Night of the Werecat (5 page)

The black werecat was gone.

Wendy leaped back up onto the wall, sniffing the air. The scent of the werecat had vanished.

It was over. For now.

Wendy streaked back across the yard and up the old oak tree. She raced along the branches to her open window and jumped inside. She noticed the first pinks of dawn beginning to lighten the sky.

A moment later her skin began to itch and tingle. In less than a minute Wendy was in human form again.

She glanced down at her pajama-clad body. Her muscles ached all over. Her skin was scratched in half a dozen places. She was exhausted, relieved, and excited all at the same time.

Amazing! she thought. Being a cat is awesome! She thought about how daring she had been. She remembered teasing the dog and her visit to Nancy's house. She loved the way all of her senses were heightened when she was a cat. She felt so powerful.

Then she remembered the black werecat.

Wendy shuddered. That cat wanted to kill her. And it could have, she realized. Yet she had wanted to fight it. The danger didn't seem to matter.

I was out of control, Wendy thought. I was as wild as the other werecat.

Then she had to admit something—something terrifying. She was as wild as the black werecat because she was a werecat, too.

Something not human.

I have to stop changing into a werecat, she thought.

But could she?

She didn't know what made her turn into a werecat in the first place. She had never even
heard
of werecats until the cat show. Until Mrs. Bast told them those stories.

Wendy gazed at herself in the mirror. An ordinary girl gazed back. There was nothing catlike or scary about her. She looked the way she always did: reddish-blond hair, pale skin, faint freckles.

She noticed the werecat charm glittering against her nightgown like a black diamond.

The charm.

Could it be? She thought back. This all started when she took the werecat charm from Mrs. Bast. The charm that Mrs. Bast had refused to sell her.

Maybe
this
was why. Maybe Mrs. Bast knew.

Knew that the charm would turn her into a werecat.

Wendy quickly reached up to unlock the clasp. The charm was beautiful, and she would be sorry not to
wear it anymore. But she had to stop turning into a werecat before she got hurt.

Her fingers fumbled with the clasp. It seemed to be stuck. Frowning, she turned the chain around so the clasp was in front. Watching her movements in the mirror, Wendy continued to work the clasp.

It still wouldn't open.

Frustrated, Wendy tried to yank the necklace off over her head, but the chain was too short to make it over her chin. She yanked harder, but the chain wouldn't snap.

This is ridiculous, she thought. I have to get this clasp open!

She glanced around, looking for something to use. She spied a pair of scissors on her desk. She grabbed them and then, holding the scissors carefully, tried to snip through the chain.

It didn't work.

Wendy's eyes met her reflection in the mirror. She saw panic in them.

It's stuck, she realized with horror. The charm is never coming off!

9

“D
on't panic,” Wendy scolded her reflection in the mirror. There has to be a way to get the charm off. I'll ask Tina to help me, she told herself. She promised to be at the gymnastics tryouts today.

Wendy pulled on a black turtleneck with white kittens on it, then piled her hair up in a white scrunchie.

On the way to school for the tryouts, Wendy realized that Tina might be angry with her. After all, she had jumped out Tina's window last night and never gone back. What would she tell Tina? Wendy would have to come up with some reason why she had disappeared.

Wendy stood outside the gym and crossed her fingers for luck. “I wish I wish I wish I make the
team,” she whispered. Then she strolled through the swinging doors. She sat beside Tina on a bleacher.

“What happened to you?” Tina asked as soon as Wendy sat down. “I called your house, but nobody answered.”

“I . . . uh, I was . . .” Wendy's mind raced, trying to think of a believable answer. She avoided Tina's eyes and gazed around the gym. Then she came up with the perfect excuse. “I was so nervous about the tryouts today,” she lied. “All of a sudden I wanted to be in my own bed.”

She smiled at Tina, but inside she felt terrible about lying to her best friend.

Tina gave Wendy's hand a quick squeeze. “You'll do great!” Tina told her. “I'm here to cheer you on.”

“Thanks.” One problem down, Wendy thought. How many more to go?

“Say,” Tina interrupted Wendy's thoughts. “Before you left, did you notice Shalimar do anything strange?”

Wendy thought back. “No,” she answered. “I didn't see Shal all night. Why?”

“The couch was ripped to shreds,” Tina explained. “Boy, is Shalimar in trouble. My mom is so mad she locked him in the basement.”

“Oh, no!” Wendy cried. “It wasn't Shalimar's fault!”

Tina looked surprised, and Wendy felt herself blush. “I mean . . . Shal couldn't have done it,” she continued. Wendy wanted to tell the truth. She knew
Shalimar didn't rip the couch.
She
did. She felt so guilty.

“I know,” Tina said unhappily. “I tried to tell my mom Shalimar would never do something like that, but she—”

Her words were cut off as Ms. Mason began explaining the rules of the tryouts. A moment later the door opened and Nancy rushed into the gym.

Wendy gasped. She was shocked by Nancy's appearance. Nancy looked terrible. Her skin was covered with red spots. Her red nose seemed raw and her eyes were swollen. Nancy rushed to take a seat in front of Wendy and Tina. As soon as she sat down, she sneezed.

“You're late, Nancy,” Ms. Mason commented. “We almost started without you.”

“I'm sorry,” Nancy replied. “I—AH-CHOOO!” She pulled a tissue out of her bag.

“If you're sick, you shouldn't be here,” Ms. Mason told Nancy gently.

“I'm not sick,” Nancy objected hoarsely. “It's just allergies. I'm fine, honest. I—I—AH-CHOO!”

Wendy's mouth dropped open. She had no idea that allergies could be so bad! She felt terrible.

“Let's get started,” Ms. Mason said. Wendy glanced at the nine other girls who were also trying out for the Shadyside Middle School team. She knew she might be in the top five,
maybe
, but that wouldn't be good enough. Only three girls would be chosen. And she had to be able to perform on the balance beam. Without falling!

“Wendy,” Ms. Mason said. “You're first. Good luck!”

“Go for it!” Tina whispered. “It's in the bag.”

Wendy smiled at Tina, then approached the mat. The floor routine was her best event. She was glad they were starting with it. She took a deep breath, tucked, and went into a forward roll.

Every cartwheel, every handspring, every flip was perfect. Wendy knew she had never performed better in her life. Her concentration never wavered. She remembered all the choreography. Her muscles responded exactly as she wanted. She was strong and graceful.

Graceful as a cat.

Even before she finished the routine, Wendy heard applause. Her face glistened with sweat. She came to her final position and grinned.

“That was excellent!” Ms. Mason exclaimed. “Debbie, your turn.” Wendy returned to her seat, bursting with confidence.

Soon it was time for the final event of the tryouts. The balance beam.

Wendy had performed well so far. She knew she was one of the top four girls in the group.

She actually had a chance—a chance of making the team!

But now she had to face her toughest challenge. The balance beam.

Wendy's throat tightened as she walked toward the four-inch plank. You can do it, Wendy told herself. You're having a great day.

Wendy stood by the balance beam. She took a deep breath and glanced at the bleachers. Tina grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Okay, Wendy,” Ms. Mason urged her gently. “Whenever you're ready.”

Wendy turned to the beam, then gracefully vaulted onto it. She held still for a moment, to sense her balance. She knew if she didn't balance correctly right from the beginning, she'd never make it to the end.

She began the routine.
Concentrate. Concentrate.
Involuntarily her eyes wandered to the floor. But for the first time ever, Wendy didn't feel afraid!

Maybe all her climbing as a werecat had cured her of her fear of heights. Wendy stopped worrying about how far down it was to the ground.

Halfway there, she thought. It was time for the front flip. Wendy tensed up. This is where she had fallen off so many times.

Wendy steadied herself, then went into the flip. She didn't even teeter! She nailed it!

Smiling broadly, she dismounted.

As Wendy returned to her seat, Ms. Mason nodded at her approvingly. Tina thumped her back. “You were amazing!” Tina cheered.

But Wendy knew it wasn't over yet. She was only third or fourth. Her spot on the team depended on how the rest of the girls did—especially Nancy. Nancy had always been better than Wendy on the balance beam. Wendy held her breath as Nancy began her routine.

But something was wrong. Nancy seemed unsure of her footing. Her face was still splotchy. Then, halfway across, she began to sneeze.

And sneeze.

Nancy fell off the beam.

Ms. Mason put an arm around her, but Nancy shrugged it off. She rushed back to her seat and buried her face in her hands. Wendy could see that she was crying.

Wendy felt awful. She knew how embarrassed Nancy must be. And even though Nancy always made fun of her, Wendy couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Because Wendy knew it was her fault Nancy fell. I didn't know she would be so sick! Wendy thought. I never meant to ruin her chances for the team.

Then Ms. Mason made the announcement. “Top girl is Becky, then Sondra. Wendy is third.”

“Congratulations,” Tina exclaimed. “You did it!”

“Thanks,” Wendy answered glumly.

“Hey, what's with you?” Tina asked. She and Wendy got up and headed for the locker room. “How come you're not thrilled?”

“I am,” Wendy admitted. “I just feel bad for Nancy.”

Tina stared at her. “After how mean she's been? Wow, Wendy. You're a lot nicer than I would be.”

Wendy shrugged. She couldn't tell Tina she felt guilty. That Nancy fell off the beam because of her. That she had made Nancy sick.

That she was a werecat.

Wendy was more determined than ever to stop the transformation. She yanked off her gym shirt. “Tina, you've got to help me,” she said. “You have to get this thing off me.” She touched the cat charm around her neck.

Tina's eyes grew wide with surprise. “What are you doing with that?” she demanded. “I thought Mrs. Bast wouldn't sell it to you. Did you go back another day without telling me?”

“No,” Wendy admitted. “I—I took it.”

Tina's mouth dropped open.

“But I didn't steal it,” Wendy added quickly. “I put five dollars in the tray.”

Tina shook her head.

“But I think it's broken,” Wendy continued. “And now I can't get it off. And I really,
really
have to.” She turned around so Tina could get at the clasp.

“No problem.” Tina fiddled with the necklace. It wouldn't open. “That's weird,” she muttered.

“I told you,” Wendy said. “Keep trying.”

Tina tried pulling. She tried twisting. She tried her fingernails. She even tried her teeth. Nothing was working.

“This thing is really stuck,” Tina said. “There's no way I can get it open.”

Wendy's heart sank. She couldn't live with the necklace around her neck one more night!

“Then I have to go back to Mrs. Bast's booth and get her to open it for me,” Wendy declared. “I have to.”

Wendy and Tina rode their bikes to the cat show. The whole way Wendy worried. Mrs. Bast was going to be furious that she had taken the charm.

I can't think about that, Wendy told herself. I have to get rid of the charm. She didn't know of any other way to stop turning into a werecat. So no matter how mad Mrs. Bast was, Wendy would have get her to open the clasp.

Besides, she reassured herself for the hundredth time, I did pay for it!

The girls pedaled into the parking lot. Wendy glanced up at the building where the cat show was held. “Oh, no!” Wendy cried. She pulled her bike to a sudden stop.

“Whoa!” Tina exclaimed, swerving to avoid crashing into Wendy. “What is it?”

Wendy couldn't answer. She pointed at the empty store.

The cat show banner was gone!

“Uh-oh,” Tina said. “Looks like they're gone.”

“But—but—” Wendy sputtered. “They were just here!”

Wendy jumped off her bike, letting it clatter to the ground. She raced up to the front doors of the building. She yanked the handles.