wasnât over yet. She was only third or fourth. Her spot on the team depended on how the rest of the girls didâespecially Nancy. Nancy had always been better than Wendy on the balance beam. Wendy held her breath as Nancy began her routine.
But something was wrong. Nancy seemed unsure of her footing. Her face was still splotchy. Then, halfway across, she began to sneeze.
And sneeze.
Nancy fell off the beam.
Ms. Mason put an arm around her, but Nancy shrugged it off. She rushed back to her seat and buried her face in her hands. Wendy could see that she was crying.
Wendy felt awful. She knew how embarrassed Nancy must be. And even though Nancy always made fun of her, Wendy couldnât help feeling sorry for her.
Because Wendy knew it was her fault Nancy fell. I didnât know she would be so sick! Wendy thought. I never meant to ruin her chances for the team.
Then Ms. Mason made the announcement. âTop girl is Becky, then Sondra. Wendy is third.â
âCongratulations,â Tina exclaimed. âYou did it!â
âThanks,â Wendy answered glumly.
âHey, whatâs with you?â Tina asked. She and Wendy got up and headed for the locker room. âHow come youâre not thrilled?â
âI am,â Wendy admitted. âI just feel bad for Nancy.â
Tina stared at her. âAfter how mean sheâs been? Wow, Wendy. Youâre a lot nicer than I would be.â
Wendy shrugged. She couldnât tell Tina she felt guilty. That Nancy fell off the beam because of her. That she had made Nancy sick.
That she was a werecat.
Wendy was more determined than ever to stop the transformation. She yanked off her gym shirt. âTina, youâve got to help me,â she said. âYou have to get this thing off me.â She touched the cat charm around her neck.
Tinaâs eyes grew wide with surprise. âWhat are you doing with that?â she demanded. âI thought Mrs. Bast wouldnât sell it to you. Did you go back another day without telling me?â
âNo,â Wendy admitted. âIâI took it.â
Tinaâs mouth dropped open.
âBut I didnât steal it,â Wendy added quickly. âI put five dollars in the tray.â
Tina shook her head.
âBut I think itâs broken,â Wendy continued. âAnd now I canât get it off. And I really, really have to.â She turned around so Tina could get at the clasp.
âNo problem.â Tina fiddled with the necklace. It wouldnât open. âThatâs weird,â she muttered.
âI told you,â Wendy said. âKeep trying.â
Tina tried pulling. She tried twisting. She tried her fingernails. She even tried her teeth. Nothing was working.
âThis thing is really stuck,â Tina said. âThereâs no way I can get it open.â
Wendyâs heart sank. She couldnât live with the necklace around her neck one more night!
âThen I have to go back to Mrs. Bastâs booth and get her to open it for me,â Wendy declared. âI have to.â
Wendy and Tina rode their bikes to the cat show. The whole way Wendy worried. Mrs. Bast was going to be furious that she had taken the charm.
I canât think about that, Wendy told herself. I have to get rid of the charm. She didnât know of any other way to stop turning into a werecat. So no matter how mad Mrs. Bast was, Wendy would have get her to open the clasp.
Besides, she reassured herself for the hundredth time, I did pay for it!
The girls pedaled into the parking lot. Wendy glanced up at the building where the cat show was held. âOh, no!â Wendy cried. She pulled her bike to a sudden stop.
âWhoa!â Tina exclaimed, swerving to avoid crashing into Wendy. âWhat is it?â
Wendy couldnât answer. She pointed at the empty store.
The cat show banner was gone!
âUh-oh,â Tina said. âLooks like theyâre
Disarmed: The Story of the Venus De Milo