“Cuddle!” Olivia whispered. “Come back!”
But the little kitten clambered up the back of Grace’s chair. Her crooked tail twitched in time with the necklace as it swung back and forth.
“You’re getting sleepy,” Hypno told Grace. “Very sleepy…”
But his own voice began to sound tired and his head swayed, following the movement of the necklace.
Olivia watched Cuddle. The kitten swished her tail back and forth, faster and faster, and the necklace became a gleaming blur. Olivia’s eyes widened. Cuddle was controlling it!
Hypno gave an enormous snore. He tipped forward from his chair on to the stage, where he curled up – fast asleep.
Olivia giggled. “Cuddle made Hypno hypnotize himself!”
The stage manager ran onstage, his face red. “Er, ladies and gentlemen! We seem to – um – have a problem.”
The necklace was still in Hypno’s hand. Before Grace could reach it, two men with Star Maker T-shirts hurried past her. They each took one of Hypno’s arms and dragged him away.
“Stop!” yelled Chloe’s mum, running after them. “That’s my daughter’s lucky necklace!”
Backstage, the stage manager rubbed his eyes. “Bring the curtain down, before anything else goes wrong!” As the curtain swished shut, Grace picked up Cuddle and joined Olivia and Chloe backstage.
“You need to get ready, Chloe,” the stage manager called, glancing at his clipboard. “It’s nearly your turn to go on.”
Chloe shook her head so hard that her bun started to tumble down.
“Not without my necklace or my mum. I can’t do it.” Then she ran off.
Grace drew Olivia to one side. “I know why Cuddle’s brought us here,” Grace whispered. “We’ve got to help Chloe perform – whether she has her lucky necklace or not.”
Chapter Six
Chloe’s Dream
Olivia, Grace and Cuddle raced after Chloe. She was fast and they couldn’t keep up. They ended up in a central hallway with lots of small practice rooms leading off from it – but there was no sign of Chloe.
Grace whirled around. “Where could she have gone?”
Olivia looked inside one of the rooms. A group of boys wearing rollerskates and tracksuits was practising, mixing skating moves with breakdance spins and flips.
Chloe wasn’t there. Grace ran into the next room. A troupe of dancers in multicoloured leotards and footless tights was doing leaps and twirls.
“Have you seen a girl in a green dress?” Grace asked. They shook their heads.
Cuddle jumped out of Grace’s arms and trotted across the hallway. One of the doors was open a crack. She pushed her head through and it swung open. Grace and Olivia followed her inside.
A girl with pink hair was holding an electric guitar. “One, two, three!” she cried and started playing, along with a girl on a keyboard and a boy on drums.
The Krazy Katz was painted on the largest drum. A crowd of other performers was watching The Krazy Katz practise. Cuddle gave a loud miaow, and jumped into the lap of a girl sitting cross-legged by the wall. It was Chloe!
Grace and Olivia glanced at each other. Chloe’s eyes were red from crying. They went to sit either side of her, while Chloe ran her fingers through Cuddle’s whiskers.
“The judges will think this band is brilliant,” Chloe said.
“They’ll think you’re brilliant, too,” Olivia said. She remembered what Grace had told her about climbing trees. “Why don’t you practise reciting the poem to us now? You might feel better.”
Chloe sighed.
“The Shakespeare poem was my mum’s idea. What I really want to do is sing.”
“Then that’s what you should do!” Grace said. “What’s your favourite song?”
“ ‘Cat That Got the Cream’, ” Chloe replied.
“Sing it for us,” Olivia said. “We’d really like you to.”
Chloe’s cheeks went pink, but she took a deep breath and began. It was a pop song the girls knew, and they tapped their feet in time. Cuddle swished her tail like a conductor’s baton. Everyone turned to listen, and even The Krazy Kats stopped playing as Chloe launched into the chorus:
“Me and my friends, we’re a team,
We flow together like fish in a stream.
We laugh and cry, play and dream,
And I feel like the cat that got the cream.”
Everyone broke into applause.
“That girl can really sing,” said the band’s keyboard player.
Olivia clapped her hands and Grace put two fingers between her lips, giving a loud whistle. “Chloe, that was amazing!” Grace said. “You’ve got to sing for the judges.”
“I can’t,” Chloe said sadly. Her eyes were filling with tears. “I haven’t any music to sing along to. I can’t wear this dress. I don’t have my necklace. And–”
Olivia seized Chloe by the shoulders. “It’ll be fine. You’ve got Grace, Cuddle and me to help.”
Olivia looked Chloe’s dress up and down. “I know just how to make you the perfect costume. You’ll look like a star! Won’t she, Cuddle?”
Cuddle stared up at the three girls.
Then she bolted between their legs. Grace shook her head. “Where’s that crazy kitten gone now?”
Chapter Seven
Cuddle Makes Some Noise
Grace followed Cuddle through the crowd that had gathered. The little kitten bounded towards The Krazy Katz and hopped on to the drummer’s lap.
He was tall with a ripped T-shirt and a chain hanging round his neck. Grace thought he looked a little scary.
But the drummer’s tough face melted into a smile. “Hello, kitty-cat,” he said. “Do you want to play?”
Cuddle hopped on to one of the drums, making an echoing boom. She flicked her crooked tail in delight, and pounced on the next drum.
Boom! She sprang all over the drum kit, filling the room with noise. Ba-boom, bang, boom, bang, boooooom! She finished by swiping the cymbals with her front paw. Craaaaaaash!
The girl with pink hair laughed. “I guess she does want to play – play music!”
Grace picked up Cuddle. “I’m so sorry,” she began.
But The Krazy Katz were clapping and cheering Cuddle’s performance.
“Your kitten should be in our band,” the girl with the keyboard said. “She sure is cute.”
The pink-haired girl nodded. “Our lead singer has just quit,” she said. “We need a new member.”
Grace could feel excitement bubbling inside her like lemonade. “Did you hear my friend Chloe singing?”
They all nodded. “She was brilliant,” said the drummer.
“And do you know the song she sang?” Grace asked.
“ ‘Cat That Got the Cream’?” the pink-haired girl asked. “It’s my favourite.” She strummed the opening notes on her guitar.
Grace beamed and hugged Cuddle. “You need a singer – and Chloe needs a band. Maybe she could sing with you?”
The three Krazy Katz grinned. “That would be fantastic!” the drummer said.
While Grace and Cuddle led the rock band through the busy practice room, Olivia put the finishing touches to Chloe’s new outfit. She had used the nail scissors she kept in her sequinned bag to cut the dress diagonally across, so it hung longer on one side than the other, and chopped off the sleeves. She brushed out Chloe’s red hair so it swept over one of her shoulders.
Chloe twirled around on the spot. “Thank you! I feel like a rock star.”
“Now all you need is a band,” Grace said with a smile. “Chloe, these are The Krazy Katz.”
“Hi, Chloe,” the girl with pink hair said. “We’d love you to sing with us.”
“I’d like that!” Chloe replied.
Cuddle twitched her whiskers. Sparkly green cat brooches appeared on Chloe and the two Krazy Katz girls and a glittery green baseball cap appeared on the drummer’s head. They matched Cuddle’s shining eyes.
“Where did these come from?�
� Chloe exclaimed, stroking the twinkling jewels in her brooch.
“Cuddle can do more than play the drums,” Olivia said, scratching Cuddle behind her black-tipped ear. “She’s a magic kitten!”
“Maybe Cuddle should be in the show,” the girl with pink hair said. “She’s definitely talented!”
The door to the practice room opened and the stage manager stuck his head round. “Chloe!” he called. “It’s your turn to perform.”
Grace squeezed Chloe’s hand. “Come on, it’s time to go.”
But Chloe shook her head. “I can’t do it,” she said.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Olivia replied, putting an arm round her. “You’ve got a new outfit, a band – and an amazing voice.”
“There’s one thing I haven’t got,” Chloe said, looking at the floor. “My good luck charm.”
“You don’t need luck,” Grace said. “You’ve got talent.”
Chloe looked up. “Really?”
Olivia nodded. “And you’ve got me, Grace and Cuddle to cheer you on. Friends are the best lucky charm of all!”
Chapter Eight
A Starry Success
Olivia, Grace and Cuddle watched as Chloe and The Krazy Katz performed onstage. The crowd was clapping along to the beat.
“Looks like my daughter doesn’t need this any more,” a voice behind them said. It was Chloe’s mum, smiling. She slid Chloe’s lucky necklace into her handbag.
Cuddle bounded across the stage and leapt on to the drummer’s lap. “Look, Cuddle wants to be a rock star, too!” Grace said.
The pink-haired girl swung her guitar as she played, and Cuddle tapped the cymbals with her paw. Swish. Swish. Boom-boom-swish.
Then Chloe started to sing. Olivia and Grace peeked out from behind the curtains.
The judges were swaying along, and Larry was using his pen to tap out a rhythm on the table.
“She looks so happy,” Chloe’s mum said. “Thank you for helping her.”
“That’s okay,” Grace replied. “It was fun.”
The song ended with a long high note from Chloe, and a huge craaaash as Cuddle used both of her front paws to swipe the cymbals.
The audience leapt to its feet, cheering and applauding as Chloe confidently strode to the front of the stage and gave them a deep curtsy.
“Bravo!” yelled the comedian magician, tossing his top hat into the air.
Larry held up his hand and the cheers faded away.
Grace linked her arm nervously through Olivia’s. What would the judges say?
Larry’s face was serious. He leant forward in his seat. “Chloe,” he said, “do you know how that song made me feel?”
Chloe shook her head.
“Then I’ll tell you,” Larry began. The girls held their breath, but he suddenly grinned. “Like the cat that got the cream. I loved it!”
The audience erupted into applause. “Go, Chloe!” Olivia shouted as the girls whirled each other round.
Larry’s white teeth gleamed. “Congratulations, Chloe. You and The Krazy Katz are stars!”
Chloe ran offstage where her mum caught her in a hug.
“Well done,” Grace said, patting Chloe on the back. “You deserve it.”
“It’s all thanks to you,” Chloe replied, “and Cuddle.”
The little kitten pushed into the middle of the three girls. She bumped her furry head against Chloe’s ankles, then weaved through Grace and Olivia’s feet.
They could feel her purr shaking through them.
“It’s time for us to go,” Grace said. “Goodbye, Chloe!”
“Goodbye!” Olivia called.
Chloe and the Star Maker stage became a whirling blur of colour, and the girls shut their eyes.
When Grace opened her eyes again, she and Olivia were lying on the springy grass in Olivia’s garden.
“That was so much fun,” Grace said, giving a delighted wriggle. “Wasn’t Chloe brave?”
“She was,” Olivia agreed. “And now it’s my turn to be brave. I’m going to climb the cherry tree!”
The two girls ran to the trunk. Grace swung on to the lowest branch then stretched out her hand.
Olivia grabbed it and Grace helped her scramble up.
“You’re climbing the tree!” Grace cried.
Jingle jangle jingle.
Cuddle was sitting on the branch above them, surrounded by pompoms of blossom.
She held out a front paw as if she was waving goodbye, then disappeared in a haze of sparkles.
“Goodbye, Cuddle,” the girls called. “See you soon!”
Olivia tucked a blossom behind her ear. “Do you know how sitting up here makes me feel?” she asked.
Grace laughed, and both girls shouted, “Like the cat that got the cream!”
Can’t wait to find out what Cuddle will do next?
Then read on! Here is the first chapter from Cuddle’s third adventure, PRINCESS PARTY SLEEPOVER …
Princess Party Sleepover
It was a warm summer’s evening and Olivia’s bedroom window was wide open. Purple wisteria flowers nodded against the sill and furry bumblebees buzzed around them, collecting the last of the day’s pollen. The setting sun made the houses of Catterton glow a rosy pink.
“Our first sleepover!” Olivia squealed, twirling in her pink ruffled nightie.
“I’ve never been to a sleepover before,” Grace said, doing up the last button of her favourite star-patterned pyjamas. “What should we do first?” The girls flopped on to Olivia’s bed, which had a fluffy pink duvet.
“Let’s play princesses,” Olivia suggested. She leapt to her feet, wobbling on her bed, and wrapped her duvet round her shoulders like a royal robe.
“Ta-dah!” she said and pretended to wave at her loyal subjects.
“Hello, your royal highness!” Grace said and bowed to Olivia.
“Now it’s your turn,” Olivia said, jumping down to sit beside Grace. “You’d make a lovely princess.”
Grace shook her head, making her blonde ponytail fly about. “No way! Who wants to be a princess and have to wear dresses and go to boring parties? Yuck!”
Olivia stared open-mouthed at her friend. “I would love to be a princess, trying on all those lovely outfits and tiaras.”
Suddenly, the setting sun sent a golden beam of light directly through the open window.
“Maybe Cuddle’s coming!” Olivia said, looking down into her back garden. The girls couldn’t wait to see the magical kitten again.
Cuddle always arrived in a sudden burst of sunshine and took them on amazing adventures.
A sound drifted through the window.
Jingle jangle jingle.
“That’s her bell!” Grace cried.
The wisteria branch beneath Olivia’s window was shaking, its flowers bobbing up and down. A tiny white tail with a kink in its black tip flicked out from the quivering leaves.
“Cuddle!” both girls shouted.
The kitten’s green eyes flashed as she scrambled on to the window sill, the silver bell on her pink collar jangling. She sprang between the girls into Olivia’s room, landing in the middle of the bed. “Miaow!”
Cuddle pawed Olivia’s arm. Olivia scooped the kitten up, cradling her upside-down to show her tummy.
“Cuddle’s purring,” Olivia said, her eyes shining. “That means we’re going on another adventure!”
“Where are you going to take us, Cuddle?” Grace asked, nuzzling Cuddle nose to nose.
Cuddle’s purr grew louder and louder, buzzing like the bumblebees outside.
The girls’ skin tingled all over, making them giggle.
Grace and Olivia squeezed their eyes tightly shut.
“Here we go!” Olivia said.
To find out what happens next, get your copy of Princess Party Sleepover today!
Magical Friends
Meet Olivia, Grace and Cuddle in their first adventure!
New friends Olivia and Grace are amazed when cute kitt
en Cuddle appears and whisks them away to an ancient Egyptian pyramid. Can they help Beset find the Pharaoh’s kitten inside it?
Find out in MAGICAL FRIENDS …
Princess Party Sleepover
Who wants to be a princess?
Princess Victoria doesn’t. She’d much rather be wearing old clothes and climbing trees. Can Cuddle, Olivia and Grace convince her that being a princess can be fun in time for the royal ball?
Find out in PRINCESS PARTY SLEEPOVER …
School of Spells
Join Cuddle, Grace and Olivia on a magical school adventure!
Cuddle takes the girls to a school with a difference – the pupils are enchanted creatures and the lessons are magical! But will they be able to help a shy unicorn make some friends?
Find out in SCHOOL OF SPELLS …
Caring for a cat
Grace, Olivia and Cuddle have lots of fun on their adventures together, but real cats and kittens need a lot of looking after. That’s why our friends at Cats Protection are going to be joining us in each book to talk about everything a cat needs for a happy home life.
Caring for a cat is a big responsibility and one that the whole family can share. Cats Protection recommend that all cats have regular vet checks and vaccinations, and a diet of good quality tinned or dried cat food along with fresh water. Playing with your cat is also a great way for him to use up some of his energy, keep fit and healthy and keep his brain alert and active.
Cuddle the Cutest Kitten: Superstar Dreams Page 2