Read Online Through the Tiger's Eye by Kerrie O'Connor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kerrie O'Connor
Tags: JUV000000
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Tiger-cat’s golden eyes. Instantly, she knew what the creature was thinking. She didn’t get any pictures this time, just a strong sense of anticipation and excitement . . . and something else? Hunger? Gazing into the animal’s eyes, Lucy felt her own pulse quicken. In a split second, she was eager for action. And in a weird way it made her feel peaceful.
Lucy hurried back into the kitchen. Ricardo was filling his backpack with everything he could get his hands on: peanuts, sultanas, dried apples. If he had any fear about tonight, he wasn’t showing it. His hair was spiked up again and he looked like a crazy little soldier himself, in his new Ninja pants and black T-shirt; a commander in an army of lunatic midgets. He was singing a little song while he packed.
‘I am the Ninja of the peanuts . . . Oh, peanuts are my friends . . . The peanuts think I’m great . . . They jump into my bag . . . I’m going to take them for a walk . . . The peanuts are my friends . . . They say eat me, eat me, eat me . . .’
Lucy knew she had not been like that when she was six years old, not even once; but if it made him happy . . .
‘OK, Ninja,’ she said, ‘just remember you have to clean up after dinner so we can get all the leftovers without Grandma noticing’.
Grandma got the shock of her life when Ricardo jumped up after dinner to wash the dishes and Lucy began putting the food away. Grandma started yawning and said she wanted an early night. Good idea. Lucy started yawning too.
‘Looks like we all need to turn in,’ Grandma said.
Normally Lucy would have ranted that Mum always let them stay up late, but not tonight. Grandma got another shock when Ricardo agreed meekly to a bath. She went off to run it, which gave the kids just enough time to smuggle the leftover baked spuds and pies into their backpacks.
Lucy still had that strange peaceful feeling she had soaked up from the Tiger-cat, even though they were probably about to get shot or be human-burgers for a tiger or sausage rolls for a giant python. She still didn’t understand anything and it still felt crazy but suddenly it was also simple: if Rahel was going to risk rescuing that little girl and the other kids, then Lucy had to help. That was certain, even if she didn’t have a clue how.
It was comforting to do something she did understand. Something easy, like stuff her bag with food no one was ever going to eat because they would all be dead soon. Crazy . The peaceful feeling evaporated. Why was she going to get out of bed in the middle of the night? Come to think of it, why was she letting Ricardo come? Because he would tell if she didn’t . He might tell anyway, but he would definitely tell if she went without him. Well, that was easy, she wouldn’t go either. She’d just stay in bed.
Then the image of the little girl wrapped in that horrible sack flashed into Lucy’s mind and she remembered her nightmare. What had the mother said? ‘My little girl is yours now, you must look after her until you find . . .’ Until Lucy found what? And why Lucy?
As if to answer her, suddenly, like a PowerPoint show, Lucy saw all the faces of the little kids from the jungle jail. When she thought about the looks on their faces she felt . . . what was the right word? Urgent. That was it. She was needed urgently. This was an emergency. If she didn’t help them, no one would! And she couldn’t tell anyone, not even Grandma. She’d never believe it. How could she? Lucy was having trouble believing it herself. It was way too weird for grown-ups. And she’d said she would help. It was up to her and Ricardo and a weirdo feral cat – armed with a whole lot of baked potatoes.
Later, in bed, Lucy tried to think it through, make a plan, but she had to admit in the end she had no idea what they were going to do. Ricardo wasn’t much help. He just lay there and sang his peanut song over and over again. Lucy checked her watch one more time. She had to stay awake until
Lucy hurried back into the kitchen. Ricardo was filling his backpack with everything he could get his hands on: peanuts, sultanas, dried apples. If he had any fear about tonight, he wasn’t showing it. His hair was spiked up again and he looked like a crazy little soldier himself, in his new Ninja pants and black T-shirt; a commander in an army of lunatic midgets. He was singing a little song while he packed.
‘I am the Ninja of the peanuts . . . Oh, peanuts are my friends . . . The peanuts think I’m great . . . They jump into my bag . . . I’m going to take them for a walk . . . The peanuts are my friends . . . They say eat me, eat me, eat me . . .’
Lucy knew she had not been like that when she was six years old, not even once; but if it made him happy . . .
‘OK, Ninja,’ she said, ‘just remember you have to clean up after dinner so we can get all the leftovers without Grandma noticing’.
Grandma got the shock of her life when Ricardo jumped up after dinner to wash the dishes and Lucy began putting the food away. Grandma started yawning and said she wanted an early night. Good idea. Lucy started yawning too.
‘Looks like we all need to turn in,’ Grandma said.
Normally Lucy would have ranted that Mum always let them stay up late, but not tonight. Grandma got another shock when Ricardo agreed meekly to a bath. She went off to run it, which gave the kids just enough time to smuggle the leftover baked spuds and pies into their backpacks.
Lucy still had that strange peaceful feeling she had soaked up from the Tiger-cat, even though they were probably about to get shot or be human-burgers for a tiger or sausage rolls for a giant python. She still didn’t understand anything and it still felt crazy but suddenly it was also simple: if Rahel was going to risk rescuing that little girl and the other kids, then Lucy had to help. That was certain, even if she didn’t have a clue how.
It was comforting to do something she did understand. Something easy, like stuff her bag with food no one was ever going to eat because they would all be dead soon. Crazy . The peaceful feeling evaporated. Why was she going to get out of bed in the middle of the night? Come to think of it, why was she letting Ricardo come? Because he would tell if she didn’t . He might tell anyway, but he would definitely tell if she went without him. Well, that was easy, she wouldn’t go either. She’d just stay in bed.
Then the image of the little girl wrapped in that horrible sack flashed into Lucy’s mind and she remembered her nightmare. What had the mother said? ‘My little girl is yours now, you must look after her until you find . . .’ Until Lucy found what? And why Lucy?
As if to answer her, suddenly, like a PowerPoint show, Lucy saw all the faces of the little kids from the jungle jail. When she thought about the looks on their faces she felt . . . what was the right word? Urgent. That was it. She was needed urgently. This was an emergency. If she didn’t help them, no one would! And she couldn’t tell anyone, not even Grandma. She’d never believe it. How could she? Lucy was having trouble believing it herself. It was way too weird for grown-ups. And she’d said she would help. It was up to her and Ricardo and a weirdo feral cat – armed with a whole lot of baked potatoes.
Later, in bed, Lucy tried to think it through, make a plan, but she had to admit in the end she had no idea what they were going to do. Ricardo wasn’t much help. He just lay there and sang his peanut song over and over again. Lucy checked her watch one more time. She had to stay awake until
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