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Every time he padded into a room, it seemed to have changed. Furniture kept moving around and the flat even smelled different, he was sure. This morning, Mum had whipped his food bowl away as soon as he’d finished eating – she hadn’t even given him time to wash his whiskers. The blanket that he liked to lie on along the back of the sofa had disappeared too and there were no baskets of washing around to sleep in. Everywhere he looked something was wrong and he hated it.

He marched crossly over to Harper, ears flattened and tail whipping, and rubbed the side of his head against her socks. She crouched down to stroke his ears, just the way he liked, but she wasn’t looking at him, she was still talking to Mum. He didn’t like the way her voice sounded – shaky and worried.

“It’s going to be so weird. Coming home to Gran’s house after school.”

“It’s strange for me as well, Harper. I know it’s a huge change.” Mum sounded different too and Sammy edged away a little.

[Êàðòèíêà: img_11]

“I’m getting my new room today!” Ava screeched, jumping from the bottom step of the stairs and throwing her arms round Mum’s waist.

Sammy darted back, his tail fluffing up wildly. Harper and Mum were laughing, but there was an odd feeling in the air, he was sure of it. Everything felt jangly and sharp, and it was frightening him.

He slipped in between two of the huge boxes, squeezing into the narrow space. It was better, there in the dark. He watched Harper and Ava and Mum set out for school, and he hoped and hoped that everything would be right again when they came back.

[Êàðòèíêà: img_12]

Sammy had been in his cat basket a few times– that first terrifying journey back from the shelter, which he hardly remembered, and then to the vet for his jabs. He hated it every time. He was bigger now than when he’d first travelled in the basket, and braver, so he’d wriggled and squirmed and almost managed to duck under Mum’s hands, but she’d got the wire door closed just before he managed to dart out of it.

Sammy yowled furiously for most of the drive. He was expecting to be at the vet’s again when they got out of the car, but it was somewhere entirely new. He stalked out of the basket, stiff-legged and angry. There was a tiled kitchen floor and piles of boxes everywhere, again!

“Hey, Sammy… It’s OK. Don’t worry…”

Sammy glanced up at Mum. Where were they, and why was Mum here, but not Harper or Ava? What was going on? He was so cross that the fur lifted up all along his spine.

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon,” Mum said gently, and she stroked him, smoothing down the fluffed-up fur and making him feel a little better. He rubbed his chin against her hand and closed his eyes against the strangeness for a moment. She was familiar, at least. Mum fussed around with boxes while Sammy sniffed cautiously at things in the kitchen.

“Here you are, kitten,” Mum said, putting his water bowl down next to him. Sammy stared at it. That was his bowl, the bowl he drank from every day at home. What was it doing here?

“Let’s give you a little bit of the special food as well,” Mum murmured. “That expensive stuff in the tins that Harper and Ava wanted to get for you. I found it when I was clearing out the kitchen cupboards…” She rummaged in a box on the table for a moment and then put Sammy’s food bowl down in front of him, with something that smelled strong and delicious. But Sammy backed away from her. He was hungry, but he didn’t want to eat here. This felt all wrong…

“Oh, Sammy.” Mum looked at him worriedly. “Harper and Ava will be back soon, perhaps that’ll cheer you up.”

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Sammy retreated under the kitchen table, where he thought no one could reach him. He sat there all hunched up, glaring at Mum’s feet as she hurried around, opening boxes. More things that seemed familiar appeared – there were smells he recognized, smells of home. Why were all these home things here, when this was not home?

When Mum left the kitchen, pulling on the coat she’d left over the back of a chair, Sammy edged out after her, wondering if she was going home. Wasn’t she going to take him too? He mewed worriedly at her and Mum darted over to give him one last quick pat.

“Back soon, Sammy. I’m going to pick up Gran from the hospital and then get the girls from school. I’ve got to go, I’ll be late!”

She hurried out, banging the door hard behind her, and Sammy was left alone, staring around him in bewilderment.

At last he padded back down the hallway, peeping into rooms and sneezing at the dusty furniture. The house felt big, and empty, and wrong…

[Êàðòèíêà: img_6]

Harper wasn’t sure what to feel when she and Ava got out of school. She was excited and worried and sad all at once.