Sammy darted back, his tail fluffing up wildly. Harper and Mum were laughing, but there was an odd feeling in the air, he was sure of it. Everything felt jangly and sharp, and it was frightening him.
He slipped in between two of the huge boxes, squeezing into the narrow space. It was better, there in the dark. He watched Harper and Ava and Mum set out for school, and he hoped and hoped that everything would be right again when they came back.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_12]
Sammy had been in his cat basket a few times– that first terrifying journey back from the shelter, which he hardly remembered, and then to the vet for his jabs. He hated it every time. He was bigger now than when he’d first travelled in the basket, and braver, so he’d wriggled and squirmed and almost managed to duck under Mum’s hands, but she’d got the wire door closed just before he managed to dart out of it.
Sammy yowled furiously for most of the drive. He was expecting to be at the vet’s again when they got out of the car, but it was somewhere entirely new. He stalked out of the basket, stiff-legged and angry. There was a tiled kitchen floor and piles of boxes everywhere, again!
“Hey, Sammy… It’s OK. Don’t worry…”
Sammy glanced up at Mum. Where were they, and why was Mum here, but not Harper or Ava? What was going on? He was so cross that the fur lifted up all along his spine.
“I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon,” Mum said gently, and she stroked him, smoothing down the fluffed-up fur and making him feel a little better. He rubbed his chin against her hand and closed his eyes against the strangeness for a moment. She was familiar, at least. Mum fussed around with boxes while Sammy sniffed cautiously at things in the kitchen.
“Here you are, kitten,” Mum said, putting his water bowl down next to him. Sammy stared at it. That was his bowl, the bowl he drank from every day at home. What was it doing here?
“Let’s give you a little bit of the special food as well,” Mum murmured. “That expensive stuff in the tins that Harper and Ava wanted to get for you. I found it when I was clearing out the kitchen cupboards…” She rummaged in a box on the table for a moment and then put Sammy’s food bowl down in front of him, with something that smelled strong and delicious. But Sammy backed away from her. He was hungry, but he didn’t want to eat here. This felt all wrong…
“Oh, Sammy.” Mum looked at him worriedly. “Harper and Ava will be back soon, perhaps that’ll cheer you up.”
[Êàðòèíêà: img_13]
Sammy retreated under the kitchen table, where he thought no one could reach him. He sat there all hunched up, glaring at Mum’s feet as she hurried around, opening boxes. More things that seemed familiar appeared – there were smells he recognized, smells of home. Why were all these home things here, when this was not home?
When Mum left the kitchen, pulling on the coat she’d left over the back of a chair, Sammy edged out after her, wondering if she was going home. Wasn’t she going to take him too? He mewed worriedly at her and Mum darted over to give him one last quick pat.
“Back soon, Sammy. I’m going to pick up Gran from the hospital and then get the girls from school. I’ve got to go, I’ll be late!”
She hurried out, banging the door hard behind her, and Sammy was left alone, staring around him in bewilderment.
At last he padded back down the hallway, peeping into rooms and sneezing at the dusty furniture. The house felt big, and empty, and wrong…
[Êàðòèíêà: img_6]
Harper wasn’t sure what to feel when she and Ava got out of school. She was excited and worried and sad all at once.
Her own room! She didn’t mind sharing with Ava that much – it was cute sometimes when her little sister wanted to climb into bed with her in the mornings. But she always had to put her precious things up on a high shelf, just so Ava wouldn’t mess around with them. It wasn’t that her sister meant to break things,she couldn’t help it, being little and a bit careless. But now there would be no more Ava deciding to borrow her best pens, just because they were there, and leaving the lids off. No more scribbled-on homework.
It was going to be nice getting to live with Gran too, especially now she needed extra help. They wouldn’t have to worry about Gran being lonely, or maybe having another fall with no one there to look after her. Gran was beaming at them from the front seat of the car – she looked so happy that they were all going to be together.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_14]
The flat, though… It was home. Harper wished the rental agency hadn’t wanted them to move out on a school day. Even though they’d been able to take things over to Gran’s ever since they’d decided on leaving, a few days before, it had still been a rush that morning, trying to wash and have breakfast in a flat that was almost all packed up. She didn’t feel like she’d had time to say goodbye properly.
At least she’d known what was going on, though. Poor Sammy must have been so confused. She nibbled her bottom lip, listening to Mum explain to Ava that yes, the movers had put her bed in her new room, and her dolls’ house, and her pirate outfit…
“Is Sammy OK?” Harper broke in, when Ava stopped asking questions to breathe. “Does he like it at Gran’s?”
Mum sighed.“Ummm, I think he’s a bit cross. He didn’t want anything to eat earlier on – but we have to give him some time to get used to a new home, Harper. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Harper nodded, but she was still chewing her bottom lip. Mum loved Sammy, Harper knew that she did, but it wasn’t the same. Harper was the one who played with him most, and always came down in the morning to feed him. She groomed him and even cleaned out his litter tray. Sammy slept on her bed most nights now. She couldn’t help feeling that Sammy was mostly hers. She had to make sure he was OK.
When they pulled up outside the house, Ava bounced out of the car and twirled her way to the doorstep, obviously desperate to run and see her new room now it had her things in.
Mum unlocked the door and helped Gran inside, and they hung up their jackets on the hooks– they’d done that so many times before, but this time it was different. This was their home too, now.
Harper had hoped Sammy would come bounding towards her, like he usually did, but no little grey spotted cat raced down the hallway.
“He’s behind the basket, there,” Gran murmured behind her, and then when Harper looked up at her in surprise, she smiled. “I could see you looking around for him. Don’t worry, Harper. He’ll get used to the new place soon.”
Harper nodded, smiling back, and then she crouched down to peer round the basket. A small, cross, stripey face glared back at her. Harper really wanted to reach in and pick Sammy up, but she thought she’d better leave him to come out in his own time. He was grumpy already. He didn’t want to be grabbed.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_15]
“I could get you your tea,” she whispered to him, her voice soft and persuasive. “Would you like that?”
Mum looked round– she was halfway up the stairs, following Ava. “I put some food down for him before, Harper, one of those posh little tins. Maybe change it for something else? Perhaps he just wants his normal biscuits? I’ll be down in a minute, Mum. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
Harper nodded. And then realized she didn’t even know where the bag of cat food was, in Gran’s kitchen, and sighed. No wonder Sammy was upset.
“Come on, love.” Gran took her hand. “Let your mum sort Ava out. She’s got enough to worry about, I can manage putting the kettle on, and I’m sure there’s juice in the fridge. I could pour you some while you see where she’s put the cat food. And you can tell me what your day was like.I’d love that.”
Harper stood up, glancing back at the basket. Maybe she was getting worked up over nothing. Gran knew about cats and she thought Sammy would be fine.