Troubletwisters by Garth Nix, Sean Williams Page A

killing it. Jack stayed back and watched from a distance.
    As they studied it, Grandma X loomed up behind the cats.
    ‘What is it?’
    ‘A mouse!’ Jaide pointed at the tiny creature in Kleo’s mouth. It was staring around, obviously terrified. ‘Make her let it go!’
    ‘You’re not frightened of mice, are you?’ asked Grandma X.
    ‘No, but Kleo shouldn’t play with it. That’s torture.’
    ‘Take it from her, then. Kleo will give it to you. You can wash your hands afterward.’
    Jaide pulled a face. ‘Can’t she just drop it outside?’
    ‘I’ll take it,’ said Jack. He came forward and crouched down and held his hands under Kleo’s mouth. She blinked up at him and opened her jaws. The mouse fell into his hands. It lay there for a moment as if stunned.
    ‘Hello,’ said Jack softly. He didn’t close his hands for fear of crushing the tiny animal. But the mouse wasn’t quite as shocked as he thought, and with a sudden twitch and twist, it leaped from his hands and scurried rapidly off.
    As Jack grabbed at it, the cats tried to pounce, and they all got in one another’s way. Grandma X stood in the doorway, her feet planted wide apart, and the mouse ran straight between her heels and crossed the hall like a rocket into a tiny hole at the corner of the stairs.
    ‘Interesting,’ said Grandma X, dusting her hands on her jeans. ‘I had thought you might like mice more than Jackaran, Jaidith, but I see it is quite the opposite.’
    Next she turned to address Kleo. ‘You were also rather late. I asked you for a mouse hours ago.’
    Kleo’s only answer was to raise a paw, lick it, and begin cleaning her face. This was clearly the equivalent of a shrug.
    Jack had forgotten that Grandma X had asked Kleo to catch a mouse. Jaide had to be right, he thought. The cats were Grandma X’s familiars, and that meant she really was a witch. He looked at Jaide. She lowered one eyelid slightly, a sign to be cautious.
    The ring of Grandma X’s phone sounded from the drawing room. She marched out to get it, and they heard her answer with a brisk, ‘Hello?’
    ‘I’m not frightened of mice,’ whispered Jaide. ‘I just don’t like the cats playing with them.’
    ‘I know. What do you think that was about? Do you think she’s going to send an army of mice to get us?’
    Before Jaide could speculate, Grandma X returned, holding the telephone handset out to them.
    ‘It’s your mother, troubletwisters.’
    They scrabbled for the phone, each wanting to be the one to tell her what had been going on and each wondering how to do it without making themselves sound crazy.
    Jaide won. ‘Mum!’
    ‘Hello, dear girl. How are things going? Your grandma tells me it’s been raining.’
    ‘Is that really all she said?’
    ‘She said she took you for a drive and that you’ve been playing all evening. It sounds like you’re having fun.’
    Of course Grandma X would make it sound like that , Jaide thought. ‘You have to come back, Mum —’
    ‘I can’t, Jaide. One of the helicopters is out for heavy maintenance, we’re short two paramedics, and it’s a very busy time. But I’ll be back on Wednesday, I promise. Is Jack there?’
    Jack was bouncing around Jaide, trying to get at the phone. His sister reluctantly handed it to him. Maybe he would have better luck.
    ‘Hello, dear boy. I just want to say a quick hello before you go to bed. Are you being good for your grandma?’
    ‘Yes, but . . .’ Jack wanted nothing more than to tell her everything that had been happening, but Grandma X was in earshot. He moved up the hallway and whispered into the phone, ‘Mum, everything is weird here.’
    ‘Don’t worry, Jack. You’ll get used to it soon enough.’
    ‘That’s not what I —’ Jack stopped. Kleo had come out and was stalking toward him, her ears rotated forward to catch everything he was saying. He retreated to the kitchen.
    ‘If you get a good night’s sleep, everything will seem better in the