Spy Cat Read Online Free Page A

box in the street and left it there and the box was moving and when I looked inside, there was a kitten!”
    “A purple-and-gold kitten,” Alex told Rocky as he dribbled toward the basket.
    “One that plays the clarinet,” Rocky said.
    “While it flies over the trees.” Alex shot, missed, and got his own rebound.
    “Hey!” Rocky said, pointing to Benjie. “He really does have a kitten.”
    Alex dropped the basketball and looked at his brother. He and Rocky followed Benjie inside, where Benjie was telling his parents what had happened.
    “Can I keep it?” Benjie said.
    “We already have a cat,” Mrs. Kendrill said.
    “
That’s right
,”
said Pete.
“
You already have the perfectcat
,
who deserves to be the only pampered pet in the family
,
so don’t even think about keeping that one.
”
    “Pete is really Alex’s cat,” Benjie said. “Alex got to choose him at the humane society, and Alex got to name him, and Pete always sleeps with Alex. I want a pet of my own that I get to name.”
    “Pete is your cat, too,” Mr. Kendrill said. “He’s a family pet.”
    “Pete runs away or hides under the table when he sees me,” Benjie said.
    “Pete only hides when you shout or slam the door,” Mrs. Kendrill said.
    Which is most of the time
,
Pete thought.
    “Please?” Benjie begged. “The kitten is so cute.”
    “All baby animals are cute,” Mr. Kendrill said, “but they grow up quickly.”
    “
I’m plenty of cat for two boys
,”
Pete said.
“
Look at me!
”
He flopped on his side
,
then stretched out to his full length.
“
I could easily be two cats in one skin.
”
    “Alex, did you take Pete for his walk?” Mrs. Kendrill asked.
    “Yes. I had him outside for nearly an hour.”
    “Then why is he meowing?”
    “Maybe he wants to see the kitten,” Benjie said. He walked to where Pete lay and set the kitten on the floor.
    Pete jumped to his feet.
    “Oh, it is adorable,” Mrs. Kendrill said. “Look at those tiny paws and that sweet face.”
    Pete looked. Then he sniffed. Pe-uw! The kitten was seriously in need of a good bath. Pete sighed. Knowing how inept the humans were in such matters
,
he supposed he would have to do it himself. He put one paw on the kitten’s back
,
to hold it still
,
and began licking its ears.

4
    L ook,” Alex said. “Pete’s grooming the kitten.” “He likes the kitty,” Benjie said. “He wants us to keep it.”
    “
I didn’t say that
,”
Pete said.
“
I’m only washing her so she won’t stink.
”
He continued licking the kitten’s ears. When they were clean
,
he licked the kitten’s face and chest.
    The kitten held still, with its eyes closed. It didn’t purr, but it kneaded its tiny claws in and out, the way Pete always did when he was happy.
    “I wonder if it’s a boy or a girl,” Rocky said.
    “
It’s a girl
,”
Pete said.
    Mrs. Kendrill picked up the kitten and looked under the tail. “It’s a girl,” she said.
    “
I told you that
,”
Pete said.
“
Nobody listens to me.
”
    Mrs. Kendrill didn’t put the kitten down right away. Instead, she held it up under her chin and cuddled it.
    “I’ll take care of her,” Benjie said. “I’ll feed her andbrush her and she can sleep on my bed. I’ll play with her every day.”
    “
She isn’t getting any of MY food
,”
Pete said.
    “See?” Benjie said. “Pete wants to keep her, too.”
    That was just like a human
,
to twist words around so that they appeared to mean something entirely different from what the speaker had intended. Still
,
the kitten was small and helpless. Pete had been that little once
,
with no one to take care of him. If Alex hadn’t selected him at the humane society
,
Pete didn’t know where he would have ended up. Given Pete’s own history
,
it didn’t seem right to deny the kitten a home.
    “
Oh
,
all right
,”
Pete said.
“
I suppose you can keep her if she stays out of my way—and out of my bowl.
”
    “She’s free,” Benjie said. “We don’t have