Seaside Mystery

by Sue Bentley

  To Ambrose, teddy-faced ginger tom.

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Text copyright © 2007 by Sue Bentley. Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Angela Swan. Cover illustration copyright © 2007 by Andrew Farley. First printed in Great Britain in 2007 by Penguin Books Ltd. First published in the United States in 2013 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN: 978-0-698-15960-0

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter ONE

  Chapter TWO

  Chapter THREE

  Chapter FOUR

  Chapter FIVE

  Chapter SIX

  Chapter SEVEN

  Chapter EIGHT

  Chapter NINE

  Chapter TEN

  About the Author

  The young white lion sped across the dusty plain. Flame knew that he must find some cover. It was too dangerous to be out in the open.

  Suddenly a terrifying roar rang out, and an enormous black adult lion rose from a clump of tall grass and bounded toward him.

  “Ebony!”

  Flame leaped behind a huge rock. There was a dazzling white flash and where he once had stood now crouched a tiny, long-haired, brown tabby kitten with a bushy tail.

  Flame’s heart beat fast in his tiny chest as he backed slowly into a wide crack in the rock. His uncle Ebony was very close. He hoped this disguise would protect him.

  The shadow of an enormous paw appeared, just inches away from the trembling kitten’s little brown nose. Flame’s emerald eyes sparked with fear and anger as he tensed his muscles, ready to fight.

  “Stay where you are, Prince Flame. I will protect you,” growled a deep but gentle voice.

  Flame sank back in relief as an old gray lion peered in at him. “I am glad to see you again, Cirrus,” Flame mewed. “But I do not think even you can protect me from my uncle. He is determined to keep the throne he stole from me, so he can rule in my place!”

  Cirrus nodded gravely. “That is true. It is not safe yet for you to stay here. Use this disguise and go back again to the other world. Hide there until you grow strong and wise and then return to save our land from this evil.”

  The tiny kitten looked up into Cirrus’s tired old face. “I will do as you say, old friend. Ebony will not rule forever!”

  Cirrus’s eyes flickered with affection. He reached a huge paw inside the crack in the rock and gently patted the tiny kitten’s head. “And I cannot wait for that day. Go now, my prince,” he growled softly.

  Suddenly another mighty roar rang out. The ground shook as Ebony leaped onto the rock where Flame was hiding.

  “Save yourself, Flame! Go quickly!” Cirrus urged.

  Sparks glowed in the tiny kitten’s long brown tabby fur. Flame mewed softly as he felt the power building inside him. He felt himself falling. Falling…

  “What an amazing view!” Maisie Simpson said excitedly. She leaned on her bedroom windowsill and peered out of the window.

  Sunshine sparkled on the sea, and creamy waves washed onto the nearby sandy beach. Seagulls wheeled above the cliffs, soaring overhead in the clear blue sky.

  Maisie and her parents had only just moved to the house in Bridhampton-on-Sea. She was dying to tell her two oldest friends, Jane and Nina, all about it. They had promised to keep in touch, even though Maisie would be living so far away. Maisie had hoped they would call her the night before, but neither of them had.

  On impulse, she ran downstairs and called each of them in turn. There was no answer from Jane’s home phone. Nina was out, too. Maisie left her a message on her answering machine.

  They probably went swimming or are playing tennis, she told herself, trying not to care that they were having fun without her. It was school vacation, after all.

  Maisie sighed. She squeezed past the boxes of books and china stacked in the hall and opened the door that led into the old candy store on the side of their house.

  A loud banging sound met her ears as she went inside. Her dad was painting the walls and her mom was up on a ladder, putting up shelves. They were both artists and were busy turning the old store into a combined studio and gallery.

  Karen Simpson stopped hammering and looked down at her daughter. “Hi, honey. You look sad. Is something wrong?” she asked.

  Maisie told her about calling Jane and Nina. “They weren’t around. And they didn’t call last night. Maybe they’ve already forgotten all about me.”

  “What—in a couple of days? I don’t think so,” her mom reasoned. “I bet they’re letting you settle in before they call to check in. Why don’t you try them again later?”

  Maisie nodded. “I will. It’s just that…I wanted to talk to them now.”

  Her mom came down the ladder. “You’re really missing your old friends, aren’t you?” she said, giving Maisie a hug.

  Maisie nodded, feeling a lump rise in her throat.

  “It won’t be long before school starts again, you know. And then you’ll make lots of new friends. Am I right or am I right?”

  Maisie managed a smile in response. But school didn’t start for another two weeks. Right now, it felt more like two years.

  James Simpson dropped his wet paintbrush into the open paint can. He winked at his daughter. “I’ve got a guy coming to set up the computer today. You’ll be able to e-mail Jane and Nina to your heart’s content tonight.”

  “Oh, that’s great, Dad!” Maisie felt herself cheering up. She knew that her friends went online for a while most evenings. She would tell them all about her cool new house that had an old candy store attached to it!

  “In the meantime, if you’re bored, you could give me a hand with this painting,” her dad suggested.

  Maisie wrinkled her nose. Decorating was definitely not on her list of fun things to do!

  “It’s a lovely day and the beach looks like it’s calling your name,” her mom said.

  “Or you could—” her dad began.

  “I think I will go exploring,” Maisie decided quickly, before he thought of another job for her to do.

  Mrs. Simpson chuckled. “Have a good time and don’t go too far. Lunch will be ready in an hour or so.”

  “Okay, I’ll be back by then,” Maisie answered, heading for the door.

  She went back through the house and out the back door. The small back garden was narrow and mostly paved, with plants in big decorative pots. Beyond the garden fence, the ground fell away steeply to the beach below.

  Maisie opened the gate in the fence and went down the steep flight of stone steps. A warm breeze, smelling of salt, ruffled her shoulder-length brown hair. Once on the beach, she took off her shoes, knotted the laces, and hung them around her neck.

  As she padded along, her toes sank into the warm sand. She passed a family with two small children flying a kite. At the edge of the shore, where the waves crashed onto the sand, three girls were splashing around and laughing.
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br />   Maisie felt a flicker of loneliness. She sighed as she wandered along the beach, stopping now and then to pick up unusual shells. After a few minutes, she reached the rocks at the foot of the cliffs.

  Shallow pools of water, left behind by the outgoing tide, gleamed in the sun. It was peaceful here with just the sound of the waves and seabirds. The people on the beach were only small specks in the distance.

  Maisie found a flat rock. She sat down to dangle her bare feet in the cool water below it as she thought about how much fun Jane and Nina would be having back home without her. Fronds of delicate seaweed tickled her toes, and a prawn scurried across the sandy bottom. Maisie was leaning forward to look at it when, in the reflection of the water, she suddenly saw a bright silver flash.

  “Oh!” She twisted around in surprise. There, standing on a nearby rock, Maisie saw a tiny kitten. It had long brown tabby fur, a bushy tail, and the brightest emerald eyes she had ever seen. Its fur and whiskers seemed to be glowing with a thousand tiny sparkles of light.

  Maisie frowned. Perhaps the kitten was wet for its fur to sparkle like that. The poor little thing did seem to be trembling as if it was cold.

  “Hello,” she crooned. “Where did you come from? What are you doing out here on the rocks, all by yourself?”

  The kitten looked up at Maisie with wide, scared green eyes. “I come from far away. Can you help me, please?” it mewed.

  Maisie stared at the kitten in amazement. She must be even lonelier than she thought. She’d just imagined that the kitten had spoken to her!

  Just then a seagull swooped down as if deciding whether the tiny tabby kitten would make a meal. The kitten cringed and yowled with fear.

  Maisie jumped up and waved her arms at the gull to scare it away. “Leave him alone!” she cried.

  She went toward the kitten and bent down, so that it wouldn’t get scared away.

  “I wonder what your name is,” she murmured, reaching out to stroke its trembling little body.

  The kitten blinked up at her slowly, and some of the fear seemed to fade from its eyes. Despite its tiny size, it didn’t seem to be afraid of her.

  “I am Prince Flame. What is your name?” it purred.

  Maisie jerked her hand back. “Oh! You really can speak!” she gasped. “I’m…I’m Maisie Simpson. I just moved into a house near the beach with my parents.” Her curiosity began to overcome her shock. “Did you say Prince Flame?”

  Flame nodded and lifted his tiny head proudly. “I am heir to the Lion Throne. My uncle Ebony has stolen it and rules in my place. He is fierce and cruel and sends his spies to find me and kill me.”

  Maisie shook her head, trying to take it all in. Could everything this tiny cute kitten said be true?

  Flame seemed to know what she was thinking. He moved sideways across the rocks away from her.

  “Stay back,” he ordered.

  There was a blinding silver flash and for a moment Maisie couldn’t see anything. But when her sight had cleared, the kitten had disappeared and in its place a majestic, young white lion stood proudly on the rocks.

  Maisie gasped, scrambling backward on her hands and knees. “Flame?”

  “Yes. It is me, Maisie. Do not be afraid,” Flame said in a deep velvety roar.

  Before she could say anything, there was another bright flash and instantly Flame was a fluffy, long-haired kitten once more.

  “I guess it’s all true,” Maisie murmured.

  “I need to hide now. Can you help me?” Flame mewed.

  Maisie crouched back down again and looked into Flame’s big emerald eyes. He was so tiny and helpless-looking. She felt a burst of protectiveness toward him.

  “Of course I will. I’ll take care of you. You can live with me and my parents,” Maisie said, scooping him into her arms.

  Flame rubbed his little head against her arm. “Thank you, Maisie.”

  “I’m going to love having you living with me. Just wait until I tell Mom and Dad about you!”

  “No! You must tell no one my secret!” Flame reached up and touched her chin with one tiny, brown tabby paw. “Please promise, Maisie.”

  Maisie looked down into his serious little face. With his long, soft fur, striking tabby markings, and bright green eyes, he was the cutest kitten she had ever seen. She couldn’t let him down. “All right. I promise. I’ll just say you’re a stray,” she agreed.

  Flame swished his bushy tail and began purring loudly. “That is good. Thank you, Maisie.”

  “Of course you can keep him!” Mrs. Simpson said with a smile, when Maisie finished explaining where she had found the tiny kitten. She was in the kitchen making ham sandwiches. “He’s absolutely gorgeous!”

  Maisie smiled. She knew her mom and dad would be fine about Flame staying.

  Mr. Simpson patted Flame. “What do you know…a stray kitten turning up like that, just as we’re moving in. He must be a good-luck token. Maybe you should call him Lucky.”

  “But he told me his name—” Maisie broke off. She was going to have to be a lot more careful about keeping Flame’s secret. “I um…mean, I’ve already decided to call him Flame,” she said hurriedly.

  “Well, I think that suits him,” her mom said. “I bet Flame’s hungry. Kittens need to eat lots of small meals, you know. Why don’t you see what you can find for him to eat?”

  Maisie cut up a small slice of ham and poured some milk for Flame to drink. It wasn’t much of a meal, but later she’d go to the store to get some cat food.

  Flame chomped the ham and then lapped up the milk, purring loudly.

  After lunch, Maisie took Flame upstairs. She laid an old sweater on her comforter and then lifted Flame onto it. He kneaded it into a soft nest with his front paws, and then curled up for a nap.

  As Maisie stretched out on the bed beside the sleepy kitten, her face broke into a smile. She still couldn’t believe this was happening. A couple of hours ago, she had been feeling lonely and missing her old friends. Now she had made her first new friend. In her wildest dreams, she had never expected him to be a magic kitten!

  Maisie had been having the most magical dream. She opened her eyes to find sunshine pouring through the bedroom curtains.

  Something padded up the comforter with light steps. Flame sat on her chest and gave her a whiskery grin. “Good morning, Maisie. I slept very well,” he purred.

  Her dream was true! A huge smile spread across Maisie’s face as she cuddled Flame and stroked his silky brown tabby fur.

  “Hello, you two! You look nice and cozy!” James Simpson poked his head around Maisie’s bedroom door. “I’m going for an early morning walk along the beach. Do you want to come?”

  “Can Flame come, too?” Maisie asked.

  Her dad grinned. “Course he can. See you downstairs in two minutes?”

  “You’re on!” Maisie lifted Flame aside and then threw back the covers. Leaping out of bed, she pulled on some jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. “Come on!” she called to Flame, dashing down the stairs with Flame following her.

  Her dad was waiting at the back door with an old canvas bag looped over his shoulder.

  “Is Mom sleeping in?” Maisie asked him.

  He shook his head. “She’s already in the old candy store, stripping some woodwork. We’ll come back and make her breakfast, as a surprise.”

  “Okay,” Maisie agreed.

  Flame trotted after Maisie, as she and her dad went outside and down the steps to the beach. The tide was out, and the sea was a gleaming silver line in the distance.

  They walked down to where the tide had washed up bits of seaweed, plastic bottles, shells, and other stuff. Flame sniffed around, crunching up bits of dead crab and enjoying the interesting smells.

  “Yuck! I wouldn’t like your breakfast, Flame!” Maisie whispered, pulling a face.

  Flame purred, chewing.

  Her dad began sorting through a big pile of seaweed.

  “What are you looking for?” Maisie asked him.

/>   “I’ll give you one guess.”

  “Bits of driftwood?” Maisie said.

  “Got it in one!” her dad replied.

  Maisie grinned at him. Her dad was amazing at carving birds and small animals out of small pieces of wood. She knew he planned to make some new statues from pieces of sun-bleached driftwood and sell them in the new gallery.

  As Maisie drew closer to the rocks where she had found Flame the previous day, she saw a tall boy poking around in the rock pools. The boy glanced up and saw her. He smiled and waved.

  Maisie climbed a steep bank of sand, which had blown against the rocks. Flame scrambled after her, but his short legs sank into the soft sand. Maisie picked him up and tucked him under one arm.

  “Hi. You must be new around here. I’m Joel Denning,” the boy said with a friendly smile. He had floppy brown hair and wore a red T-shirt, cut-off jeans, and battered sandals. He looked about twelve.

  “Hi, I’m Maisie Simpson. I just moved here with my parents. That’s my dad back there. We moved into that house,” Maisie said, turning and pointing back up the beach.

  “Oh, okay. I noticed that someone had moved into the old cottage. Hey, that’s a really cute kitten you’ve got there,” Joel said, noticing Flame peeking out from under Maisie’s arm. He reached out to stroke Flame.

  Flame purred as Joel rubbed the top of his head.

  “Yes. His name is Flame. I…haven’t had him long,” Maisie told Joel. “Do you live nearby?”

  Joel nodded. “Just down the road from you.”

  James Simpson strolled up to the rocks. He smiled at Joel. “Hello there. Found anything special?”

  “Anemones, sea snails, a few crabs,” Joel replied. “I was hoping to find a sea cucumber.”

  Maisie grinned. “Yeah, right! Good joke.”

  “No, really,” Joel said seriously. “You can find amazing stuff. I keep a record of everything. See?” He produced a crumpled notebook from his pocket and held it up. “I write up my notes when I get home.” He flashed Maisie and her dad a grin. “My dad thinks I know more about animals and plants than I do about people!”