Forever Until Now
Chapter 21;; Alone and Not Alone
"Breathe," she advised him, and he sucked in air with a look of reluctance in his eyes as if he didn't want the oxygen.
Victoria woke to the sound of cats speaking. Their voices were blurred and distorted to her ears. She was fast fading from life.
"We brought yah wot yah wonted, Macavity."
"…Thank you."
"Didn' yah say there'd be… yah know… a reward?"
"…I did."
"Well ain't yah gonna give it to us?"
"I will, in time."
Victoria let out a tiny moan. Her throat ached in protest.
"Wha' was tha'?"
"Did yah hear tha', Teaze?"
"Macs, what're yah hidin' from us?"
"Oh, just shut up and go away. Your reward will come… in time. I'll make it worth it."
Muttering suspiciously amongst themselves, the two cats left. Victoria had a definite impression that she knew them, but her mind was too foggy to recall much about anything. Only a few things were clear to her: Macavity and his nature, the fact that she loved Plato and that she was dying.
Macavity… he wasn't going to be able to save her.
Recoiling from the thought, Victoria tried to think of other things. Better things – such as Plato. He really was amazing. His eyes… the mere memory of them made Victoria want to sing. Of course, that was impossible in her current state. She wondered vaguely why she was so far away from him. Bast, I can't think of anything…
Who am I, again?
"Victoria."
Oh, yeah. Victoria inwardly sighed. Everything, everything was fading away from her. She clutched vainly for her prized possessions, but they always slipped out of her reach. But Plato's eyes? They shone clearly in her head. She clung on to them. That memory was her lifesaver.
Victoria forced her eyes open and glanced about blearily. She could hardly see – the edges of her vision faded into black, and everything else was a blur of colors and lights. Groaning, she closed them again. It was no use.
"Victoria, can you hear me?" There was a paw on her forehead; she could barely feel it. She let out another soft moan.
The cat – Macavity, wasn't it? – cursed. He thrust something before Victoria's nose, and she inhaled. The scents presented to her were familiar, but she couldn't place names to them. All but one.
Plato?
"What about the rest?"
Victoria whimpered. I can't remember them anymore.
Jemima ducked under the shade of a tinfoil roof and collapsed into a pile, panting heavily. He'll never find me here.
"Ready or not, I'm coming," a teasing voice called. Jemima's heart sank as he crawled into the shelter and made himself comfortable in the little space available.
"Alonzo," Jemima snapped, "Will you please just leave me alone?"
"No can do, my lovely," he purred.
Jemima almost screamed into his face. What right did he have to come to her and act all cocky? What right did he have to flirt with her? He was far beneath her – he was scum to her after what he'd done. And yet, he still insisted on stalking her like a deranged fangirl. Though, technically speaking, Alonzo wasn't female, he was beginning to remind Jemima of Etcetera and her 'Tugger hunts'.
"I'm outta here," Jemima muttered, trying to squeeze past Alonzo. He smiled one of his infuriatingly egotistical smiles.
"No you aren't."
Jemima just stared at him, her mouth hanging open slightly. "What right do you…?" she trailed off, temporarily stunned by the blue of his eyes. Then, she shook her head and made a noise of annoyance before shoving past Alonzo and away.
Alonzo just smiled lazily before standing up and brushing the dust from his behind. "Playing hard to get, huh, Jemi? Don't worry… this is the fun bit." Then, he easily sauntered after her as if simply enjoying the pleasant day.
Jemima stormed through the Junkyard, head down, arms at her side. That tom! He would be the death of her someday. She couldn't believe how much she hated him.
"Jemi-"
"Just leave me alone!" she yelled into the face of the tom who had just leapt in front of her. Only when looking him over did she realize her mistake. "Oops," she blushed, offering Pouncival a small smile.
"Um, so, uh, what's up?" He raised an eyebrow and scratched the back of his head, obviously amused.
"Alonzo," Jemima said flatly. "He's… ugh… I hate him! He's such a… a… a stalker!" She grimaced.
Pouncival chuckled. "You're cute, Jemi."
"And I'm starting to think that you're just as bad as him." Jemima narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Oh, damn it all," she sighed, sinking to the ground and rubbing her eyes in a flustered manner. "How'm I meant to deal with all this, Pounce? It's overwhelming me." She stared up at him with her huge eyes, and he stared back, just a little enchanted.
"I could help," he offered. "Y'know, as a friend."
Jemima snorted, but said nothing. It was no secret that Pouncival was attracted to every female on legs.
"Oh, why must you doubt me so?" Pouncival lamented, throwing his arms about. Jemima snorted again, this time with laughter. No matter how ridiculous his antics, Pouncival was funny.
"C'mon, idiot," she smiled, offering him her paw. He grinned and took it, and the pair headed back to the main part of the Junkyard. Every so often, Pouncival would throw Jemima a soppy smile, and she'd just roll her eyes.
When they arrived, Jemima caught a glimpse of Electra's dull green eyes flashing quickly out of sight. The dark tabby slipped away with a simple wave of her tail. The sight of her friend reminded Jemima of how Misto had spoken of his argument, and Jemima immediately dropped Pouncival's paw.
"Huh?" He glanced down, seemingly upset.
I wonder how Misto's doing? "Sorry, gotta run!" Jemima told him, giving him a small smile. And then she was off, leaving him staring after her with wide, wide eyes.
Jemima found Misto holed up inside his den, just as she'd expected. He was lying on his back on his bed, the rags he called 'blankets' pushed aside. He stared at the ceiling unblinkingly, and there was a certain aura of gloom about him.
"Misto, it's noon – what're you doing in here?" Jemima spoke sternly, hoping her voice would do something to bring the tom out of his miserable state.
"Sleeping," he replied emotionlessly. He rolled onto his side so that his back faced to her.
"Come on, Misto. Don't be such a grump." She walked up to his bed and flicked the back of his head. He flinched at her touch.
"Go away," he muttered, closing his eyes.
"No."
"Now."
"Get up, Misto!"
"Just leave me ALONE, Jemima!" Misto shouted, rolling off his bed and standing over her. He'd always been a little taller than Jemima, and he used it to his advantage. He towered over her, glaring down into her face. Shadows wreathed about freely in his eyes.
"Misto…" Jemima's voice was pained. She didn't want to leave him alone. She sensed that his anguish would only grow, that the shadows would only fester.
"I'm sorry," he snapped, sitting on the bed and hiding his face in his hands. "But I just don't feel like speaking to you, Jemima."
"I can help," she pleaded. "I'm your friend, Misto… you need someone to help you."
He uncovered his face and stared at her with hollow eyes. "It's too dangerous, Jemi," he whispered.
Jemima shook her head, understanding and not understanding at the same time. "I don't care," she said, pressing her lips into a thin line. "I'm willing to risk that."
He continued staring at her for a long time, and she offered him a small smile. "Fine," he relented at last. "I'll come."
Etcetera wouldn't allow herself to cry. This time, she told herself, I'll be brave.
She hated what she'd done to Plato, but at the same time, she knew it was right. If she stayed with him any longer, he could turn nasty, just like Macavity had done with Demeter. After all, the two cats were very similar. They both had the same power – the power to delight and mesmerize with their eyes. And although Etcetera had seen no evidence of it, she was sure Plato had the potential to harm in the same way that Macavity could. She shuddered, remembering how Macavity had taken pleasure in harming Demeter with his magic.
She frowned slightly. But what if she was just being stupid?
Don't take that risk, Etcetera, she chided herself. Remember what happened with Macavity? She cringed away from the thought and gave a long sigh.
"Something up, Etcy?"
"Gack!"
Etcetera was faced with a tom she hadn't seen in so long she could hardly remember his name. Inwardly, she slapped herself. It's Tumble, you dufus.
"A-ah, hi, Tumble," she chuckled, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Hey, Etcy. Long time no see!" He beamed at her, evidently pleased to see her. Etcetera, on the other hand, just wanted some time alone to think.
"Um, well, I actually have to… have to…" She searched for an escape. "Oh, yeah, I promised Jemi I'd be at her den right now. Gotta run!" She made to move away, but Tumblebrutus grabbed on to her arm.
"I haven't seen Jemi in ages either! You guys been avoiding me or something?" He chuckled at the notion, obviously not believing it. "I'll come with you."
"N-no!" Etcetera sputtered. Oh Bast, what did I do to deserve this…? "It's y'know… a girl thing." She blushed, knowing she sounded like an idiot.
"Well, I'll walk you there." Tumblebrutus blinked and smiled at her, happily oblivious to her discomfort.
"Alright," Etcetera agreed reluctantly, knowing if she refused his company she'd only seem rude. Silently, she headed in the direction of Jemima's den, desperate the shake the tom off.
"You know," Tumblebrutus began, hurrying to keep up with her, "I've been trying to speak to you for a long time, Etcetera."
"Really?" Etcetera asked over her shoulder, indifferent to his response.
"Yeah," he said quietly, smiling secretively. Etcetera didn't even glance back, but he continued anyway. "I really like you, Etcy," he admitted.
"Wh-what?" That out-of-the-blue statement garnered a response from Etcetera. She stopped, spun round and stared at him with her mouth agape. He blushed, drowning in her bright eyes.
"That's why… that's why I'm so happy to walk with you, you see?" He smiled hesitantly.
"Um, Tumble…" Etcetera had no idea what to say. She still wanted Plato desperately… how could she even think about Tumblebrutus? Then again, Tumblebrutus was definitely a lot safer than Plato. He was nice almost to the point of too nice and pretty handsome too.
"You probably don't like me," Tumblebrutus said after a moment, looking at the ground. "But I needed to tell you, Etcy. I can't bottle up these feelings any longer. I've been sneaking around and watching you, waiting for the moment… I thought that I had a small chance. Obviously not." Dejected, he turned and began to leave.
"W-wait. Tumble." Etcetera called him back shakily. "I've hardly said anything yet."
He glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes lit with hope.
"I…" Etcetera closed her eyes. "Tumble…"
She didn't get the chance to say anything else. Suddenly, Tumblebrutus was right in front of her, leaning in, kissing her. She panicked, but didn't pull away, not wanting to offend him.
This wasn't how my first kiss was meant to go!
It was meant to… be with Plato…
Tumblebrutus finally pulled away. He smiled brightly at her. "That was even better than I thought it would be," he purred. Then, noticing the stricken expression on Etcetera's face, he stepped back. "Etcy…?"
"I'm sorry," Etcetera mumbled, turning away from him. She was horrified.
And evidently, so was Plato. He stared at her with hollow eyes, tracing the outline of his own lips with a paw. His green eyes glittered in the shadows where he'd been standing, watching. He hadn't planned to let her go, but now, things were different. With one last, ghostly smile, he turned away and left, the flowers in his paw falling to the earth.
Electra stood back and averted her eyes from the sight of Jemima leading Misto about as if he were some sort of cripple. Surely he wasn't so affected by his magic that he needed Jemima hanging on his arm?
"Upset, are you?"
"Oh, just go away, Plato," Electra shot back. She turned to him with sharp eyes, but relaxed her expression when she saw the look on his face. He looked as if he'd already gone mad. "Breathe," she advised him, and he sucked in air with a look of reluctance in his eyes as if he didn't want the oxygen.
"I know how you feel." He indicated the way Jemima was smiling at Misto, the way he looked back at her with an odd glimmer in his eyes. "I know what it's like."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Electra snapped, any sympathy she'd felt for him evaporating.
"If you want to deny it, then fine. But I'm not going to play along with your denials. I'm going with the obvious truth." He offered her a small smirk.
"What you're thinking is not a truth. Get over yourself." Electra was about to get up and leave when she noticed Plato's distant expression. "Hey, what's wrong with you anyway?"
"Nothing important," he muttered stonily.
Electra snorted. "If it wasn't important, you wouldn't be this upset. I'm not stupid, no matter what you'd like to think." With that, she slipped away.
Victoria let herself drift on the currents of time, knowing she didn't have much longer. She could hardly feel anything anymore. When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but black-or perhaps it was that her eyelids refused to raise? Either way, she couldn't see. Any sound she heard was so muffled that she couldn't hear, either. The scents that were usually so sharp in her nostrils had disappeared, and everything was numb.
Victoria…can you hear me?
Macavity? Victoria registered a feeling of shock jolting through her. His voice rung clearly in her mind – as clear as her own voice.
I'm so sorry. His voice was choked, riddled with the pain of his failure.
That's alright. Victoria had no energy to feel anger anymore. Forgiveness was much easier.
What can I do? Is there anything that could make it easier? Macavity's voice was unusually soft.
Not really, she responded with gentle acceptance. Just… make sure I'm not alone.
I'll stay, he said.
And somehow, Victoria felt her lips twitching into a tiny, but certainly real smile.
A/N: I hope I didn't stuff up the cockney accents.
I'm working on a second story now. It's called 'In Fact, I Liked Her Better Before'. If you like seriously messed up stuff, this is your thing.