Scout the School Cat Page 3

  “We looked in the flowerbeds in the park. We were hoping we might find some kitten pawprints, but all we found was ladybugs and beetles,” said Emerald.

  “We did pick up Scout’s scent in the school playground, in the rosebushes where you saw her, Kitty,” explained Sooty. “But we lost it just outside the school gates. There are just too many other smells there.”

  “So what happens now?” asked Frost worriedly. “We’ve run out of places to look!”

  Kitty was very quiet, thinking hard. Had they run out of places to look—or was there one last place she just hadn’t thought of yet? Suddenly she remembered what Mia and Ms. Babbitt had said earlier. They had thought it was strange that Scout’s owners hadn’t put up posters of her . . .

  “It sounds like we should call it a night for now,” meowed Tiger. “But we won’t give up! Everyone, keep looking out for Scout. Call another meeting if you have news!”

  The cats began padding out of the clearing, muttering sadly. As Kitty saw Sooty leaving, she had an idea. The cats had searched all over town, but there was one place they hadn’t looked yet!

  “Wait, Sooty!” she meowed, trotting up to the little white-and-black cat. “Can you show me where Scout lives? I want to have a closer look.”

  “Sure,” said Sooty. “Follow me.”

  She led Kitty through the moonlit streets, darting around street corners and tiptoeing quietly past the front door of a particularly growly dog. Finally, Sooty stopped outside a house with a wading pool and a swing in the garden. All the curtains were drawn, and the house was quiet and dark. “It looks like they’re all asleep,” whispered Sooty. “Listen, Kitty, I need to get back to my own house. I sleep at the end of Sophie’s bed, and if she wakes up in the night and I’m not there, she’ll be worried.”

  “Okay, Sooty,” replied Kitty, nodding. “I understand.”

  “Sorry I can’t stay and help, but I hope you find a clue about where Scout might be! The cat flap is around the back,” she added, pointing a paw.

  Once Sooty had padded over the road to her own house, Kitty trotted around Scout’s yard, looking for anything that might be a clue. The yard was full of plants and flowers and buzzing with fireflies and crickets. Scattered on the grass, she found lots of colorful bouncy balls and some squeaky toy birds covered in tiny kitten-size teeth marks. But there was no sign of the kitten herself.

  Kitty glanced up at the house. I’ve got to go inside! she told herself. This is where Scout lives, so there’s got to be a good clue here about where she might be! Everyone’s asleep, so I’ll just have to be really, really quiet.

  Kitty padded around the back of the house and found the cat flap. She took a deep breath, held out one paw, and pushed.

  The cat flap didn’t budge.

  Puzzled, Kitty butted it with her forehead. Still, the cat flap didn’t open. What’s going on? she wondered.

  Then, at the bottom of the cat flap, she noticed a small latch. The cat flap wasn’t moving because it had been locked shut!

  Kitty had never seen this before. Why would anybody ever lock a cat flap? Was Scout’s family trying to keep another cat out of their house?

  Or, thought Kitty, are they trying to keep Scout in?

  She looked back at the toys scattered around the garden. This seemed like a family who really loved their kitten—a kitten who really loved playing outside! So why would the family want to keep her locked inside?

  At the corner of the yard was a tall tree. Kitty grabbed the trunk with her sharp claws and climbed up to the branches, her tail waving from side to side to help her balance. Once she was safely in the tree, she looked back at the house. Now that she was up high, she could see through the gaps in the curtains.

  On the left, there was a large bedroom where two grown-ups in stripy pajamas were fast asleep in bed. Next to that was another, smaller bedroom, this one lit by a cozy-looking night-light shaped like a moon. Tucked up in bed was a small dark-haired girl, and curled up beside her was a tiny, furry tortoiseshell bundle.

  Scout!

  The little girl yawned, and as she did, Kitty caught sight of her face. To her surprise, she realized she knew her, too. It was Lila, her kindergarten buddy from school!

  Kitty gasped—and as she did, the kitten’s tiny ears pricked up. She sat up, looked around, and meowed curiously. Then, with a wiggle, she leaped from the bed onto the windowsill, and poked her furry head out of the window, which was open a few inches.

  Kitty walked toward the little kitten and perched at the end of the branch. “Hello!” she said softly. “My name’s Kitty. I’m so happy to meet you, Scout. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. All the cats at the Cat Council have!”

  “What’s the Cat Council?” asked Scout shyly.

  Kitty quickly explained. “It was Sooty, the mostly white cat who lives across the road, who told us about you,” she added. “She was so worried when you stopped going out to play in your garden.”

  “I didn’t think any cats in this town even knew who I was!” meowed Scout in surprise. “I don’t have any cat friends here, just my best friend Lila.”

  She nodded at the sleeping girl, and Kitty chuckled. “I know Lila!” she explained. “We go to school together.” She thought back to her first meeting with Lila, and remembered Lila talking about her best friend. She had thought she meant a human best friend—when all this time, she’d been talking about her cat!

  “How do you go to school with Lila?” meowed Scout. “You’re a cat!” Her tiny black nose twitched suddenly, and she looked confused. “Although, you do smell a bit . . .”

  “Human?” guessed Kitty. “I know! That’s because I’m really a human girl, but I can change into a cat. That’s a big secret, though.”

  Scout’s big blue eyes grew even wider. “I’ve never heard of a girl who could turn into a cat before,” she said. “Wow! I wish Lila could do that, so that she could spend the day with me instead of having to go to kindergarten.”

  “She really doesn’t like it there, does she?” asked Kitty gently, glancing back at Lila asleep in her bed.

  “All summer, she was so scared about starting kindergarten!” explained Scout. “She doesn’t make new friends very easily, even though she’s the sweetest girl in the world. So I decided to go with her, on her first morning. I crept out the cat flap and followed her there. I thought I could keep her company. Only when I got into the school playground, it was so busy and noisy! So I hid in the bushes.”

  “That’s when I saw you!” realized Kitty.

  “Then I ran back home again. But Lila’s dad saw me crossing a big road, with lots of scary cars all beeping their horns at me! So he and Lila’s mom decided I had to stay inside until I’m bigger, to keep me safe.” Scout gave a sad little meow. “That’s why the cat flap is locked. Now I can’t even play with my toys in the yard anymore.”

  “So all this time, you haven’t been lost,” said Kitty. “You’ve been at home, locked inside!”

  Scout nodded miserably. “I only wanted to help Lila,” she said. “And with her being at school all day, I’m getting really lonely.”

  “Well, don’t worry. I’m sure I can do something to—”

  Just then, Lila gave another yawn and rolled onto her side, rubbing her eyes. “Scout?” she said sleepily. “Scout, what are you doing at the window?”

  “Bye!” Kitty whispered. Then she leaped down the tree trunk and into the yard. As she left Scout’s house and began running toward her own, she glanced up at the window one last time. She had found the missing kitten—but Scout still needed her help. And so did Lila!

  Chapter 6

  “Morning, Kitty!” called Mia, waving as she opened her front door. “Quick, come inside. I want you to meet Tiger!”

  It was Monday morning, and Kitty and Mia had decided to walk to school together.

  But Kitty had another, secret reason for coming to Mia’s house. She wanted to give a message to Tiger. And Mia had just given her the perfect opp
ortunity!

  “Yes, please!” Kitty said, grinning as she stepped inside Mia’s house.

  “Here he is!” Mia said, scooping Tiger into her arms and rubbing her face against his tabby fur. “Isn’t he the most gorgeous cat you’ve ever seen? Would you like to hold him?”

  “I’d love to. Hi, Tiger!” said Kitty, holding out her arms for the tabby tom. She giggled as Tiger purred loudly.

  “He likes you!” said Mia happily. “I’ll just run and grab my bag.”

  As soon as Mia ran upstairs, Kitty whispered to Tiger, “I found Scout! She’s okay—her family locked her inside their house because they were worried about her running over a busy road. Tell the other cats, especially Sooty. I don’t want them to be worried about her!”

  Tiger meowed to let Kitty know he’d understood, and Kitty bent down to let him jump back onto the ground. Tiger leaped straight onto a table and out an open window. Kitty knew he would be heading off to find the other cats in town.

  “Ready!” said Mia, coming downstairs with her bag. She held up a book for Kitty to see. “This was my favorite story in kindergarten. I thought I’d take it to read with my buddy Charlotte today!”

  “That’s a great idea,” Kitty told her friend as they started walking to school.

  “Do you know how you’re going to help Lila yet?” asked Mia.

  Kitty sighed and shook her head. Today, she, Mia, and the rest of their classmates would be seeing their kindergarten buddies for the second time. Kitty had been thinking hard about Lila—and Scout—but she still didn’t have any good ideas. Scout couldn’t come to school to keep Lila company, but Lila couldn’t stay at home with Scout either!

  “Don’t worry,” said Mia, putting her arm around Kitty. “You’ll think of something, I know you will!”

  Ms. Babbitt led Kitty and Mia to the kindergarten class straight after lunch that day. Kitty crossed her fingers as she walked into the room, hoping to see a big smile on Lila’s face, but instead, Lila was still sitting alone, looking more miserable than ever. In fact, as Kitty walked over to her, she saw tears rolling down Lila’s face. Kitty’s heart sank.

  “Lila! What’s wrong?” she asked, kneeling down beside her buddy.

  Lila sniffed and rubbed her eyes. “We’re doing Show and Tell every Friday,” she explained in a shaky voice. “And this week, it’s my turn! Mr. Rolland says I’ve got to talk in front of the whole class, and I’m so nervous! And I don’t have anything special to show anyway.”

  “Oh, Lila!” Kitty gave her buddy a hug. “Listen, it’s always a little scary the first time you do Show and Tell, but I promise it’s going to be okay! And I’ll help you think of something to show.”

  As Kitty went to get Lila a tissue, her very first morning at school suddenly popped into her head. She remembered walking into the playground with Grandma, feeling worried about starting in her new class, and Grandma telling her to show everyone what made her special. When Kitty had got into the classroom, she and Mia had bonded straight away because they both loved cats. That was what made them special.

  So what made Lila special?

  It was the same thing, Kitty realized. Lila was special because of how much she loved cats. And not just any cat!

  “Lila,” said Kitty, handing her the tissue, “is it true that you have a kitten?”

  Lila’s head popped up straight away. “How do you know about Scout?” she asked.

  Kitty shrugged. “Oh, er, I think I heard Mr. Rolland mention it. Scout, that’s such a cute name! What’s she like?”

  Kitty had never seen Lila smile before, but now the little girl’s face broke into a huge beam. “She’s the best kitten ever!” she told Kitty. “She’s three months old, and she’s a tortoiseshell. Do you know what that means?”

  Kitty nodded, smiling. “Yes, I do. I like cats too!”

  “Do you?” gasped Lila. “Oh, I love cats! Especially Scout. Mom and Dad got her for me when we found out we had to move. She has this tiny little black nose, and eyes that are really bright blue, and little furry ears that I love tickling . . .”

  Lila began chattering eagerly about Scout. Across the room, Kitty saw Mr. Rolland give her a thumbs-up. For the first time, Lila seemed happy, and not shy at all.

  If only the rest of the class could see this side of Lila, Kitty thought. She was sure Lila would fit right in at kindergarten then.

  That’s it!

  A plan sprang into Kitty’s head. I’m going to need some help, she thought. But if this works, it could solve Lila’s problem, and help Scout too . . .

  When Kitty knocked on Mia’s door on Friday morning, she felt as though she had ten wriggly kittens in her tummy. She was nervous, impatient, and excited, all at the same time!

  She smiled as Mia opened the door. “Show and Tell time! Let’s go!”

  “I can’t wait!” Mia said, clapping her hands together. “Mr. Rolland knows your plan?”

  “Yes, he loved the idea. So did Ms. Babbitt. And Lila’s mom and dad said it was okay too!”

  “Yes!” Mia held out her hand for a high five. “Let’s just hope it works.”

  Show and Tell started at two o’clock, so at five to two, Ms. Babbitt gave permission for Kitty, Mia, and the other volunteers to go down the hall to the kindergarten class. “Good luck, girls!” she said, winking at them as they left their seats.

  “Thanks!” said Kitty, smiling at her teacher.

  Everyone in Lila’s class was sitting in a big circle on the mat when Kitty and Mia got to the room. The other volunteers rushed to meet their buddies, but Lila was waiting at the door for Kitty. Her cheeks were very pink, and she was doing a little excited dance. “Mom said she’d be here at two!” she whispered, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “I hope she’s not late!”

  “She’ll be here!” Kitty promised. “My grandma talked to her on the phone last night,” she added, taking Lila back into the classroom.

  Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a woman with round glasses and dark hair like Lila’s popped her head into the classroom. “Hi, Lila!”

  “Mom, you made it just in time!” said Lila, relieved.

  “And you must be Kitty?” the woman asked.

  “Yes!” Kitty rushed out into the hallway. She saw a large basket on the floor next to Lila’s mom’s feet. “Is that her?”

  “That’s her!” said Lila’s mom. “I wish I could stay to watch, but I have to rush home, I’m afraid. I know she’s in excellent hands, though. Lila said you loved cats, just like her.”

  “I do, more than anything!” Kitty said.

  Lila’s mom smiled. “I wanted to thank you for being such a thoughtful buddy to Lila. She’s been talking about you all week.”

  When Lila’s mom had left, Kitty lifted the lid of the basket and peered inside. Two big, blue eyes blinked nervously back at her.

  “Hi, Scout! It’s me, Kitty,” she whispered, reaching inside the basket to stroke Scout’s silky tortoiseshell fur. “Do you remember me?”

  Scout purred and nuzzled her nose against Kitty’s hand. “Listen, Scout—Lila’s just through that door,” Kitty told her. “She’s so excited you’re here. Now, are you ready?”

  Scout gave a soft meow, and gently, Kitty put the lid back on the basket and pushed open the classroom door.

  The circle of children began chatting excitedly as Kitty walked in holding the basket, and handed it carefully to a giddy Lila. “Settle down, everyone!” called Mr. Rolland. “This is a very special Show and Tell, and I need everyone to stay nice and quiet, okay? Now, let’s see what Lila has to show us!”

  As Lila opened the basket and lifted out Scout, the room gasped. “A kitten!” squeaked a girl with brown hair.

  “Wait a second! Isn’t that the kitten we were searching for last week?” whispered Mia to Kitty.

  “I think you might be right,” she whispered back. “What a coincidence!”

  “Is that your kitten, Lila?” asked a boy.

  Lila nodded
shyly. “Her name is Scout,” she said, her voice very quiet.

  Come on, Lila! thought Kitty, smiling at her buddy. You can do this!

  Scout must have been thinking the same thing, because Kitty saw the kitten give Lila’s hand a gentle lick with her tiny pink tongue. Lila giggled. “She’s my best friend,” she told the room proudly.

  “What else can you tell us about Scout, Lila?” asked Mr. Rolland.

  “Well, she loves treats,” said Lila. “When I come home from school, I always get her a bowl of her favorite cat treats. Then my dad gets me one of his homemade chocolate brownies, and Scout and I sit and eat our treats together!”

  “Yum!” said Mia’s buddy Charlotte, laughing. “I have a pet rabbit at home, and my mom always makes us carrot sticks to nibble on together after school. Your dad’s brownies sound much tastier, though!”

  “They are really yummy!” said Lila.

  “Oh wow, look at her tiny little teeth,” said a boy, pointing at Scout. “They’re so cute!”

  “They’re just her baby teeth,” explained Lila. “Cats are just like people. When they get old enough, their baby teeth fall out, and they get adult teeth instead. I don’t think they get to put their baby teeth under their pillow for the tooth fairy, though,” she added.

  The class laughed. “You’re really funny, Lila,” said the boy, grinning.

  “Can I pet her, Lila? I have a cat at home, so I know how to do it,” said another boy.

  “Sure,” said Lila. “Wow, I didn’t know you had a cat too, Charlie.”

  “So do I!” called a few more children around the room.

  Kitty smiled as Charlie reached out to gently pet Scout, and Scout began purring happily. Lila looked almost like she could start purring any second, too. Kitty had never seen her buddy look so happy.