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He tells ht in to the vets a few miles away He’s been injured in a scrap, with a fox maybe? But he is fine

‘How’d they know to call us?’

‘He’s chipped They scan the chip to find who he is, where he lives’

Oh So Sebastian is a Chip-head, like ht him in, could we track him? With the chip?’

‘Depends on the type of chip,’ Dad says, looking at h they can do Tracker chips, and do with Lorder dogs and the like Why do you ask?’

I shrug

‘Tellabout Dad, the note in his voice, thatsoovernot a chip in hs ‘A spy? Well, well I best mind what I say in front of you, then’

‘Is it true? Does it record stuff I do and say?’

‘Of course not,’ he says, but I get the feeling that isn’t the whole answer

At the vets it says ‘closed’ on the door, but we are let in

‘Heh Double D, how’s business?’ the vet says to Dad Double D? Oh David Davis

‘You know, as always’ They exchange a look

The vet pushes a swing door behind the counter ‘Miss Best Bring that cat out, will you?’ he calls

‘Is he all right?’ I say ‘Where did you find hiirl who helps out here had hiht him in today And he’s fine Gave him a few stitches and a shot to be on the safe side’

‘What do I owe you?’ Dad says

‘On the house,’ he says ‘Come have a look at this a minute,’ he says, and they head into an office

Behind the counter, the door swings open and out co Sebastian Even fro, though he is shaved down one side, and stitches are sticking out Poor Sebastian

But what is Phoebe doing here? My eyes widen, and s open as I start to realise what must have happened

‘Don’t catch flies, Slater,’ she says

‘You knew You had hiht hied ‘Soave hiht hih he scanned him to check, anyhow’

‘Thank you so much’

She eases Sebastian into h to think this , Chip-head,’ she says, scowls and goes back through the door

I turn; Dad is back in the roohtful look on his face

He holds the door open ‘Coet in the car, and are almost home before Dad says it ‘That was her, wasn’t it’ A stateirl who said you were a spy’

I say nothing If I say yes, then I am a spy, after all

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

The first thing I hear the nextpurr: Sebastian He seems to have decided that my pillow is the place to sleep, and is curled across it I, for one, a to let him sleep wherever he likes

He see with foxes or whatever creature it was, rescued and given to Phoebe, stitched by the vet He accepted special titbits of dinner froht to sleep on my bed

Phoebe: I just can’t work her out She is so nasty, yet that robin trusted her Sebastian purred in her arht him back to me I saw her face when she handed hiive him back, yet she did She must like animals and birds better than people

Well, I like Sebastian better than e?

It’s the bus for Aet on, I wonder: should I stop and tell Phoebe that Sebastian is all right? But I try to catch her eye and she scowls, gives a slight shake of her head So the answer to that is no

I sit with Ben at the back

‘Heh,’ he says ‘All right?’

‘Sebastian’s back home,’ I say And on the noisy bus I lower oes to show you,’ he says

‘What?’

‘That people aren’t always how you think they are That was a nice thing she did for you: ould have guessed?’ He sh I aed, she said last night

Mrs Ali waits for me outside my first class

‘Can we have a quick word?’ she says, and drawsfor an answer She shuts the door behind us

‘Is so?’ I say

‘Don’t look so worried, Kyla You haven’t done anything But you know that I am here to help you, don’t you?’

‘Uh, of course’

‘Listen toyou probles fro my job’

I stare back at her, confused The only one who fits that category is Phoebe, yet no one knows about that: ere alone in the woods when she said those things ‘I don’t understand What have you heard?’

Mrs Ali shtly ‘Poor Kyla This worldfor you; that is why I as out But I can’t help you if you don’t helpyou want to tell me, dear?’