Part One: After the Ball
Chapter One
Demeter yawned lazily as she sunned herself on top of the car's hood. Her golden and black coat shimmered in the midday sun. She flexed her muscles, stretching as the sun warmed her skin.
"Someone's looking lovely today," A ginger queen commented slyly from below. "Pity Munkustrap isn't watching."
Half opening one eye, Demeter looked down at the queen, her best friend Bombalurina. "Ha ha ha," Demeter said unenthusiastically, giving another yawn.
"Late night, eh?" Bombalurina grinned, joining her friend on the car hood.
Demeter nodded, closing her eyes again. "The nights of the Jellicle Ball are always exhausting," she murmured.
Bombalurina nodded her agreement, "Our duet brought down the house last night," she said.
Demeter purred her laughter, "Yes, but 'the Macavity Song' didn't even compare to Mistoffolees' dance. He was amazing!"
Bombalurina laughed. "Yes, he's something else," she said proudly about her son.
"And Jemima wont stop talking about Rum Tum Tugger!" Demeter complained jokingly. "I mean really! Of all the cats-"
"-Why him?" Bombalurina finished for her friend. "Well he is attractive..." She said jokingly.
"Looks aren't everything!" Demeter reminded her friend with a flick of her tail. "I don't wand my daughter thinking that she needs to find the most attractive cat on the block in order to be happy."
"Ah, but that's the question now is it?" Bombalurina asked slyly. "Do you need the hottest tom-"
"Oh shut up," Demeter snapped playfully. "You would ask that question."
"'Ello ladies!" both queens on the car looked down to see a tiger-striped tom standing on the ground below the car.
"Hi Mungojerrie!" Bombalurina meowed cheerful. Mungojerrie was a gangly teenage kitten and a horrendous trouble maker along with his best friend, Rumpleteazer. Still, Bombalurina liked the pair or them.
"Miond if Oi join yoo?" the tom said in this thick cockney accent.
"Not at all," cooed Bombalurina, sliding over to give him room between herself and Demeter.
The tom leaped lightly onto the car, a smile on his face, delighted to share the car's hood with two of the best looking queens in the tribe. But as he settled down between the two she-cats, his smile disappeared only to be replaced with a look of sheer awkwardness.
A few silent moments passed by before Demeter spoke softly in a voice that dripped with sarcasm, "Not that this isn't enjoyable, but wont Teaser find this a little odd?"
"Oh boiy, she'll be sooooo mad!" Mungojerrie exclaimed, leaping off the car. "Sorry Ladies!" he called, regaining his usual swaggering manner.
As he was walking away, Demeter called after him, "Have you seen Jemima anywhere?"
"Loast tyme Oi seen 'er, 'er was waolkin' down the alley with Victoria! But Oi 'aven't seen 'er since noon! Sorry, Demi!" He called back.
Demeter sighed. "What am I going to do with that kit? She looks up to Victoria and wants to be just like her."
"So?" Bombalurina asked. "What's wrong with Victoria?"
"That kitten is so vain, it's ridiculous! She wants to be the next Glamor Cat!"
Bombalurina snorted. "What an excellent choice of a role model," she said sarcastically.
"Exactly," Demeter pressed. "I don't want my daughter looking up to a kit that want to become a scandalous cat!"
"Gee thanks," Bombalurina said dryly.
"No, I didn't mean it like that," Demeter corrected herself. "You aren't so vain. The toms come to you naturally. Victoria has to spend hours in front of the mirror, making her fur just perfect. You're all natural."
Bombalurina purred. "Thanks. You make me sound so cool."
Demeter stood and stretched. "Well, I suppose I'll have to make sure Jem is ok."
"I'll come along, if that's ok," Bombalurina leapt off the car to follow Demeter.
~*~
"Jemima!" Demeter called sharply, her voice echoing through the alley. "What are you doing out there?"
Jemima turned around, her kitten face full of shock and embarrassment. She and Victoria had been sitting on the corner of the sidewalk near the road for a long time. "We were... we were just... well," she stammered, unsure of what to say.
Victoria turned around to face the two older queens. "It's none of your business why we're out here," she said coolly.
"It is very much our business!" Demeter snapped. "You left without telling anyone, you're in plain sight of all the humans, and you're far too close to the road! You could have been caught by the humans! A peke or a pollicle could have gotten you! You could have been hit by a car!"
Victoria stood up and with her head held high, walked over to the alley to stand in front of Demeter. Jemima followed closely behind, lacking the confidence of her friend.
"First off," Victoria said coldly, "We are both wearing collars. The humans know to leave us alone. Secondly, we can both handle stupid dogs,
and third, we weren't that close to the road."
Bombalurina had had enough of this kit's attitude. Stepping out from the alley which had hid her in shadows, she drew herself up to full height in front of the kits. "You still haven't answered our first question. Why were you out there?"
Victoria faltered a bit at the sight of Bombalurina. "Um, we were just..."
"Just what?" Bombalurina leaned forward, her ginger fur glistening in the sunlight.
Victoria dropped her eyes to the ground, all boldness gone. "We were looking for the Glamor Cat."
Demeter turned towards Bombalurina and gave her a 'I told you so' look.
Bombalurina laughed. "Darling," she said to Victoria, "the Glamor Cat isn't going to come back looking like her old self! You know the song: and come back to a different jellicle life. she'll come back as a kit most likely, so she'll be able to live her whole life over again. You probably wont even recognize her when you see her. Now lets go back home."
Jemima gave Victoria a glare, then unenthusiastically followed her mother back through the alley.
~*~
The excited meows and purrs of the other Jellicles reached Bombalurina's ears while they were still a while from the junkyard. Demeter quickened her pace, eager to see what the commotion was about. Scaling a wall with ease, the four cats entered the clearing which was crowded with cats.
"What's going on?" Jemima asked Etcetera, who was standing nearby.
"It's the glamor cat! She's come back!" Etcetera cried excitedly.
"How does she know?" Bombalurina asked, annoyed with the commotion. "How does anyone know? Nobody really knows what the glamor cat will look like in her second life!"
But as the crowd of cats cleared and dispersed once again, Bombalurina's annoyance disappeared. For there, standing in the center of a crowd of cats, was none other than Grizabella, a beautiful young queen whose ginger-gold fur sparkled and whose white chest and face glowed.
The Glamor Cat was back.
For a moment, their eyes locked. Then Bombalurina ran to her mother whose eyes were brimming with happiness. After nuzzling each other for a long moment, Grizabella took a step back. "I never got a good look at you during the ball. My, you're beautiful!" Grizabella breathed, admiring her daughter.
"Well, I must get it from you," Bombalurina returned the compliment with all her heart.
"It's so wonderful to see you!" Grizabella exclaimed.
"It's great to see you too," Bombalurina paused, "but why on earth did you choose to come back all grown? I thought for sure you'd-"
Grizabella laughed, cutting her daughter off. "Doll, why would i choose to come back as a kit? How on earth would i reconnect with my long lost daughter? That is, after all, my goal for my second life."
Moved beyond words, Bombalurina said nothing. Grizabella smiled, then the two headed off together. They had a lot of catching up to do.
~*~
Jemima sat with the other kittens. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer sat a little ways off. Mistoffolees sat alone: he always did. Victoria, Etcetera, and Electra all sat in a group together. The sun was setting now, and the air was growing cooler. Victoria, sitting beside her, shivered.
"My goodness! It's freezing out here!" she said dramatically.
"s'not cold 'tori!" Mungojerrie called from a little ways off. "It is summer tyme, after awll!"
Victoria shivered again. "My mother always said that my fur was like silk; designed for beauty, not warmth."
Mungojerrie scoffed. "s'gonna do 'er alotta good in the winter, ain' it?"
Victoria flicked a leaf from under her paw. "Well, someone will always bee around to keep me warm," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Jemina didn't think it was cold, but she wasn't about to object either. It was better to stay on Victoria's side, than be against her.
Etcetera noticed something different about Jemima. "Hey Jem," she said softly. "Are you ok? You've been really quiet since the Ball."
Jemima shrugged. "I suppose I'm just tired," she said in her high, soft voice.
Victoria scoffed. "You weren't so quiet last night when you were talking about Rum Tum Tugger!"
Jemima's face turned red with embarrassment and she looked at her paws.
Victoria gave Jem a coy smile. "Forget him girl! Everyone knows that Tugger likes me the most!"
Jemima highly doubted it, but once again, stayed silent. She didn't want to argue with Victoria today.
Victoria gave Jemima a long glance, then said to Etcetera, "You're right. There's something wrong with Jem today."
Jemima faked a yawn. "I guess I'm too tired to talk. I mean, we had the Ball last night, and then all the commotion with the Glamor Cat today. I suppose I should head home."
"I'll walk you home," Mistoffolees offered, appearing out of nowhere to stand beside his younger cousin.
"Thank you," Jem said before leaving the group. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"
"Bye Jem!" the kittens chorused as the two headed out of the junkyard.
Once they were out of earshot, Mistoffolees turned towards his younger relative. "Something is bothering you, I can tell."
Jemima shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't really know what it is," she said, honestly this time.
"Did something happen at the ball?"
Jemima shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just... Victoria..." her voice traveled off sadly.
Mistoffolees stopped and sat down in the alleyway, placing his paw on Jemima's shoulders. "What's going on? You two seemed fine this morning," he said, his dark eyes searching Jemima's.
Jemima gave a soft smile. "I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I suppose I'm just jealous of Victoria. I mean, she's pretty, smart, confident... everything that I'm not."
Mistoffolees gave Jemima a shake. "Don't say that. You're just as pretty as she is, and just a smart. you just need a little confidence."
"Thanks, but..." Jemima trailed off again.
"She always gets all the toms?" Mistoffolees guessed. Jem nodded. "Dont worry. You're too young to be concerning yourself with such things anyway. Come on," he got up to walk again. "We'd better get home."
~*~
The next day, Jemima stayed quiet, but only when she was around Victoria. Much to Victoria's dismay, Grizabella hardly ever looked at her.
"I just don't understand," Victoria sulked when Grizabella walked past the car yet again without looking once at the white kitten sunning herself on the hood. "How can she not notice me? I'm clearly the most noticeable cat in the tribe!" At this Victoria shot Jemima a glare, as if it were her fault that Grizabella hadn't given Victoria any attention yet.
Jemima looked away, rolling her eyes. Hopefully, some day her friend would wake up and realize that there was more to life than what she saw in the mirror. But at this time, that didn't seem likely. Saying bye to Victoria, Jemima left the car hood and walked over towards her mother, who was sitting on the other edge of the junkyard.
"Oh, hello love," Demeter greeted her daughter. "Come, I want you to meet someone." And much to Jemima's shock, (and, what Jem could imagine,
Victoria's anger) Demeter led her over to where Bombalurina and Grizabella were seated.
Both queens looked up as the duo approached. Bombalurina smiled. "Jemmi! How are you, doll? I feel like we haven't spoken in forever!" This was the truth. although the two lived in the same house, Jemima had been in a horrible mood the day before, and hadn't felt like talking much.
Grizabella looked fondly at the tiny she-kit. "My you are a pretty little thing!" she exclaimed. "And with such a wonderful voice to match!"
Jemima smiled shyly. Both cats remembered that Jemima was one of the first cats to truly accept the old Grizabella for who she was. Both cats also remembered the way Jemima's voice had soared high and clear with the echo of Grizabella's solo song on the night of the Ball. Demeter smiled, proud of her daughter.
"Well come here, darling," Grizabella said, flicking her tail at a space next to her. "I'm sure Bomba wont mind sharing our conversation with a beautiful, wise kit like you."
Bombalurina grinned. "not at all."
Jemima blushed and walked over to sit beside the Glamor Cat, imagining the look on Victoria's face if she could see her now.