Night of the Werecat (2 page)

Tina turned to see the necklace. “It's pretty,” Tina agreed. “But what's that weird white spot on its face?”

“That's what I like best about it,” Wendy said. She ran her finger lightly over the white mark. It was so unusual. And the cat looked so real! “I'm going to take this,” Wendy told Mrs. Bast. She held out the charm.

The old woman glanced at the trinket and gave a startled gasp. Then she scowled. “That charm isn't for sale,” she snapped. In a quick move Mrs. Bast snatched the necklace from Wendy's hand.

Wendy was shocked. “But why not?” she blurted. “It was in the tray with all the other cat charms.”

“It's not for sale,” Mrs. Bast repeated. “And it's not a cat charm. It's a
were
cat charm. That white star on its face is the mark of the werecat.”

Werecat?
Wendy glanced at Tina. Tina raised her eyebrows.

“What's a werecat?” Tina asked.

“Have you heard of werewolves?” Mrs. Bast demanded.

“Everyone's heard of werewolves,” Wendy replied. “They're people who supposedly turn into wolves when the moon is full.”

“Werecats are the same,” Mrs. Bast said. “Only they turn into cats. Very large, very wild cats. And they do it every night, whether the moon is full or not.”

Tina snorted. “But werewolves aren't real,” she protested.

“I don't know about werewolves,” the old woman said. “But werecats are very real indeed.” She poked her head out of the booth and glanced around. Seeming satisfied no one was listening, Mrs. Bast continued. “I've seen them myself,” she whispered. “Right here in Shadyside. They prowl the Fear Street Woods.”

Wendy looked at Tina and they both smiled. They loved stories about Fear Street.

Everyone told stories about the creepy things that happened on Fear Street. But Wendy had been in the Fear Street Woods lots of times. And except for twisting her ankle once when she tripped, nothing terrifying ever happened to her! Still, she and Tina loved to hear all the Fear Street rumors.

“After midnight,” Mrs. Bast continued in her croaking voice, “that's when the werecats roam.”

“Like alley cats?” Wendy asked.

Mrs. Bast shook her head. “Not at all. You would
never mistake a werecat for an ordinary alley cat. A werecat is more daring. All its senses are sharper. It can see, smell, and hunt better. Even its balance is better than a regular cat's. Werecats are beautiful, fierce creatures.”

“My cat, Shalimar, is fierce when I don't feed him.” Tina giggled. “Maybe he's really a werecat!”

“Maybe we should bring Shalimar over to the Fear Street Woods!” Wendy joked.

“Hah!” Mrs. Bast's barking laugh made Wendy jump. “A werecat would attack your Shalimar if he got in its way. Werecats and regular cats are mortal enemies.”

“Shal can take care of himself,” Tina insisted.

“He wouldn't stand a chance with a werecat,” Mrs. Bast replied. “They run on pure instinct, and they are very powerful. And just like an ordinary cat, werecats are territorial. A werecat will defend its home to the death.”

“Why do they only appear after midnight?” Wendy asked. She didn't believe a word Mrs. Bast said, but she liked any story about cats. Especially one that included Fear Street.

“All cats are nocturnal,” Mrs. Bast explained. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But late night is the time of the werecat. And as the moon grows fuller, the werecat grows wilder. There's no way to predict what it will do.”

“But if they turn back into people by day, don't they think like humans?” Wendy demanded.

“During the month there is a bit of the human left
in a werecat,” Mrs. Bast agreed. “But when the moon is full, the human no longer has any control over the animal. And once the werecat experiences its first full moon, the transformation is complete.”

“What do you mean?” Wendy asked.

“After that first full moon the werecat inside begins to do things—even in human form. Even during the day. The human and the cat blend together.”

Mrs. Bast fell silent. Wendy thought the story was over. She glanced at Tina, and Tina rolled her eyes. She obviously thought Mrs. Bast was nuts.

But now Wendy wanted the cat charm even more. “What a cool story!” she told Mrs. Bast. “Please, I have to buy the charm now. It will be my favorite cat jewelry!” She held out a five-dollar bill.

“No!” Mrs. Bast snapped. “I cannot allow you to have it. It wouldn't be right!”

Wendy stared at the old woman. What was Mrs. Bast's problem?

“Come on, Wendy,” Tina murmured. She tugged Wendy's sleeve. “Let's go look at some more cats.”

But Wendy wouldn't give up. She wanted the charm!

“Please, Mrs. Bast—” she began again. But before she could say anything else, the white cat leaped off the counter and slipped under the curtain.

The old woman gasped. “Samantha! Come back here!” She dropped the werecat charm and hurried after the cat. Tina followed her out of the booth.

Wendy's heart stopped. The beautiful charm lay on the table. Right in front of her hand.

I found it in the five-dollar tray, Wendy told herself. There was no reason why she shouldn't have it. Besides, it wasn't as if she were
stealing.
She would pay for it.

Wendy could hear Mrs. Bast and Tina moving behind the booth. “Samantha,” Mrs. Bast crooned. “Here, sweetie.”

Her hand shaking, Wendy slowly placed the five-dollar bill on the tray. Then she grabbed the necklace and looped it around her neck. She quickly fastened it and slipped it inside her T-shirt.

She did it! She couldn't believe she actually did it! Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt a strange tingling sensation where the charm touched her skin.

“Tina!” Wendy called. “Let's go!” She wanted to get out of the booth before Mrs. Bast noticed the charm was gone. But I didn't steal it, she told herself again.

Tina popped her head into the booth.

“Let's get back to the show,” Wendy said.

Tina looked puzzled. “But—”

Wendy quickly interrupted her. “Isn't it time to meet your mom?”

Tina glanced at her watch. “Ooops,” she said. “You're right.”

“Got to go, Mrs. Bast!” Wendy called over her shoulder. She and Tina hurried back to the main hall.

Wendy stepped into the huge room, then stopped in surprise. The moment she entered the room, she heard a horrifying sound. She and Tina stood still.

A terrible wailing filled the air. Wendy shuddered. Her entire body tensed.

The sound grew louder and weirder.

A chill ran up Wendy's spine, and she clapped her hands over her ears. She couldn't stand it.

It was the most terrifying sound she had ever heard.

3

T
he screeching sound grew louder. Louder. Wendy searched the room, frantically trying to find out where the sound came from. Then her mouth dropped open in surprise.

The horrible wailing came from the caged cats!

“What's wrong with them?” Wendy cried.

“I don't know!” Tina shouted over the noise. “But it's awful! Let's get out of here.”

They ran through the exhibits, their hands covering their ears. But they could still hear the terrible sound. They raced by table after table of screeching cats. As Wendy passed Cyril's cage, a furry paw reached out and clawed her.

The moment they stepped through the exit, Wendy
heard something even stranger. Silence. The yowling had stopped.

Tina and Wendy slowly lowered their hands. They stared at each other for a moment.

“That was totally weird,” Tina finally said.

“Totally,” Wendy agreed. What could have made the cats act like that? she wondered.

*  *  *

“How was the cat show, sweetie?” Wendy's mother asked as Wendy entered the kitchen.

“It was great.” Wendy let out a huge sigh. She flopped into a chair at the table. “I saw about a hundred cats that I wanted to bring home.”

“You always want to bring cats home,” her mother teased with a warm smile. As she bent over the stove, her pale blond hair fell across her face.

“Why
can't we have a cat?” Wendy began the familiar argument. “Why don't you and Dad like them?”

“It's not that we don't like them, Wendy,” her mother replied. “It's that we don't want them in the house. There's a difference.”

“What if we kept it outside?” Wendy continued.

“Cats have a way of getting in,” Wendy's mother said firmly.

“Yeah,” Wendy's older brother Brad agreed, strolling into the kitchen. Brad was a junior in high school. His hair was black, and lately he wore it in a ponytail. “Cats are sneaky,” Brad went on. “I'd rather have an armadillo.” He pulled a half gallon of milk from the refrigerator and drank from the carton.

“Brad!” Wendy's mother scolded.

Wendy watched her brother sadly. Wendy remembered that Brad used to love cats as much as she did. But now he didn't want one, either. Wendy was outnumbered. This was a battle she would never win.

*  *  *

Standing at her mirror that night, Wendy pulled the cat necklace out from under her shirt. She stroked the cool metal. I wish it were real, Wendy thought. I wish I really had a cat.

She changed into her nightgown and crawled into bed. She patted the charm again. She thought of all the 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

“N
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.