Kitten Smitten Read Online Free Page B

insanity and my worries of escaping felines immediately forgotten in my eagerness to show off my new kitten.
( MY new kitten! How cool did that sound?)
    ‘Hi! Come and see this!’ I said, flinging out an arm in the direction of the kitchen. I grabbed Jazz by the elbow and propelled her into the house, automatically checking all doors
and windows and slamming the front door shut behind her.
    ‘Whoa! What’s up?’ Jazz hurtled down the hall after me.
    I got to the kitchen door then turned and put a finger to my lips. ‘You’ll scare her if you make too much noise,’ I said, my voice low. ‘And watch where you put your
feet.’
    Jazz was shaking her head at me and making a face that quite clearly said, ‘You are an out-and-out ultra-stressy nutcase.’
    I opened the door a crack and scouted round to make sure Jaffa wasn’t going to make a break for it or get squashed. No sign of her directly in my line of vision. I took a deep breath and
hissed, ‘Ready?’ to Jazz. She shrugged and half nodded, so I grabbed her arm again and whizzed her in behind me.
    I dropped down on to my hands and knees and gestured to Jazz to do the same. ‘Ber-tiiiie!’ she wailed. ‘What is it with all this Alex Rider rubbish? Get up, can’t you?
I’ve got my best black jeans on!’
    I pulled down the corners of my mouth in disgust. ‘Get a life, Jazz. I want to show you something much better than your stupid jeans. Under here – look.’
    Curiosity overcoming her annoyance, Jazz joined me down on the floor and peered under the radiator. A sweet little orange and white face peered worriedly back, the huge unblinking blue eyes
flashing with fear and trepidation. My heart swelled so much I thought I might choke.
    ‘Oh. A kitten,’ Jazz said, sounding distinctly underwhelmed. ‘What’s she doing under there?’ She reached out and tried to touch Jaffa, but the tiny cat backed away
and her face creased up into an expression of such total anxiety that I felt I must look like a monster looming over her like that.
    ‘Hey, maybe we should let her come out in her own time,’ I said cautiously.
    ‘Why won’t she let me touch her?’ Jazz said accusingly. ‘What is it with me and cats? First Kaboodle and now this one.’
    It was true Kaboodle had never exactly been fond of Jazz, but I couldn’t prevent my hackles from rising. I felt incredibly overprotective of my little cat. Trust Jazz to get on the wrong
side of Jaffa already.
    ‘I think you’ve just got to give her time to get used to you. She’s a real softie, aren’t you, Jaffsie?’ I coaxed, pressing my face closer to the floor to make my
head level with hers. ‘Hey, why don’t you come out?’ I reached one hand towards her to try and stroke her, to reassure her.

    Her eyes widened in alarm as my hand crept towards her and in a sudden streak of bright orange, she shot out from under the radiator like a flame and headed for the utility room. Jazz and I
scrambled to our feet and scuttled after her. There was nowhere to hide in there, so the kitten threw herself into the air in a wild attempt to shin up on to a cupboard, but she missed her footing
and slid back to the floor. I swiftly scooped her up before she could rush at the cupboard again. She must have been a bit dazed from her fall, because she shook her head and blinked and then sat
in the palm of my hand and let out another silent mew that seemed to go on for ages, her mouth stretched wide and her whiskers stiff with fear.
    Jazz hadn’t seemed to notice, however. ‘So – can I hold her, or what? Only, this is getting a bit . . .’ she yawned extravagantly, ‘. . . bor-ing .’
    I frowned at Jazz and turned my attention to the poor little kitten. ‘Are you frightened?’ I asked softly.
    Jaffa looked up at me. I gasped. ‘Did you see that?’ I hissed at Jazz. ‘She nodded!’
    ‘Yeah, yeah,’ said Jazz, inspecting her chewed-off nails, painted a petrol-blue today, I noted. ‘And she told me