A/N: OMEC I'M SO SORRY FOR MY LATE UPDATE! And to top things off, this chapter is kind of rushed...or a lotta rushed. And random. But what chapter is not random in this story?
Honestly, I would not be surprised if any part in this chapter confused you. Sorry about that. I hope you like this long and random chapter!
Remember WAY back in chapter 20 when Macavity...did away with Exotica and Admetus? Now we're going to find out what he has done with them...
I didn't mean to add another song in this story, but it seems that every time I come across a song I like, I just have to add it in :p I promise I won't do that again...in this story ;)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own CATS. I also did not say the quote Old Deuteronomy says (it's in italics) and I do not own the song "Love Can Build a Bridge" by The Judds.
I clung onto the fence and watched him leave. There was nothing I could do now but to cry, and I did. I stood staring at the street in front of me, hoping that this was all some kind of joke and that Plato would be running back to me. I waited until the sun had set. He was gone. He was really, truly gone. I could barely believe it. It felt so…empty without him. Everything seemed gloomy and dreary. I dragged myself back to the pipe. Everyone was getting ready for bed. I dried my face from my tears and struggled to sleep that night. Misto came back late from his training with Macavity. He must have thought I was sleeping, because he didn't dare disturb me. Eventually, I was able to doze off, but only with hopes that I would wake up to see Plato staring back at me.
I woke up when I had felt something make contact with my face. Macavity was rubbing the tears off my cheeks. It was dark, and I could barely make out the outline of his face, but I knew it was him from his icy touch.
"Hey," he greeted me. "Why are you crying?"
I whispered back, "H-He's gone. Plato ran away. He ran away for me…" Sobs racked my body, and Macavity hushed me so that I wouldn't wake Misto up. He pressed my face against his knotted fur and let me cry. I stained his carroty fur with my tears and began to hiccup as well.
"I know," Macavity responded, running his fingers over the collar he had made for me. "Plato told me. He said he was leaving."
"Why didn't you—" Hiccup. "—didn't you—" Hiccup. "Why didn't you stop him?" I said in one breath before hiccupping again.
"Because he is old enough to make his own decisions now," Macavity explained.
I waited until I had ceased my hiccups and resorted to sniffling.
"I-I want to find him," I announced with enough strength in my voice to show Macavity that I was being serious.
"Plato would not want that," Macavity reminded me. "He wants you to stay."
I weakly punched the Hidden Paw's stomach. "I don't care! Plato thought that everything would be better if he left, but it won't be! Why does he think that I wouldn't want him here?"
"Plato is a complex cat," Macavity stated. "He hurts his loved ones without meaning to. He didn't want you to put up with it. He needs some time to figure himself out."
I shook my head from side to side, ignoring just about everything he had said. "I want to go look for him. He is making a mistake."
"Why would you want him back?" the yellow-eyed tom hissed at me. "So he can beat you again? Is that what you want?"
His harsh tone made me sob even louder. "No, I just…I just want him back!" I wept uncontrollably into his shoulder. "Won't you help me find him?"
"What do you think?" Macavity replied, resting me back down onto my blanket.
"I think you are horrible for not caring about your tomson," I retorted.
"Victoria?" Mistoffelees murmured. He stirred a bit before jolting upwards. "Victoria? Are you okay? Did you say something?" The tuxedo cat rubbed his eyes and waited for a response. Fortunately, Macavity had zapped himself back to the clearing before Mistoffelees awakened.
"Oh, sorry. I must have been sleep-talking," I lied.
"Or sleep-singing," Misto corrected with a small smile. I began blushing deeply, knowing that I have a tendency of doing that.
"'Night, Misto."
"Goodnight, Vicky."
I stand hugging the streetlamp on the sidewalk as the cars and trucks thunder past me. I'm afraid that if I let go, I'll stumble onto the treacherous path of the vehicles. In front of me I see a red and white blob scurrying across the street, trying to avoid the cars at all costs. A large truck honks, but Plato doesn't notice it. I can't peel my eyes away from the scene before me. Plato turns and sees the demon coming his way and only has time to shield his face before the truck slams into him head-on. I gasp in horror as once I see his splattered body lying motionless on the ground. I take small steps towards Plato, but I can't stare at him for long. He is a gruesome mass of blood. His arm is distorted and his elbow has popped out. One knee is caved in and sticking out in the opposite direction. One eye socket is hollow while the other has an eye hanging out of it. I cringe and ultimately scamper back to the streetlamp. Plato doesn't look like Plato anymore. I can't even recognize him. More cars zip by and amputate his limbs as they run over him. I turn to take one last look of him, but all that is left are his insides scattered across the street. I feel the breath has been sucked out of me, and I can no longer take in air. How could the humans take the life of a cat so easily? Plato suffered a terrible fate. I am too choked up to even cry. "Plato no longer exists" is the only thought running through my head. I try to imagine life without him. I can't. Stepping onto the middle of the street, I spread my arms out and close my eyes, waiting for impact that will end my life almost instantly.
My scream into reality was stifled by Macavity's paw. My forehead was sweating like crazy, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I pounded my fists against the ground and kicked my legs at him. Macavity waited until I had calmed down before removing his paw from my mouth. Then, in one swift motion, I stood up, dashed out of the den, ran to the very edge of the junkyard, and entangled my fingers with the chain-link fence. I let out my breath when I realized Plato wasn't in the middle of the street—but that didn't convince me that what Plato had experienced was only in my head. Macavity finally caught up to me. Alonzo was on patrol again, and he didn't even stir when Macavity and I had run through the clearing. I wondered what Munkustrap was doing this entire time. He should definitely give Alonzo break. Not only would it benefit his health, but it would probably be safer for the Jellicles as well. Who knew what the henchcats were doing every night while Alonzo was busy snoozing on the job?
Staring out into the distance, I touched my diamond-studded collar and let a tear drop from my eye. For some reason, the collar reminded me more of Plato than Macavity. Maybe I still couldn't believe that Macavity had given me the dazzling accessory. It seemed more like something his tomson would do rather than him. Or perhaps I was trying to deny the fact that the Napoleon of Crime had given this to me. Maybe I was trying to only see the evil in him. Should I try seeing the good in him instead…?
Macavity traced each diamond on my collar with his finger. I think he was proud of himself for making such a lovely ornament for me. I bet he was as surprised as I was that he meant it as a gift for someone other than himself.
"Go away, Macavity," I spat angrily at him. Normally, I wouldn't have dared to say those words, but I wasn't controlling myself right now—the voice in my head was.
"I don't need you," I hissed.
"Why the sudden change in tone, Victoria?" Macavity asked. Even though my back was to him, there was no doubt in my mind that he was smirking.
I gritted my teeth and kicked the fence, causing it to rattle noisily. "Because Plato died! He was brutally killed by a stupid truck! But I bet you don't even care."
"You are right—I don't care," Macavity replied, "because you and I both know you are lying."
I spun around and swung my arm at him. He stepped backwards without delay, making me miss.
"Stop it," I grumbled. "Stop it, stop it, stop it. You wouldn't know. You didn't see him get killed, while I did. I could tell you all the details, if you want."
Macavity crossed his arms across his chest. "Please do."
I searched through my mind to reencounter the memory of the truck zooming down the street and connecting with Plato's body. The more I searched, though, the faster the memory began to fade away. I could not remember anything that had happened a couple hours ago. I knew something had happened…but I just didn't know what. I tried to grasp the memory again, but it had been completely washed out of my brain. The entire thing seemed like a dream, now that I thought about it.
"I…I don't remember," I responded.
"Right," Macavity said, holding back an eye roll. He tapped the back of my head with his knuckle, as if expecting to hear an echo inside a hollow head. "And I suppose you just forgot everything that occurred only hours ago?"
"I…don't know. It just left me. Like a…like a…"
"Like a dream?" Macavity finished.
I paused to contemplate whether or not that was a possibility. "Was it really?"
"I can assure you it was nothing else," he guaranteed, slipping his arms around my waist.
"I hope so. I don't want Plato dead."
Macavity chuckled. "Well…"
I elbowed him in his guts. "He is your tomson. Be a little more compassionate, okay?"
Macavity rested his chin on top of my head and gazed at the inky sky. One paw found its way to my neck, and he began running his fingers over the glittering gems again.
"You seem to like that collar more than I do," I teased, giggling quietly.
"What can I say? It is quite the eye-catcher." He kissed my forehead and twirled me around once before releasing me. "Go to sleep. We would not want your brother to wake up and see that you are gone."
"Are you not coming?"
The Mystery Cat turned to the road before him. "I have something to do. Good night."
I decided that it would be best if I didn't question him about it. "'Night, Mac."
I was awakened by sobbing and shrill screams in the distance. Mistoffelees sprang up from under his blanket, grabbed my paw, and dragged me out into the clearing. Only the large group of henchcats stood there, scratching their heads in confusion. I looked to Adolph for an explanation, but he only shrugged back. More screams pierced the air, breaking the peaceful morning silence. It was followed by endless crying and whimpering from the kittens. Misto guided me to one end of the junkyard—the same spot Macavity and I had talked and where Plato ran off. The kittens were all pressed against the fence, shrieking while tears streamed down their faces. The older Jellicles were lugging something onto the sidewalk from the middle of the road. I gasped sharply and hugged Misto tightly, burying my face into his shoulder. He hugged back and tried to act strong, but I could feel his tears dampening my fur.
Cassandra and Alonzo were grasping their denmates' paws with their heads hung low, shoulders shaking violently. I could see that Macavity had some "fun" when redesigning Exotica and Admetus' bodies. I didn't know if it was their real corpses or if it was just a clone, but either way, it looked realistic. Macavity had taken the time to slash open their bodies to make it seem as if it had really been run over by a human's car. Seeing my friends like that overwhelmed me with sorrow. I had a sudden urge to shout out, "It wasn't really a car! It was Macavity! Macavity killed our friends!" but I knew better than to do that. I just continued to snivel into my brother's shoulder and tried to block out the sounds of the grieving Jellicles around me.
Later that day we had a ceremony for the deceased Jellicles. Everyone, save Macavity and his henchcats, went to the far south end of the junkyard, which was probably the least visited spot in the area. We all dug deep into the earth with some old, rusty shovels until we had created two holes in the ground, each big enough to fit one cat. We lowered their bodies into the graves and bid our farewells. Everybody sat in a circle with a ring of lighted candles around us. Old Deuteronomy said some prayers before giving us permission to patch up the holes in the ground. Nobody spoke—we just sat and shared the silence. My brother held me close, and we cried together.
"Whether joy or sorrowful," Old Deuteronomy quoted, "the heart needs a double, because a joy shared is a double and a pain that is shared is divided."
Jemima howled and let out a new batch of tears. Electra and Etcetera tried to comfort her with pats on the shoulder, but they themselves were wailing as well.
"It's okay, Victoria," Misto told me. "Now, they are in the Heaviside Layer. Isn't that a good thought?"
I weakly nodded my head. "I guess. No more harm can come to them, right?"
Misto managed a smile. "Right."
As the hours passed, cats began to head back to their dens, wiping the tears from their eyes. It was custom for the tribe leader to stay awake through the night at the dead Jellicles' graves. At about midnight, Jemima, Cassandra, Alonzo, Munkustrap, Misto, Deuteronomy, and I were still sitting by the graves. Our wise leader was sitting on a cushion on the ground with his eyes closed, meditating. The older Jellicles followed suit. The only cat still crying was Jemima, who was probably the most sensitive of us all. Her shoulders trembled and her bottom lip quivered. Then, I saw a pair of arms wrapping around her. Jemima looked up at Adolph through her drooping eyelashes. The henchcat murmured soothing words into her ear while she nodded and sniffled. Munkustrap, Cassandra, and Alonzo all opened one eye to see who had interrupted the peace and quiet. Cassandra turned to Alonzo, who turned to Munkustrap, who turned to Deuteronomy, who still had his eyes closed.
"Deuteronomy?" Munkustrap whispered.
Deuteronomy continued to meditate. "Hm?"
"A henchcat is here," Munkustrap said, scratching his head.
"To see me?"
"No, to see Jemima…?"
Deuteronomy opened his eyes and took his time standing up. "Excuse me," he bellowed at Adolph to get the young tom's attention.
"Oh, hello, sir!" Adolph greeted our noble leader and gave him a strong salute.
"Yes, hello to you, too," Deuteronomy responded, surprised by the tom's cheerful attitude. "Please understand that this is a private funeral for the Jellicles and the Jellicles only. And, please, no going near the kittens."
"Sorry, sir," he apologized. Adolph was beginning to stand up when Jemima tugged on his arm and batted her eyelashes as if telling him to stay. Adolph shrugged and said, "I can't disobey orders from your leader. I'll see you all tomorrow." He waved at us, and only we kittens waved back. The others just stared him down until he left.
Shortly after he was gone, Jemima yawned and got up. "I think I'm going to go back to my den. Goodnight, everybody." She blew a kiss at the dead Jellicles. "Goodnight, Exy and Admetus."
"Maybe we should go back too, Vicky," Misto suggested. "It is getting late."
I looked up at the sky to see that it was the North Star had already appeared. "Good idea."
After, saying our last prayers to our poor friends, we stood up and stepped over the ring of candles, most of which had died or been blown out.
As I was resting in my den, I continued to send my best wishes to Exotica and Admetus. I rolled over to my side and shut my eyes, feeling a lot better knowing that they were now living peacefully in the Heaviside Layer, and that, years from now, I will be able to see them again. With these thoughts in my mind, I was able to drift off into a deep sleep.
Just one icy touch was enough to wake me up in the middle of the night. I turned over, and for a second I thought I was looking straight into Plato's eyes. A look of disappointment fell upon my face once I realized it was only his father, once again, here to "give me company." I closed my eyes again and rolled back to my original position, keeping my back to Macavity.
"You killed them," I whispered, attempting to make him feel guilty about what he has done. I was far from succeeding, for Macavity merely snickered and began admiring my collar again.
"You don't feel bad at all?" I asked with a hint of rage building up inside of me.
"Victoria, in my lifetime, I have killed many cats from many tribes ever since I was a young tom. Never have I once felt an ounce of guilt from any of these murders. What could possibly make you think I feel sorry for what I have done now?"
"Because you are a Jellicle now, or you are at least trying to be. To be Jellicle, you have to act like a Jellicle, too. You know, we'll only be faithful and true to others who do what Jellicles do."
"I will try, Victoria, but the Jellicles always have their suspicions."
"I know, but it was very kind of them to let you stay. You are family, Macavity, you know that?"
Macavity didn't seem to know how to respond. The ginger tom continued to trace the diamonds on my new ornament and was silent for a few moments. Right before I was about to fall asleep, though, he whispered into my ear, "Thank you for accepting me."
I just hoped he wasn't smirking while he said that.
At mid-morning, I finally woke up and dragged myself out of the den. As the last cat to be up, I was expecting to see much hustle and bustle in the clearing. The warm weather had caused the snow to fully melt, and it had also evaporated its watery remains. But, instead of seeing Tumblebrutus and Pouncival cartwheel across the open space, Jennyanydots and Jellylorum deep in conversation, and Electra and Etcetera pulling their latest pranks, I caught sight of Munkustrap, Alonzo, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, and Rum Tum Tugger on patrol with no other cats around except for the unusually silent henchcats. What really stunned me was seeing Tugger on duty. The Rum Tum Tugger always had "better things to do" than to patrol the area. I strode over to him and was surprised to see his usual cool, relaxed swagger was replaced with intense pacing across the clearing and back.
"Tugger!" I called.
"Hm? Oh, hey, Vick," Tugger responded, obviously distracted by something.
"Where are all the Jellicles? Why wasn't Misto in our den? And why are you on patrol?" I interrogated him.
"Mistoffelees is with Pounce and Tumble at the oven," he answered, gesturing towards the brothers' den with his head. "I suggest you go, too. Either way, Munku will shoo you off of the clearing."
"Why? Is it not safe out here?"
Tugger leaned in close and spoke in a low voice. "A few henchcats have gone missing. They're up to something, and we're not going to let them get away with it. All the adults are ordering their kits to stay inside a den. It's too dangerous out here in the open, where they can strike at any time. Stay indoors, okay Vick?" He tousled my headfur and gave me a small push towards Tumblebrutus and Pouncival's den. I looked back at the group of henchcats and noticed that it was a considerably smaller bunch than before. Thirty of them had disappeared, one of which was Cezar. Was Tugger right? Were they actually plotting an attack against us? I couldn't even comprehend the fact that they had escaped in the middle of the night without being caught. Munkustrap was on patrol the entire time, and he takes his job incredibly seriously. He would have noticed if a tom had snuck out of the clearing at night, let alone thirty toms. Perhaps Adolph would know how they did it, or Macavity. The whole situation made my stomach feel queasy. Something was not right here…
"Victoria?"
I spun around in panic and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Adolph standing in front of me. "Oh, hi, Adolph. Listen, do you have any idea about where a fifth of your henchcats went?"
The smile that seemed to have been always plastered onto his face dropped. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I heard them talking last night. They said that they wanted to escape and join Plato."
I cocked my head to the side. "Join Plato in what?"
Adolph uncrumpled a piece of paper he held in his paw and displayed it for me to see.
"'Wanted,'" I read out loud. "'Tall tom, seventeen, auburn and white in color. Looks similar to his father, the notorious Napoleon of Crime. Last seen in an alleyway in London, England. Has murdered eight cats so far—two queens and six toms—over the course of two nights. Has no motive for killing and no specialized targets. Alley cats are warned. If confronted by him, do not attempt to fight back. Caution: armed and dangerous.'" I was too shocked to read the rest. Plato slaughtering other cats for Macavity is one thing, but doing it for fun was completely different.
"Wh-why is he doing this?" I choked out while blinking back the tears in my eyes.
"He's getting his anger out," Adolph replied as he tore up the wanted poster.
"Anger? What anger? I thought everything was perfectly fine."
"Don't you remember? He hates the Jellicles. He hated it here."
"But he was the one who suggested coming here in the first place."
"Yeah, but only 'cause he knew it would make you happy."
I nearly tore out my headfur. "Is that all he cares about? Doing what he thinks is best for me? I—ugh, I do not know whether I should be angry or grateful. He has done so much for me…" I placed a paw on my collar and breathed in deeply. "I am going to find him. The Jellicles can't know about this sick habit of his. I will help him, no matter what it takes." I didn't give time to Adolph to protest, and I walked right past him and asked for Munkustrap's permission to reside in Coricopat and Tantomile's den. After my permission was granted, I jogged on the path that not only led to the psychic twins' den, but also to the edge of the junkyard. I climbed up the chain-link fence and swung myself onto the other side. Everybody believed I was with Cori and Tanto, which let me have plenty of time to search for Plato and stop the madness.
I weaved through the alleyways but only found a few cats huddled together, desperately trying to survive in the harsh conditions. More wanted posters were put up in the alleyways. I tore each of them down and crushed them under my hind paws. The light eventually faded, and it was dusk. I only wished that no one had arrived at the twins' den to check-up on me, only to see that I had never been there in the first place. It was a bit unlikely, though. Honestly, most Jellicles were too afraid of the twins to enter their den, especially without an invitation, although with an invitation may be just as frightening. Usually, having been called for by Cori and Tanto was not a good sign.
Four miles of traveling later, I decided to stop and rest for the night. The wanted posters were becoming more abundant, so I would imagine that Plato was in this area. I plopped down on the ground and curled myself up into a little ball.
Sleeping wasn't easy, though. I was all alone in an eerie-looking alley in London with a cat murderer on the loose. Normally I would be terrified, but Plato wouldn't hurt me…right? At least, he wouldn't try to.
Curling myself tighter into a ball, I sang myself to sleep:
"Love can build a bridge
Between your heart and mine
Love can build a bridge
Don't you think it's time?
Don't you think it's time?
When we stand together
It's our finest hour
We can do anything, oh, anything
Keep believing in the power...
Between your heart and mine
Love can build a bridge
Don't you think it's time?
Don't you think it's time?"
Something cold pressed against my chest. It was like Macavity's touch, but it felt heavy and faintly glinted in the lamplight through all the rust. The pressure increased until the force was strong enough to roll me over, making me stare up into the eyes of the new criminal.
"Plato?" I whispered, squinting my eyes at him.
"What? Why are you here?" he hissed back.
I studied the object in his paw. "Are you holding a hammer?"
"Pretty much." He twirled the hammer with his fingers with ease.
I picked myself up from the ground and ripped off a wanted poster on the side of a building. "Do you see this?"
"Yes. They're everywhere."
Plato didn't sound ashamed at all. He casually leaned against the side of the alley and continued to spin the hammer.
"Adolph told me that a bunch of henchcats are coming to join you," I told him. "They all want to be a part of your mass murder spree."
Plato poked me with his hammer again. "You wouldn't understand, Victoria. We were all born and raised this way, and nothing can ever change that, so just leave. You're wasting your time. Don't think I don't know why you came. You're here to change my mind, to come back to the Jellicles, but I—"
"Hate it there," I completed for him. "I know, but you only hate them because you thought they all hated you. If they find out about what you are doing, Plato, they won't ever let you step back into that junkyard. Queens, Plato, really? Have you stooped so low that you will kill anyone in sight, no matter who they are?"
"Yes," Plato responded, and he whacked me hard on the left side of my head with the opposite end of the hammer.
"Everlasting Cat, Plato, what was that for?" I scolded. I winced when my paw came in contact with the area that he hit me.
"You said yourself that I will kill anyone in sight," he pointed out, stepping closer, "no matter who they are." And with that, he struck me again on the opposite side of my head with the end of the hammer.
"Plato, stop it!" I cried.
"Toughen up, will you?" he sneered. "I told you not to come looking for me. Don't you remember why I left?"
I wiped away a lone tear on my cheek. "To keep me safe from you."
"Right, and now that you have found me again…"
"I have realized that you were right," I wept. "You have hurt me again, even after you said you wouldn't. And the worst part is, you probably won't apologize."
"I need some time to think, Victoria. I don't know how I'm feeling. Please, just go."
"But—"
"Just go!" Plato screeched at me, giving me another blow to the head with the softer side of his weapon.
But I refused to leave. "Come back, Plato, please! I miss you. You are turnin'intoyourfather." I dropped to the ground and cupped my face in my paws, sobbing.
"Don'leavemewithyourfather," I begged. "Everynigh'Macavityvisitsmeinmyden. Everynigh''ekeepsmewideawake. Pleasedon'killanyoneelse. Pleasedon'."
A cream-colored Birman cat with a chocolate face stumbled upon us in the alley. He was followed by more than twenty other toms, all of which were Macavity's henchcats. I scrambled up and yelped at the sight of them, backing up into Plato by accident. The copper tom caught me as I tripped over my hind paws and fell backwards, causing me to shriek again. Every henchcat raised an eyebrow in confusion at my atypical attitude. They stepped towards me, asking if I was okay, and I replied with another shrill cry. At last, Plato caught on to the reason why I was acting so strangely. By now he knew what to do, and, without haste, he laid me down on the ground and cradled my head in his lap. I scratched the dirt with my claws and hissed wildly. The henchcats backed away slowly and impatiently waited for me to calm down. I reached for his hammer and began fiddling with it, becoming more and more restless by the minute. I observed the rusty metal with no interest whatsoever, but only so that I could keep myself busy. As I twiddled with the weapon, Plato smoothed down my headfur and hushed me, even though I had stopped hissing and whimpering a few minutes ago. Every now and then a henchcat would peek into the alley and groan when they realized I was still in a schizophrenic mood.
"Everlasting Cat, Victoria. You're still not healed?" Plato said, snickering quietly.
"I-I'dfeelb-betterify-you'dcomebacktothejunkyard," I replied shakily.
Plato shook his head. "No, Victoria. Only your family can help you. I would only hinder your recovery."
"Nonothat'snottrue," I slurred. "Comebacktothejunkyard."
"I can't, Vicky. Haven't you notice your relapses of Schizophrenia only occur when I'm around?"
"Nonothat'snottrue," I repeated. "Comebacktothejunkyard."
"No," he responded sternly.
"But…willyounotmissme? Willyoumissyourfather?"
"Of course I will, but I'm doing this for you. Don't cry." He wiped away the tears that were streaming down my cheeks.
My disorder got the best of me. "Then I will force you to come with me! I will force you stop murdering cats! I will—"
Plato clapped his paw over my mouth. "Quiet, Victoria. Are you calm?" I nodded, and he let go. "If I come back, I'll hurt you again. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"That'swha'Macavitytoldme," I said, sitting up and handing his hammer back to him.
"That's because Macavity is right. I think I should stay here."
"Stay and do what? Get your anger out on other cats?"
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Who said anything about me being angry?"
I traced in the dirt with my finger, avoiding eye contact. "Thatisjus'wha'Adolphthinks. Is'eright?"
"Um…" He nervously fidgeted with his weapon. "I'm just confused. And annoyed."
"Annoyed with me?"
"With myself."
"Because you have a terrible habit of killing cats that is spinning out of control?"
"No, I do that all the time."
I frowned and turned to look at him, and he smirked slightly. Weird, his eyes look so sweet and inviting. It's a shame he has such a sickening hobby.
"Vick?"
I blinked and returned to reality.
"'Sweet and inviting'?"
"What…?" I widened my eyes and immediately blushed when I understood what he meant.
"You didn't mean to say that aloud, did you?" he said, the corners of his mouth turning up into a bigger smile.
I accidentally let a giggle slip out, and I turned away in embarrassment. My cheeks were burning so fiercely I thought they would explode any minute now.
"Can I ask you something?"
I was too tongue-tied to respond, so I just nodded for him to continue.
"Why have you stuck with me week after week, even after all I have done?"
"Because I knowyouare more than just 'Macavity's tomson.'"
"But I'm not."
I punched his shoulder with no playfulness intended. "What is that supposedtomean? Are you proudofbeing Macavity's tomson? What makes you…"
"Hush," he ordered me while rubbing my back to calm me down. "No more questions. If I were you, I would go back to the Jellicles and forget we ever had this conversation."
"Do you want me to go?"
"I…no. No, I don't. But you should go. Go back to your family."
"Any last words?"
"I…I love you, Victoria."
Pause. Uh…
Plato stopped rubbing my back. "Victoria?"
Pause. What should I say?
"You don't love me back, do you?"
"I have been saying it to Macavity for so long…"
"Victoria!"
"I-I'm sorry! He makes me say it, and I don't even know if it is true or not." I touched my collar and sighed, not very pleased with where this was going.
"Macavity gave you that?" Plato touched the accessory around my neck.
"He made it himself. I didn't really expect it. Do you think it means something?"
"I think it means he loves you a whole lot. He's never given a collar like that to anybody. It doesn't have a tracking device on it, does it?"
I giggled, remembering the time when I had asked exactly the same question. "I was thinking the same thing, but he guaranteed there was nothing suspicious about it."
"I'm surprised you believe him."
"He has been really nice lately. It looks like he is turning into you and you are turning into him."
"Huh?"
"Well, now Macavity is being all 'sweet and inviting,' and you are about to start your own gang."
"Gang?"
"Yes, gang! There are thirty henchcats out in the sidewalk wanting to join you in your little game!"
"So, what, now I have to compete with Macavity for you? You are comparing me to my own father?"
"Yes, and it is a real shame I have to do that, especially when the Jellicle Ball is coming up!"
By the end of my statement, my voice had risen into a holler. Plato was stunned at my tone of voice, and he was equally astonished at the threat I was implying.
"You're going to be mated this year, aren't you?"
I nodded and stared down at my lap. I regretted saying those words to him with all my heart. I wish I could read his mind and know what he was thinking during these awkward silences.
"What are you thinking?" I asked bluntly.
"I'm…just…I…" Plato groaned and stood up. "I'm leaving. This conversation has gone far enough."
"Oh, you are off to hammer another cat to death?"
Plato gritted his teeth and successfully kept himself from exploding. "Go. It's almost dawn. The Jellicles will get worried. Please go."
I turned and stormed out of the alley without another word. I pushed my way through the henchcats on the sidewalk and ignored their confused faces. They shrugged to each other and strode into the alley, where their new boss was waiting.
That day, Plato gained thirty henchcats to work for him.
That day, Plato lost me to Macavity.
A/N: So Victoria is torn between Macavity and Plato...She has stumbled across the classic conundrum. Except this time, the stakes are high, because whoever she picks shall become her mate :(
Who do you want her to pick? Review and tell!
Thanks for reading! Next chapter may not be up until...I don't know, six days from now? Stay tuned! The Jellicle Ball may be coming soon...
