LADY DOOMTHORPE SCRATCHED the letters C-A-T into the blackboard with her gnarled, green fingernails. Maria fidgeted in her seat with excitement.
“Class, your homework this weekend is to get your first magical cat for Show and Spell on Monday!” Lady Doomthorpe said. “These brave cats will protect you from chaos monsters.” Chaos monsters. Just the sound of the words made Maria shiver.
The bell rang. While the other students were lining up at the broom closet, Maria sprinted toward Purring Powers Pet Shop, daydreaming of time-traveling tabbies and cold-curing calicos. But by the time she got to the shop, there
