"It's been decided." Munkustrap said gently, "Zelaphelia will remain in the tribe."

Zela could feel tears brimming on the edge of her eyelids, as a large grin formed on her face. A loud clash of voices aroused in the Jellicles as they all started leaving their spots in the Meeting den, and met with the golden-red female. Every one started congratulating her, and giving warm welcomes back into the tribe. Even Jellyorum, who had the untimely death of her son weighing on her shoulders, touched her paw to Zela's, "Welcome Back Zela." She whispered. It was then, Zelaphelia felt safe and loved again, and it was because she was there. It was because she had come back and admitted what she did. The golden-red queen felt, for the first time in awhile, happy.

But, it soon faded when she noticed Alonzo and Plato skulking nearby. The three of them locked eyes at a distance. Theirs were filled with hate and disgust. The two of them scowled, and sulked out of the den. It was a sad thought, to know that she was hated, but she didn't let it bother her for the time being, because for the first time, she was home…

~^..^~

Three days passed, and Zelaphelia had not returned to the Warehouse. The hours became more strenuous, and each second that went by became slower. Macavity felt like he couldn't think. He had sent Barnabas to the Junkyard a day ago to alert him of any suspicious activity. He hadn't returned yet, and the ginger tom grew more and more impatient by the day. No words were reported, and only the dry silence of the empty hours was left for him.

During the tedious noonday, Macavity recollected his thoughts from the latest attack on the Junkyard. He felt like he had lost a bit of pride from the battle. Not because Zelaphelia intervened on his duel and allowed him to escape, but because of his own foolishness of being defeated by the Jellicles. The ginger tom blamed himself. He was unprepared and raced into the tribe like a mad cat. Though, generally he was considered one, but Macavity refused to be so bucolic about the situation any longer. Instead, the Mystery Cat planned more warlike tactics, pushed the trainees and their mentors to their highest stability level, thought of new strategies for attacks, and started drawing out maps of the Junkyard and living up to his title as the Napoleon of Crime. Macavity cackled at the irony of his name, referring to his reminiscence of French history.

The ginger tom took over every ounce of adrenaline left in him to force his ideas into an actual warzone attack. It was foolproof. He dropped his quill on the desktop, marveling his work as his paw slowly cramped. His ink bottle was nearly dried out, but it didn't bother him. A well made battle plan was ready to be executed with the snap of his fingers. The Mystery Cat grinned maliciously. Now all he needed was Zelaphelia back on his side, and he could take this brilliant attack into action. Nothing could be more perfect.

Suddenly, Macavity froze by a creak from behind. Barnabas and two other henchcats stood at the doorway. He glared at the three of them as he jumped down to the floor, leaving his unfinished work, "Ah, so you've finally arrived Barnabas! What took you so long?" he bellowed rhetorically, "What news do you have from the Junkyard?"

The black tom shrugged. His dark scar wrinkled as his mouth stretched in an odd grin, "Nothing really." He said simply, "Oh, except Zelaphelia seems to be there, and doesn't look like she has intentions of returning."

Macavity's eyebrow raised, "What?"

Barnabas blinked a few times, and backed away. The Mystery Cat smiled at that. The black tom was gambling far too much with Macavity's temper, and now he was finally showing a bit of obedience. "I'm not for sure, but she was, um…not the same. She was more social, unlike when she was a spy where she took what information she could find and isolated herself the rest of the time. I even heard her say she wasn't going back to the Warehouse again."

Macavity grimaced. This wasn't what he planned for. The ginger tom was hoping his golden-red daughter would just need to blow-off some steam, but this was worse. She had betrayed him to his enemies. Macavity his paw rounded into a bulging fist as he punched into the nearest wall. He gritted his teeth, and shut his eyes tight, but his tense anger didn't last long. Another idea came into his mind. If Zelaphelia wasn't coming back for the plan, he would have to bring the plan to Zelaphelia. The ginger tom turned to his servants quickly. They flinched, and Macavity couldn't help but grin. "Get every assassin, torturer, trainee, thief, and spy available. Make sure they are all ready in two days for an attack. I have a battle strategy that cannot fail this time."

"Better than the last one?" Barnabas asked with a wry grin.

The ginger tom turned and glared at his assistant sharply, "Don't test me Barnabas! I've given you plenty of chances to prove yourself, but you continue to let me down. If you were smart, I wouldn't let it happen again. Now go, and don't disturb me until an hour before sunset in two days."

The black tom narrowed his eyes at his master once more, but quickly shook it off, "As you wish sir."

The three toms bowed simultaneously, and quickly left as soon as they had entered, leaving Macavity in the quietness of his room. He sighed, and jumped back up on his desk, needing to perfect every detail of his battle plans. Some of it was still confusing for any normal cat to comprehend. Some of it had to be tweaked to actually work. It was quite simple, but in a way, complex. The Junkyard was smaller than any human knew, and this came at an advantage, considering the Jellicles regularly stayed in one main area. He could surround it easily, but all of his henchcats would have to be evenly distributed in different parts of the Junkyard. So much as thirty-six or thirty-seven would probably come, which wouldn't be too hard to balance out. But that wasn't the difficult part. The difficult part would be how to surround the Jellicles and defeat them as well. He hadn't totally planned it out, but in two days time…no one knew what would happen…

^~*~^

The third day as a true Jellicle was a fantastic feeling for Zelaphelia. There were no lies, no hostility, and no more involvement in her father's evil schemes. It was a life worth living. She had friends that didn't care for her past, a tom showing affection for her daily, and a family that loved her. It almost felt like a dream. It was a beautiful world that revealed itself to the golden-red female finally. It felt like Heavyside.

And the day was just as lovely as life. The wind was blowing the autumn air into the Junkyard, and the colors of the fading leaves were turning from a musty green to a variety of oranges and yellows. The clouds were thin, barely blocking the bright sun. Slowly they were shying away to reveal the warmth and brilliance of it. Some birds were still singing together in the trees and streetlamps. The sun was almost to a point where it would seem to set, but it would be a bit of an hour before then.

She looked around the Junkyard. It was a mess, as usual, but Zela didn't mind. It was actually very soothing to live in a place where everyone wasn't constantly busy, leaving you alone in the cold darkness. No, instead, the Junkyard was a warm and loving place, filled with cats that loved that she was there. It was a beautiful place, no matter what anyone else thought. As she spied around curiously, searching for anyone to talk to. There was no one so far.

Some of the Jellicles were avoiding her, which was to be expected, considering she had just been accepted back into the tribe under unusual circumstances. The young queens, such as Victoria, Jemima, and Electra, still loved to talk with her, but a few felines were not as forgiving as them. For instance, Alonzo and Etcetera didn't speak to her as much. Zela knew since Etcy was Admetus's sister, and it was only natural that she would feel a little hostility towards the golden-red queen. That, or Alonzo had convinced the hyperactive kitten that Zela wasn't so trustworthy after 'physically' killing their brother. The golden-red queen decided to accept their anger as a sign of grief. Beforehand, Etcy had spoken to her once. The young striped queen had actually acted very forgiving, as Zela considered it. She wondered why Etcy turned on her so fast.

Suddenly, a white queen came out of the shadows, joined by her orange and black sister. Victoria and Electra walked up to a few trash bags, where the golden-red female was lying to bathe in the sun. It became quite relaxing after awhile. Zela stared upside down at the two young queens. Vic smiled, "Hi Zel." She said softly.

Zelaphelia smiled back, "Hello Vicky, Electra."

The orange-and-black queen gave a small grin, and then stared back at the ground. The snow-white queen jumped up next to her half-sister. The golden-red female quickly sat up as Victoria spoke, "Jelly and Jenny prepared Admetus's body for burial. Munkustrap was wondering if you'd like to attend the funeral."

Zela grimaced. As much as she'd like to pay her respects to a passed-away Jellicle, would that not have some awkwardness attached to it? Still, the golden-red female felt Admetus's family at least deserved her condolences and apologies. She stood up, staring at her half-sister and breathing deeply, "I'll come to pay my respects. I owe Admetus as much."

Victoria sighed, "You don't owe Admetus anything. If he had known what was going on-"

"Vic," Zela cut-in gently, "I can admit my mistakes. If I hadn't overacted in the first place, this wouldn't have happened, and spell or no spell, I did kill him. Somehow, the tribe was forgiving enough to accept me back. Don't try to make me feel like it wasn't my fault, because it was. I'm grateful for your words though, but I am not deserving of them. Especially what trouble I have caused this tribe."

The white queen shook her head, "We forgave you because we knew you didn't intentionally kill Admetus. It wasn't even you doing it, and you know that. So put the blame away from yourself. You're a good feline Zela. You deserve to be treated like one."

The golden-red female smiled slightly. She liked being accepted by her half-sister, though she felt like she wasn't worthy of love. "Thanks Vic." She said graciously, "We should go to the funeral then."

Vicky nodded, "Yes, let's go." The white queen leaped from the trash bags, meeting with her younger sister, and looked up, waiting for Zelaphelia. She mimicked Victoria's jump, landing in front of her half-siblings.

Together the three of them went into the shadows of the Junkyard, and came to the main area. The entire tribe was gathered in the center. Many faces were sad, others angry, and some were completely stoned. On top of a giant tire, were Munkustrap and the late Admetus's family sitting close by. In the center of them all, was an ambiguous cat-shaped figure wrapped in a fabric that resembled linen. It was bound together with dull-brown twine and laid in a position of what seemed to be a deathlike stance. It must have been Admetus's body.

Zelaphelia walked into the Junkyard, anxiety grasping the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to face the any of them after what she had done, especially at Admetus's funeral, but like she said to Victoria, she wasn't afraid to admit her mistakes. It was the right thing to do. A few Jellicles glanced at her. The golden-red female knew a few would wonder why she would come during the ceremony, some would smile upon such an action, others would be furious. None of it mattered to Zela. It was only important that she was there. She went up to the crowd, and sat down up in front next to Demeter. Zela caught a glimpse of a smile from her mother. The golden queen leaned near her daughter's shoulder. "I'm glad you came." She whispered to her.

Zelaphelia smiled and whispered back, "I am too."

Victoria and Electra sat next to the golden-red female as all the faces of the tribe looked up to Munkustrap. His face was solemn, but he spoke soothingly to the crowd. "My fellow Jellicles, we are here to celebrate the life and times of Admetus: our brother, companion, and a son to the Everlasting Cat. We all knew him as the shy tom; the one who blended with the background, but inside, he had the heart of a lion. His bravery and determination kept him eager and ready-to-live life. We knew how strong and lovable he was.
He was…um…in line to be a protector of the tribe, because he took so much pride in being a Jellicle, that he wanted to serve Old Deuteronomy in any way he could, but of course, we always knew him to be very frolicsome and mischievous. He took much of his schedule to be with his friends and family, and everyone loved and respected him for all that he did. Right now, we will…give his family an opportunity to speak of him."

The ceremony went on. Jellyorum, Asparagus, Alonzo, Tumblebrutus, Etcetera, and Pouncival all spoke fondly of Admetus. They explained how kind and patient he was, and what a good tom he would always be. However, Zela was chilled by Alonzo's speech. He kept saying that he would've done anything to save his brother's life, and would always keep him in his thoughts everyday of his life, and no one would ever take what he and his brother had away from him, ever. The entire time, Alonzo was glaring down at Zelaphelia. Luckily, Munkustrap pushed him aside before he could say much else, probably wanting to avoid an insult directed to the young Jellicle queen. She was thankful to the silver tabby tom for that.

After the speeches of the family were done, Munkustrap walked back up to the front of the tire, "If anyone would like to speak of Admetus of this time, please speak now. It would be a tremendous sign of respect towards our passing Jellicle."

A few felines had already stood up. First, there was Quaxo. His words were curtailed, but somewhat humorous. He recalled a few short stories of Admetus and himself sneaking around the Junkyard and causing trouble, which made the crowd chuckle, which was greatly needed in this time of grief. After his small speech, he stepped down from the tire, and soon, a few other Jellicles walked up and told of Admetus's life, even Demeter, who apparently was very fond of the young tom from past Jellicle Balls. Once the line of eager cats wishing to speak of anecdotes of the deceased grey tom ended, a few heads turned to Zelaphelia. She was afraid to speak. She didn't want to offend anyone, or turn this into something about her. In fact, it was the last thing she wanted.

But, the golden-red female wanted to say what she knew about Admetus, she wanted to show the tribe that she was sorry because of his death. What else could she do but pay a deep respect to him? Zela stood up and walked up a few small steps and onto the rough and dirty tire. The glowing eyes of her audience sparkled in interest to see what she had to say. A few faces stood out. Tugger, who was smiling admiringly at the golden-red queen, Alonzo, who was scowling, Munkustrap and Demeter were nodding encouragingly, and quite a few others who kept there opinions separate from their expressions. Zela took a deep breath, and shouted into the crowd.

"I… didn't know Admetus that well…" she started, "At first, he was just another face in the Junkyard, but I knew he was well-liked, though he barely showed it. That was what I liked about him; he was humble, but determined, and inside, Admetus kept apart of him as a Jellicle…so he could keep his faith in Heavyside and the Everlasting Cat, and I realize now that he was a true Jellicle inside and out. He gave his life, to defend his tribe, and all-in-all, he was proud to do so, and every one here that knew him should be proud to have had such a…courageous and…strong-w-willed tom in their tribe…and…me…-I only know that his soul resides in th-the Heavyside Layer…" Zela's lips quivered uncontrollably. A few tears ran down her cheek. She shook a little, from the cold breeze that had passed her shoulder. It was aggravating to know the tom she killed was just feet behind her.

The golden-red queen quickly dashed off of the tire. She wanted to run away, and cry in private, but she resisted the urge. Instead, she ran into her mother's arms, and cringed as sorrowful tears pored down her face. There was total silence. Demeter gripped her daughter in an embrace. In a way, it felt good to go to the golden queen. She felt the warmth of a real and good mother radiate onto her. Zela loved the feeling, wishing it wouldn't go away.

After a few moments, Munkustrap ran up the steps of the tire, and quickly spoke. The golden-red female didn't even hear his words. Her sobs drained off all other sounds, but she knew that the Jellicle guardian had ended the funeral with a few words of comfort to the tribe, and walked off of the tire. But Zela could hear the Jellicles…singing melodically:

Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel…

Up, up above, to the Heavyside Layer…

Up, up, up past the Russell Hotel…

Up, up, above, to the Heavyside Layer…

Zela turned from Demeter's chest. Munkustrap, Skimbleshanks, and Asparagus were lifting Admetus's body into the air, and slowly carrying it off the tire. The Jellicles' eyes followed them, as the singing continued, and this time, the golden-red queen joined in:

Up, up, up, past the Jellicle moon…

Up, up above, to the Heavyside Layer…

Up, up, up, past the Jellicle moon…

Up, up above…to the Heavyside Layer…

The mystical divinity of unashamed felinity…

'Round the Cathedral rang…Vivat!

Life to the Everlasting Cat…

The three toms disappeared from sight, leaving the Jellicles in silence. The crowd slowly departed a few warm thoughts were verbalized as they all left, but Zelaphelia was still confused. She turned to her mother, "What happened? Where did they take his body?"

Demeter smiled, "They'll do exactly as the song says, they'll take Admetus's body past the Russell Hotel, where we bury our dead, and there, they'll build a grave. Skimbleshanks and Munkustrap will bless it, and Asparagus, as his father, will send a prayer that Admetus's soul will descend to Heavyside, and then leave."

The golden-red female blinked a few times, and then turned away. Demeter followed her face and turned up her daughter's chin, "That was a beautiful speech Zela. The Everlasting Cat would be proud of such words."

"Thank you." Zelaphelia whispered, "Admetus deserved as much from me."

"Well, to me, you proved yourself worthy to any Jellicle." The golden queen smiled, hugged her daughter once more and kissed her forehead, "You should go find your friends, and spend some time with them." She advised. Zela nodded once, smiled, and then swiftly walked away. She wandered for awhile, feeling good about herself. A small happy smile formed on the end of her cheeks. It was the type of smile of the cold pale lips of the terminally ill child being told of a hopeful recovery. It was an amazing feeling to be forgiven, and loved.

The sun was low in the sky, close to a sunset. The hours of the funeral seemed very appropriate. It was then, Zela started to wonder if Admetus would forgive her for what she did. If he had known who really was controlling her actions. Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Maybe, just being Macavity's offspring was just enough to convince the deceased grey tom that she was untouchable, untrustworthy, and soul purpose is to be hated. It was a bit of a depressing thought, but if it was more or less so, Zela didn't mind. She felt like she did do the right thing by saying a few good words about Admetus.

The golden-red queen just stopped in her tracks after that, losing her concentration in her pondering. Somehow, the day didn't seem so bad. She felt good about everything that happened today. Finally able to cope with inner feelings of all past events, Zela smiled, and could feel two tears of joy streaming down the rim of her cheek. Suddenly, a deep and insidious voice growled from behind, "Will wonders never cease? First a guilty murderer is unjustly pardoned, and now the soulless can shed tears."

Zelaphelia sharply looked behind her. Alonzo was standing near an old scratch metal pile, glaring at the golden-red female coldly. She simply turned away, "What do you want?" she asked emptily.

"Oh, I want nothing from you. I was just mourning the loss of my brother, who was brutally killed-off by a filthy henchcat of our sworn enemy, filled with bloodlust and hate and nothing but."

Zela's fur pricked up with anger. She zipped around, glaring at the black-and-white tom, standing on the end of her paws and hissing. Alonzo didn't make a move. His face was completely serene. "What are you going to do now Zelaphelia? Kill me, like you killed my brother?"

"Are you trying to have me kill you? It seems like you are!" The golden-red queen was trying to stay calm, but it was harder to do so when Alonzo was taunting her so, "You just want me to kill you so I'll be in exile?"

"Of course not." He answered simply. He stood up and started walking towards her, "But it'd be nice for someone to realize what evil they've allowed back in the tribe. It's surprising that no one else can see that any child of Macavity will grow up to be as callous and sadistic as him."

"I am nothing like my father!" she suddenly spurted out, feeling the fury burning from her face, but Zela then calmed herself and breathed deeply a few times. She wanted to stay that way with someone that was still so hostile with her. "Alonzo…I didn't mean to kill your brother. I wasn't in control of my actions, and I know I have no right to say this to someone who was so close to Admetus, but I'm apart of this tribe now, no matter what you want, and…I did what was right today, and I meant what I said during the funeral-"

"Let's get one thing straight!" Alonzo abruptly shouted, "I don't care what you said or did, or what really happened, the fact is, my brother is gone, and was by your doing. I almost lost my mate because of you, the tribe has been on the fritz because of you, and Macavity's been causing the us more trouble than usual, because. Of. YOU! Now, I don't care how sorry you are, or how much everybody else moves on, I will NEVER forgive you for what you have done, so don't act so coy around me, 'cause I see right through you!"

Zela cringed. She didn't like the harassment the Alonzo was unleashing on her. He made her feel like her intentions were evil and…like she was the scum of the earth…like…Macavity.

"I-I…" she stuttered nervously. She barely knew what to say, "I don't need this."

She started walking away, but Alonzo started shouting from behind, "Go ahead! Run away; Run away just like your father!"

The golden-red queen paused there. She was a bit scared of Alonzo's words. Maybe she was a bit like her father. No matter what she thought of herself, it wasn't going to end. Zela would always hold a piece of Macavity. Her words weren't worth the dirt she walked on anymore, and with what little dignity she could muster, Zela swiftly walked away, tears flooding her eyes, and feeling worse than how she did when the day started…

^~*~^

Darkness reigned over the Junkyard, with just barely enough of the sun's dying light to keep the sky barely in a sickening greenish-blue. Tugger, however, ignored it, because he had just witnessed the worst harassment directed from Alonzo to Zelaphelia, and was in complete shock. He was going over to find Zela on the west side of the 'yard, but then he caught the horrible words given to her from the patched tom. It disgusted the Curious Cat, and thus, he ran up behind Alonzo quietly, sharply twisted him around, and punched him in the face.

The black and white tom fell on the ground, wiping a small line of blood off his cheek. He looked up at the Tugger, dumb-founded. "Tugger," he started, "What the hell?!"

"Why would you talk shit to her like that?" he asked Alonzo loudly in a response.

The patched tom, stood up, glaring at the black and leopard-spotted tom. His eyes were raging with hate shimmering from the shine of the newly cycled thin crescent moon. He sighed moodily, "It's not any of your business Tugger, so stay out it!"

The Curious cat frowned and narrowed his eyes at Alonzo, "When some idiot, such as yourself, is hurting Zela, then it becomes my business."

"She deserved it." The black and white tom muttered coldly. Tugger wanted to lunge at him again, but he was resisting the urge. He didn't want to start a fight. Instead he just blinked a few times, and gripped the dirt beneath his claws.

"Hey, shut up! She's never done anything to you."

"Oh really?" Alonzo asked sharply, "She almost cost my mate, her life, she killed my brother, and now, she's roaming freely around the Junkyard, probably waiting for her no-good father to attack us!"

"Listen, you pompous, whiny, little ingrate, Zelaphelia is the greatest and most lovable queen in this Junkyard. She has meant no harm to this tribe, and granted, she's been led through a dark and crooked path, but she's seen the light, and she's come to the right place. So you can lay-off, and just accept that she's here, or I'll personally see that your sharp tongue either stays in your mouth permanently or I'll rip it out myself!"

Alonzo looked a bit bewildered by Tugger's harsh words, but seemed to reluctantly back away. "I'm not forgiving her."

"I'm not asking you to, even though a nit-wit like you should comprehend enough knowledge to know that you should. I just want you to leave her alone."

The patched tom nodded, "Fine. I'll lay-off. While the tribe finds her soooo innocent, even though she's not, and I'm the only one who knows that. It doesn't mean she's good. It just means she's hypnotized you with her batting eyelashes into thinking she should be defended."

"You see, this is why you should hold your tongue around felines who have threatened to rip it out."

Alonzo grimaced at Tugger once, but then quickly just skulked away in the shadows. He had the tendency to do that too often nowadays. The leopard-spotted tom gave a triumphant smile. He would do anything for Zela, and now, he was able to do so. He wanted to do whatever he could for her. She needed as much, and as the son of Old Deuteronomy, Tugger wanted to protect the tribe like Munkustrap was. It was the right thing to do. Ironically enough, a conscience was coming over the tribe like that. Maybe it was because of Zela. Maybe she had changed everyone's thoughts about everything…