Free Curiosity Killed the Cat by Sierra Harimann Page A

you doing this weekend? Are you and your dad going on a big hike or bike ride? The leaves are starting to turn here, so I’ll bet it’s really pretty there right now, too. I always love this time of year! Miss you bunches!
    Hugs and kisses,
    Mom
    Reading her mom’s e-mail made Hannah feel both better and worse at the same time. It was nice to hear from her mom, but it had also reminded Hannah of Icky. The more time that passed, the more Hannah was losing hope that Icky was ever going to find his way home. She still hadn’t even gotten a single call from any of the lost cat flyers she and her dad had hung around town.
    A soft
ping
interrupted Hannah’s thoughts. It was an incoming Skype call from Paisley. Hannah clicked to accept, and Paisley’s face filled the screen. She looked exhausted.
    “Hi!” Hannah said. “How was your soccer tournament?”
    “Terrible,” Paisley groaned. “We played four games and lost three. I’m so sore I can barely move.”
    “Oh no!” Hannah said sympathetically. “That stinks, Pais.”
    Paisley sighed. “It’s okay — I’ll live. I’m really sorry I couldn’t sleep over last night. That would have been nice. I miss hanging out with you.”
    “I miss hanging out with you, too,” Hannah replied. She wondered if maybe this would be a good time to tell Paisley about the creepy stuff that had been happening to her lately, and maybe even aboutRyan. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Paisley let out a huge yawn.
    “Oh, sorry, Hannah,” Paisley apologized. “I am so exhausted. I didn’t get home from the spaghetti dinner until pretty late last night, and our first game was at eight this morning. I think I need to go take a nap.” Paisley yawned again.
    “Okay,” Hannah said with a soft sigh. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like the best time to confide in her friend. She would have to wait until Paisley wasn’t so exhausted. “Give me a call tomorrow if you have a chance. If not, I’ll see you in homeroom Monday.”
    That night, a huge thunderstorm rolled in. Lightning lit up Hannah’s room, and she tried not to think about Icky huddled under a stranger’s porch somewhere in the rain. The earth-shaking cracks of thunder were the kind that typically sent him into hiding under Hannah’s down comforter. Icky hated thunderstorms, and Hannah couldn’t imagine how he might be coping if he was stuck outside in a storm like this.
    After lying awake in bed for more than an hour, Hannah finally drifted off to sleep.
    She was alone on a tiny wooden rowboat in the middle of an enormous body of water. Hannah scanned the horizon but couldn’t see land anywhere. It was pitch-black outside, and the water was eerily calm and quiet — too quiet. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, followed by an enormous crash of thunder a few seconds later.
    The boat began to pitch wildly back and forth in the waves as the sky opened up and big, fat warm raindrops pelted Hannah and the boat. She grabbed the oar and tried to row somewhere — anywhere — but there was still no land in sight.
    “Help!” Hannah cried desperately. But the wind caught the word and it seemed to drift upward and away to a place where no one would ever hear it. The louder she tried to scream, the softer her voice sounded.
    Suddenly, Madison was sitting next to her. Hannah gasped and moved backward until she was pressed up against the edge of the boat. Madison threw back her head and laughed. Then she stood up and started to rock the boat harder.
    “Stop!” Hannah shouted, but nothing came out of her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed Madison to sit down. Suddenly, the rain stopped andthe rocking slowed until every thing was still and quiet. When Hannah opened her eyes again, Madison was gone. In her place, there sat a black cat with bright green eyes. The cat narrowed its eyes at Hannah and began to purr loudly.
    Hannah gasped and sat straight up in bed, her heart pounding. It was after midnight.