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time.”
    Tessa racked her brains, trying to think of what to do. “I know! How about hiding in the costumes? There are thousands of them. It would be hard for any dogs to find you in there. As soon as I finish this scene, I’ll come and get you.”
    â€œIt is a good plan,” Storm agreed. He ran off, ears and tail flying.
    Somehow Tessa followed the director’s instructions and remembered all of her lines. The second she was free, she ran off toward wardrobe.
    As Tessa reached it, Storm shot toward her in terror, ducking into a side room. There were three dogs hard on his heels. They had pale eyes and extra-long teeth and were growling fiercely.
    Tessa’s heart missed a beat. Her plan hadn’t worked! Storm was in terrible danger.
    She rushed after the tiny puppy and fierce enemy dogs just as a dazzling flash of gold light stopped her in her tracks. When the light faded, Tessa rubbed the sparkles from her eyes to see that Storm stood there, a helpless puppy no longer, but his true magnificent wolf self. An older female wolf with a gentle face stood next to him.
    Tessa realized that the moment she had been dreading was here. She was going to have to be very brave. “Go! Save yourself, Storm!” she cried, her voice breaking.
    Storm’s midnight-blue eyes shone with affection, and gold dust glimmered in his thick silver-gray neck-ruff. “Be of good heart, Tessa. You have been a true friend,” he said in a velvety growl.
    There was a final bright gold flash and Storm and his mother began to fade before disappearing forever. The other dogs leaped forward, but they were too late. Their eyes and teeth instantly returned to normal and they left.

    Tessa gulped. It had all happened so fast. She felt stunned. “I’ll never forget you, Storm,” she whispered as tears pricked her eyes.
    Tessa had just finished drying her eyes when Fay popped her head into the room. “I’ve been looking for you. It’s almost five thirty. We have to get out of these costumes before we go and meet Donny. I told Kelly that we’re all going for a burger. You should have seen her face!”
    â€œI bet it was priceless,” Tessa said, smiling despite herself.
    As she went with Fay, Tessa felt herself beginning to get excited again at the thought of meeting up with Donny Jenton—she knew so many people who would give anything to be in her place.
    But whatever the future held, Tessa knew that her secret magic puppy friend, Storm, would always be the true star of her life.

About the Author
    Sue Bentley’s books for children often include animals, fairies, and wildlife. She lives in Northampton and enjoys reading, going to the movies, relaxing by her garden pond, and watching the birds feeding their babies on the lawn. At school she was always getting yelled at for daydreaming or staring out of the window—but she now realizes that she was storing up ideas for when she became a writer. She has met and owned many cats and dogs, and each one has brought a special kind of magic to her life.