Shadow Magic

by Kitty Wells

  “Oh.” Somehow Maddy felt that she had made a terrible blunder. She looked helplessly around her room, wondering where else the tiny cat could sleep. The answer came to her in a flash.

  “Wait right there!” she said.

  Hurrying over to her toy box, Maddy dug through layers of old dolls and discarded board games. Finally she got to the very bottom, where her plastic Barbie house lived. She hadn’t played with it for ages – she really preferred cuddly toys to Barbie – but it was just Nibs’s size!

  She placed it proudly on the floor. The little cat padded down the ladder and was beside her in an instant, sniffing at it.

  “What do you think?” asked Maddy.

  Nibs didn’t answer. She stepped delicately into the house, gazing at its pink walls.

  “And look, it has furniture,” added Maddy, diving into the toy box again. She found table, chairs and bed, and put them in the house.

  Nibs nosed the plastic bed. “Too hard,” she commented.

  Maddy took a blue woollen sock out of a drawer and arranged it into a soft nest on the bed. Nibs leaped up and tried it out, turning around several times before finally curling up on the sock like a sleek black comma.

  Maddy held her breath.

  “Yes, this will do,” said Nibs, blinking up at her.

  Maddy’s heart sang as if she had just been given a hundred birthday presents all at once. “Great!” she said happily. She crouched down beside the doll’s house. “Nibs, you’re here because there’s a problem, right? Do you have any idea what—”

  Her bedroom door opened, and her mother peered in. “It’s almost time for dinner, Maddy. Oh, you’re playing with your doll’s house! You haven’t had that out in ages.” Mum leaned against the doorframe, gazing at it fondly. She had always liked dolls more than Maddy did, even if she was the adult.

  “I know, I just … felt like it,” said Maddy lamely, getting to her feet. She wasn’t in the least surprised to see that Nibs had become ceramic again, frozen on the miniature bed.

  “Sweetheart, why don’t you try again with Chloe?” suggested Mum as they went downstairs. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt your feelings before.”

  In all the excitement over Nibs, Maddy had almost forgotten about her cousin. She shrugged casually. “My feelings aren’t hurt,” she said.

  But of course they had been, and it didn’t help to see how settled Chloe was in Dad’s study. Her purple and silver bag was on his desk, and there was a folded duvet on the sofa. Chloe lay flopped on top of it, sending another text.

  “Hi,” said Maddy, standing in the doorway.

  “Hi,” said Chloe without glancing up.

  Maddy shifted her feet. Part of her longed to tell Chloe about Nibs – she’d be impressed enough to look up from her mobile then. But Maddy knew she couldn’t give the secret away to just anyone. Besides, this new, grown-up Chloe would never believe her.

  “Mum says you’re starting at your new school tomorrow,” she said finally.

  Chloe grimaced. “S’pose,” she muttered.

  “It’s just across the street from our primary school,” volunteered Maddy. “So, um … maybe I’ll see you out on the playground or something.”

  Chloe looked up at that. “Maddy, we don’t play in secondary school,” she said pointedly. “So you probably won’t see me, OK?”

  Maddy felt her cheeks turn pink. Good! she wanted to shout. Who wants to see you, anyway? She bit back the words as Mum called them for dinner.

  At least she had Nibs, Maddy told herself as they all sat down. A magical cat was better than a snooty cousin any day! Eager to get back to her room, she ate as quickly as she could, wolfing down her shepherd’s pie.

  “Easy, Miss Piggy!” said Dad. “You’ll give yourself a conniption.” The extra leaf had been put in the dining table, and the adults were all sitting down at the other end, drinking wine and laughing.

  “Miss Piggy!” snorted Jack. “Oink, oink!”

  Chloe let out a pained breath, as though she couldn’t bear being around either of them. Aunt Lily had made her take her earplugs out while she ate, but Maddy could tell she wished she still had them in, so that she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone.

  The moment Maddy had finished she laid her knife and fork across her plate. “Thank-you-for-dinner-may-I-please-leave-the-table?” she rattled off.

  “No pudding?” said Mum in surprise.

  “No, thank you.”

  Mum shrugged. “All right, go on then.”

  Chloe jumped up as well. “I’m finished too, Aunt Jenny. Uncle Ted, is it OK if I check my email on the computer in my room?”

  Her room, thought Maddy heatedly as she ran up the stairs. Chloe had only had Dad’s study for a few hours, and she was already taking it over! Well, she was welcome to it. Maddy had the most wonderful secret in the world in her room.

  She shut her bedroom door behind her and dropped eagerly to her knees in front of the Barbie house. “Nibs, I’m back! I ate as fast as I could—”

  Maddy broke off. The woollen sock bed was just as she had left it … but there was no sign of the tiny black cat.

  She sprang to her feet. “Nibs!” she whispered, looking around. “Nibs, where are you?”

  A frenzied search of her bedroom revealed nothing at all. Maddy looked under her bed, behind her desk, deep in her wardrobe … and found only dust balls and forgotten toys.

  “Greykin, where has she gone?” she asked the ceramic cat on her desk. He and the tabby sat stiff and silent, unable to reply: only one cat at a time could come to life; the other two had to remain ceramic, providing the magical energy needed by the third.

  Even so, Maddy thought Greykin looked sympathetic. She stroked his smooth grey head, close to tears. Had she only imagined Nibs coming to life? No, that was impossible! The black cat was missing from the trio, and then there was the sock bed as well.

  She’ll come back soon, Maddy told herself, trying to calm down. She has to!

  But the little cat still hadn’t reappeared by the time Maddy went to bed. After Mum had turned out her light, Maddy curled up under her flowered duvet, feeling very alone.

  First her cousin didn’t seem to want to know her – and now Nibs was gone too.

  Chapter Three

  Maddy’s sleep was full of unsettling dreams about finding treasure and then losing it again. When she woke up, still feeling bleary-eyed, it was to a slight pressure on her arm. Turning her head, she held back a gasp.

  The tiny black cat was sitting on her elbow, calmly washing herself with long strokes of her pink tongue.

  Joy bounded through Maddy. “You’re back!” she cried.

  Nibs paused long enough to look surprised. “Of course.”

  “But” – Maddy sat up carefully, holding her elbow out from her side – “where were you? I looked everywhere!”

  Nibs gave her a bland look. “Outside.”

  “Outside?”

  Nibs nodded towards Maddy’s old-fashioned sash window. It stood open a crack; Mum believed in having fresh air. Maddy’s jaw dropped. “But – but, Nibs, we’re practically out in the country! There’s foxes, and – and weasels, and – other cats!”

  With a push against Maddy’s elbow, Nibs leaped onto the bedside table, where she perched on top of the little box of worry dolls. “I can take care of myself,” she said matter-of-factly. “I was getting my dinner, actually.”

  “Getting your …” Maddy trailed off, suddenly realizing what Nibs meant. She thought of asking what the little cat had eaten, and then decided she really didn’t want to know.

  “Nibs, I’ve got to go to school today,” she said instead, keeping her voice low. “Would you like to come with me, so you can see if the problem we have to solve is there?”

  Excitement tingled through her at the thought. Greykin had often travelled to school in Maddy’s pocket. In fact, introducing him to her best friend, Rachel, had been practically the best part of the whole adventure!

 
; Nibs had started to wash again, first licking one black-padded paw and then swiping it across her inky ears. “No need,” she said. “I already know where the problem is.”

  Maddy stared at the tiny cat, disappointment battling with surprise. “You do?”

  Nibs paused mid-stroke, and regarded Maddy with her bright green gaze. “Yes. It’s here, in this house.”

  Maddy went to school in a daze, trying to take in all that had happened in such a short while. In the playground she grabbed Rachel and drew her to one side.

  “Rache, it’s happened again,” she whispered.

  Her best friend understood immediately. “Which one?” she cried, her blue eyes widening behind her glasses. “Have you got it with you? Can I see?”

  “The little black one – she’s called Nibs. And no, I don’t. She, um … didn’t want to come.” Maddy felt her cheeks catch fire. Nibs was so different from the cuddly Greykin!

  “Come on, tell me everything,” said Rachel, pulling Maddy under the slide. There was a cosy space beneath it where the two of them often spent their break times.

  Maddy quickly filled her in as they sat side by side on the tarmac. “Maddy, you numpty,” Rachel giggled when she heard about the handkerchief. But she became serious again when Maddy told her where the problem was that needed to be solved.

  “In your house? You mean … it might be something to do with your family?”

  Maddy nodded, worry knotting her stomach.

  “Or I suppose it could even be you, couldn’t it?” mused Rachel, tucking back a strand of long blonde hair. Maddy stared at her. The thought hadn’t occurred to her, and it wasn’t a pleasant one.

  “Didn’t Nibs say what the problem was?” asked Rachel. There was a thundering noise above them as a group of boys attacked the slide.

  “No,” admitted Maddy. “She said she was tired, and needed a nap.” Unable to stop herself, she burst out, “Oh, Rachel, she’s not at all what I expected! She’s so – so …”

  “Standoffish?” offered Rachel.

  “Yes!” exclaimed Maddy. “Greykin and I were friends right from the start, but Nibs …” She fumbled for words. “I – well, I just don’t think she likes me very much.”

  Rachel rubbed her arm. “Maddy, don’t worry! A lot of cats are like that – you have to get to know them before they’ll warm to you. My aunt’s cat avoided me for years before he finally let me stroke him.”

  “But I don’t want to wait years!” wailed Maddy. “I want Nibs to love me now.”

  “Well, you did trap her in a handkerchief,” Rachel pointed out with a grin. “Give her a chance.”

  Maddy hugged her knees with a sigh. Though she knew Rachel was probably right, her heart still ached for the chunky, lovable Greykin.

  Rachel gave her a friendly nudge. “Anyway, at least your cousin Chloe is there, right? How are you getting on with her?”

  Maddy nodded quickly. “Great! She’s just as much fun as I remembered.” She couldn’t admit that Chloe didn’t seem to like her either. In fact, Chloe and the aloof Nibs had a lot in common!

  Luckily the bell rang before Rachel could ask anything else. As everyone trooped towards the front doors, Maddy gazed across the street at the secondary school. Chloe was in there right now, probably making lots of grown-up-acting friends.

  I don’t care, Maddy told herself firmly. I didn’t want to be her friend any more anyway!

  Even so, she couldn’t help letting out a sigh as she and Rachel took their seats in the 5A classroom. She wouldn’t care so much about Chloe … if only Nibs seemed a little friendlier.

  The moment Maddy got home that evening, she hurried up the stairs towards her room. “Maddy!” her mum called after her. “Aren’t you going to say hello to Aunt Lily and Uncle Greg?”

  “Hi, Aunt Lily, hi, Uncle Greg!” she flung over her shoulder.

  Shutting her bedroom door, Maddy could feel her heart hammering. Would Nibs have vanished again? But the tiny cat sat waiting for her on the chimney of the pink Barbie house, her black tail twitching with impatience.

  “Where were you?” she demanded. She jumped onto the plastic roof with a tiny thump. “I’ve been waiting.”

  “Sorry,” said Maddy breathlessly. “I had ballet class after school.” She dumped her school bag on her desk and crouched down beside the doll’s house. “Nibs, what’s the problem that we need to solve? How do you know it’s here in the house?”

  Nibs didn’t reply; she was obviously finding the steep plastic roof difficult. Maddy hid a smile as the little cat slid gradually downwards, claws scrabbling. With a growl, Nibs tried to leap back to the chimney – and shot down the roof like a furry black ball.

  Suddenly Nibs was hanging off the edge by her front claws, the rest of her dangling over the carpet.

  “Um … can I help?” offered Maddy.

  “I’m perfectly all right, thank you,” said Nibs coolly. She whipped from side to side, hind legs churning as she tried to climb back onto the slippery roof. “I don’t know what this – this substance – is, but it’s not at all what I’m—Rrowww!”

  The last was a yodelled shriek as one of Nibs’s front paws slipped. Maddy quickly cupped her hand under the cat, and Nibs dropped onto it, quivering. Maddy could feel her heartbeat racing against her fingers, as if she was holding a frightened bird.

  She set Nibs gently down on the carpet. The tiny cat sat staring up at her for a long moment, her green eyes unblinking. “It was all under control, you know,” she said.

  “Yes, of course,” said Maddy gravely.

  “I wasn’t going to fall. I was merely – er …” Nibs turned her head with something like a cough. “Anyway. Thank you,” she muttered.

  “You’re welcome,” said Maddy.

  There was an awkward pause.

  “Right. This problem that we need to solve,” said Nibs finally. “I know it’s in the house because my whiskers were tingling when I first came to life.”

  “They were?” said Maddy.

  Nibs nodded. “The problem is something to do with that girl who was in here yesterday.”

  A chill swept over Maddy. “You mean Chloe?” she gasped. “But – what’s wrong with her? Is she OK?” Though Chloe was being very irritating at the moment, the thought of anything happening to her was terrible.

  “Well, that’s what we need to find out,” said Nibs briskly, flicking her whiskers. “Where is she?”

  “In her room, I suppose – I mean, my dad’s study.” Maddy swallowed. “Would – would you like to ride in my pocket, and we can go and see?”

  Nibs gave Maddy’s pocket a distrustful look, and Maddy guiltily remembered the handkerchief. “No, thank you,” she sniffed. “I’ll ride on your shoulder. If you wear your hair down, it should cover me.”

  Despite her worry, a thrill of excitement swept through Maddy. She put out her hand again. Stepping onto it, Nibs padded matter-of-factly up Maddy’s sleeve to her shoulder. There she crouched down, balancing herself with her claws.

  Maddy stood up slowly, careful not to tip her off. Nibs was so different from the relaxed Greykin! Her small body felt poised with muscle, ready for anything.

  Glancing in the mirror, Maddy pulled out her scrunchie and draped her long brown hair over her shoulder, hiding Nibs from view. Then, trying to appear casual, she stepped out into the corridor and wandered downstairs.

  Chloe was sitting at Dad’s computer, writing an email. She whirled round in her chair when Maddy came in. “Don’t you know how to knock?” she said crossly. Hitting a button, she quickly got rid of what had been on the screen.

  Maddy shrugged, keenly aware of the tiny cat perched on her shoulder. “Sorry, I forgot,” she said. To her surprise, she saw a fantasy novel lying on the sofa with a bookmark halfway through it. The two cousins had always loved stories about different worlds, though Maddy would have thought that Chloe was too grown up to enjoy them now!

  “Um … how was school?” she asked.

  “Grea
t. Wonderful.” Looking away, Chloe swiped her eyes and grabbed a textbook out of her school bag. “Look, Maddy, do you actually want anything? Because I’ve got homework to do.”

  Maddy stared at her in confusion. What was wrong? For a moment it had almost seemed as if Chloe was going to cry. And then all at once it hit Maddy: her cousin was homesick!

  “You … you miss Ragdale, don’t you?” she asked.

  Chloe glared at her. “No, why would I?” she snapped, flipping open her textbook. “I’m used to leaving places; we do it all the time.”

  Maddy bit her lip. Though she’d never thought about it before, she suddenly realized how awful it would be if one of her parents had a job that moved them around so much. She imagined leaving Rachel, and winced.

  “Were you writing to one of your friends just now?” she ventured. “I guess you must really miss them—”

  Chloe’s face went an angry red. “I’m fine, Maddy!” she burst out, slamming her book shut. “Now, will you get out? I told you before, I’m busy!”

  Chapter Four

  Maddy backed out of the study, her thoughts tumbling wildly. No matter what her cousin said, she was sure she was right about her missing her old home and friends. Was that why Chloe was acting like this?

  Back in the bedroom, Nibs nodded when Maddy shared her suspicions. “Yes, she’s definitely homesick … but that’s only part of the problem.”

  Maddy was standing in front of the mirror, looking at the little cat on her shoulder. “Only part of it?” she echoed in dismay. Wasn’t being homesick bad enough?

  “That’s right.” Nibs’s tail lashed urgently from side to side. “Unless we can prevent it, something dangerous will happen as a result of Chloe’s homesickness. I just can’t tell what yet.”

  Something dangerous? Cold prickles raced across Maddy’s skin. “But … how can we stop it from happening when we don’t know what it is?”