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rescue centre!’
    ‘Your problem, not mine,’ said Liam. He appeared to like that line. He sped off again.
    ‘Eugh – that boy is so annoying!’ said Poppy. ‘He’s always in trouble of some sort around the village. I honestly think he
was
going to drown that poor cat.’
    ‘I believe him,’ Caitlin said. ‘I saw the way he looked at the kitten, his expression was kind. OK, so he could learn to be nicer to people, but I think he was trying to save it.’
    ‘Me too,’ I agreed.
    Poppy tossed her head back and looked down her nose. ‘You’re new here, aren’t you? What do you know?’
    ‘Who cares about what we know or don’t?’ said Caitlin. ‘It’s the kitten that matters. Poor thing. It needs feeding and warming up somewhere quiet.’ She took the kitten from me and began stroking it. Her face had gone all soppy and I could see that she’d fallen in love with the little fluffball.
    Further along the pathway, Liam had stopped and was watching us. He turned and came back towards us on his skateboard. In a flash he took the kitten from Caitlin. ‘If you airheads are going to stand here all day gossiping about me, I’ll take it. Your mate here is right. It needs looking after and feeding.’
    And off he went again.
    ‘Bring it up to our house later, Liam,’ I called after him. ‘My dad will sort something out. I promise.’ I knew Mum wouldn’t be pleased, seeing as we already had Cola, but I was sure that Dad wouldn’t turn the kitten away.
    Poppy let out a deep sigh of exasperation. ‘Fat lot of help you two were,’ she said and began to walk off in the opposite direction, but not before giving us a filthy look.
    ‘Nice to meet you too!’ Caitlin called after her.
    ‘Let’s go and get a hot chocolate,’ I said when Poppy and Liam had gone. ‘I hate arguments.’
    ‘Me too,’ said Caitlin, though I suspect that the drama queen in her doesn’t mind a bit of a showdown. She linked her arm through mine and we set off back to the village.
    ‘Over there,’ said Caitlin, squinting at a shop window. ‘Looks like there’s a place you can get a drink at the back of the supermarket. Though it’s hardly Café Coolsville.’
    I followed as she marched into the slightly shabby supermarket and made her way to the café at the back. We looked at the customers seated at a couple of tables. Most of them were old people.
    ‘Hmm,’ said Caitlin, then she turned to the blonde girl at the till whose badge said
Rosie
. She looked a few years older than us and very bored.
    ‘Where are all the people our age?’ I asked.
    Rosie, who was chewing gum, shrugged. ‘Probably at home if they’ve any sense. It’s freezing out.’
    ‘But isn’t there anywhere cooler to go?’
    Rosie snorted. ‘Round here? You have to be joking. I guess some kids go into Weston-super-Mare on a Saturday, but it’s miles away. Only one bus a day and no late one back.’
    ‘Where did you go when you were our age?’ asked Caitlin.
    ‘Dunno. Nowhere. Friends’ houses.’
    ‘What about the beach?’
    ‘Yeah. It’s good in summer. Not in this weather though. Only a mad person would go to the beach in this weather.’
    I glanced at Caitlin. She grinned. ‘Mug of hot chocolate, Mad Person Number One?’
    ‘Don’t mind if I do, Mad Person Number Two.’
    ‘You new round here?’ asked Rosie.
    Caitlin nodded.
    ‘Where do you live?’
    ‘Palcot Street,’ said Caitlin.
    ‘And I live at Silverbrook Farm,’ I said.
    ‘Oh yeah. I heard there were new people up there. It’s an animal rescue home, isn’t it?’
    ‘No. It’s not a rescue home. My dad’s a vet.’
    ‘Not what I heard,’ said Rosie. ‘I heard it was an animal rescue centre.’
    Second person today
, I thought. ‘No, I think people must have got confused.’
    Rosie shrugged again and took our order. We got our hot chocolates and went to sit amongst the other customers, who were all staring at us like we were aliens. Caitlin grinned and waved at a