Chapter 1

1
Sparrow. Sparrow! SPARROW!

That was how the sirens sounded. First far away, like someone whispering. Then getting closer. Louder. Like someone scolding: Sparrow. Sparrow! SPARROW! Your fault. Your fault! YOUR FAULT!

Sparrow knelt beside Mrs. LaRose. The sound of the sirens was so much bigger than everything else.

Everything else was this: Mrs. LaRose on the green grass. Under the blue sky. And a white cat, bumping its head against the old lady’s hand, asking to be petted.

Mrs. LaRose was trying to say something, but Sparrow couldn’t hear because the sirens were so crazy loud. See? See? See? See what happens when you get carried away?

Now the ambulance came screeching down the street, with a fire truck right behind it, red lights flashing. They pulled up in front of the house, and the sirens finally stopped. In the silence Sparrow heard Mrs. LaRose.

“My cats,” she said.

“Don’t worry about the cats,” said Sparrow. “I’ll take care of them. I promise.”

She didn’t know what “them” meant, exactly. Mrs. LaRose had a lot of cats. But some were shy and hid whenever Sparrow came by. And some were outside cats that weren’t always around. She did know that no matter how many cats Mrs. LaRose had, she’d take care of them. For one thing, she had promised.

And for another thing, this was all her fault.