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Rain began to drop as Frank and Cat made their way home. They separated at the junction close to the Avon Manor and Cat trudged towards her own house shared with Mr. Sheridan. Mr. Sheridan is awfully busy these days, Cat thought. What with the new Theatre Royals Grand Opening only days away!

She looked up and peered at the darkening clouds through the droplets of rainwater. Ahhh Autumn rain, Cat smiled. She crossed the road and made her way over to a dark wooden house sandwiched between two other buildings, one a big and very loud building that housed a huge rowdy family, and the other a quiet candle shop. Cat sighed as she readied herself of the mess that lay inside her house. Living with Mr. Sheridan had its ups and downs. While he was a splendid guardian, he was quite a messy, jumpy man, who was so engrossed with his work that he would leave things everywhere half done, and even, half eaten. This lead to him always losing items and forgetting things in the last minute. Cat swore that if she left him by himself for a couple of days, he would lose himself in all the mess.

Still it was nice to see this unexpected side of him. Cat had always viewed him as a cool collected. Mr. Sheridan had approached her with the proposal of being his housekeeper and companion. Though at first Cat rejected his offer, reminding herself of all the ill treatment from being the maid of the hateful Mr. Tweedle. But quickly Cat realized that Mr. Sheridan's offer was just a ploy to give her a place to stay and money to earn. He took very good care of her and sometimes even involved her in the building plans of the new Theatre Royal. He's almost like fa-, but Cat stopped herself and shook her head. Like family! Hah! I'm sure he has his own real family somewhere.

As Cat approached the stairs to the front door, she heard horses neighing behind her. She turned to see find carriages parked across the road, behind one another in a line, in front of a tall, black, grubby house. Men unloaded trunks and furniture down and carried them to the house. Cat tilted her head and gazed up at the house, mystified. No one has ever been inside that house before, she thought. The house was awkwardly structured, it was two storey's high and looked very unstable, with rooms jutting out unbalanced, like someone had punched the walls outwards from the inside. It had always been the creepy house in the neighborhood, complete with a scary attic, and eerie atmosphere that enveloped the house like a cloak. Even now it sent shivers down Cat's spine as she stared at it. It even has black trees, branches protruding out of the earth like claws.

But what surprised Cat the most about the house was it sudden glow of warm candle light from inside. It mesmerized Cat to see it a light, after all those years in the shadows it had become a part of the scenery for Cat. The house had belonged to a rich family before they sold it to an old man. The old man lived there for only one day or so before he left and never came back. After that, the house was left alone. No one came and no one went. Until today. Many passing people, stopped to gaze at the house and murmur to each other.

Cat stepped down the stairs and looked closer. A small old man with a cane emerged from the house and walked up to the carriages yelling instructions to the men. He then turned and gave a sharp quick whistle. Moments later, a figure sprang out from one of the bottom windows. Some talk between the figure and the old man later, the figure sprang out the window and walked up to the man. Peering closer, Cat realized that the figure was a girl. And not just any girl, the girl from the match! The Master of shadows! Her hair was out and it whipped in wind, giving her a terrifying look with the house glowing behind her. She glared at some of the gossiping passerby-ers and they quickly hurried away.

She strolled down the stairs and walked to the first carriage and reached inside and pulled out a big bag and some rolls of rugs, joining the men in unloading all the carriages. But then as she reached for the last carriage she stopped and looked straight at Cat's direction. Cat immediately turned around and began to walk back up the stairs when she called out.

"Hey! Hey, it's you isn't it? That's right! You're the girl from the match!"

Oh dear god! She's going to give my disguise away! Cat panicked reaching for the bell on the door. The girl called out again.

"Hey, wait!" she yelled. Cat stopped and turned around again to see the girl running toward her.

"Speak quietly, can't you!" Cat hissed. "You're going to give my disguise away!"

"That's a disguise?" the Girl asked tilting her head, looking at Cat up and down. She quickly shook her head as if to clear her mind from something. "Okay look, I know you're upset about the fight and how I cracked that boy's wrist. Which I'm not sorry about, being a fight an all. Anyway, I have something for you to give to him." She said and she reached inside her tunic pocket and brought out a small, wooden box and handed it to Cat. Cat opened it and took a sniff at the paste inside. It smelled of mint and herbs.

"It's a healing balm," the Girl explained. "Tell him to apply it on any sore places and the pain will quickly go away...I think."

"Huh! You think! Do you "think" it's enough?!" Cat glared.

"Hey!" the girl cried throwing her hands up as if in surrender. "You were the one telling me to fight him!"

"Yeah well- well, you shouldn't have listened! I was just getting excited seeing a girl in a match," Cat mumbled looking down at the balm. She smiled and looked up and the girl and waggled her eyebrows. "You know, being a 'boy' and everything."

The girl laughed and shrugged. "That does tend to happen. I am quite dashing!" she said flicking her hair dramatically. "See you. Soon hopefully!" she smiled and turned around, walking back towards her house. When she got there, she stopped and looked back at Cat.

"Cat Royal. What an interesting name," she said. "My name is Sparrow by the way," and she walked inside and closed the door.