Hello Everyone! I know its late, but I decided to upload the next chapter for all the crazy cats that decided to read this, namely TheVoiceOfTheJellicles and Carliedra Felinity Addams. Thank you so much for your support for this! Anyway, here is this next chapter. Please Read and Review and tell me what I need to fex or what you liked about it. So without further adoooooooooooooooo...
I heard the voice I had come to dread. "That was quick thinking on your part, pretending to be in pain to get those idiots to make their decision faster. You should really be an actress."
I hissed. "Why in the blazes have you turned me into a darn cat? What do you want with me? I don't have anything that you would want."
The voice chuckled. "My dearest, you are so naïve. All will be answered in due time." The green eyes appeared and blinked slowly. "I'm looking forward to our official meeting, Melody."
A set of claws sliced across my vision and startled me out of sleep. I blinked a couple times and stared at my surroundings. I was in the Junkyard. Oodles of odds and ends jutted out, creating the perfect playground for the cats. And speaking of cats, they were everywhere. On the ground, dangling off precipices, and even upside down. I was on a surprisingly soft grimy pillow and was being stared at by a couple of the kittens. It was Victoria, Quaxo, and Electra. As soon as I lifted my head to get a better look at my surroundings, Electra yelled behind her, "She's awake!" A blur of fur dashed to me and started to shout questions.
"What's your name?"
"How old are you?"
"Do you have your ineffable name?"
"Why were you unconscious when you came in?"
"Where are you from?"
I pressed my paws to my ears. A small voice cut through the noise. "Victoria says that maybe she's scared." I pricked my ears and nodded vigorously. I shyly glanced at the white kitten and mouthed "thank you." She looked down at her paws, a small smile on her lips. Munkustrap pushed his way through the knot of queens and smiled down at me. "Come on, Melody, let's get you to the twins." I scrambled to my paws and wobbled after him. Two of the kittens ran over to me and supported me as I followed Munkustrap. The both had a patch over one eye. I was supported by Tumblebrutus and Pouncival.
"Tumble and I think you're gorgeous," Pouncival said in my ear. I was shocked. I had only just started the game of dating, but what was a girl to do when she has to break not one but two hearts?
Tumble said in my other ear, You smell really good, like rain." I blushed.
"Thank you, gentlemen, for your kind words. I'm Melody." Just as quickly as they had appeared, Tumble and Pouncival had vanished, leaving me with Munkustrap in front of a hanging blanket.
He was looking down at the brothers. "Looks like you already have some admirers, Mel." He glanced at me as I blushed. "Yeah, well, I'm kind of sorry that I have to let them down." Munk gave me a quizzical look.
"I mean, I'm kind of new to this whole 'toms finding me attractive' deal." Munk nodded, but I still thought that he didn't quite understand. He pushed his way through the hanging blanket and sat down to wait. I tried to follow his example, but my head was spinning. The two most acrobatic cats were in love with me, a human girl with no dancing ability what so ever. I scooted closer to Munkustrap. "Munkustrap, may I ask a question?" He nodded. "Do you think the twins can help me?"
Munk sighed. "I hope so, Mel. Whenever we have someone new to the Tribe, Coricopat and Tantomile always see if they can help the new cat get settled, maybe even help the cat heal. By the way, what was that, when 'Lonz and I were talking? You started to squirm and mew like a small kitten?"
"I don't know, I felt like someone had hit my head with a hammer, dunked my ringing head into ice water, and broke every bone in my body." I didn't mention the voice and eyes. I had a feeling that Munk would know who it was and I would suffer for it. Munk frowned. He was about to say something when someone came up behind me and whistled. I spun around and came face to face with the one and only Rum Tum Tugger. He smiled.
"Tumble and Pounce wouldn't stop yakking about the new chic, so I came to see for myself," he looked all down my body and then looked at Munkustrap. "They weren't kidding when they said she was hot." He raised his eyebrows and looked again at my sleek form. "Hey, sweetie, after this, why don't you and I mosey down to my place for something to drink?"
I scooted closer to Munkustrap. "Thanks for your offer, Tugger, but I'm still a minor and I have promises to keep." I could see out of the corner of my eye Munk raising his eyebrows. Tugger blinked at me in surprise.
"Yes, Tugger, she did just 'dump' you." A new voice from behind me made me jump again. I whirled around to face the twins Coricopat and Tantomile. It was Tantomile who had spoken, and she had a sly grin on her face. "Now go find another queen to bother, Tugger." Tugger stormed out, muttering something about how I was lucky that I'd caught his eye. He paused in front of the door, and made a hand-phone. Call me, he mouthed, then he sashayed out. I heard Etcetera's signature squeal.
Munk looked down at me and burst out laughing. The twins started to laugh as well. Coricopat said as he wiped his tears away with his tail, "I think you're the first queen to flat out tell Tugger "no" right off the bat." He turned serious. "We'll take it from here, Munk." Munkustrap nodded and pushed through the blanket again, leaving me with the mystic twins. Tantomile gazed at me, not unkindly. "What's your name?" she asked gently. "I'm Melody." I mewed and stared at my paws. Coricopat lifted my head just a bit so he could see my face. He looked at his sister and I could almost hear the conversation between them.
She smells of him, Tants. Do you think she knows or-
I'm not sure, Cori. But I think she is innocent of anything he has planned.
Are you positive? We can't afford to make another mistake regarding him.
I'm aware of the dangers, Cori. But I believe she is very special. Why else would he try so hard to keep her?
Who is the 'he' you're referring to? I thought.
The twins jumped and gazed at me like I had suddenly become an unexpected result in an experiment.
Tantomile cleared her throat. "We were having a private conversation." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Not my fault I could hear you." I suddenly grew worried. "Should I have been able to hear you? Or am I just special that way?"
Cori stared at me. "You shouldn't have been able to hear us, yet you did." He gave a frustrated hiss. "This is confusing,"
"And you don't like being confused," I finished for him, then covered my mouth with my paws. "I'm so sorry, Coricopat. I don't know how I can do this. How can I hear your thoughts?"
"Would you like something to drink?" asked Tantomile suddenly. She led the way to the back of the den. A small stream of water trickled into a small pool, which reflected a small chunk of the sky, now starting to deepen to a light lavender. Tantomile held a small cup under the water like a mini faucet and held it out to me once it was full. I took a small sip and sat on one of the many pillows.
"Back to my original question, how can I hear thoughts?" Cori and Tantomile sat across from me.
They hesitated. "Maybe we should ask the other magic users..." Cori started.
"Quaxo isn't ready and Deuteronomy won't be here for at least another week." Tanto finished for him. She turned toward me. "Tell us a little about yourself, Melody." I hesitated. The voice in my head hissed, I'll let you know what to share and what to keep hidden. If you tell these mystic fur brains anything other than what I tell you...
The voice left the threat unspoken. I thought about my human life and a huge wave of pain shot through me like someone had just clawed my stomach, so I just told Cori and Tanto how I had found myself in an alley in an unfamiliar place and had panicked when I had heard Munk and 'Lonz.
"I don't mean to cause any trouble, but could I stay here for the time being? There's not many places a just barely seventeen year old can stay around here." I said shyly.
Cori and Tanto looked at each other. "Are we talking calendar years or cat years?" they said in sync.
"Because if you're seventeen calendar years, you would be a seventy-eight year old cat. If you were seventy-eight, you would look very good for being seventy-eight," Cori explained.
"However, if you were seventeen cat years, you would be approximately one calendar year and four months. I believe this is the case," Tanto finished for him.
"I guess I'm seventeen cat years," I said shyly. "But you still haven't answered my question: How can I hear thoughts? Am I a freak?" I started to sniffle.
"No, Melody, you are not a freak; we have a theory, but first we need to test it," Tanto said comfortingly. "Can you hear what is happening on the other side of the Junkyard?"
I strained my ears and thought I could hear someone arguing with Munkustrap and Alonzo.
"...Not one of us. How could..."
"Jelly, we've been over this already: she was alone in the alley, and she was hallucinating..."
"I think Munkustrap and Alonzo are arguing about me with a cat called Jelly," I said out loud to Cori and Tanto. they looked impressed.
"that confirms it. You have magic," Cori said with a small smile on his face.
"I told you so, Cori. I knew she was special as soon as she walked into the Junkyard," Tanto said and walked over to sit beside me. "I'll help you learn to use your magic."
"Hey, why don't I get to help? You help me with Quaxo," Cori complained. I giggled. He glared at me.
"Fine, Cori, you can help, but I've got a feeling that you won't be able to teach her as well as I can," Tanto said as she stood. I followed as she led me to another room. This one was slightly messy with blankets everywhere.
She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry for the mess."
I smiled back at her, "It's totally fine, Tanto." I prodded a nest of blankets. "Is this my den for now?"
She nodded. "Until you find your own den, you can stay here." I followed her out and ran straight into a black tom.
He turned around and smiled gently at me. "I'm so sorry," he mewed. I gasped. He had a white bib and a splotch of black under his chin that looked remarkably like a bowtie.
"You're Quaxo, also known as Mister Mistoffelees, the original conjuring cat!"
Quaxo frowned. "How did you know all that?"
"She's magic as well," Tanto said as her tail wrapped gently around my paws. "Is Victoria with you?"
"No, she's with Jenny and Jelly. They agreed to watch her while I have my lesson. I couldn't leave Vicky with the other kittens, not after what happened last time." Quaxo mewed as he looked at his paws. "I'd better find Cori or he'll claw my ears off for being late."
"It was nice meeting you, Quaxo," I called as he padded away to find Cori.
Tanto stood and said, "I'll let you have the rest of the day off, Mel. I know from experience you don't pay attention on the first day in a new place." She padded to the doorway and pushed through. I followed her down to the main floor of the junkyard where she left me to look for another cat. I stood for a second looking for someone to talk to.
"Hi, Mel!" Someone behind me squealed. I jumped around and stared at the six kittens behind me. Tumble and Pounce were glaring at each other like each found out they were trying to ask the same girl out. (I have seen this look many times over my friends.) There were Electra and Etcetera looking very excited. Jemima had a small smile on her face like she had discovered a strange and wonderful secret. There was another tom, half hidden in the shadows, trying to find up the courage to be part of the group, but apparently hadn't found it yet. Another squeal broke my train of thought.
"Mel, how do you do that?" This came from Etcetera.
"Do what?" I asked.
Electra leaned closer to me. "How do you make all the toms go nuts? Are you magic or something?" She whispered. "Tugger, 'Lonz, Tumble, Pounce, George," she pointed with her tail at the hidden tom, "Even Addy and Plato are half crazy. I heard them arguing about whether you would like roses or daisies."
I was shocked. Every tom in the tribe was moony over a human girl who had no idea if she was getting back to New York before her two weeks were up.
Jemima said softly, "I heard that you came into the Junkyard unconscious. Is that true or is Electra making things up?" Jemima's query settled my somewhat rattled nerves.
"I was unconscious," I admitted. "In fact, I had been knocked out before that happened."
You better stay out of that area, Melody, or believe me, you'll wish you hadn't.
I ignored the hissing in my head. I was me, and no one would be able to make me do anything. "Well, I managed to get into a theater showing something I have wanted to see and be in for a long time."
"Are you a theater cat, like Old Gus?" Jemima asked.
"In a way," I started but something cut me off. A pair of claws seemed to be slicing my stomach and clutching my throat.
I warned you not to say anything of your personal life. Now accept the consequences.
My focus turned inside as I tried to fight the cat but how does a girl with no fighting experience what so ever fight a cat she can't even see? I was dimly aware of a thud and the kittens calling and running for help. A fuzzy face appeared and seemed to be talking incoherently. It turned away and shouted for something. Something soft was slipped under my body and I was carried away. Darkness again filled my vision.