Chapter One
*Author's Note: Unlike most of my stories, this tale does not connect in any way, shape, or form to any of my other works. But hopefully it is something new, and something you will enjoy.*
Revenge is a dark and crooked path. It is a thin, red line of blood on black paper, slowly seeping out and infected all that it touches. It is an open wound that never heals, a plague that never ends. It is at once enchanting and repulsive, alluring and detestable, intoxicating and smothering…
Much like his sister, thought Macavity. He looked over at the flame-colored queen, whose pale face was the very picture of perfection. But underneath that beautiful exterior lay a dark and twisted soul, one bent on redeeming their family at all costs.
Not that Macavity didn't feel the same. Their mother, Grizabella, had been exiled for using Dark Magic. All of their life, Bombalurina and Macavity had borne the brunt of their mother's persecution. Those smug Jellicles deserved every bit of coldhearted revenge that the gingertom and his sister had planned for them.
"Is it finished?" Bombalurina's dark eyes never left the scene in front of her.
"Yes," Macavity nodded distractedly as he blew the smoky remnants of his conjuring skills off his fingers.
"Good," the red queen's luscious lips curved into a wicked grin. She stepped forward boldly, moving her hips as she walked. She carried herself so calmly, so assertively that she commanded attention every time she entered a room.
She knelt beside the crumpled form of a black and gold queen, her voice suddenly adopting a soothing cadence.
"Demeter. Demeter, wake up."
The small queen jumped at the stranger's touch, her eyes rolling about wildly, "W-w-where am I?"
"Macavity's lair," responded the red queen. Demeter gave a cry of fear, but the red queen quickly consoled her, "Don't worry, Demeter; you're safe now. I won't let him harm you."
"You saved me," Demeter whispered softly, suddenly remembering the whole event.
The red queen nodded, "You have nothing to fear now."
"How can I ever repay you?" Demeter looked up at her benefactor. She blushed with embarrassment, "I don't even know your name."
"Bombalurina," the red queen smiled. "And please, don't worry about it—I'm sure you would have done the same if the situation had been reversed."
"Still," Demeter sat up. "I have to do something—I mean, you did save my life!"
A loud crash resounded from the shadows. Bombalurina looked around in fear, absolute terror written across her face. She whispered hoarsely, "Macavity's back. We must get out of here."
"Where should we go?" Demeter asked in a panic-stricken voice.
"I know some cats who can hide us til morning," the red queen said quickly, taking Demeter's paw and leading her through a darkened maze of hallways. "It's not safe to travel at night—Macavity may find us. In the morning, I will make sure that you return to your home."
"Oh, thank you," Demeter breathed, a grateful smile blossoming on her lovely features. "You truly are a savior."
~*~
From the shadows, Macavity watched the entire scene unfold, a smug grin on his face. Demeter had not even realized he was there—or that her so-called "memories" were really the clever handiwork of the Hidden Paw. Bombalurina had not really saved Demeter—although the black and gold queen possessed memories of the event. He chuckled to think that all of her recollections were nothing more than a few crafty conjuring tricks that he had created within her fragile mind.
~*~
A few hours later, Bombalurina returned, a self-satisfied smile on her lovely features.
"How's she doing?" Macavity asked.
"Sleeping peacefully at Mungo's," Bomba replied, seating herself prissily in a nearby chair.
"You are quite the actress," Macavity circled her, a wicked grin creeping onto his face.
"I have a gift," the red queen replied nonchalantly.
"Yes, you do," Macavity began massaging her shoulders. She gave a small sigh as her muscles began to relax.
"That feels good," she purred.
Macavity didn't respond. He was too lost in his thoughts—thoughts that he shouldn't be having. After all, Bombalurina was his sister. Although that did not stop him from thinking such thoughts—or Bomba from encouraging them. She was all too aware of her brother's feelings; rather than discourage them, Bomba teased him with sultry looks, batting eyes, dancing lips and shameless sighs. It was all a game to her—a dangerous tightrope walk between camaraderie and obsession. It made her feel powerful—a feeling that always seemed intoxicating to the red queen.
"Mac," she said softly, opening her dark eyes to stare blankly ahead. "I need you to focus on the task at hand. Once Demeter returns to the Jellicles, we will have to move quickly."
"I know," Macavity replied. He grasped her shoulders a little tighter—just enough to make her feel uneasy. He liked watching her squirm.
"I hope that son of yours knows what he's doing," Bomba commented.
"Mungojerrie can handle it," Macavity assured her. "And Rumpleteaser is there to help, in case things get out of hand."
Bombalurina nodded. Of the Macavity's two tiger-striped kits, his daughter was the most capable. She would be able to handle any situation that might arise.
"I'd better be going," Bombalurina stood.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
The red queen turned to face her brother, her face masked in confusion.
Macavity held up a collar—one almost identical to Demeter's, "Your protection against Jellicle Magic."
Bomba nodded and took the collar. Inside the lining, they had hidden an amulet—their only security against the powers of the Jellicle Clan.
"Remember: you won't be the only mystic in the yard," Macavity warned her. "There's Quaxo. And the twins—"
"Freaks," Bombalurina wrinkled her nose in disdain.
Macavity found this comment particularly ironic and somewhat humorous, but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself. His sister was a hypocrite, but a beautiful one. That face—and most definitely that body—seemed to make up for the world of ills that lie in her mind.
"I'm off," Bombalurina flashed as smile. She kissed her brother on the nose, her gaze holding his a second longer than necessary. "Be a good boy while I'm away."