Night of the Werecat Read Online Free Page A

joke.
    As Wendy watched the graceful cheetah on the screen, she thought of something. “Where’s Shalimar?” she asked.
    â€œI don’t know,” Tina replied. Shalimar was Tina’sSiamese cat. He was a light tan all over, except for dark fur on his face, ears, tail, and paws.
    Wendy loved to play with Shalimar. And Shal loved Wendy. Usually, whenever she visited Tina, Shal crawled over her. It was almost as good as having her own cat. Almost.
    â€œYou know, I haven’t seen Shal the whole time I’ve been here,” Wendy realized.
    â€œYou’re right,” Tina agreed. “Maybe he accidentally got shut in the basement. Put the movie on pause, and I’ll go take a look.”
    Tina hopped off the sofa and Wendy clicked the remote. Then she lay back against the leather cushions. She gazed at the frozen image on the TV screen. A tiger in the video was suspended midair, all four of its legs stretched out in a graceful leap.
    I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than a cat, Wendy thought. Big or small.
    Wendy yawned. She glanced at the clock on the mantel and saw that it was nearly midnight. She never got to stay up this late at home. Wendy took a deep breath and stretched her arms over her head. As she dropped her hands back to her lap, she realized that her fingers had begun to ache.
    And then she remembered something. Something that scared her. Her fingers had ached last night, too. Right before her werecat dream.
    Don’t be silly, she scolded herself. It was just a dream. But her heart began to hammer as the ache in her fingers got worse.
    It didn’t happen, she insisted silently. Nothing happened.
    Her skin began to itch.
    I’m imagining things, she told herself. Trembling, she forced herself to look at her hands.
    Her heart stopped.
    Long tawny-colored hairs sprouted from her skin.
    She wasn’t imagining it.
    It was happening again.
    I’m turning into a cat, Wendy realized.
    A werecat!

6

    N o! Wendy thought. This can’t be happening!
    She sat straight up. The itching began to spread. Cat hairs sprouted all over her body.
    Stop! her mind shrieked. I don’t want to turn into a cat!
    She could feel her ears grow pointed. Her face began to twist. Her body started to shrink.
    Wendy opened her mouth as wide as she could, trying to force her face to keep its human form. She tensed every muscle in her body. She clutched the leather sofa with all her strength. She had to stop the change!
    But there was nothing she could do. She was more than half cat already.
    It’s true! Last night wasn’t a dream after all Wendygripped the sofa in terror. Her claws went right through the leather material.
    Oh, no! What did I do? She stared at the torn sofa, then tried to pull away. She was stuck! Wendy tried again to free her claws. She pulled and twisted. The leather ripped loudly.
    Still her claws were tangled in the leather. Finally, desperately, Wendy gave a sharp yank, and with another rrrrippp! her claws came free.
    She stood in the middle of the torn sofa, panting from fear and effort.
    â€œI can’t find Shal anywhere,” Tina’s voice called from the hallway.
    Tina! She couldn’t let Tina see her like this!
    Wendy leaped from the couch, streaked across the floor, and jumped out the open window.
    Just as they had been the night before, all her senses were super-sharp. The moon was nearly full, and its light shone bright as day to Wendy’s cat eyes.
    Tina’s going to wonder where I went, Wendy thought. But she had no choice. She couldn’t let Tina see what she had become.
    A wild animal.
    A werecat.
    Wendy’s cat instincts began to take over. Her eyes darted back and forth as she watched tiny insects flittering in the moonlight. From far off she heard the sounds of mice burrowing in the ground.
    The moon seemed to be calling to her—telling her to prowl. Wendy jumped up onto the fence that separated the backyards. She