by Judi Curtin
He was probably right.
‘But, that’s cheating,’ I said after a while. ‘That’s not fair.’
Marcus shrugged.
‘Lots of things aren’t fair. Life’s not fair. It’s not fair that my mum died. It’s not fair that my dad’s a bully.’
He was right. Those things weren’t fair, but did stealing the exam papers make everything right again?
I didn’t think so.
I thought of another question.
‘How are you going to get the papers?’ I asked. ‘You can’t just walk in and take them. And I’ve watched the secretary – she never, ever leaves the office without locking the door behind her.’
Marcus shrugged.
‘It’s a secondary school office, not the Bank of Ireland. There has to be a way to get those papers. And if there is a way, I’ll figure it out.’
Now I was starting to feel really scared. I could feel a horrible cold chill on the back of my neck.
Why was Marcus telling me all of this?
Why wasn’t he afraid that I’d tell someone?
Marcus looked at me closely, and I felt like he was looking right through my brain. He waggled his finger in my face.
‘I know you wouldn’t tell anyone about this, Megan. You wouldn’t dare.’
Chapter nineteen
I was very relieved when Marcus didn’t show up for school the next day. I had to sit on my own in class, but for once I didn’t mind. Being on my own was easier than being with Marcus when he was talking of doing crazy stuff like stealing exam papers.
On the way home from school, Alice noticed that something was wrong.
‘What’s up, Megan?’ she said. ‘Even you’re not usually this quiet.’
I didn’t answer. I so badly wanted to tell her what Marcus had said, but something made me afraid.
Alice would insist that I told someone, or she might even tell someone herself. And how could I let her do that?
If Marcus knew I’d told someone, he’d – well I don’t know what he’d do, but I knew it wouldn’t be nice.
And besides, as his dad was such a bully, maybe it was best if Marcus did steal the papers. It wasn’t an honest thing to do, but at least it would stop his dad from going crazy. Marcus could do well in the Christmas exams, and in January, I could persuade him to do some school-work, and he’d continue to do well.
Maybe Marcus stealing the papers was a good thing?
But something told me that Alice wouldn’t agree, so when she repeated, ‘Come on, Meg, what’s up?’ I just shrugged.
‘Nothing’s up. I’m tired, that’s all. Double Business Studies always has that effect on me.’
Alice laughed, and didn’t notice that I was lying, and we talked about something else all the way home.
* * *
During dinner that night, all I could think of was Marcus.
Why couldn’t he just study for his exams like a normal person would?
Why did he have to try to steal the exam papers?
And why did he have to tell me all about it?
* * *
After dinner, Mum gave me a bag of rubbish to carry outside. I opened the back door and shivered. It was damp and cold in the garden. The light from the kitchen window cast long shadows, making everything look really scary.
As I walked towards the bin, I glimpsed something small running into a corner at the side of the house. I jumped and screamed at the same time.
‘Mum, Dad, help! Quickly, come and save me! Heeeelp!’
Mum raced out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron.
‘What is it, Megan?’ she said. ‘Why are you screaming?’
Before answering, I dropped the bag of rubbish, and scrambled up onto the patio table.
Maybe I’d be safer up there.
Maybe whatever was running around the garden wasn’t any good at climbing.
‘It’s … it’s … I don’t know what it is,’ I squealed from my perch. ‘But it’s over there hiding behind that plant!’
Mum sighed.
‘If it’s small enough to hide behind that little plant, I suspect it’s not terribly dangerous,’ she said.
Then she went back towards the kitchen.
‘Don’t leave me here on my own,’ I screeched. ‘I thought you loved me.’
Mum turned back for a second.
‘I do love you,’ she said. ‘That’s why I’m not giving in to your drama queen antics.’
She went in to the kitchen, and seconds later she came out carrying the sweeping brush.
‘It’s probably just a mouse,’ she said. ‘You lift up the plant, and I’ll chase it away with the brush.’
I shook my head.
‘No way!’ I said.
‘Don’t be such a coward, Megan,’ said Mum.
‘I’m not doing it,’ I said. ‘It’s probably a rat, and if it jumps up and bites me and I die from a horrible disease, you’ll be really sorry.’
Mum gave me a cross look.
‘Go over and lift up that plant now, or else I’ll know you’re not mature enough to have a phone, and I’ll have to take it from you.’
I knew I was beaten.
What did I ever do to deserve such an evil mum?
I took a deep breath and climbed down from the table. I tiptoed over to the plant, leaned over, and very slowly pushed it aside with my foot. I was ready to race away and climb back on to the patio table, if the creature tried to attack me.
Then nothing happened.
I took another deep breath and leaned a bit closer. It was hard to see properly, because there was a big shadow blocking my view. As I got used to the dark, I could see two small eyes staring up at me.
‘What is it?’ asked Mum.
‘I don’t know,’ I whispered. ‘But it’s got two eyes.’
‘All the better to see you with,’ said Mum. ‘Now step back and I’ll try to chase it out with the brush.’
I stepped back. Mum raised the brush, and just as she was about to strike, the creature crept out into the light.
I gasped.
It wasn’t a rat.
It wasn’t a mouse.
It was a tiny, tiny kitten – a tiny, black kitten, with one small flash of white on the tip of its tail. It was looking at me with huge, unblinking green-blue eyes. I decided it was probably the sweetest thing I had ever seen in my whole life.
Mum put the sweeping brush down, and the small clatter it caused made the kitten jump, and step backwards again.
I tiptoed closer. The kitten was so scared that it looked like it was trying to make itself disappear into the ground. I bent down and put out my hand.
‘It’s OK, kitty,’ I said. ‘I won’t hurt you.’
Mum came over and stood beside me.
‘It’s a kitten,’ she said.
Duh. Like I hadn’t noticed.
I didn’t say this though, because I was too excited.
‘Do you think I should pick it up?’ I asked.
Mum laughed.
‘I think you could probably chance it,’ she said. ‘The poor little scrap doesn’t exactly look like a killing machine.’
I edged closer, reached out and carefully picked up the creature. It was the softest thing I had ever touched. I rested it on one arm, and used the other hand to stroke it. At first it was trembling so much I felt like crying. After a few seconds though, it stopped shaking and began to purr. It looked up at me with its huge eyes, and I knew that I had just fallen in love.
I turned to Mum.
‘Please, please, please, please can I keep it?’ I asked.
Mum hesitated.
‘You know I don’t like cats very much,’ she said.
‘But I’ll feed it and mind it. I’ll do everything,’ I said. ‘You’ll never have to do a single thing for it.’
‘It won’t always be a kitten, you know,’ said Mum. ‘Very soon it will be a cat, and it won’t be as cute as it is now. Will you still love it then?’
/> I nodded.
‘I will. I’ll always love it. Please Mum—’
‘It couldn’t live in the house,’ said Mum, interrupting me.
I shook my head.
‘It wouldn’t have to,’ I said. ‘It can sleep in the garage. And I’ll make a bed for it out of some old clothes, and …… please, please, please, Mum. Please let me keep it.’
Mum thought for a minute.
‘It might belong to someone. We’ll have to ask around.’
‘I’ll ask tomorrow, I promise. I’ll knock on every single door on the road. And if it belongs to someone, I’ll give it straight back. But it’s probably a stray. And please, please Mum. Can I keep it?’
Mum smiled.
‘I suppose you’ve persuaded me,’ she said. ‘Look. It’s fallen asleep in your arms,’ she said. ‘I think it’s decided that you’re its mother.’
‘Thanks, Mum,’ I said, as I cuddled my sleeping baby. ‘This is the best thing that has ever happened to me.’
Half an hour later, I had made a bed for the kitten in an old shoe-box in the garage. Dad had looked closely at it and decided that she was a girl. I fed her warm milk and mashed up bread, and stroked her and cuddled her. I decided to call her Domino. And I decided that Domino would be the most-loved kitten in the history of the world.
And when I went to bed that night, I realised that I hadn’t thought about Marcus, or the exams, for hours and hours.
Chapter twenty
In the morning, I got up early so I could feed Domino and play with her before school. I sat in the cold garage and hugged her.
‘I have to go to school soon,’ I said. ‘And I’m not looking forward to it. You see there’s this boy, Marcus. Sometimes he’s nice, and sometimes he’s scary.’
I kept talking until I’d told Domino the whole story. It felt a bit stupid, talking to a kitten, and of course I knew she couldn’t understand me. She just stared up at me with her shining eyes, but in a way it helped me to sort things out in my mind. After ten minutes with Domino, I knew exactly what I had to do. It was very simple really – all I had to do was persuade Marcus not to steal the exam papers.
* * *
Alice called for me to walk to school, so I brought her out to the garage to show her my new pet.
‘She’s sweet,’ she said, but I knew she was just saying that to please me. She doesn’t like cats very much. I didn’t mind. In a way I was kind of glad that Alice didn’t like her. Now Domino would be my special, special pet, and I wouldn’t have to share her with anyone.
* * *
When I got to my classroom, Kellie was sitting on her own – her friends weren’t there yet. She smiled over at me. Most days we said ‘hi’ to each other, but we never managed to get past that. I wondered if I should go over and tell her about Domino. Lots of Kellie’s books had pictures of cats on them, so maybe she was really interested in cats. Maybe this was the way for me to get to know her?
And now that she was on her own, it was the perfect opportunity.
I had taken just one step towards her when Marcus came in to the room. As soon as Kellie saw him, she stopped smiling, and started to take out her books. I sighed. Why couldn’t I ever get the chance to talk to her?
I went to my desk and sat down, and as usual, Marcus sat beside me. He was even paler than usual, and kind of jumpy-looking.
This was my chance to tell him not to steal the papers. I didn’t know how to start though. I couldn’t organise the right sentences in my head. All the words seemed jumbled up, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to say them properly.
Then, before I could say a single word, Marcus spoke.
‘It’s all sorted,’ he said.
‘What’s all sorted?’ I whispered, like I didn’t know.
‘Getting the exam papers. I have a perfect plan. I—’
Just then the teacher walked in to the class. She rapped her knuckles on her desk, and Marcus stopped talking. I looked at my book and tried to concentrate, but couldn’t.
I was well used to crazy plans – after all, Alice had spent most of the previous year thinking up mad ideas to try to get her parents together. But this was different. This was very, very different. Alice had done a few stupid things, but she’d never, ever done something as bad as what Marcus was suggesting.
The class seemed to go on forever, and I couldn’t listen to a single word the teacher was saying. Halfway through the class, I noticed that the room had become completely silent. I looked up and realised that everyone was staring at me. No one was talking, and the only sound was from the teacher’s pen rapping impatiently on her desk. The teacher must have asked me a question, but I had no idea what it was. I could feel my face going bright red. I looked desperately at Marcus, but he was no help to me. His head was down, and he was busy drawing a huge spider on the back of one of his exercise books.
‘Er,’ I muttered. ‘I …’
Suddenly there was a funny hissing sound from the front of the classroom. I looked up and saw that Jane had turned around in her desk, and was trying to get my attention.
‘The Ancient Romans,’ she whispered.
‘Er, the Ancient Romans,’ I repeated.
‘That is correct, Megan,’ said the teacher. ‘Just be a bit quicker next time please.’
Then she moved on to someone else.
Jane was still looking at me.
‘Thanks,’ I whispered.
She shrugged, and turned back to her book.
I knew it was going to be a very long morning.
Chapter twenty-one
Somehow I got through the next two classes. Between the classes, Marcus vanished as usual, so I had no chance to talk to him. As soon as the last teacher left the room, I stood up to go outside.
Marcus stood up too.
‘Wait Megan,’ he said. ‘Don’t you want to hear my plan?’
I think the last thing in the whole world I wanted to hear right then was Marcus’s plan.
How could I tell him that though?
And how could I leave when Marcus was blocking my way out of the classroom?
Except for Marcus and me, the classroom was empty, as everyone rushed off to enjoy their break.
‘Er … Marcus, …… I think I need to go now,’ I said. ‘I’ve got to……I’ve got to go.’
Still Marcus didn’t move. He had a funny look in his eyes, and I was starting to feel scared.
‘Let me tell you my plan,’ he repeated.
I shook my head. Suddenly I knew what I had to say, and the words came tumbling out.
‘No, Marcus,’ I said. ‘I’m not interested in your plan. Whatever it is, it’s a stupid plan. You shouldn’t steal the papers. It’s wrong, and in the long term, it won’t change anything. You should just do your best, and if you fail – get over it, and do better the next time.’
‘Let me tell you my plan,’ he said again.
Once again I shook my head.
‘Can’t you understand? I don’t want to know anything about your stupid plan. If you tell me, that makes me guilty too, and I’m not letting that happen. I’m not getting involved, just because you’re too lazy to do any work. So forget it, OK? It’s not going to happen.’
I stopped for breath. I think we were both surprised at my outburst. Suddenly I was afraid.
What was Marcus going to do now?
We looked at each other for a minute, then Marcus slowly shook his head.
‘You just don’t understand,’ he said quietly, and then he picked up his bag and walked out of the classroom.
* * *
Marcus didn’t show up for the rest of the day, and I was really glad about that.
When I got home, I raced out to the garage to play with Domino. I’d left the door a little bit open so she could go outside to play, but she was curled up inside in her shoe-box, where it was nice and warm. I picked her up and snuggled her against my chin. Just holding her made me feel better. She licked my finger with her rough, sandpapery tong
ue, and made soft mewing noises. I could feel her heart beating gently against my hand.
Then Mum came out.
‘Don’t forget you have to ask around, to see if that kitten belongs to someone,’ she said.
‘But Mum!’ I wailed.
What would I do if I had to give Domino away?
Already she felt like she was mine, losing her would be too cruel to even think about.
Mum was firm.
‘I insist,’ she said. ‘I know you love her, but you have to think how you would feel if someone else took her. Just call to every house on the road, and ask, and if no one owns her you can keep her. That’s the deal.’
I knew there was no point in arguing, so I called for Alice, and she agreed to help me.
The first three houses were easy – no one had lost a kitten. The next house was Mrs O’Callaghan’s. Alice made a face when Mrs O’Callaghan came to open the door. I knew Alice was remembering when she was hiding in my house last year, and she overheard Mrs O’Callaghan saying mean stuff about her mum.
‘What do you two want?’ said Mrs O’Callaghan crossly.
‘We were wondering if you’ve lost a kitten,’ I said quietly.
‘Actually, I have,’ said Mrs O’Callaghan.
I gulped.
Would I have to lose my precious Domino?
Would I have to give my darling kitten to this nasty, mean old woman?
Just then there was a hoarse mewing sound, and a huge, battered-looking ginger cat came out from a bush beside us. It went up to Mrs O’Callaghan and rubbed against her bony legs.
‘There you are my little baby,’ said Mrs O’Callaghan. ‘I haven’t seen you all day. Were you a naughty little kitty, running away from your mummy like that?’
Alice made a big show of pretending to get sick in the bush, but Mrs O’Callaghan was too busy rubbing her cat’s straggly fur to notice.
‘Run along, girls,’ she said. ‘My baby is back now.’
I was very happy to run along, and as soon as we were safely on the street, Alice and I laughed until we cried.
The people in the next few houses knew nothing about a lost kitten, and I was starting to feel better as we walked up the path to the last house on our road.