The Third Day : It's Unladylike To Eavesdrop (Trespasser)

She ran. She was frightened that if she saw his face just once more, heard his voice, then she'd go back on her decision. After she'd worked up the courage to go through with it, too. She couldn't do that. She had to stay away from him.

She was worth nothing.

Just an alley-cat.

A poor insignificant alley-cat.

Etcetera entered the Junkyard, her shoulders still throbbing with every gasping sob she let out into the cold night air. It was deadly silent; everyone was asleep. No one was there to witness her pain nor comfort her. Not that they'd want to, anyway. Just how long could their hospitality last anyway? Maybe, just maybe, they'd be willing now that she'd given him up.

Now that she and Mistoffelees were no longer a couple, nothing could stop Victoria from approaching him. They would fall in love, become mates, lead happy lives. They would be the couple of the century; the perfect, fairytale couple. There was no doubt that their story would end happily.

As for Etcetera? She'd spend perhaps another year among the Jellicles in the safety of the Junkyard, and then they'd toss her out. She didn't belong there. She was not a Jellicle. She was a filthy alley-cat. That's what she was told, anyway.

She was a trespasser.

She took up their space, she got in their way. And worst of all, she stole their magician's heart. Foolish, foolish Etcetera.

It was easy to tell her apart from them. Luckily, her alley-cat accent had quickly faded, but her voice still annoyed them. They were beautiful and graceful. She was not. Mistoffelees had denied it, but he was just a fool, and she didn't love him. No, she couldn't love him. She wouldn't love him. It was wrong. She didn't deserve him.

Trying to breathe evenly, Etcetera kept walking. She walked across the Junkyard, and relished that there was no one to sneer at her ungainly stride. She wanted to learn how to be graceful, but no one would teach her. Well, except him. But she was too weak to be graceful anyway. Her kitten-hood sickness had left her more frail than the other kittens. It only made her more afraid of what would happen the day she was forced to head back into the alleys.

The alleys were dirty.

The alleys were dangerous.

She would not last two days in the alleys.

Etcetera halted just in front of the sign. She often saw Mistoffelees heading past the sign. She knew that Coricopat and Tantomile resided past the sign. She knew that Macavity's stench lingered past the sign. But never had she passed the sign. Etcetera couldn't read, but she'd been told what the sign said.

'Magic cats only. Trespassers will be prosecuted.'

The sign had, apparently, been stolen from some human house across the city, where the rich and hoity-toity humans lived. The first sentence had been scratched in by a Jellicle.

Etcetera didn't care that she wasn't a magic cat. Her curiosity was insatiable. She would find out what lay beyond the sign.

Immediately, as she stepped boldly past the sign, she heard voices.

"Mistoffelees finds himself alone."

"Ah…came to his senses, did he?"

"No. She did."

"No matter. As long as the outcome we desired occurred…?"

"Indeed, just as fate told."

"I knew it." A deep chuckle rolled out towards Etcetera, and she froze. It wasn't difficult to recognize the voices of Coricopat and Deuteronomy.

"So, the demon of the prophecy…fate has dismissed her, am I correct?"

"I am not quite sure, Deuteronomy. My vision grows faint when it comes to the demon. She is a tricky one."

"Well, we cannot allow her to remain very much longer. We mustn't let her taint the pure heart of our magician."

"Agreed. Fate has granted him a great future."

They…they… Etcetera was not so stupid that she didn't understand what they were speaking of. They were obviously talking about Mistoffelees…and her. The demon, as they had called her.

When she had first recovered from her illness, she had thought Old Deuteronomy a kind old cat. And so he had been. But when it came to his precious magician, he was manipulative and cruel.

Mistoffelees said that it was because of what happened with Macavity. Macavity had once been a Jellicle Cat, and Deuteronomy's own son, but he'd been exiled over time. He was a magician; just like Mistoffelees. But he had been 'tainted' by the queen he'd loved. She'd turned his heart black. She'd turn him into some sort of mindless fiend.

She was of alley-cat descent, just like Etcetera.

But she was a Jellicle, too. Still was.

Her name was Demeter.

Luckily for Demeter, Munkustrap had defended her from Deuteronomy's terrible rage. The pair had become mates, and Demeter had become a true Jellicle. She was allowed to stay, but even after years had gone by, some Jellicles still disrespected her.

But mainly, the Jellicles turned their anger on Etcetera. She took the brunt of it. She was a demon, destined to turn Mistoffelees' heart black. And they hated her. She knew that now. Fresh tears in her eyes, she ran again. Anywhere, anywhere that took her away from the pain.

That was why they said, 'Young ladies should never eavesdrop'.

But she couldn't really be considered a lady anyway, could she?

A/N: You may have noticed; this chapter sounds a little different in tone from the others. I thought it would be a nice change. ;)

I decided to portray the Jellicles and the world in general a little harsher than usual. I don't really think they act like that, haha.

Next up, 'I didn't want to: they made me…'