Read Online The Courage of Cat Campbell by Natasha Lowe - Free Book Online

her.
    â€œIt meant everything to them, the fact that I’d got the gift like Great-Granny Mabel.” Poppy sighed again. “And then when I didn’t want to do magic, well, they just couldn’t accept it. I was such a disappointment to them.”
    â€œOh, Mamma.” Cat clambered onto her mother’s knee. She was so tall now, her feet touched the floor, but Cat didn’t care. She loved the warmth her mother gave off, as if she had just stepped out of the oven, and the way her long dark braid always smelled of cake batter. “It’s okay,” Cat said, staring out the window. After a moment she asked, “Why didn’t you get sent to Scrubs Prison? Isn’t that where evil witches go? How come it ended up all right?”
    â€œBecause of Auntie Charlie and Marie Claire,” Poppy said. “You know Marie Claire has always been like a second mother to me, and I couldn’t wish for a better friend than Charlie.” She gave a fond smile. “They helped bring me back from the dark side. I had lost my passion for baking, you see. Without it I was bitter and sad. But as soon as I stopped being angry and starting baking, all the things I had turned to stone changed back again.” Poppy paused for a moment. “It took your grandparents a little longer than everyone else to turn back. I think they weren’t ready to accept me for who I was, but once they came around, the spell wore off, and they’ve been great ever since. Well, your grandmother still drives me up the wall sometimes, but no more than anyone else’s mother.”
    â€œDoes Dad know?”
    â€œHe does,” Poppy said. “We have no secrets from each other. Anyway, it all happened a long time ago, and I don’t like thinking about it. Which is why this has taken me off guard, Cat.” Poppy’s voice grew serious. “I wasn’t expecting you to get the gift, not after eleven years.”
    â€œNor was I,” Cat agreed. “But I’m so happy, Mamma; you’ve no idea!”
    â€œSo what happened,” Poppy asked, “in the attic?”
    Cat sensed her mother didn’t really want to hear, and as Cat told her about the spider changing color, she could feel her mother’s body stiffen.
    â€œYou should have told me yesterday, Cat. Honestly, I can’t believe your grandparents let you take my old wand! What were they thinking?”
    â€œMamma, don’t blame Gran and Grandpa. It wasn’t their fault. They didn’t know I took it,” Cat said.
    â€œWell, they’ll know soon enough from Maxine.”
    â€œI wasn’t trying to hide it from you, either,” Cat explained. “I just didn’t want to make you mad. Plus,” Cat admitted, “I was scared of telling you because I thought you might not let me apply to Ruthersfield.”
    Poppy shuddered. “I can’t imagine having anything to do with Ruthersfield Academy ever again.” The force of her words shocked Cat, and she slid off her mother’s knee.
    A knocking sound came from inside Cat’s cupboard, and Poppy started, turning to look. “Cat!” she gasped loudly, suddenly noticing the wall behind her. “ ‘Flipping fish cakes!’ ” she read. “What on earth?” Poppy stood up. “I can’t believe you did this. Why in heavens would you write on the walls?”
    â€œIt wasn’t me,” Cat tried to explain, hoping her mother wouldn’t look up, because “Mamma is going to have a fit” was still scrawled across the ceiling in loopy purple script.
    â€œThen who exactly was it, Cat? Because I will be calling his parents right now.”
    â€œNo, Mamma, you don’t understand,” Cat said, sensing this wasn’t going to end well. “I tried to make my pen write on its own last night, and it got a bit carried away.”
    â€œYou’ve been practicing magic up here?”