Shadow Magic

by Kitty Wells

  A DAVID FICKLING BOOK

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2010 by Lee Weatherly

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in Great Britain by David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of the Random House Group Ltd., London, in 2010.

  David Fickling Books and the colophon are trademarks of David Fickling.

  Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/kids

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Wells, Kitty.

  Shadow magic / Kitty Wells; [illustrations by Joanna Harrison]. — 1st American ed.

  p. cm. — (Pocket cats)

  Summary: A small ceramic cat comes to life to help Maddy’s cousin Chloe, who is staying with her and is having trouble adjusting to a new school.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89801-3

  [1. Cats—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. Moving, Household—Fiction. 4. Schools— Fiction. 5. Cousins—Fiction.] I. Harrison, Joanna, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.W46485Sh 2011

  [Fic]—dc22

  2010029508

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  The Pocket Cats series is dedicated to all

  cat lovers, everywhere … including you!

  Also by Kitty Wells

  Paw Power

  Feline Charm

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Other Books by This Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter One

  Maddy Lloyd put down her marker and gazed at the brightly coloured sign she’d just made. WELCOME CHLOE!!! it read, with flowers and rainbows dancing around the letters. Perfect! she decided. Standing on her bed, she stuck the sign to her bedroom wall with Blu-Tack.

  “What do you think?” she asked the ceramic cats that sat on her desk.

  There were three of them: a grey one, a black and a tabby, all sitting together with their tails and paws entwined.

  Maddy waited hopefully for a moment, but the tiny figures just gazed silently back at her, their painted eyes unblinking. With a sigh of disappointment, she hopped down off the bed.

  Not long ago, Maddy wouldn’t have expected a response from the ceramic figurines … but something amazing had happened recently. The grey cat, who was called Greykin, had actually come to life – and had explained that one of the three cats would always do so whenever there was a problem that needed their attention.

  A wonderfully magical time had followed as Maddy and Greykin solved the problem that had faced them. Next it would be the turn of one of the other cats. But when? Maddy wistfully touched their smooth heads, longing to feel the small, furry warmth as one of them came to life again.

  Never mind, she told herself. It’ll happen sometime – Greykin promised. And meanwhile, Chloe’s coming!

  Excited butterflies fluttered through Maddy’s stomach. She didn’t see her cousin very often, because the Taylors moved around so much. But now Chloe, Aunt Lily and Uncle Greg were actually moving to Maddy’s town. Even better, they were all going to stay with the Lloyd family for a few weeks until they could move into their new house.

  Maddy looked around happily. She could hardly wait for Chloe to see her room! A few months ago Maddy’s father had painted it in her favourite colours, pink and yellow, and she was sure Chloe would love it as much as she did.

  Suddenly a thought came to Maddy, and she frowned. Chloe would be sharing her room, and her cousin could be a bit careless at times. What if she accidentally knocked over the cats?

  Maddy shivered, imagining it. Rummaging through her chest of drawers, she pulled out a red silk handkerchief that her grandmother had given her. Gently wrapping the cats in it, she put them in her desk drawer.

  “There,” she said aloud as she closed it. “Just to be on the safe side.”

  Glancing in the mirror, Maddy quickly pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail. It was still very strange to think that she was just ordinary Maddy Lloyd – smaller than most of the girls in her class, with an annoying sprinkling of freckles across her nose and a pair of very commonplace blue eyes – and yet she somehow had the most wonderful secret in the entire world!

  Suddenly Maddy gasped as she heard a car pull into their drive. They were here!

  She dashed out onto the landing, almost colliding with her little brother, Jack. The two of them thundered down the stairs just as their mother opened the front door.

  “Lily!” Mum cried, embracing her younger sister. All at once it was chaos, with what seemed like dozens of bags everywhere, and everyone crowding into the front hallway at the same time.

  Dad shook Uncle Greg’s hand. “Good to see you! Here, let me help you with that …” He took a suitcase from him.

  Jack was hanging onto Uncle Greg’s other arm. “Did you bring me any new Monster cards? Did you?”

  “Maybe.” Uncle Greg laughed and handed him a plastic-wrapped pack. With a whoop of excitement, Jack raced off into the lounge.

  “And Maddy! How’s my girl?” said Aunt Lily, scooping her into a hug.

  “Hi, Aunt Lily.” Returning the hug, Maddy craned round to see through the front door. Chloe was just coming up the path with a large purple and silver handbag slung over one shoulder. She was wearing a set of earphones, and she looked bored.

  Maddy blinked, taken aback. Wasn’t she happy to be here?

  As Chloe reached the front door, she pulled out one of her earplugs. “Hi, Aunt Jenny. Hi, Uncle Ted.”

  Feeling oddly shy, Maddy hung back as her parents gave Chloe a hug. Her cousin had grown several inches since she’d last seen her, and looked very grown up.

  Then Maddy told herself she was being silly. This was Chloe – the same cousin she used to have sleepovers with, sitting up half the night giggling together over daft jokes!

  “Hi, cuz,” she said eagerly.

  Chloe smiled, but didn’t really look at her. She was too busy twirling the dial on her iPod. “Hi,” she said.

  Maddy hesitated. Chloe’s wavy blonde hair had been cut into a stylish bob, she noticed. All at once her long ponytail seemed very babyish.

  But maybe it was just because they were with the rest of the family that things felt so awkward. Once they were on their own together, her cousin would surely be her old self again.

  “Chloe, come and see my room!” urged Maddy. “It looks really different now.” But her cousin had taken out a mobile phone, and was busy typing a text with her thumb. Had she even heard?

  “Yes, let’s go up and get everyone settled,” said Mum. “Then we can have a cup of tea. Lily, you and Greg must be gasping for one!”

  As they all headed up the stairs, Maddy felt deflated. Chloe was trailing along behind them, still tapping out a text like she didn’t even care. But she was sure to love the pink and yellow room – not to mention the welcome sign Maddy had made!

  Mum smiled at her as they reached the landing. “Show everyone your ro
om, sweetie.”

  “Yes, have a look at my handiwork!” said Dad to Aunt Lily and Uncle Greg. “I’ll put these away for you.” Taking their luggage, he staggered off towards the spare room.

  Maddy hesitated, glancing back at Chloe. She had hoped to get her cousin on her own, not with the adults there as well. Still, they’d have lots of time together, Maddy reassured herself. Chloe would be sharing her bedroom for weeks!

  “Here it is,” she said, swinging open the door.

  “Oh, how pretty!” exclaimed Aunt Lily as she stepped inside. “I love the little flowers.”

  “Yes, aren’t they sweet? Maddy made the stencils herself,” said Mum.

  “Chloe! Come and look at the sign,” said Uncle Greg, drawing her into the room. Maddy held her breath expectantly as her cousin looked up at the brightly coloured welcome sign.

  Chloe gave a forced smile. “Thanks,” she muttered, not looking as if she was really pleased at all.

  Maddy’s own smile faded. It was as if she had done something wrong – but what? Aunt Lily put an arm around her. “It was very sweet of you to make a sign,” she said, giving her daughter a hard look.

  Chloe nodded unenthusiastically. “Yeah, it’s great.” She cleared her throat. “Um, Aunt Jenny … where am I going to sleep?”

  Maddy stared at her. “You’re sleeping in here with me!” she burst out.

  Mum looked flustered. “Well – that is what we’d planned, Chloe. Maddy’s got a double bed, and you two girls have always shared before …”

  Chloe’s jaw dropped. “But that was ages ago!” she protested. “I’m in secondary school now; I need a lot more privacy.”

  “This isn’t a hotel, Chloe,” pointed out Uncle Greg with a frown. “You’ll sleep wherever it’s convenient for you to.”

  Maddy gazed at her cousin in hurt disbelief. Chloe didn’t even look at her. “But I can’t share with Maddy,” she insisted. “Honestly, Aunt Jenny, I stay up so much later than she does now, doing homework and stuff – I’ll fall behind if I have to go to bed when she does!”

  Maddy’s face grew hot. Chloe was acting like she was a million years older than she was, not just two and a half!

  “Well …” Mum began helplessly.

  Dad came into the room behind them. “What about my study?” he suggested. “There’s a sofa bed in there, and you can close it off from the lounge with those doors, just like a bedroom.”

  “Ted, are you sure?” asked Aunt Lily anxiously. “We don’t want to put you out, but maybe—”

  “Oh, yes please!” cried Chloe, her face alive with hope. “Please, Uncle Ted, please, please, please!”

  Maddy’s throat felt tight. She’d been looking forward to seeing Chloe for weeks, and now her cousin was acting like sharing with her would be the worst thing in the world!

  “Well, let’s pop down and see what you think,” said Dad. “You don’t mind, do you, Maddy?” He touched her head, looking as if he understood how she felt.

  Maddy lifted a shoulder. “No, I don’t care,” she said stiffly. “Chloe can sleep wherever she wants.”

  As everyone left to go downstairs, Mum gave Maddy a quick hug. “Don’t worry, darling,” she whispered. “Chloe’s getting to a funny age, that’s all. Why don’t you come down and have a cup of tea with us before dinner?”

  Maddy shook her head. With a final squeeze her mother left her alone, shutting the door behind her.

  Gazing sadly around her pink and yellow room, Maddy realized that Chloe hadn’t said a single word about how nice it looked. She was probably too grown up to like pink any more!

  Struggling to hold back tears, Maddy jumped onto her bed and yanked down the welcome sign. She started to chuck it in the bin, and then hesitated. The flowers and rainbows were really too pretty to throw away.

  Grouchily she shoved the sign under her bed. She was glad Chloe wasn’t going to be sharing with her. Her cousin wasn’t nice at all any more – acting so snooty and grown up, with her mobile and her iPod!

  Suddenly Maddy froze. What was that? She had heard something – a faint yowling, hissing noise, like …

  Like a cat!

  Lunging for her desk, Maddy slid open the drawer. The red silk handkerchief was bucking about as if it had a frog in it. She gaped at it in horror. One of the cats had come to life, and was now trapped! How could she have been so daft?

  “It’s OK,” she soothed, trying to tug the struggling parcel towards her. The spitting and snarling grew louder. The handkerchief wriggled out of her grasp.

  “It’s OK!” repeated Maddy frantically, raising her voice. “Just be still, and I’ll get you out!”

  The handkerchief was still again. Carefully Maddy picked it up. She could feel two ceramic cats inside, along with the tiny, warm weight of the one that had come to life.

  But which one? Maddy’s heart pounded as she put the handkerchief down on her desk and began to unwrap it. As the last fold of silk fell away, a small dark blur shot past Maddy’s ear.

  “Oh!” she cried, jerking back in surprise.

  The black cat landed on the desk clock and spun to face Maddy. Her fur was dishevelled, and her bright green eyes flashed like jungle fire.

  “There was really no need to imprison me like that!” she huffed indignantly.

  Chapter Two

  Maddy’s hair felt electric as she looked at the little cat. The magic had happened again; it really had! The cat was only five centimetres tall … and alive. Her slim black tail twitched crossly as she regarded Maddy.

  Suddenly Maddy realized that the cat was waiting for an answer. “I’m – I’m really sorry,” she stammered. “I was worried that you might get knocked over, that’s all.”

  “Well, better knocked over than that,” retorted the cat, scowling at the handkerchief. Pointedly she began grooming herself, muscles rippling under her dark fur.

  Maddy couldn’t take her eyes off her. A neat, tidy little cat; and entirely black, like midnight with no stars. The only thing that wasn’t inky was the startling green of her eyes.

  “I’m really sorry,” said Maddy again. “But I’m so pleased to meet you! What are you called?” She held her breath eagerly.

  The cat stopped washing herself and stared at Maddy in silence. She was much smaller than Greykin, with a sleek feminine slenderness.

  “I’m Nibs,” she said finally.

  Maddy longed to stroke the tiny cat, but wasn’t sure whether she’d been forgiven yet. Besides, Nibs didn’t look terribly cuddly. In fact, her unblinking gaze was a bit disconcerting.

  Remembering that the cats’ magic worked better if they were touching, Maddy rearranged Greykin and the tabby so that they were entwined once more. She bit her lip, trying to think of something else to say.

  “What’s that?” asked Nibs suddenly, nodding at something on the desk.

  Maddy glanced down. “Oh! It’s a calculator. It does sums.” She turned it on and showed Nibs 7 + 3.

  The cat watched intently. “Interesting.”

  Maddy put down the calculator, and Nibs jumped up onto it. Balancing on the plastic keyboard, she punched in a few numbers with her paws: 8374940, read the screen.

  “Right. So we’ve moved on from paper and pencil, then,” observed Nibs, hopping off the keyboard.

  “When was that?” asked Maddy, leaning forward. She and her best friend, Rachel, had never been able to pin Greykin down as to the cats’ history, and she was dying to find out more about them. All she knew for sure was that she herself had bought them at an antique fair in London.

  Nibs gave her a look. Settling down onto her haunches, she curled her tail about her legs, her fur so dark that it was difficult to tell which was which. The silence grew around them.

  Maddy swallowed.

  Greykin had been so easy to talk to, but somehow Nibs, with her staring green eyes, wasn’t the same at all.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked finally. “I could go and get you a bit of ham, or—”

 
“No, thanks,” said Nibs. “I’ll take care of my food myself.”

  “Oh.” Maddy felt a bit crestfallen. Greykin had loved it when she’d snuck titbits from the kitchen up to her room for him. She found herself chewing her finger. “Well … would you like anything else?”

  “Mm. I should like to have a bed somewhere,” admitted Nibs, gazing around the bedroom.

  Maddy’s spirits soared. Of course! “I’ve got the perfect bed,” she said with a grin. “You’re going to love it, I promise.” She held out her hand, palm up, so that Nibs could climb onto it.

  The little cat stared at her palm without moving. Maddy’s cheeks grew warm, and she dropped her hand to her side. “Um … it’s over here,” she mumbled, moving across the room to her chest of drawers.

  In a sudden streak of black, Nibs leaped from the desk to the chair, and from there to the floor. Maddy’s eyes widened. It was a huge jump for such a little creature; Nibs was smaller than one of Jack’s hamsters! But the cat seemed unperturbed as she padded across the carpet.

  “Here,” said Maddy, pointing to a long strip of cardboard that leaned against the side of her chest of drawers. She and Rachel had made it into a ladder for Greykin, with bits of Blu-Tack for steps, and it had been great fun to see him climbing up and down it.

  Nibs was up the ladder in a flash. Prowling atop Maddy’s chest of drawers, she found the ballerina jewellery box for herself. Maddy had left it just the way it was when Greykin had slept there, with his little bed of hair-scrunchies tucked in one pink satin corner.

  Rising up onto her hind legs, Nibs peered into the box, her black tail lashing from side to side. She gazed at the bed for a long moment, and then dropped down again.

  Maddy’s heart sank. “Don’t you like it?”

  “Greykin slept there,” said Nibs, peering up at Maddy with her unblinking green eyes. “I should like a bed that’s my own.”