Feline Charm Page 5

  She grimaced at the papier-mâché mouse head she had to wear. Behind her, Rachel was laughing with the other girls and twirling in a brightly coloured party frock. She looked very pretty, with her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders.

  Snow would notice me if I were Clara, thought Maddy, propping her chin on her hand. It really wasn’t fair, when she was working so much harder now.

  Suddenly Maddy remembered one of the stories Ollie had told her – about an actor who’d been so determined to act in one of the plays at the Aladdin that he’d haunted the stage door day and night, until finally the director gave him a chance.

  “An actor must make his own opportunities!” Ollie had declared, swishing his bushy tail about. “Lady Luck smiles on those who take chances.”

  A sudden idea popped into Maddy’s head. She was the understudy for Clara. Could she make her own opportunity somehow? Maddy stared at Rachel in the mirror. It would be so easy – oh, but she couldn’t; it would be a terrible thing to do!

  But the idea was like a determined bee, buzzing and buzzing at her. She bit her lip, wavering.

  Was it really so horrible? It would only be for this last dress rehearsal, so that Snow could see Maddy dance as Clara. Rachel would still get to be Clara in front of the audience on Saturday night. What harm could it do?

  Quickly, before she could talk herself out of it, Maddy closed her eyes. Cat magic, she thought, willing it to tingle within her. Cat magic, please come to me. I need you!

  Chapter Eight

  There was a pause … and then an electric rush swept through Maddy, tickling her scalp. The magic had arrived!

  She opened her eyes and looked at Rachel, still twirling in her party dress. YOU’VE DONE SOMETHING TO YOUR TOE, she shouted silently. YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T DANCE TONIGHT! LET MADDY DANCE INSTEAD!

  “Oh!” cried Rachel as she staggered.

  “Are you all right?” asked Poppy in alarm.

  “I – I don’t know,” said Rachel. She flexed her foot, and winced.

  Madame looked up from where she was helping some of the girls with their make-up. “Rachel? What is wrong?”

  Rachel shook her head, looking frightened. “I don’t know! It’s my big toe – it just really hurts all of a sudden.”

  Guilt pinched Maddy as she saw that Rachel had gone very pale. She bit her lip uncertainly. She hadn’t meant to actually hurt Rachel – she’d just wanted to make her toe a bit sore!

  “Here, let me see,” said Madame, striding over to her. She helped Rachel sit down, and eased off her ballet shoe.

  “Ow!” cried Rachel as Madame gently moved her toe.

  “Hmm,” said Madame, looking very serious. “You must have injured it when you were twirling about, ma petite. We’ll need to tape it, in case it’s broken.”

  Maddy’s throat felt dry. Suddenly she realized what a truly awful thing she had done. Hurriedly she called the cat magic back to her. As soon as she felt it tingling, she aimed it at Rachel as hard as she could.

  YOUR TOE’S FINE! she screamed in her head. IT’S NEVER FELT BETTER! IT’S OK FOR YOU TO DANCE!

  “Oh!” Rachel sat up in surprise.

  “What is it?” asked Madame. She had found the first aid box, and was just taking out a bandage.

  “I – I think I’m OK now!” exclaimed Rachel, wiggling her toes. “The pain’s gone – it just vanished!”

  Madame Dumont’s eyebrows drew together. As the other girls watched in anxious silence, she examined Rachel’s foot again. “Well – it seems all right,” she said finally. “Maybe it was just cramp. But I think you’d better not dance on it tonight, just in case. Maddy, can you get ready quickly?”

  What? Maddy’s jaw dropped as everyone turned to stare at her. “I – um—”

  Rachel looked agonized. “But I’m fine,” she cried, jumping up from the chair. “Please let me dance, Madame!”

  “No, Rachel,” said Madame firmly. “I don’t want to take any chances. Hurry, now; let Maddy change into your costume.”

  “But, Madame, I – I don’t think her dress will fit me,” stammered Maddy. The other girls were glaring at her as if they blamed her, and the knowledge of how right they were made her feel dizzy with guilt.

  “It will fit well enough,” said Madame. “Come, we haven’t much time!”

  It was like being trapped in a nightmare. Ten minutes later, Maddy found herself standing in the wings, wearing Rachel’s frock. Too late she realized that she could have used the magic on Madame again, to make her change her mind – but by then the curtain was rising, sliding up towards the ceiling.

  “Maddy! Come on,” hissed Freya, shoving her in the back.

  Maddy quickly danced with the others out onto the lavish Christmas set. Though she wasn’t dancing badly, she knew that she wasn’t doing her best, either. All she could think of was Rachel, pale with pain.

  Poppy was right, she realized miserably. She had been jealous, and now her heart ached at what she had done. Oh, she wanted her best friend back! Somehow she had to make things up to Rachel – but how?

  “Relax,” whispered Snow in a friendly voice. A tiara glittered in her pale hair, and her pink and white Sugarplum Fairy costume shone like diamonds. “You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders!”

  Suddenly it hit Maddy that she was really dancing with Snow Bradley, just like she’d always dreamed of. Despite her worries, a smile spread across her face as they skipped and twirled about the stage together. She was Clara, exploring the winter wonderland with the Sugarplum Fairy – and it was amazing!

  The elation didn’t last long. All too soon the dress rehearsal was over, and then Maddy was just herself again … a girl who had done something horrible to her best friend.

  Ollie didn’t come to life when Maddy got home that night. Maddy slowly got ready for bed, casting sidelong glances at the little cat as he sat unmoving on her chest of drawers. His expression was usually so friendly and jokey, even in his ceramic form – but now his brown striped face looked quite serious.

  Maddy bit her lip. She’d once promised Greykin that she’d never use the feline magic when she wasn’t supposed to, and now she had broken that promise. Maybe – maybe the cats wouldn’t want to be bonded with her any more, after this. Maybe she had messed everything up for good.

  The thought was like a lead weight in her stomach. She swallowed hard and picked Ollie up, feeling his cool smoothness. “Please come back to life,” she whispered. “I won’t do it again, I promise—”

  “Have you brushed your teeth yet?” asked Mum, poking her head round the door.

  Maddy quickly slipped Ollie into her dressing-gown pocket. “I was just about to.”

  “Good, and then it’s straight to bed.” Mum smiled warmly at her. “You must be exhausted after such an exciting night. Imagine, dancing with Snow Bradley!”

  Maddy nodded, trying to look as thrilled as her mother thought she was. She could never explain that the rehearsal had been awful as well as exciting … or that Rachel’s hurt toe had actually been her fault.

  At the thought of what her mother would say if she knew, Maddy felt worse than ever. She was dismally brushing her teeth when she felt a tiny scrabbling in her dressing-gown pocket.

  Ollie! Quickly she spat out the toothpaste and wiped her mouth with a towel. “You came back!” she whispered.

  Climbing out of her pocket, Ollie leaped nimbly onto the side of the basin. “I’ve told you before, my dear – you don’t get rid of me that easily.”

  He sat on the rim of the soap dish and peered around the bathroom. “I see that the number of beauty potions you humans use hasn’t decreased any,” he commented. “Ah, vanity, vanity.”

  Maddy thought the little cat was a fine one to talk about vanity, but she let the remark pass. “Ollie, I – I’m really sorry about what I did,” she said anxiously. “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

  He sighed, and didn’t reply for a moment. “I know you’re sor
ry,” he said finally. “And you’re certainly not the first human to misuse the powers.”

  “I’m not?” Somehow this had never occurred to Maddy. It made her feel slightly better.

  Ollie gave a shudder. “With human nature what it is? Of course not! And at least you tried to put things right.” He fell silent, regarding her with his amber eyes. “But I must warn you, Maddy – if we cats ever feel that you really can’t be trusted with your powers, then the magic will vanish.”

  “That won’t ever happen!” gasped Maddy in alarm. “I promise, Ollie. I’ll never use the magic when I’m not supposed to again – never!”

  “Good,” purred Ollie. He swished his thick tail back and forth. “In that case, we’ll say no more about it. Now, tell me all about dancing with Snow. I want to hear every detail!”

  “Rachel, can I talk to you?” Maddy asked shyly. It was the next morning before school, and she’d been hanging around the playground for what seemed like ages, waiting for her friend to arrive.

  Rachel peered at her coldly through her glasses. “What do you want?”

  Taking a deep breath, Maddy blurted out, “I’m sorry for acting so stupidly. I was jealous, because you got Clara and I didn’t, and – and I’m really sorry. Can we please be friends again? I’ve missed you!”

  Rachel’s expression had softened as Maddy spoke. “I knew that was it!” she cried, drawing Maddy over to their special place under the slide. “Oh, Maddy, why didn’t you say so earlier? I kept asking and asking you what was wrong!”

  “I know,” said Maddy, feeling sheepish. “I didn’t want to tell you – I felt like I should be happy for you. I mean, I am,” she added hastily. “But … well, you know.”

  Rachel nodded sympathetically. “It must have been really awful for you. I know I wouldn’t have liked it very much if I was supposed to get Clara, and you got it instead.”

  Relief rushed through Maddy like a bubbling brook. Rachel was the best friend in the entire world! “Well, Ollie says the magic doesn’t make mistakes like that, so I really wasn’t supposed to get—”

  She stopped with a gulp. Rachel was staring at her. “Who’s Ollie?” she asked.

  “Er …” Maddy swallowed.

  Rachel clutched her arm. “He’s the third cat, isn’t he? He did come to life – I knew it!”

  “Well … yes,” admitted Maddy reluctantly. How could she have been so stupid? “I didn’t tell you, because … um …” She trailed off, wondering what on earth she could say.

  Rachel waved this aside. “It’s because you were jealous, wasn’t it? Because I’d just danced really well for the first time. Never mind that – what’s he like? What’s the problem this time?”

  Something in Rachel’s confident tone irritated Maddy. She needn’t just assume that Maddy had been so jealous of her right from the start! “You, actually,” she snapped.

  Rachel’s eyes grew wide. “Me?” Maddy could have bitten her tongue off the moment she said it. “Well, no, not you exactly,” she faltered. “It was more like – you know, you were really nervous, and it was holding you back, so … um …”

  A deep frown had appeared between Rachel’s eyebrows. “What?” she demanded, propping her hands on her hips.

  “Well … that’s it, really,” said Maddy, shifting her weight. “I mean … that was the problem. You were so nervous that you couldn’t dance very well, so – so Ollie and I calmed you down a bit.”

  Rachel stared at her without saying anything. Maddy hesitated, and decided that she’d better come clean about the rest of it too. “And when you hurt your toe … well, that was me as well,” she confessed in a small voice. “I’m really sorry, Rachel. I only wanted to make it feel a tiny bit sore so that—”

  “Right, so it was all because of you, was it?” interrupted Rachel fiercely. “I got Clara because of you, and I hurt my toe because of you, and—”

  Maddy blinked. “What? No, I just meant—”

  “Well, I don’t believe you, Maddy Lloyd!” broke in Rachel, her voice shaking. “I’ve worked really, really hard, you know, and you’re just jealous because now I’m better at ballet than you are. And I think it’s really mean of you to lie about it!”

  “I am not lying,” protested Maddy as the bell rang. Her cheeks felt hot. Rachel needn’t throw it in her face that she was the better dancer! “Rachel, listen—”

  But Rachel had already stalked off towards the school doors, her blonde hair swinging furiously across her back.

  Chapter Nine

  That night Maddy lay awake for a long time, angrily replaying the scene with Rachel. “I can’t believe she called me a liar,” she whispered to Ollie. “And I’ve been trying to help her!”

  “Don’t be too hard on her,” advised Ollie softly. He was curled up in his usual spot on her pillow, no larger than a mouse. “Sometimes the truth hurts, you know. Why, the actors at the Aladdin used to get terribly down if they got bad reviews.”

  Though she knew that the little cat was probably right, Rachel’s reaction continued to rankle with Maddy over the next few days. Well, she needn’t worry, she thought crossly as she climbed into her mouse minion costume on opening night. I shan’t bother helping her out again!

  It didn’t look as if Rachel would need her to. She was standing on the other side of the changing room laughing with Poppy and the others, her cheeks already bright with make-up.

  “I’m glad your toe’s OK now,” said Poppy cheerfully. “It was weird how it got better so suddenly, wasn’t it? One minute you practically couldn’t walk, and the next, you’re fine!”

  “No weirder than how she suddenly turned into an amazing dancer.” Freya laughed and nudged Rachel’s arm. Rachel started to reply and then stopped, frowning. A look crossed her face that Maddy had seen a hundred times before – her scientific mind was working something out. Suddenly she looked across the room at Maddy, who quickly busied herself with pulling on her grey ballet shoes.

  Sue had left the changing room to go to the loo, and now she rushed back in, pink-cheeked with excitement. “Oh my gosh, there are so many people out there!” she squealed. “I just peeped out through the curtain, and there must be thousands!”

  Rachel sat down on one of the chairs with a thump. “Th-thousands?”

  “Only nine hundred and twenty,” corrected Poppy. “That’s how many seats there are. But I heard we’re completely sold out!”

  “Everyone’s here to see Snow – and you, Rachel,” said Freya.

  “Yes, our rising star!” Sue laughed.

  Rachel didn’t say anything. Sneaking a look across the room again, Maddy saw that she had gone very pale.

  Madame poked her head in. She was looking very glamorous, in a long purple dress and sparkly earrings. “Is everyone ready? It’s almost time, girls – take your places!” she said, and disappeared again.

  Rachel hung back as the others started filing out of the changing room. “I have to talk with you,” she hissed, grabbing Maddy’s arm. “It – it was you, wasn’t it? You weren’t lying at all – you’ve been doing magic on me all along.”

  “Of course I wasn’t lying,” said Maddy icily, shaking her off.

  Rachel gulped. She really did look very strange, Maddy noticed uneasily – her face under her make-up was chalk-white. “Are you OK?” she asked.

  Rachel shook her head. “No, I – oh, Maddy, I can’t do it!” she gasped. “It was only because of you that I could ever do it in the first place, and now – now there are nine hundred and twenty people out there!”

  “It wasn’t because of me that you could dance,” protested Maddy. “You did that yourself. I only—”

  “No, it was, it was!” insisted Rachel wildly. “Maddy, you have to do the magic on me again, or else I won’t be any good! I’ll go back to being just as awful as I was before—”

  “Girls!” Madame was back again, motioning quickly with her hand. “Rachel, hurry – the show begins in five minutes.”

  Rachel swa
llowed hard and followed, casting a despairing glance at Maddy over her shoulder.

  Maddy trailed after her, her thoughts spinning. Should she use the magic on Rachel again or not? The situation somehow seemed very different now that Rachel knew about the feline spell. It wouldn’t help her confidence any if she thought that magic was the only reason she could dance well!

  They reached the wings. Maddy could hear the low murmur of the crowd as she hesitated, trying to decide what to do.

  “Maddy, please,” whispered Rachel. Even in the shadowy light, Maddy could see that she was close to tears. “We’ve only got a few minutes – I have to have the magic again, or else I’m going to be rubbish, I just know it—”

  “What’s wrong?” broke in a voice. Maddy caught her breath. Snow Bradley stood beside them in her pink and white Sugarplum Fairy costume, looking more beautiful than ever.

  “Um – Rachel’s nervous,” Maddy explained shyly. “She doesn’t think she’s going to dance very well.”

  Snow gave a short, shaky laugh. “Well, that makes two of us. I’m pretty nervous too.”

  Maddy stared at her in surprise. Rachel’s eyes went wide. “You?” she gasped. “But why would you be nervous?”

  “Because I’m human?” suggested Snow dryly. “Rachel, I get terrible stage fright before every single show I do. I was just ill, as a matter of fact.”

  Rachel’s mouth fell open. She seemed lost for words.

  “Here, feel my hand,” continued Snow. She clutched Rachel’s fingers with her own, and Rachel gazed down at them in wonder.

  “You’re cold,” she breathed.

  “Yes, and I can’t stop shaking, either.” Snow crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “Because I just know that I’m going to be completely awful when I go out there.”

  “But – but you’re Snow Bradley!” spluttered Rachel. “You couldn’t be awful if you tried!”