, but then she got a bit worried. What if the next-door neighbours minded about Jasmine spending all this time fussing over their kitten?
    One day the kitchen window was open – Jasmine’s mum had been cooking chilli for dinner and wanted to let the smell out – and when Jasmine came into the kitchen she saw Star nosing curiously around the gap, obviously wondering if she was allowed to step in through the window.
    Jasmine didn’t even think. She just held out her hand and made puss-puss noises to Star, tempting her in. She couldn’t imagine anything nicer than cuddling Star in her own kitchen. Unless it was in her bedroom, of course…

    Jasmine’s mum was horrified when she came up to see how Jasmine was getting on with her homework. “Jasmine! What’s that cat doing in here?” she cried.
    Star gave a nervous little squeak and disappeared off Jasmine’s lap under the desk.
    Jasmine glared at her mum and crouched down to try and coax her out. “You frightened her!”
    “She frightened me!” her mum retorted. “She’s not meant to be in our house, Jasmine, she’s next door’s cat!” 

     
    “I bet they wouldn’t mind,” Jasmine muttered. She knew she shouldn’t really have let Star in, but she’d been so lonely, mewing on the window sill. “They don’t get home till later, Mum; she just wanted a cuddle!”
    “Jasmine, she’s not ours. She’ll end up getting confused about where she lives – she’s only little. Put her out!” her mum said firmly. And Jasmine had to gather Star up and take her back downstairs.
    “Sorry, Star!” Jasmine murmured, as she slipped the kitten out of the back door. Her mum was watching, her arms folded sternly, and Jasmine knew she’d be pushing her luck if she went outside too. But it was getting dark and had started to rain. She felt so guilty putting Star out in the cold and wet.
    Star watched the door close, looking up at it sadly. Why hadn’t Jasmine’s mother wanted her? She didn’t understand. She shook her whiskers, feeling confused, then slunk across the garden, under the fence and back through her cat flap. 

Chapter Two
    After Mum had made her take Star outside, Jasmine didn’t risk letting her in the house again, however much she wanted to. For the next few weeks she played with Star in the garden instead, even though it was November and freezing cold. Star’s lovely furry coat kept her a lot warmer than Jasmine’s blue school anorak, but she didn’t wantto miss out on playing with the kitten.
    “Jasmine! Come on in, it’s tea time!” Jasmine’s mum called from the back door.
    Jasmine picked up Star and put her gently on top of the fence – she liked jumping on to it now she was a bit bigger, instead of scrabbling underneath. “Bye, Star! See you tomorrow,” she murmured, stroking the little cat’s nose. Star was in that funny stage now where she was half-kitten , half-cat and all legs.
    Her mum was still looking out of the back door. “Aren’t you frozen? Look, your hands are bright red; where are your gloves?”
    Jasmine wiggled her fingers, which were feeling quite numb now. “I was stroking Star; you can’t stroke a cat with gloves on, Mum.”
    Her mum shook her head, smiling. “You and that cat.”

    Star jumped lightly down from the wall and trotted back to her