The Secret Life of Pets: The Junior Novelization

Chapter One

ON A FALL AFTERNOON IN NEW YORK CITY, a small brown-and-white dog named Max rode in a bicycle basket through Central Park. The air was cool, but the sun was shining. The trees in the park were turning bright yellow, orange, and red.

"I'm the luckiest dog in New York!" Max thought. "All because of Katie."

Katie was Max's owner, though owner was not the word Max would've used. Katie was his best friend. "We have the perfect relationship," he thought, standing up in the basket and letting his tongue flap in the wind. Max had lived with Katie in New York his whole life. He knew Katie would do anything for him. And he would do anything for her. Anything!

Reaching her favorite bench in the park, Katie braked to a stop, leaned her bike against the bench, and set Max down on the sidewalk. He spotted a flock of pigeons. "ARF! ARF! ARF!" he barked at the birds.

All the pigeons fluttered up into the sky, except for one. It stayed on the ground. "I'm Katie's loyal protector!" Max thought as he approached the pigeon. "I have to protect her from this dangerous bird!"

"COO! COO! COO!" the pigeon gibbered, flapping its wings at Max. 

Max backed up in a hurry! Katie scooped him up in her arms, giggling. "It's okay, Max!" she said, petting the little dog. "I won't let the mean pigeon hurt you!"

Max felt a little embarrassed, but he loved being petted by Katie, so he guessed it was okay. He looked at the pigeon and gave one more loud bark from the safety of Katie's arms. "ARF!"

No matter what happened, no matter what he did, Max knew that Katie loved him. Like the time when Max was just a puppy and Katie came home to find her shoes scattered all over her apartment, chewed up. She opened her closet door and found Max inside, happily gnawing on one of her favorite shoes, surrounded by more wrecked shoes. She wasn't thrilled, but she still loved Max. He knew that their love was stronger than shoes.

When Katie walked around her apartment talking on the phone, Max lay on her couch, wagging his tail every time she passed near him. The closer she got, the faster his tail wagged. "It's me and Katie," he'd think. "Katie and me." When it rained outside, Katie and Max wore matching yellow slickers. If lightning flashed and thunder boomed, Max barked, "ARF!" Really loud thunder made him tremble. But Katie held him close and snuggled him into her warm shoulder.

To Max, it seemed like he and Katie did everything together. When Katie loaded the dishwasher, Max helped by licking each plate before it went inside. "We make a terrific team!" Max always thought as he happily licked away.

Sometimes Katie and Max sat beside each other on the fire escape while they ate dinner, staring at the tall skyscrapers lit up against the night sky. She'd give Max a hug, and he would lick her ear. She would giggle, and he would bark. It was a great life. Perfect, really.

Well, almost.

Max had one problem with Katie: pretty much every day, she left.

And when Katie left, Max was alone in the apartment, waiting. Waiting. Waiting for Katie to come back.

One morning after a bike ride to Central Park, Katie was getting ready to go to work. Max didn't really understand that part of it, but he knew the basic routine — and he didn't like it one bit. Katie wrapped a scarf around her neck, but Max grabbed one end of it, trying to stop her. She giggled, dragging him across the floor. Then she hauled the scarf up. Max held on with his teeth, so Katie lifted him up and took him and her arms, giving him a quick hug.

"Come on, Max," she said. "I'll see you tonight."

Katie kissed him and set him back down on the floor. He stood there looking up at her, wagging his tail, willing her to stay. She decided to have Max practice a few commands. "Okay, sit!"

Max plunked his bottom down on the floor.

"Spin!"

Max spun around in a circle. 

"Speak!"

Max barked. "ARF! ARF! ARF!"

Max thought that maybe if he did everything just right, Katie wouldn't leave, and they could spend the whole day together. That would be wonderful!

But it never worked. She always left anyway, no matter how perfectly Max followed all the commands.

"Okay, that's a good boy," Katie said as she headed out the door. WHUMP! The door closed, and the locks turned. CLICK! 

"Where is she going? Max wondered. "What could she possibly be doing?"

He sat down and stared at the closed door. "Aww," he sighed. "I miss her so much."

RATTLE, RATTLE. KEYS! RATTLING IN THE DOOR! 

Max sprang to his feet, wagging his tail like crazy and leaping up at the doorknob. "She's back!"

The door opened and Katie hurried in. "Forgot my phone!"

"What took so long?" Max thought. "Why did you—"

Katie spotted her phone on the counter, grabbed it, and rushed back out of the apartment. "Bye, Max! Be a good boy!"

"Oh, come on!" Max thought. He sat on the floor and stared at the door. "Aww, I miss her so much."

It'd be a long day before Katie came back home.

But Max had no idea what she'd come back home with...