by Bentley, Sue
Della had finished eating and was stroking Storm’s soft fur when suddenly she felt something hit her lightly on the side of the head. “Oh!” Puzzled, she looked around, but couldn’t see anything.
Her mom and dad were talking and hadn’t noticed. A moment later something bounced on to Della’s shoulder. This time an unripe olive landed on the grass next to her.
Wroo-oof? Storm pricked his ears and sat up straight, before looking toward some nearby bushes.
Della followed the tiny puppy’s gaze. She saw the branches move slightly. A girl’s face peeped out, framed by the leaves. She had blond hair and looked about eleven years old. Her eyes were sparkling mischievously.
Della blinked in astonishment. Who was that? She didn’t look like she was part of Maria’s family. Della looked again and saw the girl put a finger to her pursed lips before grinning. Della got the message to stay quiet. She nodded, intrigued. The branches shifted again and the girl was hidden from sight.
Storm jumped down and scampered over to investigate. Della heard him barking excitedly and then saw him sniffing around the bushes before running back toward her.
“The girl has gone,” he woofed. “I saw her run out to the street outside.”
Della leaned down and pretended to fiddle with her flip-flops so that she could whisper to him. “I wonder who she was. And how come she’s in Maria’s garden?”
Storm’s midnight blue eyes widened. “We could follow her and find out. I can track her scent trail.”
Della was tempted—that girl could be someone her own age to talk to. But she didn’t think her mom and dad would let her go off by herself when she didn’t know her way around. “I’d better not just now,” she decided.
Mr. Walton stood up and stretched. “I’m ready to drop. I wonder how soon we can get into our villa.”
“Why don’t we walk back and see how Maria and Carmella are doing?” Della suggested, thinking that they might bump into the mystery girl.
“Good idea,” her mom said.
The light was already fading as Della followed them with Storm close at her heels. Shadows deepened over the hillside, with its orange and lemon trees and fields stretching into the distance. There was no sign of the mystery girl.
At their villa, the windows and doors were all open. The patio had been swept, and a table and chairs had been set out. The smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air.
Maria met them with a smile. “Come. I will show you all to your rooms.”
Della, Storm, and Della’s parents followed Maria gratefully up the wooden staircase.
Della’s room had white walls and beams across the ceiling. There was a single bed and a matching chest and wardrobe of carved dark wood. Her window had shutters instead of curtains.
Storm began nosing around the room, snuffling up all the interesting smells. He finished exploring and jumped up onto the bed. Sighing contentedly, he curled up on the cotton blanket and put his nose between his front paws. Della stroked her sleepy friend’s soft little head. “You stay there. I’ll just pop next door to tell Mom and Dad that I’m having an early night.”
As she returned to her bedroom a minute later, a wave of tiredness washed over her. Storm’s little snuffly puppy snores were already floating on the air.
He’s so sweet, Della whispered to herself as she went to the window. She caught a brief glimpse of another villa through the trees before she closed the shutters and the room was plunged into complete darkness.
Storm’s tiny form was gleaming softly on the bed, like a golden nightlight. Della climbed under the cotton sheet and blanket and curled herself around him.
“Night-night. Sleep tight,” she whispered.
Grr-rrrf. Storm stirred and opened one sleepy, glowing blue eye and then closed it again.
Chapter
* FOUR *
“Yay! Our luggage has been found, and Dad just went to the airport to pick it up!” Della told Storm excitedly the following afternoon. “I can get my bathing suit for a dip in the pool. I was starting to think that I’d have to spend the whole vacation in these same jeans and T-shirt.”
Storm’s little muzzle wrinkled in a smile and he wagged his tail.
“It feels like the vacation will really get much better now,” Della commented. “Let’s go outside.”
Storm followed Della out to where her mom was reading in the garden beyond the pool. Carmella was just leaving after delivering some fresh towels. The older girl smiled at Della and Storm as they walked around the swimming pool.
Della gave her a friendly wave.
Suddenly Storm did a double take and skittered sideways. Della had to swerve to avoid tripping over him. “Oops. Almost fell over my own feet!” she said for Carmella’s and her mom’s benefit.
Storm stood with his hackles raised, peering down into the murky water. “Come out and fight! Show yourself!” he challenged, growling.
Della felt a faint tingling sensation flowing down her spine as tiny sparks began glinting in Storm’s fluffy ginger-and-black fur.
“What is it? What can you see?” she asked, forgetting to whisper and then she noticed that the Spanish girl was looking at her in puzzlement. “I mean . . . I can see something in the pool! Something’s moving down there!” Della corrected herself hastily.
Carmella smiled. “That is only the pool robot. It is an underwater cleaner that purifies the water. You will be able to swim in a day or two.”
Della hadn’t noticed the ridged plastic tube leading from the generator in the pool house and disappearing into the water. “Oh, right,” she said, feeling a bit silly but also disappointed that she still wouldn’t be able to play in the pool. Della wondered if she and Storm would be having much fun this week.
Carmella smiled kindly at her and carried on walking back toward the farmhouse.
The tingling feeling down Della’s back faded as the gold sparks in the tiny puppy’s fur went out.
Storm laid back his ears and looked embarrassed. “I am sorry, Della. I did not mean to make a fuss,” he yapped apologetically.
Della felt a surge of affection for her brave little friend. “That’s okay. You were just trying to protect me, weren’t you?”
She wished she could give Storm a cuddle, but she couldn’t risk it with her mom so close. “Any good?” Della asked, nodding toward the book her mom was reading.
Her mom smiled. “It’s okay. Do you feel like going for a walk? It’ll be a while before your dad gets back.”
“Cool!”
At the mention of a walk, Storm twirled his tail eagerly. He skipped invisibly after Della as she and her mom set out.
A path at the side of their villa snaked down the hillside. It was very hot. Lush vines covered with pink and purple blossoms trailed over fences and the sides of buildings.
A large blue butterfly rose from the grass. Storm yapped excitedly as he launched himself at it, but then he tripped over his own paws and collapsed in a furry heap. Jumping to his feet, he shook himself before ambling off to explore a patch of wildflowers.
Della felt a bubble of laughter rising in her chest and quickly turned it into a cough. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Storm was really a magnificent young wolf!
A warm breeze blew toward them, bringing the sound of laughter and splashing from the villa that Della had glimpsed from her bedroom window.
“Anyone want a cold drink?” called a woman’s voice.
“It sounds like another American family is staying there,” Mrs. Walton said.
“Can we go and say hello?” Della asked eagerly, hoping the family had children.
Her mom went to knock on the door. It was opened by a woman with curly hair and a friendly smile. As Della’s mom and the other woman were introducing themselves, a blond girl ran out and came toward Della and Storm. She looked about eleven years old an
d was wearing pink shorts over a striped halter-neck swimsuit.
Della recognized her at once. It was the girl who had been hiding in the bushes in Maria’s garden! “Hi!” she called to her. “Are you staying here?”
The girl smiled and nodded. “This is our villa. Hey, I know you! You’re the girl I saw yesterday. I was bored, so I sneaked into Maria’s garden and hid in that bush as a joke. You should have seen your face when I was chucking those olives at you! I’m Honey, Honey Green, by the way.”
“Hi, I’m Della Walton. I almost fell over when I saw your face looking out at me!” she said, grinning.
Honey laughed and tossed back her long blond hair. “So, where are you staying?”
“In the villa just up the hill.”
“Great! So we can do stuff together,” Honey said.
Della was delighted. Maybe Honey could be the friend she’d been hoping to make!
“Do you like swimming?” Honey asked.
“Yeah! I love it. But we can’t use our pool until it’s been cleaned.” Della made a face as she explained about the mix-up with their arrival date.
“Oh, what a pain!” Honey said. “You must be really frustrated. I know! Why don’t you come and use our pool. Mom and Dad won’t mind. You can take a swim right now . . .”
“Hold your horses, Honey. We’re just about to go out, remember?” Mrs. Green smiled at her daughter and then turned back to Della. “But you’re welcome anytime, Della. Why don’t you come over tomorrow?”
“Thanks. I’d love to!” Della beamed, looking forward to her first swim and to spending time with Honey.
Della and her mom said their good-byes and started back to their villa.
“Well, you two girls seemed to be getting on very well,” Mrs. Walton commented. “Honey seems very . . . lively.”
“Yeah, I think she’s really nice!”
Della enthused. She’d never met anyone who was brave enough to hide in a bush and chuck olives at people before! But Della decided that it had actually been quite funny, and that’s definitely what she was looking forward to this vacation—fun!
Storm ambled alongside Della with his tail wagging and his pink tongue lolling out. There was a smudge of yellow pollen on his nose. Della smiled fondly at him, imagining the good time that she, Storm, and Honey were going to have together.
Chapter
* FIVE *
“Can I go visit Honey?” Della asked her mom the following day. “I’m dying for a swim!”
“Maybe later, dear. We’re going food shopping now.”
Della was about to protest when she remembered that she needed buy Storm some food with her allowance money. “Okay, then,” she said, swallowing her impatience. “I’ll just get my book bag.”
Storm ran upstairs with her. Della opened her bag and put it on the floor for Storm to get inside. “I think you’ll be safer in here,” she told him. “Do you mind?”
“It is no problem!”
Della laughed as Storm took a flying leap, jumped straight in, and curled up next to her teddy-bear-shaped purse.
It was a short car ride to the nearest town. The big supermarket was on a side street and easy to find.
“I’ll have to make sure they don’t see me buying dog food,” Della whispered to Storm as her mom and dad began wheeling trolleys around. “I’m going to get some . . . um, postcards and stuff,” she said in a louder voice, scooting off toward the pet-care section.
Once there, she grabbed a packet of dog food and immediately headed for the checkout line.
A sudden thought struck her. “Oh, no! I only have American money,” she whispered. “But I can’t ask Mom or Dad to pay or they’ll see what I’m buying. What am I going to do?”
“Do not worry. I will take care of it!” Storm woofed.
Della nodded. She couldn’t see how Storm could solve her problem, but she trusted him so she stayed in line.
There were four people with loaded carts in front of them. Della chewed at her lip, fidgeting impatiently.
“I wish they’d hurry up. Mom and Dad are going to spot me at any moment,” she whispered.
She felt a faint prickling sensation flow down her spine and tiny gold sparks glinted in Storm’s fluffy ginger-and-black fur. Suddenly there was a flash of light and an invisible wave of sparkles swept Della forward to the front of the queue. “Oooh!” she exclaimed.
But no one seemed to have noticed anything odd.
“Hola.” The smiling cashier scanned the dog food.
“Um . . . hola,” Della answered nervously. She reached into her bag and opened her purse. Her eyes widened as she saw that her American money had magically transformed into euros!
She paid and slipped the bulky pack of dog food into her bag, where it instantly shrank to the size of a single bag of chips.
“Wow! That was brilliant,” Della whispered to Storm as she went back into the store.
Storm showed his teeth in a doggy grin. “I am glad I could help.”
They were only just in time. Della’s mom and dad were in a nearby aisle, choosing a breakfast cereal. They saw her and waved.
“Pass your postcards over here, honey. We didn’t get you any Spanish money yet, did we?” her dad called.
“Oh . . . I . . . um, forgot that. Silly me!” Della fibbed, walking toward them.
After the groceries had been dumped in the trunk of their car, Della, Storm, and her parents wandered around the town square. Storm looped his front paws over the sides of Della’s book bag, craning his neck to check out all the sights.
Trees cast shade over outside stalls. And a delicious smell wafted from where a man in a striped apron was cooking paella in a huge cast-iron pan.
Storm sniffed, his little button nose twitching, and licked his lips hungrily.
Della got the message. “Can we try some of this, Dad?”
Mr. Walton blinked at her. “Really? Wouldn’t you rather have pizza or chicken nuggets?”
“Da-ad! That’s not all I eat,” Della said, nudging him playfully. “I feel like trying something different.”
They sat at a wooden bench to eat bowls of the spicy rice, fish, and vegetable mixture. Della sorted out a particularly large, juicy shrimp for Storm and put it on the bench beside him. He crunched it up with his little back teeth, his head on one side and one eye screwed shut in enjoyment.
Della’s lips curved in a secret smile. She loved having Storm for her friend.
When they got back to their villa an hour or so later, Honey was just walking up to their front drive. She had come to invite Della over for a swim. “Mom and Dad said you’re invited, too,” she said, smiling at Della’s parents.
“Yay! Let’s go!” Della said eagerly, looking at her mom and dad. She was going to get a chance to swim—at last!
“That sounds great,” Mrs. Walton agreed. “Thank you, Honey. Why don’t you girls go ahead? We’ll put the shopping away and follow you.”
Della could hardly wait. Dashing upstairs, she grabbed her bathing suit, and then she, Storm, and Honey strolled over to the Greens’ villa.
A droning, buzzing sound—like someone running their nails across ridged cardboard—filled the hot air. “That’s the cicadas. They’re like fat grasshoppers,” Honey said. “They’re harmless. In some parts of the world, people eat them! Can you believe it?”
“Yuck!” Della screwed up her face, impressed by Honey’s knowledge.
At the villa, she quickly got changed. Honey’s mom and dad were relaxing on lounge chairs. They waved cheerfully as the girls came out into the garden.
“Last one in eats a cicada burger!” yelled Honey as she raced toward the pool, hotly pursued by Della.
There was a huge splash as they both jumped in.
Storm sprawled on his side with his pink tongue hanging out as he cooled off in
the shade while Honey and Della messed around doing handstands in the shallow end. After that, they swam some laps and then Della decided to float about on her back for a while.
Honey had other ideas. She climbed out, scrunched into a ball, and cannonballed into the water—right by Della. “Geronimo!”
A big wave slopped all over Della.
“You meanie!” Della said, laughing. “Don’t do that. I’m relaxing.”
“Tough!” Honey’s eyes flashed with mischief. She climbed out and cannonballed near Della again.
This time Della kicked away strongly and just managed to avoid being swamped. “Honey!”
Honey took no notice. She jumped in time after time, splashing almost right on top of Della. After being cannonballed for about the tenth time, Della’s eyes were stinging. She coughed, spitting out water.
“Hon-ey! Stop it! It’s not funny anymore!” she spluttered, completely fed up now.
Honey had surfaced, dripping, a big grin on her face. “I think it is!”
Della knew that her parents would have stepped in and taken charge, but Honey’s mom and dad seemed to let Honey do just what she wanted to. Della gave up. Pulling herself out of the pool, she went over and spread her towel next to Storm.
The tiny puppy was dozing, his little paws flexing as he dreamed of chasing rabbits. He opened one sleepy blue eye and wagged his tail when Della threw herself onto her tummy.
“Aw! Come on back in. It was only a joke. Don’t be such a wimp!” Honey jeered.
“In a little while,” Della said. “Promise.” She wanted Honey to think she was having fun so they’d hang out together again, but for now she needed a bit of a break. Honey wasn’t like most of Della’s other friends!
