CHANGE - ChoonHee (the reading strategies book .TXT) 📗

“Cat, breakfast’s ready,” Elizabeth Avery called to her sleeping daughter.
“No!” Cat yelled. “It’s too early!”
“Come on, sweetheart. Just today, then you’ll have six whole weeks of sleeping when you like for as long as you like.”
“No!” came the reply from upstairs.
“Catalina Elena Avery! If you don’t get your bum out of bed now, I swear I will come up there and drag you out if I have to!”
“Uh-oh,” thought Cat. “Whenever she uses my full name she’s serious.”
Cat hesitantly got out of bed and got ready for school. She was a very pretty fifteen year old. She’d inherited her hair colour from her father – black, silky waist length, loose, wavy curls. Her dazzling green eyes were the same as her mother’s. She was also slim, flexible and very agile.
Cat and her mum lived alone in a fairly large house. Her dad, Jonathan Avery, had disappeared under mysterious circumstances around three years ago.
It had been a Wednesday, the day he’d disappeared. Jonathan had gone on his daily walk in the woods, only this time, he never came out. The police had searched for him but after a while they gave up. It was as if Jonathan had vanished off the face of the earth.
“Good morning Kitty-Cat,” Elizabeth said when Cat entered the kitchen.
“What’s so good about it?” Cat grumbled.
“Aw, you’re just grouchy because you’re sleepy. Here, I’ll make you some coffee to go with that toast.”
“Extra milky?” Cat asked.
Her mum smiled, “Of course.”

~~~~~

After breakfast Cat left the house. Her mum had already left for work, Elizabeth was the town vet. It was a beautiful Friday morning and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.
“It better stay like this for the next six weeks,” Cat thought, feeling less grouchy now.
She was walking down the road which led into town, the school was nearby. Most of the area surrounding the town was made up of the very woods that Cat’s father was last seen in. She loved walking in the woods and climbing the trees. It was one of the places she felt really comfortable.
She looked up and that was when she noticed a young boy standing just on the edge of the woods. She stopped walking. The boy was standing a couple of meters away from her. He had dark hair and grey-blue eyes, he was very good looking. He was leaning casually against a tree and was looking straight at her! She was sure she had never seen him around before.
“He must be new in town,” she thought, still holding his smoldering gaze.
She felt something brush against her leg; she looked down at her pet cat, Tiger. Tiger was a light grey one year old with dark grey stripes. He hadn’t come home that night, he’d been hunting. Cat leaned down and picked Tiger up. When she looked up she saw that the boy was gone.

~~~~~

After school Cat was walking home with her best friends. There was Christian who was tall and timid with blonde hair and blue eyes, he was always hiding behind his friends. Then there was Megan who had long red hair and light brown eyes; she was the fierce one. Cat was the feisty, energetic one. The three of them had basically grown up together.
“So, about the party,” Megan said, looking at Cat. “You’re going as well right?”
Cat shook her head, “Nah, I’m busy.”
Megan frowned, “You’re not busy, you’re just too lazy to go.”
Cat giggled, “If you want me to go so badly buy me a chocolate sundae with extra cream…on Sunday.” She giggled more, “I want to have a sundae on Sunday.”
Megan rolled her eyes, “Fine.”
They noticed that Christian was quieter than usual and stood on either side of him.
“Chris is sad,” Cat noted as she poked him gently.
Christian sighed for extra effect. He looked at the girls and said, “My parents said they’re thinking of giving Daisy up for adoption.”
Daisy was his Jack Russell puppy.
Cat took his right hand while Megan took the other.
“Tell you what,” Cat began. “Megan will buy us all sundaes on Sunday.” She patted his shoulder comfortingly.
“Fine,” Megan said again, sighing.
Cat looked at Christian, a look of determination on her face, “We’ll also do our best to convince your parents to let you keep her.”
Megan nodded in agreement.
Christian grinned, “Thanks guys.” He was grateful towards his friends; they always helped him when he was in need.
“I’m going for a walk now,” Cat told them as she headed for the woods.
“Be careful,” Megan told her.
“Yes ‘mother’,” Cat smirked. She continued walking. She felt something hit her back and turned around to see what it was. There was a small stick lying on the ground by her feet. She looked at Megan and Christian. Megan was poking her tongue out at her so Cat replied by doing the same. She turned and headed into the woods.
She smiled as she walked past the trees; she loved the mystery and beauty of the large woods.
There was a rustling sound from behind her. She quickly turned around but there was nothing there. She turned back around and the boy from earlier was standing there. She gasped, feeling startled.
The boy stared at her and she stared back.
After what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a few seconds, the boy spoke, “When a red haired man with a scar running from his scalp to his jaw knocks on your house door, do not answer." With that he turned and walked away, leaving her feeling puzzled.

Text: ChoonHee
Images: ChoonHee
Publication Date: 05-26-2012

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