The Winter Wolf Read Online Free PDF Page A

horse’s neck to hide that he was crying.

    Amelia swallowed. He’d said that Grace was pale and tired, and talked about her coughing all the time. But Amelia had never thought that meant she’d died. Probably it wasn’t that unusual to lose a brother or sister, living out in the woods with no doctor anywhere near. And evenif the doctor could get to you, there were no antibiotics, hardly even any painkillers back then. Amelia’s teacher had told her class that it wasn’t that long ago that people thought eating a fried mouse was a good cure for whooping cough.
    “But how am I supposed to find enough to feed him? Especially with Pa already watching me like a hawk. I reckon the pup’s been slowly starving these last few days, he’s so hungry,” Noah muttered.
    Amelia wrapped her arms round her knees and stared at the boy quietly stroking the horse’s neck. She could do it. She could go and check on the pup for Noah. Except – it was a wolf, and a wolf was an even scarier sort of dog. With bigger teeth, probably. Amelia didn’t go near dogs, ever. She’d only been up in theattic and found the diary because she’d been trying to stay
away
from a dog!
    But why else was she here? If it wasn’t all just a very, very real sort of dream, she’d travelled into the time of Noah’s diary, back nearly a hundred and fifty years and halfway across the world. There had to be a good reason for something like that. Amelia tried to think how she would feel if anything happened to Bella. She couldn’t imagine not having her big sister around. Bella didn’t fuss over Amelia, exactly, but she always looked out for her.
    Amelia was pretty sure that Noah had looked out for Grace, too. He must have felt so guilty when there was nothing he could do to help her. Worrying about the wolf pup was bringing all those feelings back.
    Amelia pushed the harnesses aside andstood up, a tiny, determined figure in her scarlet hoodie and furry slipper boots. There was straw stuck in her curly black hair, but she didn’t care. She scuffed the floor with her feet, so that the boy heard her and turned round sharply.
    Noah gaped at her.
    Amelia stared back and tried to smile. “Hello,” she murmured.
    “What are you doing?” he said at last. “Where did you come from?” He took a step towards Amelia and reached out, his hand wavering. But he didn’t quite dare to touch her. He drew his hand back, as though he thought she might not be there and that his hand might go right through.
    Seeing him almost more scared than she was made Amelia feel braver. She managed more of a smile. “I’m not a ghost, if that’swhat you’re thinking.” Then she stopped. “I don’t think so, anyway. I’m definitely alive, but I might be a dream… Or you are – I’m not sure.”
    He snorted and folded his arms. “I’m not a dream. How did you get here?”

    “I just woke up here.” Amelia shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets, wondering how much to tell him. “I read your diary,” she said slowly. “I don’t really understand how this is happening, but I think I’m supposed to help you with the wolf pup. The one you’ve got hidden in the hollow tree out by the spring.”
    Noah glared at her angrily. “You were listening. Eavesdropping. And you can’t have read my diary. It’s in my coat pocket.” He went pink then, as though he realized he shouldn’t have said that.
    “I have. You know I have, if you think about it,” Amelia pointed out. “I was listening just now – I couldn’t help it, you were right next to me. But you didn’t say anything about where the wolf was, did you? You think the pup belongs to thewolf that Joshua Wright shot a couple of days ago.” She grinned. “And you think Joshua Wright’s a skinny beanpole with ears like jug handles. You said so.”
    There was silence for a moment, while the two of them gazed at each other.
    “You did read it…” Noah whispered. “I wrote that.” He stepped closer to her,