Alone in the Night (3 page)

Star sat on Jasmine’s lap and sniffed hopefully at the toast. Jasmine smiled. “I think Star’s hungry, Mum!”

Jasmine’s mum looked at her worriedly. “I wonder what she usually has for breakfast? I don’t want to make her sick with too much tuna.”

Jasmine’s dad looked over at them. “We ought to let the Murrays know where she is – they’ll be worrying about her.” 

Jasmine sighed. She was enjoying pretending Star was hers, but it looked like the game wouldn’t last long.

She was just finishing her toast when the doorbell rang, and her mum went to answer it. Jasmine could hear Mum chatting to someone, and then she came back in with Helen and Andy from next door.

Star gave a delighted little
prrp
, and jumped off Jasmine’s lap, scampering over to Helen.

“That’s not very grateful!” Helen laughed. “Jasmine, your mum says you saved Star from that great big black cat from down the road. Thank you for rescuing her.” She shook her head. “She’s been wandering off at night quite a bit recently. I know she’s just getting 
bigger and braver, but I wish she wouldn’t. Oh well. Maybe she’ll be a bit less daring for a while after her scare.”

Star trotted back over and rubbed her head up against Jasmine’s dressing gown. She was delighted to see her owners, but she did love Jasmine, too.

Helen gave Jasmine a thoughtful look, watching the way Star was snuggling against her. 

While Jasmine said goodbye to Star, the Murrays went to talk to her mum and dad in the hallway.

“Jasmine, do you think you could do us a huge favour?” said Helen, as she came back into the kitchen and gathered up Star. “We’re going away for three weeks over Christmas, and we haven’t quite decided what to do with this little one. Star’s such a friendly thing, we think she’d hate a cattery, where no one had much time to play with her.” She paused. “Would you like to look after her for us?”

Jasmine’s eyes opened wide with delight and she looked hopefully at her mum and dad. To take care of Star, for three whole weeks! She couldn’t imagine anything she’d like more. 

Chapter Three

Jasmine was counting down the days until the Murrays went away. She and her mum went round next door after school one night, so that the Murrays could go through everything Jasmine would need to know. They weren’t going on holiday for another few days, but they wanted to get things organized in advance.

Star met them at the door, mewing with delight at the sight of Jasmine.

Helen laughed. “This was such a good idea! I was really worried about Star being miserable at a cattery. Come in.”

They sat down at the kitchen table to look at a list that Helen had made of all the things she thought Jasmine would need to know, like the phone number of their vet, just in case.

Mum frowned. “I hope you can manage all this, Jasmine,” she said, looking at the part about measuring out Star’s special food so she didn’t have too much.

“Don’t worry, Mum, of course I can,” Jasmine told her. “And I’ll get up earlier so I can pop in on Star before school to feed her.” 

But when they got home, Jasmine couldn’t help worrying a little, too. Not about feeding Star and looking after her properly, she was sure she could do that. No, she was worried about all the time Star would be on her own in the Murrays’ house. She was a cat who loved attention and fuss – that’s why she came into Jasmine’s garden all the time. How would she feel about being alone every night? Now that it was nearly December, it was getting really cold. Mum wasn’t going to let Jasmine sit out in the garden with Star for ages if it started snowing!

Maybe Mum would let me bring her inside for some of the time?
Jasmine wondered to herself.
I’m sure Helen and Andy wouldn’t mind… Oh!
 
Jasmine smiled excitedly. She had just had the most brilliant idea.

What if she looked after Star at her house, instead? It would be like having a cat of her very own!

Now all she had to do was persuade Mum and Dad…

“But we don’t want a cat in the house, Jasmine,” Mum said. “It’s all arranged, you’ll feed Star next door.”

Jasmine nodded. “I know, but it would be so much better if she was here. She’s so friendly, Mum, she’d hate being on her own all day. And she’d be company for you while you’re working.” She looked at her 
mum hopefully. It wasn’t just that she really wanted to have Star to stay – she was sure that Mum and Dad would fall in love with Star if they saw more of her. And if Jasmine could look after Star fabulously and give her back to the Murrays as the world’s best-cared-for cat, wouldn’t her parents be tempted to let her have a cat of her own? Once they knew how lovely it would be to have a cat in the house?

“Pets are a bit messy, Jasmine,” Dad explained. “We don’t have a cat flap, for a start, so that would be a problem…”

“But we could put a litter tray in the corner of the kitchen,” Jasmine suggested eagerly. “I bet the Murrays have got one, and if not, I’ll buy one with my pocket money.” 

Mum smiled. “I thought you were saving up for my Christmas present!”

Jasmine grinned at her. “Oh, I bought your present ages ago, when you let me go Christmas shopping with Lara. Please, Mum,” she added. “It’s only for three weeks. I promise you won’t have to do anything – I’ll look after her all myself. I’ll even do the vacuuming, in case Star sheds hairs on the carpet. Oh, pleeease! She’ll be so miserable all on her own…”

Mum and Dad exchanged a look. “Well, I suppose we could ask Helen and Andy what they thought,” Dad said, rather reluctantly.

“Yes!” Jasmine flung her arms round his neck. “This is the best Christmas present ever!” 

Star sniffed thoughtfully at the pile of bags in the hallway. What was going on? Her owners seemed to be very excited, and kept running up and down the stairs.

“Oh, Star! I nearly put that on top of you. Careful, pusscat!” Helen picked her up and stroked her. “We’re going to miss you. But Jasmine will look after you so well. We’d better get your things together.” 

Next door, Jasmine was watching the clock anxiously. “It’s nearly eight o’clock. Oh, I hope they hurry. I really want to spend some time with Star before we have to go to school! There’s the doorbell!” She leaped up from her chair and rushed to answer it.

Ten minutes later, the Murrays were on their way to the airport, and Jasmine was showing Star where her bowls and her litter tray were. It was so exciting watching her sniffing round the kitchen, her whiskers twitching delicately as she investigated all the interesting corners. Jasmine picked her up and stroked her lovingly, and Star rubbed her ears against Jasmine’s cheek.

“Come and see my bedroom,” Jasmine told her. She laughed. “You can 
read my cat books while I’m at school.”

“Oh, I thought we’d keep her in the kitchen for now,” Mum said.

“But she’d hate that, Mum! It’ll be all right. Helen said she’s good about using a litter tray – she won’t make a mess.”

Mum frowned. “Are you sure? Won’t she be worried about being in a new place?”

Jasmine looked down at Star, who was purring in her arms. “She doesn’t look very worried…”

Mum nodded, a little reluctantly. “I suppose not. Come on, then. We need to get to school.”

Jasmine sighed. “I hope she won’t be lonely without me…” she murmured. 

Star sat in the middle of Jasmine’s bed. She was rather confused. She’d been told off for being in this house before, she remembered. But she was definitely supposed to be here now, because her owners had brought her round that morning, and they’d brought her bowls and her bed too. Her bed was downstairs in the kitchen, but Jasmine’s was nicer.

Star sniffed. The bed smelled like Jasmine, which was comforting. She had stayed in the kitchen for a while, but Jasmine’s mum kept watching her and looking worried, and it had made Star feel worried, too. Then Jasmine’s mum had gone into another room, and she hadn’t liked it when Star tried to play with the wires on her computer. Helen always laughed when she did that. 

Star had wondered if she’d done something wrong, if her owners didn’t want her any more, but they hadn’t seemed cross. They’d held her and stroked her and made a big fuss. Star was quite sure they were coming back. And meanwhile she had Jasmine, who was almost as good. Star stretched out her front paws, yawned and curled up to sleep. She hoped Jasmine would come home soon.

“Oh, Jasmine, she’s gorgeous! You’re so lucky!” Jasmine’s friend Lara had come home from school with her to see Star. The girls had gone straight upstairs, and found the kitten snoozing on 
Jasmine’s bed. She was lying on her back with her paws folded on her soft cream and brown tummy, making a funny little whistling noise – a very small cat’s snore.

Lara was only whispering, but Star opened one eye thoughtfully, and then bounced up, purring delightedly at Jasmine. She was back!

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jasmine said proudly. Then she sighed. “It’s almost like having a cat of my own.”

Lara nodded. “Three weeks is ages. Oh, I wish someone wanted me to cat-sit! I’m sure your parents will get to like her – how can they resist! You never know, then they might let you have your own cat.”

Jasmine nodded, sitting down on the bed and hugging Star close. “That’s what I’m really hoping, but I’m not sure it’ll work. Mum was really fussing this morning, about not wanting Star to get into her office and mess up her paperwork. She wanted to keep her in the kitchen all day, but I persuaded her it wouldn’t be fair. I think they only let me look after Star because they wanted 
to help out the people next door. Neither of them are really keen on having pets. They’ve said I can have a gerbil or a hamster, but I’d much, much rather have a cat.”

Lara and Jasmine looked down at Star. She was purring blissfully to herself as Jasmine stroked her, in just the right itchy spot down her spine. She looked up at them, then nudged Jasmine’s chin lovingly. Lara and Jasmine both sighed. Who wouldn’t want such a gorgeous cat?