Night of the Werecat Read Free Page A

beautiful cats she had seen that day. Cats that would never be hers.
    At least I can dream about them, she thought as she fell asleep.
    Later that night Wendy woke up suddenly. A bright light shone through the window. She glanced at her bedside clock and noticed that it was one minute to midnight.
    What was that light? Wendy got up and peered through the window. She could see the moon rising through the old oak tree in the side yard.
    Weird, she thought. The moonlight never woke her up before. Was it always that bright? She started to climb back into bed when she felt a warm spot on her chest. She glanced down. The cat charm seemed to be glowing with a greenish inner light.
    She held it between her fingers, trying to get a better look at the glowing light. Her fingertips tingled where she touched the charm.
    What is going on? Wendy wondered.
    The tingling spread. From her fingers into her hands and up her arms. A strange itchy feeling moved down her back and chest, covering her whole body. She felt warm all over.
    I must be getting sick , she told herself. That’s it. I’m sick.
    But this didn’t feel like any flu or cold she had ever had before. Besides, Wendy didn’t feel sick, exactly. Just . . . peculiar. Then her fingertips began to ache. What would make that happen? she wondered.
    All ten of her fingers throbbed now. Her fingernails actually hurt. Puzzled, she held them up to her face.
    In the bright moonlight she could see that her fingernails were very long, much longer than she remembered them. How could they have grown so fast?
    Wendy’s heart began to beat faster. What’s happening to me?
    She took a closer look at her hands.
    Fear rose in her throat. Fear so strong it almost choked her.
    Sprouting from the tips of her fingers weren’t fingernails.
    They were long, sharp, curved claws.

4

    â€œN o!” Wendy whispered in horror.
    Wendy couldn’t tear her eyes away. She could see the claws grow longer. Her fingers started to shrink—becoming shorter and thicker. Her stomach churned as she watched long reddish-blond hair sprout on the backs of her hands.
    She tried to move her fingers but couldn’t. They had fused together. Her hands looked exactly like paws!
    Her whole body itched. She glanced down. Fur was growing on her arms, her legs, her chest. Everywhere!
    Her ears tickled. She reached up with her furry paws to touch them. Her ears were changing shape. And somehow they had moved to the top of her head.
    What is happening to me? Wendy thought. Sheshut her eyes, too terrified to watch the terrible changes taking place.
    She felt her face twist as her nose and mouth moved closer together. The inside of her mouth became dry and strange. She touched her teeth with her tongue. Her teeth were now sharp and pointed.
    â€œNo!” she cried aloud. But this time the word came out as Noooooowwwww!
    Wendy’s heart pounded so hard she could hear it. She tried to sit up. Her balance was all wrong, and she fell off the bed. But instead of landing on her back, she landed on her feet—all four feet!
    Terrified, Wendy jumped up on her dresser and gazed into the mirror.
    She couldn’t believe it. This must be a dream.
    A cat gazed back at her.
    A tawny-colored cat with a white star on its forehead.
    Wendy turned her head. The cat in the mirror turned, too. When she lifted her hand, it lifted its front paw.
    It can’t be! Wendy thought. It can’t!
    But she knew the truth.
    The cat in the mirror was Wendy.
    Wendy was a cat.
    A cat with a white spot on its forehead.
    Mrs. Bast’s words echoed in her mind. “The white star is the mark of the werecat.”
    I’m a werecat! Wendy realized.
    The necklace she wore transformed into a tightlyfitting silver collar with the metal werecat charm embedded in the front.
    I’m trapped! Wendy thought. What will I do?
    Her heart beat so quickly Wendy thought it might explode. She arched her back, watching