by Sue Bentley
Firelight Friends
SUE BENTLEY
Illustrated by Angela Swan
Grosset & Dunlap
An Imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC
To Sophie, a nervous neighborly kitty.
GROSSET & DUNLAP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
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Text copyright © 2007 by Sue Bentley. Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Angela Swan. Cover illustration copyright © 2007 by Andrew Farley. All rights reserved. First printed in Great Britain in 2007 by Penguin Books Ltd. First published in the United States in 2014 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-698-16436-9
Version_1
Contents
Prologue
Chapter ONE
Chapter TWO
Chapter THREE
Chapter FOUR
Chapter FIVE
Chapter SIX
Chapter SEVEN
Chapter EIGHT
About the Author
Prologue
“Uncle Ebony!” gasped the young white lion as an enormous adult lion appeared on a nearby ridge. There was a flash of dazzling white light, and sparkles sprinkled the ground where the young white lion had stood. There now crouched a tiny kitten with fluffy white fur and four black-tipped paws.
Flame’s tiny kitten body trembled as he edged slowly backward toward a grove of thorn trees. He could hear Ebony’s angry roar and imagined his fierce, ice-cold eyes.
Suddenly a huge paw, almost as big as Flame’s entire body, reached out from the deep shade and scooped him up. Flame gave a whine of terror and laid his ears back. This was it. One of his uncle’s spies had found him!
But instead of being grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged out into the open, he found himself being swept further back into the safety of the trees. An old gray lion looked down at him.
“Cirrus! Thank you, old friend,” Flame mewed gratefully.
Cirrus bowed his head respectfully. “I am glad to see you again, Prince Flame. But it is still not safe for you to stay. Ebony is determined to take the Lion Throne from you. He will never stop searching for you.”
Flame’s bright emerald eyes sparked with anger. “This kingdom is mine by right! Perhaps I should face my uncle for it now!”
The old lion’s worn teeth showed in a smile. “Bravely said, but Ebony is still too strong for you. Use this disguise and go back to the other world to hide.”
Flame nodded. “I will, but only until my powers are stronger. Then I will return to overthrow Ebony and his rule will end!”
“May that be soon, my prince,” Cirrus rumbled with pride and affection.
Above them both, on the high ridge, Ebony slowly turned his enormous head, and his mouth opened in a terrifying roar. He leaped down and began charging toward the thorn trees, his mighty paws eating up the dusty ground.
“He knows you’re here! Go now. Save yourself,” Cirrus urged.
Sparks ignited in Flame’s white fur as he felt the power building inside him. His four black-tipped paws flexed, and he gave a tiny mew as he felt himself falling. Falling …
Chapter
ONE
“I can’t believe I’m finally here. I’ve been looking forward to summer camp for so long!” Kara Parkes said excitedly, as she hugged her mom and dad good-bye.
“Now, you have a great time and make lots of new friends,” Mrs. Parkes said, smiling. “And try not to worry about Amber.”
Amber was Kara’s pony. Kara had been riding her when a fox had run across the pony’s path, and she had reared up in fright. Although Kara had been thrown, she wasn’t hurt, but Amber had strained her leg.
“Okay, Mom,” Kara said, feeling an unwelcome stab of guilt for leaving Amber by herself.
Her dad seemed to know what she was thinking. “We’ll make sure that Amber gets lots of extra love. You just concentrate on enjoying yourself,” Mr. Parkes said, ruffling his daughter’s sandy, shoulder-length hair.
Kara smiled at him. “Thanks, Dad. Will you give her a hug from me every single day? And let me know what the vet says when he checks on her leg?”
“Sure thing!” her dad promised.
Kara waved as her parents got into their car and drove off down the steep, winding road. “Bye! See you in two weeks,” she called.
Clouds passing overhead made shadows on the green slopes of the nearby mountains. When Kara couldn’t see the car anymore, she turned and went toward Torc House, where a big sign over the door read TH ADVENTURE VACATIONS. As she went inside and wandered upstairs toward the girls’ dormitories, sounds of talking and laughter floated down to her.
Kara went slowly, trying to remember the way from when she had been shown around earlier. She had almost reached the dorms when a girl came dashing toward her. She was small and slim, with silky blond hair and a pretty face. “Are you in Starlings?” she asked.
Kara nodded, remembering how excited she had been at home to tear open the letter from TH Adventure Vacations and find out exactly which dorm she was going to be in.
“Me too. I think we’re in here,” the girl said, pushing open the nearest door. “Quick, let’s get in! I’m Felicity, by the way.”
“Hi … er, I’m Kara,” Kara said, blinking in surprise as Felicity virtually hauled her into the room. “What’s the hurry?”
“Duh! Don’t you want to get the best beds?” Felicity leaped across the room and jumped straight onto one of two beds near the window. “This is mine. You can have the one next to me!”
Kara looked around the small room with its three identical beds and dressers. The cheerful patterned rug matched the curtains, and there was a comfy chair, with a patchwork cushion, in one corner. Three suitcases were piled on the rug. Kara’s suitcase, which her dad had brought upstairs for her, was on the bottom.
Kara spotted a bed by itself against the wall. “I think I’d rather have this one,” she decided, going over to sit on it.
“Suit yourself,” Felicity murmured, flicking back her long hair. She flounced off her bed and began opening her suitcases.
“I’m glad to see that you’re settling in, girls,” called a cheerful voice from the doorway.
Kara turned to see a tall woman with curly brown hair, wearing a tomato-red T-shirt with TH ADVENTURE VACATIONS printed on it. It was Miss Cross, the activities organizer.
Miss Cross smiled. “I just found your other roommate looking a little lost. Come in, dear,” she said, beckoning to someone behind her. “You’ll be sharing with Kara and Felicity.”
A somewhat tall, stocky girl stepped into the room and stood looking down at the floor.
“This is Cherry Bradford, girls,” Miss Cross announced. “I’m sure you’ll all make friends soon. Remember to listen for the bell and come downstairs for lunch. See you all later!”
“Cherry!” Felicity spluttered as soon as Miss Cross left. “Have you ever heard such
a weird name? And how old are you?” she asked suspiciously. “You can’t come to this camp if you’re more than twelve.”
Cherry shuffled her feet and went bright pink. “I’m ten and three quarters. Mom says I’m big for my age.”
Kara smiled at Cherry, wishing that Felicity would shut up. “It’s a really unusual name. I bet people always remember it,” she said.
Cherry shot Kara a grateful look. “My mom had a craving for cherries when she was pregnant. So she called me Cherry when I was born,” she said quietly.
“Oh well, it could have been worse. It’s lucky she wasn’t craving pineapples!” Kara joked.
Cherry’s eyes crinkled and she started laughing. Kara joined in. “What’s so funny? I don’t get it,” Felicity said.
“Cherry could have been called Pineapple!” Kara explained, laughing even harder.
Felicity looked blank. “That’s stupid! I think you’re lying. I bet you’re laughing at me. This is the first time I’ve been away from home, so you should be extra nice to me instead of picking on me!”
Kara was surprised to see tears in Felicity’s blue eyes. She decided to make a big effort to like her, even if Felicity did act more like a spoiled four-year-old. “We weren’t picking on you, honest,” she said.
“No, we weren’t,” Cherry agreed. She fished around in her jean-jacket pocket for a bar of chocolate. After breaking it into three pieces, she gave some to Kara and Felicity.
“Thanks,” Kara said, nibbling her piece.
Felicity handed her chocolate back to Cherry. “I don’t eat candy,” she sniffled. “It’s bad for your teeth. Anyway, it’s against the rules to keep food in the dorm.”
Cherry put Felicity’s piece of chocolate into her mouth and held up her empty hands. “Well, I don’t have any food now, do I?”
Kara bit back a grin.
Felicity glared at them both and then went back to her unpacking. She took a small threadbare teddy bear out of her suitcase and gave it a hug. “Don’t either of you dare touch Marvin,” she warned, propping the teddy bear against her pillows. “I’ve had him since I was a baby, and I can’t go to sleep without him.”
Just then, a bell rang somewhere in the building.
“Lunch!” Felicity jumped off her bed and shot toward the door. “Come on, you two!”
Cherry paused in the open doorway. “But shouldn’t we wait for K—” she began.
“I’ll only take a second. I just want to put my sneakers on,” Kara said.
“She can follow us. Come on,” Felicity urged, dragging Cherry outside.
Kara’s heart sank as she wondered how she was going to put up with Felicity’s bossiness. She pulled her sneakers out of her suitcase and then sat down on the rug by her bed to take off her sandals.
But then suddenly a flash of bright white light filled the room.
“Oh!” Kara gasped, blinded for a moment.
A crackling sound just like electricity came from the comfy chair across the room. Blinking hard, Kara peered slowly over her bed and saw a tiny, fluffy white kitten with four little black feet sitting on the patchwork cushion. Its soft fur seemed to be glowing faintly with hundreds of tiny sparkles.
Kara frowned, puzzled. She didn’t remember Felicity or Cherry bringing a toy cat with them. “Wow! You look so real! I wonder where you came from?” she said, starting to push herself to her feet.
The tiny kitten blinked up at her with frightened emerald-green eyes. “I come from far away. Can you help me to hide?” it mewed.
Chapter
TWO
Kara’s jaw dropped, and she collapsed back into a heap on the rug. Had the kitten really just answered her? She stared at it in complete astonishment.
“Is this some kind of trick?” she gasped, whipping around to see if Felicity was peeping through the door. She struck Kara as the sort of person who might put an electrical toy on the chair to get a reaction.
The kitten pricked up its tiny white ears. It was absolutely gorgeous, with soft fuzzy fur and the biggest emerald eyes Kara had ever seen. Its four black feet made it look as if it were wearing tiny cute shoes.
“This is not a trick. I am Prince Flame. Who are you?” the kitten meowed.
“Kara … Parkes.” Kara gulped, rising to her knees. “I’m … at Torc House for summer camp. Did you say Prince Flame?” She could still hardly believe that she actually was having a conversation with a kitten.
Flame lifted his tiny chin, and his emerald eyes flashed with pride. “Yes. I am heir to the Lion Throne. But my uncle Ebony has stolen it from me and rules in my place!”
“But … but you’re such a tiny kitten,” Kara said, her curiosity starting to get the better of her shock.
Flame sat up indignantly. “I will show you. Stay back!” he mewed.
Before Kara could say anything, there was another silver flash, so bright that she had to look away again. When Kara looked back, the tiny kitten had vanished and in its place stood a majestic young white lion with glowing emerald eyes.
“Do not be afraid. I will not harm you,” Flame said in a deep velvety growl.
Kara took a deep breath and tried very hard to stay calm. “Okay! I … I believe you,” she stammered.
With a final blinding flash, Flame reappeared as the tiny white kitten with four black feet. “My uncle sends his spies to find me. I must hide now. Will you help me?” he mewed, trembling all over.
Kara was still shocked from seeing Flame as his true lion self, but she realized that right now he was just an adorable, frightened little kitten. She felt her soft heart melting as she leaned forward and picked him up.
As the sparks in Flame’s fur faded, they tingled slightly against her fingers and left a warm glow in her hands. “I’ll look after you, don’t worry … Oh, I just remembered, we’re not allowed to have pets! Someone will notice if I keep you in my room. Felicity seems to have a thing about rules. She’ll definitely tell someone.”
Flame snuggled against her T-shirt. “I will use my magic so that only you may see and hear me.”
“You can do that? Wow! That’s amazing, Flame!” Kara said. “Wait until I tell Cherry about you. I’ve got a feeling that she can keep a secret.”
Flame reached up and touched her cheek with a tiny black-tipped paw. “You must tell no one, Kara. Promise me,” he purred seriously.
Kara felt disappointed. This would have been such an exciting discovery to share with a new friend, but she nodded, determined to do whatever she must to keep Flame safe.
“All right. You’ll be my secret,” she said, cuddling his fluffy little body.
“Thank you, Kara,” Flame purred contentedly.
“I’d better go down for lunch now, or the others will wonder where I am,” Kara said. She put Flame down on the rug and quickly put her sneakers on. “Can you make yourself invisible now?” she asked as they went out into the hall together.
Flame nodded. “It is done.”
He scampered at Kara’s heels as she went downstairs in search of the dining room. Kara felt like pinching herself. In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined that she’d be sharing her time at summer camp with a magic kitten!
“Over here!” Felicity called, pointing at an empty seat as Kara and Flame entered the busy dining room.
As Kara went over to her, two boys barged past. One of them, a tough-looking boy with short, spiky hair, deliberately knocked against her arm.
“Hey! Watch out!” Kara cried, worried that he was going to step on Flame.
“Watch out!” the boy copied, in a silly baby voice. Laughing, he nudged his friend, who wore glasses. The two of them made faces at Kara before joining a group of kids at a nearby table.
Kara glanced down worriedly. “Are you okay, Flame?” she whispered.
“I am fine,” Flame purred softly, looking up at her.
Still feeling annoyed with the rough boys, Kara sat between her new roommates.
“Did that boy kick you?” Ch
erry asked worriedly.
Kara shook her head. “No, but he almost stepped on Fl—” She stopped, realizing what she had been about to say. “On my foot,” she corrected herself quickly. She was going to have to be a lot more careful about keeping Flame a secret!
“Those two are a pain. The big one’s called Nathan Potts, and the one with glasses is Dan Weeks. They’re in Magpies,” Felicity said. “I saw them getting in trouble for throwing crumpled-up potato-chip bags at some pigeons.”
“Charming,” Kara said. Under the table, she felt Flame jump up into her lap. As he settled down and started purring, she stroked his soft, fluffy fur.
The dining room was noisy with everyone chatting and laughing. The different groups of kids in Starlings, Magpies, Eagles, and Crows all sat at their own tables. Smaller tables with the adults, helpers, and organizers were dotted around the room.
Kara helped herself to a tuna sandwich. She checked that no one was watching and began passing tiny pieces under the table to Flame. He munched them hungrily, and as his rough little tongue licked her fingers, Kara smiled.
“Oh!” she suddenly gasped as she felt something hit her on the head.
A cookie dropped onto Kara’s shoulder and then fell onto the floor. As she twisted around to see where it had come from, Flame sat up and rested his front paws on the table to look, too. Kara panicked briefly before remembering that only she could see Flame peering around the room. Another cookie hit her on the side of her face.
“Great shot, Nathan!” Dan Weeks cried.
“Who? Me?” Nathan rolled his eyes innocently as all the Magpies laughed.
“Those two are pathetic,” Felicity said loudly.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you calling pathetic?” He reached for two big bread rolls and drew back his arm, taking aim.
Kara began to feel a strange warm tingling feeling down her spine. She looked down to see big sparkles fizzing all over Flame’s fur, and his whiskers crackling with electricity.
Kara caught her breath. Something strange was going to happen.
Chapter
THREE
Flame lifted one tiny black-tipped paw and sent a stream of sparks whooshing toward the Magpies’ table. As they sprinkled down onto Nathan like a glittery shower, he sat bolt upright and the rolls fell from his fingers.