A/N: Hey, I told you there would be another chapter this week, and here it is. I managed to work through the stupid family trees, which proved not to matter anyways. Ugh. So, I created a blog, which will have deleted chapters, the family trees that I created, and pictures of my random notes and jottings for some of my stories. If you want to see it, it's at stories from across the sea. blogspot. com (no spaces). So, anyways here's the next chapter, and if you're good, you might get another chapter by Saturday night.
As Jerrie and Teazer walked away, I heard two cats walk up behind me. "Hello, Quaxo," Coricopat and Tantomile in unison from either side of me. I turned around and saw them standing there, with concerned faces looking down at me.
"Yes? Did you figure anything out about Victoria's nightmares?" I asked them, not liking the concerned faces they had.
"Yes," Tantomile said.
"Do you mind talking somewhere more…private?" Coricopat asked. I nodded and we walked a small ways down one of the paths through the junkyard.
"So what did you find out?" I asked them when we stopped.
"We have found some strange things over the past night," Coricopat said.
"She seems to be an empath," Tantomile said. I didn't like where this was going.
"An empath,"
"Is a cat who,"
"Can read the emotions or,"
"Absorb those emotions of those"
"Around them. In Victoria's,"
"Case, it seems that she,"
"Absorbs the worse emotions,"
"Such as anger,"
"Hate, jealousy,"
"Yet mostly pain," they said in unison.
"What's that got to do with anything?" I asked, not really sure I wanted to hear this.
"Those emotions tend to," Coricopat said.
"Weaken the blocks around," Tantomile said.
"Worse memories,"
"And allow her to…" I didn't need to hear the rest.
"And allow her to relive them as nightmares," I finished for them. I felt absolutely sick. The blocks I had so meticulously placed around Victoria's memories of Macavity raping her were failing, as I had suspected. I looked up at them—I had ended up sitting down on the ground. "Is there anything you can do?"
"Do you know anything about those memories?" Tantomile asked.
"Someone rapes her. Hurts her, something like that. She tells me what her nightmares are about, usually," I replied. "So, can you? I don't want her to live with memories of someone raping her." The one piece of magic I used on her to protect her ended up hurting her. I hate my magic. I hate myself—no, I hate Macavity for doing this, not me for trying to protecting her.
"We might be able to do something," Tantomile said.
"If we can't block the memories, we could at least help her accept them," Coricopat said. I stepped up to them, and gave them a hug.
"Thank you. A thousand times thank you," I said.
"How far would you go to save your sister?" Coricopat said suddenly. I stepped back and looked over at him.
"If it would save her, I would die, Coricopat. I would do anything to save her," I said.
"Really? Or are you just saying that?" he asked me.
"I mean it, Coricopat. I've nearly died several times already for her," I replied. He pursed his lips, as if he didn't believe me and nodded to his sister, who walked off with him.
"What was that about?" Tugger asked me when they were out of earshot. I looked over at him.
"I asked them if they could help with Victoria's nightmares. And right now, I'm not sure I should have," I said.
"I know what you mean. For the longest time I never trusted them," Tugger said.
"Yeah. I'm siding with not trusting them," I replied. I looked over at the place where the Twins had left. "And I'm not doing another magic trick for you," I added.
"I didn't want another magic trick. I came on orders from Munk to ask how you were adjusting to Jellicle life," Tugger said, sounding bored.
"I'm adjusting fine. Give me the rest of the week and I'll be fine," I said.
"That's good. Victoria seems to be adjusting well," Tugger replied
"Better than me. I'm glad that the other kits are being nice to her."
"They're good kits," Tugger said absentmindedly. He sat down on the ground and looked over at me. "Misto, you grew up with Macavity, right?"
"Yeah, why?" I said.
"How did you know I was safe? Why did you ask me for help?" Tugger asked. I shrugged. I had been asking myself that same question since I had woken up that first day.
"I didn't know you were safe. I don't really know why I asked you for help. I knew that Victoria and I needed help badly, and if I didn't ask for help, Victoria would die. I almost didn't ask you though. You're nearly completely black, and all of Macavity's minions are black. I owed it to Victoria, though, to get help, and I knew I was starting to fade out of consciousness," I said.
"Well, I'm glad you asked me for help. I wouldn't want you dead. You're the only cat who I can talk to and not have to worry about being a cocky flirt," he said softly.
"Now, Tugger, I'll be taken soon, or at least I hope so," I said. "And you wouldn't want anyone thinking you're gay either."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Misto. They already think I'm gay. And who's the queen you're wanting to start dating?" Tugger asked.
"Jemima. Now, it's just a matter of whether or not Munkustrap will let me. And Demeter, for that matter. Don't tell Bombaluina, though," I said.
"Finally, me trying to play matchmaker has worked. I consider my life a success," Tugger replied. "When are you going to ask them?"
"I'm not really sure. I'll maybe ask when I'm sure Munkustrap won't kill me."
"Munkustrap won't kill you," Tugger said, "I think."
"Great," I replied. I stood up and looked over at Tugger. "I think I'm going to go see Victoria. I haven't seen her at all today, and I didn't see her much yesterday."
"Well then, I hope you get some quality time together," Tugger said. I nodded and walked off towards the main courtyard. I saw Ria there, playing with Jemima and Electra.
"Hi Victoria. Hi Jemima. Hi Electra," I said to them.
"Hi Quaxo. How are you today?" Electra asked me.
"I'm fine. How are you?" I asked.
"We're fine. Jemima here was just saying—"
"I wasn't saying anything," Jemima said, cutting Electra off.
"Well, then what were you saying about hoping Quaxo—"
"I didn't say anything, Electra. Nothing that Quaxo would want to know, at least," Jemima said, again cutting Electra off.
"Oh. I get it, now. Jemima wasn't saying anything. Did you want anything?" Electra said.
"No, I was just wondering what Victoria was doing," I said, watching Jemima play with her tail.
"I was just playing with my friends. Did you want something?"
"No, I was just wanting to talk. We can talk later though. Have fun," I said as I walked away. For the first time, I was almost missing life back with Macavity. At least I had a couple of friends there. Here though, I had none. Tumblebrutus just thinks I'm a joke, Pouncicval goes along with whatever Tumblebrutus thinks and I still haven't met Plato. Since I can't really hang out with cats who don't like me, and I can't really hang out with the older toms, I was alone here. I couldn't wait until Jerrie came back. I needed someone to convince me to not run back to Macavity and beg for forgiveness.