Kin Read Online Free Page A

the teacher.
    â€œYou drew this? It’s so good! It looks just like me.”
    David opened his picture of the toad he’d held in his hand. “That’s amazing. It looks real.”
    Annie hugged her. “I’ll keep it forever.”
    In just a few short weeks, Annie couldn’t remember a time when Lila hadn’t been in her life. Her new friend was still shy around others, but was very chatty when the two of them were alone. Lila didn’t mind David either, but he wasn’t around much; he was too busy playing baseball with his friends or building forts. Sometimes Annie got upset when the boys shooed them away, but soon the two girls made their own fun and forgot all about the boys.
    Neither of them liked dolls, but Annie noticed that Lila always seemed happiest when there was an animal around. She loved every creature, be it worm, frog, snake, mouse, or rabbit. Cats and dogs followed her in droves, and the pony, Ginger, loved Lila to pat its soft nose.
    Then one day Lila came screaming to their back door. Annie and her mother ran to see what was wrong. There was Lila, covered in ashes, holding two limp kittens in her arms.
    â€œSomeone threw them on their ash pile! No one wanted them. Are they dead?”
    Mom took over and reached for the kittens while Annie tried to console Lila. “Mrs. Butts told me to throw them away! I can’t do that. They didn’t do anything wrong!”
    Abigail reached for a dishtowel and wrapped up the kittens. Then she took a cloth and dipped it in warm water. The girls watched as she rubbed their tattered little bodies in the hope of some response. Gradually, the warmth of her touch worked its magic and the kittens started to mew. Annie and Lila jumped up and down and hugged each other.
    â€œMay I keep the kittens here? Then I could play with them. I’m not allowed to have a pet. Mrs. Butts said so.”
    â€œDid she, now?” Mom’s face softened when she looked at Lila. “Of course you can keep your kittens here.”
    Lila’s dirty face was so happy. “I’ll give one to Annie and then we can both have one. Which one do you want?”
    â€œYou choose. You’re the mother,” Annie said.
    Lila reached for the marmalade kitten with white feet. “I saw her first, so I’ll take this one.” She held the tiny kitten up to her chin. “You’ll be all right, Boots.”
    Annie took the orange and white one. “This is Squeak, because she’s squeaking!”
    â€œThey’ll be all right, won’t they?” Lila asked. “They’re so small.”
    â€œI’ll tell you a little story,” Mom said. “When I was born, in 1898, I weighed only two pounds.”
    â€œTwo pounds?” Annie said. “I weighed seven pounds when I was born.”
    â€œI was so small that my arm fit inside my father’s wedding ring, and he could hold me in the palm of his hand.”
    Annie’s and Lila’s eyes got huge.
    â€œMy mother wrapped me in cotton batting and put me in the warming oven.”
    Annie swivelled to look at the warming oven over the coal stove. “In there?!”
    â€œIt was warm and quiet and dark. I must have thought I was still in my mother’s womb. So remember, it’s not how big you are that makes you strong. Your heart is a mighty thing.” Mom rose from her chair. “Your babies are going to need feeding. I’ll warm some milk and you two get a box and make a comfy bed for them. There are old towels in the porch you can use.”
    After that, Lila was over all the time, but it was hard to say goodbye to her at night. Annie knew she didn’t want to go home to Mrs. Butts and leave Boots behind.
    And then Annie noticed that whenever Lila thought she wasn’t looking, she’d sneak a cookie or a muffin from the racks of goodies cooling in the pantry. Her mother brought it up one day as she peeled apples at the kitchen