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“Do you think he’ll be all right?” Ben asked miserably. “I just don’t see where he can be!”

Olivia stood up again, and went to check behind the curtains, but then she stopped.“Rob forgot his lunchbox,” she said slowly, pointing at a Star Wars lunchbox down by the side of the sofa. “And a load of his books, look. His reading record and everything…”

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Ben frowned.“Why would he take all that stuff out of his bag?”

“His bag… He was carrying it in a funny way.” Olivia stared at Ben, her eyes wide. “Ben, he didn’t let Smudge out, hestole him! Rob put Smudge in his school bag and took him home!”

“Don’t be stupid,” Ben said, but he was chewing his thumbnail worriedly. “He wouldn’t…What’s he going to do, hide Smudge in his room? I know he really wanted a pet, but he wouldn’t steal our cat…”

“I bet you he did,” Olivia told him grimly. She heard the sound of the key in the lock, and rushed out into the hallway. “Mum! We think we know where Smudge is!”

Chapter Six

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Smudge gazed around the room. He had no idea where he was, but he knew this wasn’t home and he wanted to get away. His ears were laid back, listening for footsteps. But no one was coming. He had to get out and find Olivia. He shook his head, feeling dazed from bumping around in the bag. His nose was still full of the smell of ham sandwich, and the musty scent of the inside of the bag, but there was something else…

The window was open! Smudge’s eyes widened a little.

Rob’s bed was pushed up against the wall. If he could jump on to that, it was only a little climb to the windowsill. But the bed was very high up. Much higher than the steps on the stairs he’d struggled with. Smudge glanced anxiously round at the door. He was sure the boy would be back soon. He had to be quick. With a huge effort, he ran at the bed, hooking his claws into the duvet cover and scrabbling upwards furiously. From the top of the bed it didn’t look such a small climb to the windowsill after all, but Rob had nice long curtains. Smudge raced up them, his heart hammering, leaving apattern of little hooked loops all the way up. And then he scrambled up on to the windowsill.

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He peered out of the open window, his nose twitching, trying to see where to go next. But below him was only a straight wall down to the garden. Smudge teetered on the edge of the window, his tail flicking anxiously back and forth. He had to get out, and this was the only way. He edged a little further, on to the outside windowsill. He could see all the way along the garden, and he was sure that if he could get down there, he could find his way back to Olivia somehow. But it was a long way to jump… He paced up and down, mewing pitifully. He was cold, out there on the windowsill. The sky was darkening, and there was a chill wind ruffling his fur. It shook the branches of the tree in the corner of the garden, and they kept tapping against the wall and scraping the windowsill.

Smudge crouched on the windowsill, shivering, and watching the twigs brushing against the wall. It was the only way down, but the branches were like thin little fingers. He had never climbed a tree, and certainly never climbeddown one.

Suddenly, Smudge whipped round. He could hear the door handle turning. He had to go now! He sprang on to the nearest branch that looked strong enough to hold him, and mewed with fright as it wobbled and dipped underneath him. He clung on desperately, digging his claws into the bark, and wailed as a gust of wind shook the tree again.

He scrabbled his way along the branch towards the tree trunk, and skidded and bumped down to the fence, where he perched, mewing with fright. It was a very narrow fence, but at least it wasn’t shaking – or not as much as the tree had been.

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Smudge teetered, trying to work out which way to jump. Back into the garden? But then the boy might come and find him. So, down the other side of the fence? There was long grass down there that looked soft enough to jump on to. But he had no idea where the alley went, or if it would lead back to Olivia. There were only a few battered-looking garages.

He jumped, bouncing down the side of the fence, and landing in a flurry of paws on the soft grass. Now where should he go?

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“Yes, Rob’s here, I’ll just get him, Ben.”

Ben put his hand over the phone receiver and nodded to Olivia and Mum.“He’s coming.”

Olivia sat forward on the sofa, trying to listen, and Ben rolled his eyes and pressed the speakerphone button. Rob’s voice echoed out into the room.

“What is it?” He sounded jumpy and worried.

“Where’s Smudge?” Ben demanded.

“What do you mean?”

“He knows!” Olivia hissed. Rob was trying to sound as though he didn’t understand, but he wasn’t very good at it.

“We found all your stuff. You took him away in your school bag, didn’t you?” Ben said angrily.