Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst

Author:Sarah Beth Durst
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780358063629
Publisher: HMH Books
Published: 2020-06-09T00:00:00+00:00

 Chapter 11

THE SIRENS DREW CLOSER.

“Go, go, go!” Zoe hissed to Pipsqueak.

They darted out of the school and across the soccer field. On the opposite side of the field were woods. If they could reach them before the police got there and saw the giant cat . . . “Faster!” she urged.

As the sirens wailed, Pipsqueak jumped over the fence that surrounded the school yard and plunged into the woods. She plowed between the trees, trampling the underbrush. Branches smacked into Zoe’s arms, and she ducked low, clutching the shoebox to her chest, protecting it as best she could.

Behind them, the sirens stopped.

Pipsqueak finally slowed.

“Did we lose them?” Harrison asked.

“I think they reached the school,” Zoe said. “They probably got out to talk to the woman who called them.” Her heart was pounding so hard it nearly hurt. “With luck, they won’t believe what she saw.”

“She was afraid of me,” Pipsqueak said. “Because I’m scarily huge.”

“Because she didn’t know how sweet and adorable you are under all the fuzz,” Zoe said. “And you were near her kid. She wants to protect him like I want to protect you. Even if he doesn’t really need protecting. He was excited when he saw you.”

Pipsqueak’s ears perked forward. “You’re right. He wasn’t scared of me.”

“I swear he cheered when you ran,” Harrison said. “It was pretty awesome how you were able to run us out of there so fast. You couldn’t have done that if you were your old size.”

“That’s true too,” Pipsqueak said.

The woods weren’t very deep. Already Zoe could see the outline of houses through the trees. Maybe it was shadowy enough in between the trees to hide them.

Still no more sirens. We did it! We escaped!

Zoe felt jittery, as if butterflies were dancing on her skin. She’d never felt so nervous and excited, tingling inside and out. “This is it! We’re going north, to Aunt Alecia’s!”

“Actually . . .” Harrison pointed toward the dark pink and blue-gray clouds that framed the setting sun. “We’re going south.”

“Hmm, oh, sorry.” Sounding embarrassed, Pipsqueak switched directions, knocking over bushes as she turned one hundred and eighty degrees. “There was a bird . . . Never mind. Now we’re going north.”

And we’re off, Zoe thought.

A few cars were on the street, and there weren’t as many places to hide as there had been between her house and the school. “Keep to the backyards,” Zoe suggested.

It was inching closer to evening. More people were home, watching TV or starting to prepare dinner—Zoe could see them through their windows. She hoped no one looked out into their yard to see the shadow of a giant cat being ridden by two kids, or if they did, she hoped they convinced themselves that their eyes were playing tricks on them. Pipsqueak traveled quickly from yard to yard, stepping over fences and trampling flower gardens.

A dog barked, then whimpered.

“We’re going to be seen,” Harrison said. “We should have waited longer.”

Zoe refrained from pointing out that they hadn’t had much choice.

Pipsqueak slowed.

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