Twirling Tails #7 Read online

  The moment they were alone, Kirsten sank onto a bench. “Oh heck. Now what am I going to do? I’m sorry, Storm. I should have asked if you wanted to be our mascot. We can forget the whole idea. I’ll think up some excuse to tell Molly.”

  “Wait, Kirsten,” Storm yapped, his large, midnight blue eyes glinting. “What would I have to do?”

  “Well, you’d have to wear a little uniform in the group’s colors and walk beside me as I march in the parade. Mascots are supposed to bring good luck,” Kirsten explained.

  Storm showed his sharp little teeth in a grin. “That sounds good. I would like to try!”

  “You would? That’s amazing!” Kirsten said delightedly. She quickly pulled on her T-shirt and short pleated skirt. “Now we have to convince Molly that you’re the right puppy for the job. I’ll talk you through the routine as I do it. Okay?”

  As Kirsten returned to the gym with Storm, she could feel her palms sweating. Despite the little puppy’s eagerness, she was really nervous about messing up in front of everyone.

  The door opened as more girls arrived for practice. Kirsten saw Tracy come in. Helena was just behind her.

  Kirsten groaned inwardly. That’s all she needed.

  “Quiet, please, everyone,” Molly called out. “Ready, Kirsten?” she said, placing a CD into the player.

  Kirsten felt her face growing hot, but she forced herself to concentrate. She struck a pose and smiled encouragingly at Storm. He was looking up at her with his ears pricked, awaiting instructions.

  As the intro music rang out, Kirsten began the routine. “Okay, forward, left wheel. Follow me . . .” she instructed Storm.

  Storm lifted his chin, picked up his paws and marched confidently beside her.

  Kirsten’s baton flashed as she twirled it expertly, while high-stepping in time to the music. Storm followed her every word and wheeled back and forth as she did the complicated routine.

  As the music faded, Kirsten stopped. Beside her, Storm stretched out one front paw and dipped his head in a bow.

  A chorus of cheers rang out, followed by a burst of applause. Kirsten was shocked to see that even Tracy and Helena were clapping enthusiastically.

  Molly came over to congratulate her. “You were right, Kirsten. Storm will be a wonderful mascot for us. We’ll have to see about getting him a uniform. Do you think you’ll be able to bring him to practice regularly, so that he can get used to marching with the whole troupe?”

  Kirsten glanced across at Storm, who was rolling on his back so that he could have his tummy rubbed by two majorettes. “I think I might have trouble actually keeping him away!”

  Chapter SIX

  As Tracy came over, Kirsten prepared herself to apologize again for soaking her in class earlier.

  But her friend seemed to have forgotten all about it. She bent down to pet Storm. “Hello, boy. Aren’t you cute?” She looked up at Kirsten. “Is he one of the strays your mom and dad are always trying to find homes for?”

  Kirsten nodded, and spotted Helena wandering over to join them. “He’s a new one. Storm’s a really special little pup.” She smiled secretly to herself, imagining the look on Tracy’s face if she could have known how special Storm really was. “I’m hoping Mom will let me keep him. I’m waiting for the right time to ask her.”

  “I wouldn’t mind having a new puppy,” Helena said wistfully. “But my mom doesn’t like pets. She says they’re messy and taking care of them takes up too much time.”

  “That’s a shame,” Kirsten said. “I couldn’t imagine not having a pet.”

  “You’re really lucky to be able to take care of all kinds of different puppies,” Helena went on. “What kind is Storm? Is he a mutt?”

  Kirsten smiled. “No. But I wouldn’t mind if he was. He’s a Border terrier.”

  “I’ve never heard of those,” Helena said, looking interested. “Are they rare?”

  “I’m not sure. You’d have to ask my mom. She’s the expert,” Kirsten said. Helena seems to like puppies almost as much as I do, she thought with surprise.

  Helena bent down to stroke Storm. “Hello, little fella!”

  At first Storm eyed Helena warily but then he allowed her to pat him and began slowly wagging his tail. Kirsten noticed that Storm seemed to be slightly warming toward Helena.

  “I guess we really should do some work,” Kirsten said eventually to Tracy as Helena stood up again.

  Tracy nodded. “Will you be okay by yourself, Helena?”

  “I’ll be fine watching. Can I watch Storm, if he’s not practicing with you all the time?” Helena said.

  Kirsten was about to say that Storm didn’t need looking after, but when she glanced at him, he gave a small woof of agreement.

  “Sure. Why not,” Kirsten said generously. Storm was with her all day. It wouldn’t hurt for Helena to share him for a few minutes.

  The rest of practice went well. Tracy worked hard, earning herself some praise from Molly, and Storm followed all the routines perfectly. Kirsten noticed that Helena was sitting watching everything closely. She was unusually quiet.

  Mr. Blake called in just as practice ended. He was passing the gym and wondered if Kirsten and Storm wanted a ride home.

  “Can we take Tracy and Helena, too?” Kirsten asked, deciding to try not to be so suspicious of Helena all the time.

  They all piled into the car. Helena sat in the backseat with Tracy. “I didn’t know being a majorette was so complicated. You have to do millions of warm-ups and stretches and leg-strengthening stuff. It’s like you’re real athletes.”

  Kirsten glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “We are! You have to be really in shape to do the routines.”

  “Dad’s always telling me I should do some sports. I think I might ask Molly about joining,” Helena mused.

  Kirsten raised her eyebrows. She was starting not to mind Helena so much. But she still wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of her joining in with everything that she and Tracy did together. She decided not to say anything just now.

  When Mr. Blake stopped outside Tracy’s house, Tracy and Helena both got out.

  “Thanks for the ride,” they chorused. “See you in the morning,” Tracy called.

  “Bye!” Kirsten waved.

  Once they got home, Kirsten asked her mom and dad if they’d like some hot chocolate. She spooned chocolate powder into three mugs. While she was waiting for the teapot to boil, she rummaged in a cabinet and found a tasty, bone-shaped dog chew for Storm.

  “Here you go. You deserve a yummy treat. I was so proud of you at practice,” she told him.

  “I enjoyed being a mascot,” Storm yapped.

  He bounced forward onto his short front legs and grabbed the chew. Picking it up, he trotted around the kitchen with both ends of it sticking out of his mouth.

  Kirsten made the drinks and put them on a tray. She laughed as Storm followed her into the sitting room with his prize. “You’d better sit on your old blanket to eat that or Mom’ll go nuts!” she whispered.

  Kirsten jogged across the school playing field a few mornings later with Storm trotting along invisibly beside her.

  Miss Strong was already on the hockey field handing out yellow and green sashes and organizing the class into teams. Kirsten was in the Greens and Tracy and Helena were in the Yellows.

  “Kirsten and Tracy, you’re center forwards, so you’ll face off for the ball.” Miss Strong looked around, checking that everyone was in position.

  Kirsten flexed her knees as she faced Tracy on the center line.

  Storm began leaping around her ankles excitedly. “Tell me what to do and I will follow you, Kirsten!” he yapped so that only Kirsten heard him.

  With a tingle of alarm, it dawned on Kirsten that Storm thought playing field hockey was like a majorette routine. He didn’t realize that he could be kicked by a player or hit by a hockey stick. She couldn’t warn him of the danger with everyone so close.

  Miss Strong picked up the whistle dangling
by a cord around her neck.

  Phee-eep! The game was on.

  Kirsten won the face-off. She ran down the field, hoping to get away from the other players. Once she was out of earshot, she’d be able to tell Storm to get off the field.

  Storm gave a joyful bark and dashed after Kirsten, his strong little legs eating up the grass. Kirsten glanced sideways at him as she ran with the ball, but Helena was pounding after her and she still couldn’t warn Storm of the danger.

  “To me, Kirsten!” one of the players cried.

  “Come on, Yellows. Tackle her!”

  Helena dodged forward. She tackled Kirsten and won the ball. Lifting her stick, Helena swiveled, about to send the ball out to a winger.

  Kirsten gasped with horror as Storm dashed forward and stood in front of Helena. He was right in the path of the rock-hard hockey ball.

  Chapter SEVEN

  “Look out!” Quick as a flash, Kirsten dropped her stick and shoved against Helena with her whole body.

  “Oh!” Helena skidded and only just managed to stop herself from falling over. Her hockey stick slammed down, missing the ball.

  Pheep! Miss Strong blew the whistle for a foul as she ran toward them. “I saw that, Kirsten! You did it deliberately. I will not tolerate this behavior. Go and get changed and wait for me in the classroom.”

  Helena stood there with a hurt expression on her face. She looked more upset than angry.

  Kirsten felt terrible, but at least Storm was uninjured. Her shoulders drooped as she trailed across the field.

  Tracy jogged up to her. “What happened? I thought you were starting to like Helena.”

  “I was . . . I am . . .” Kirsten said.

  “Well, you’ve got a funny way of showing it!”

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt Helena, honest!” Kirsten protested. “But I couldn’t help it—” She stopped. There was nothing else she could say without giving away Storm’s secret. “I can’t explain. But you have to believe me.”

  Tracy looked puzzled. “I don’t know, Kirsten . . .”

  Sighing heavily, Kirsten left the field and headed for the changing rooms.

  Storm bounded after her. “Thank you for saving me, Kirsten,” he panted. “But now you are in even more trouble because of me.”

  “I’ll live with it,” Kirsten said resignedly. “It’s more important that you’re okay. It was my fault, anyway. I should have warned you to stay off the hockey field. Don’t worry, Miss Strong will probably make me write out a hundred lines or clean the art cabinet. It’s no big deal.”

  But the teacher decided on a more serious punishment.

  “Detention!” Kirsten cried, gaping at her. “But I can’t stay behind after school, Miss. I’ve got majorette practice.”

  “I’m afraid you should have thought of that earlier,” Miss Strong said firmly, adjusting her glasses—today they were bright red. “I’ll let your parents know that you’ll be home late.”

  At the end of the day’s lessons, Kirsten sat with her chin propped in her hands as everyone filed out of class.

  “Bad luck,” Helena said as she passed Kirsten’s desk. “No hard feelings, eh?” And for once, she sounded as if she meant it.

  “Thanks,” Kirsten said, managing a half-smile. Helena was being really fair about this and Kirsten realized that she’d stopped minding so much about Helena becoming best friends with her and Tracy. Maybe it could work—if she hadn’t now messed things up.

  Miss Strong picked up a pile of papers from her desk. “I have a few things to do in the staff room. I won’t be long. Continue working on your art project, please.” She went out and closed the classroom door behind her.

  Kirsten groaned. “Now what am I going to do? I can’t afford to miss practice. There’re only a few left before the town parade.”

  Storm’s furry face lit up. “I have an idea!”

  Kirsten felt a familiar prickling sensation down her spine as bright gold sparks danced in Storm’s shaggy, light brown fur and his bristly whiskers glowed with electricity.

  There was a bright flash and a silent explosion of sparks. Pop! Kirsten’s CD player appeared out of thin air and floated on to the floor. Crack! Her baton clattered down beside the CD player. Rustle! Her school uniform was magically transformed into a T-shirt, a short pleated skirt, and sneakers.

  Kirsten beamed at her tiny friend. “Thanks, Storm. You’re amazing!”

  She switched on the CD player at a low volume so no one would overhear, and the intro music softly started. For the next twenty minutes or so, Kirsten and Storm marched up and down and around the empty classroom. The tiny puppy knew the routine now and Kirsten hardly needed to tell him what to do.

  “That was great,” Kirsten puffed, flexing her fingers after all the baton twirling. “I can’t wait until we’re marching in the real parade! Let’s do one more run-through before Miss Strong comes back.”

  Storm suddenly froze and his ears twitched. “I think she is coming now!”

  Waving a paw, he sent another spray of golden sparks through the air. Crackle! The CD player and baton disappeared instantly and Kirsten was, once again, wearing her school uniform.

  As the classroom door began to open, Kirsten realized that she was nowhere near her desk where she was supposed to be working on her project. “Uh-oh, Miss Strong’s going to go bananas. I’ll probably get triple detention now!”

  There was a sudden mega-whoosh of movement and Kirsten felt herself flying through the air.

  “Oof!” She landed in her chair with a bump.

  She was only just in time. Miss Strong’s small, neat figure appeared in the doorway.

  “You can clean up your things and go now, Kirsten. I think I’ve made my point. Let’s have no more of this silly behavior. It’s just not like you.”

  “No, Miss. Thanks,” Kirsten said in a subdued voice.

  Storm had a mischievous look on his face. He had obviously really enjoyed their practice session and was disappointed that it had been cut short. Leaping up to balance on his back legs, he began pirouetting toward the door.

  A big bubble of laughter threatened to burst from Kirsten’s lips. She stuffed her work into her school bag and ran into the hallway.

  Chapter EIGHT

  Luckily Kirsten’s mom and dad weren’t too annoyed with her for getting detention and accepted her explanation that it was all a mistake.

  “You don’t have a mean bone in your body, Kirsten Blake,” her dad said. “Even if you do have a one-track mind about being in the majorettes!”

  “Me?” Kirsten made her eyes all big. “I don’t know what you mean,” she joked.

  They all laughed as they settled down to dinner.

  Kirsten’s mom spotted Storm sitting beside Kirsten’s chair. She shook her head. “You know I can never find that puppy when you’re at school. He doesn’t come out of hiding, however much I call him or waft a dish of food around. But it’s amazing how he always appears the second you come home.”

  “Amazing,” Kirsten echoed innocently, around a mouthful of macaroni and cheese.

  A couple of evenings later, Molly called. She wanted Storm’s measurements for his costume. Kirsten said she’d get them and then call her back.

  As soon as she’d hung up, Kirsten searched out her mom’s tape measure. She lifted Storm up onto a table and then looped the tape around his compact little body.

  Storm wagged his tail and tried to twist around to lick her face.

  “Hey! Stop wriggling! This is like a juggling act!” Kirsten was struggling to hold the ends of the tape together with one hand while jotting figures on to a piece of paper with the other.

  Finally it was done. “I’ll give these measurements to Molly. I can’t wait to see your costume!”

  On the following Saturday afternoon, Kirsten decided to take Storm for a walk before meeting up with Tracy and Helena at a row of stores along the main road. A new fast food place called Smoothers had just opened. They had planned to have a mil
kshake with their allowance money before going to practice.

  “I don’t mind about Helena joining the Limelight Majorettes,” Kirsten told Storm. “I thought she’d just come along to mess around, but she seems serious about it. I heard Molly saying that she thinks Helena’s going to be really good.”

  “I am glad that you are good friends with Helena now,” Storm woofed.

  We’re almost there, Kirsten thought, a small smile on her face.

  Kirsten said her good-byes to her parents and then she and Storm set off. They headed to a short alleyway that led to a field at the back of some houses. The fences of all the backyards backed on to the field.

  Storm sniffed around in the grass, seeking out interesting smells and then raced around enjoying himself. He found a muddy twig and held it in his little front paws to chew one end.

  Suddenly, Kirsten heard loud growling and barking coming from behind one of the wooden fences. A noise like scratching claws filled the air as the unseen dogs tried to get into the field.

  Storm yelped and dropped the twig. He rushed over to Kirsten and crouched beside her, trembling from head to foot.

  “What’s wrong? Have you hurt your mouth on that wood?” Kirsten said worriedly. She picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

  Storm’s midnight blue eyes widened in terror. “Shadow knows where I am. He has used his magic on those dogs. They are trying to get to me.”

  Kirsten’s heart missed a beat as she realized that her friend was in great danger. Her mind whirled as she tried to think of the best thing to do. “That’s a pretty high fence. I don’t think they can get over,” she judged. “But you’d better hide in my bag, just in case. We’re leaving, right now!”

  Kirsten opened her shoulder bag and tucked the terrified puppy inside. Storm immediately curled up into a tight ball and lay there shaking.

  Her pulse racing, Kirsten jogged back toward the alleyway. She clutched her bag tightly so that Storm wasn’t jostled around too much.