"Teazer! Look what I found!"

Rumpleteazer turned around to see her brother, Mungojerrie, running across the parking lot towards her. As he drew closer, she noticed that he was holding something sparkly in his right paw.

"Ooo!" She squealed, realizing what it was.

She leapt up and snatched the pearls from his paw. "Ooo, Jerrie, they're beautiful!"

Her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the precious pearls as she studied them. "Nothing's too good for my little sister!" Jerrie said, with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Teazer looked at him with a sour pout, "I'm only younger by 3 minutes!"

She aimed a swipe at his head, which he dodged with a smirk. "You need to work on your aim, little sister!"

And with that, he ran across the parking lot and out of sight. Rumpleteazer sighed and began packing away all the things she had managed to steal that day. A knife, a can of tuna, a small box of jewelry, a petticoat- the usual loot. The Humans that lived near the Junkyard were stupid enough to leave their windows open almost all of the time. She wasn't worried about getting caught because the most they could do to her was throw her out of their house; and then she would just climb back in!

Teazer allowed herself a moment's rest, and then stood up. She had to go after Jerrie. He was brilliant at thieving, but his sense of direction was almost nonexistent. He would never be able to find the Junkyard on his own. With a sigh, she slung her thieving bag over her shoulder and set off into the night.

Two hours later, the duo returned to the Junkyard in bitter silence. Teazer had found Jerrie almost immediately, but he had refused her help, insisting that he knew exactly where he was going. They had wondered together, seeing almost all of London, but getting nowhere near home. Finally, Jerrie admitted defeat and let Teazer take the lead, skeptical that she would be able to lead them any better. She got them home in five minutes.

"Told you!" She said snobbily as they entered the clearing.

"You did not!" Jerrie cried, "I was about to get us here when I allowed you to take the lead!"

"ALLOWED me? You begged me to take you home!"

The pair bickered all the way to their den and as they curled up to sleep. After another half hour of fighting in bed, Jerrie called a truce and promptly fell asleep.

Teazer, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. She was so angry at her brother, so furious at his stubborn and know-it-all attitude that she couldn't sleep. He was always so sure that was right, always took the credit for everything that she did, always, always, always!

With a snarl, she leapt out of her bed and ran out of the den that they shared, into their treasure trove. It was a beautiful sight to her, normally. The walls were lined with shelves and on them were the best things a cat could think of- trinkets, yarn, food, cans, newspapers, and pearls, stacks and stacks of pearls. However, none were as beautiful as the Wolsworth pearls that Jerrie had found for her earlier that night, and they lay in front, on proud display. For a moment, Teazer stared at them, her brow furrowed. And then she struck, grabbing the string that held the beads and snapping it clean in half. The beads flew all over the floor. She grabbed another string of pearls, and broke that one too, the sound of the clattering balls on the floor music to her ears. She kept going, growing angrier and angrier with every passing strand that she tore. Finally, after she had broken the last strand, she whirled around, ramming her fist through a mirror that sat on the other side of the trove. It shattered with a satisfying CRACK, a long, thin fracture running through the glass and webbing out across it.

As Teazer seethed, looking around for something else to break, she felt a stabbing pain in her paw. She looked down and saw a big shard of glass stabbing through her paw, blood trickling from the edges. She screamed and tried desperately to pull it out, only succeeding in increasing the pain. After a couple of seconds, she gave up, and collapsed on the ground, cradling her hurt paw. She sniffled, determined not to shed a tear. What would her father said whenever she hurt herself?

Crying won't solve anything, Rumple…

But Daddy, it hurts!

Go tell Jerrie, sweetheart, he'll pull it out for you. He has strong paws; this old man can't pull out a splinter like that…

He'll hurt me!

Alright, alright…We'll do this together. I'll pull on three, alright? One…Two….

"OW!!!"

Rumpleteazer had made another daring attempt at the glass, which had only resulted in more blood. She whimpered, tears running down her face in frustration and anguish.

"Come now, Rumple….Tears won't fix your paw…"

With a watery gasp, Teazer shot up, looking around, her eyes wide with fear. There was no one around, just the shattered remains of the mirror, the pearls, and the rest of their treasure. "Who…Who's there?" She asked shakily.

"A friend, child…Come, let me help you. I'll fix that nasty splinter…"

Just as Rumpleteazer was about to run back into the den, crying out for Mungojerrie, she became aware of something. At first, she wasn't able to put her claw on what at changed, but then she realized…No more pain! She glanced down. The glass was gone! Completely gone! And, stranger still, there was no sign that it had ever been there at all!

"Do not be frightened, little one…" The voice murmured. It was male, as far as Teazer could tell, "I'm here to help you…"

"Where are you?" She whispered. The voice was so solemn and grave that she felt she should be quieter.

"I am everywhere…I am in your mind."

"My…My mind?"

"Yes…And what a beautiful mind it is. Rumpleteazer, my dear…You are much smarter than your brother, aren't you? He is such a fool…You are the real mastermind behind all the crimes that you perform…"

The voice was so soft, so soothing…Teazer felt as though it was almost…hypnotizing her. It was glorious, not to have to feel or think.

The voice continued gently, "I feel your sorrow, Teazer. I too was the second born. No matter what I did, I could never be the best…Never be the first."

As Teazer glanced around yet again, trying to find the speaker, she happened upon the cracked mirror. In it, she could see a small ball of light on the edge of the horizon beyond the den. The voice become suddenly hurried, "I must away, and you must go back to sleep, darling…"

"Wait!" She cried, "I don't even know your name! Tell me who you are!"

But the voice was gone, and with it, the bliss of no feeling. Teazer groaned as pain shot through her paw again. The glass was gone, but she could almost feel it there…Like a ghost, she decided. A piece of ghost glass.