Chapter 20
For whatever reason, that particular night, Kitty slept extraordinarily well. She did hear Amelia come in sometime later, moving quietly so as to not wake her friend. Amelia changed into her nightgown, then laid down oppotite Kitty on their double bed.
"You know, Amelia..." Kitty began to say quietly as Amelia slid beneath the sheets. "Perhaps, one day, you'll have children of your own who'll sleep with you when they have nigthmares..."
Amelia groaned. "Say good night, Kitty. It's been a trying day, you rogue, and I need my sleep. All right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kitty replied sleepily, and proceeded to sleep on into the next day.
The next morning, Kitty finally dressed and made her way out into Amelia's stateroom. The busy Captain sat over a most complicated-looking astro-chart, apparently plotting their course.
"Amelia? May I have a look?" Kitty asked.
Amelia looked up at her, her eyes somewhat glazed from her intense concentration. She shook her head to clear it, then said, "Of course, dear. Be my guest." She move her chair aside, so that Kitty could take a closer look. Kitty looked down at the intriguing, though complex, chart. She could see that Amelia had already gotten nearly three-quarters the way through to their eventual destination. Kitty gulped when she saw that the course plotted intersected the star Pellucid.
Trying very hard to sound nonchalant, Kitty observed, "So...when will we be passing Pellucid here?"
"Oh, Pellucid, eh? Well, I´d say in approximately three weeks time, Kitty," Amelia answered after a moment.
Kitty simply nodded, not able---nor willing---to say a thing. She nodded politely to her in farewell before heading out on deck to visit with Arrow. She found him standing on the main deck, watching the most suspect crew of spacers with a steely glare...though, not nearly as steely as Amelia's green eyes sometimes were.
"Well, Arrow, old boy...any bad behavior as of yet?" Kitty asked, partly in humor, partly because she was curious.
"Fortunately, no," Arrow replied. "At least for those ruffians." Arrow then looked down to Kitty. "However, I have observed that Mr. Silver does seem to give our cabin boy a great deal of busy work to complete each day," he told her.
Kitty frowned at that, and looked over to see Silver setting Jim to scrub the deck...which really wasn't necessary as it still shone from Kitty's magical scouring the other day. "Do you think I might be allowed to handle this, Arrow? Please?" she asked.
Arrow smiled indulgently. This girl had him wrapped firmly about her little finger, and knew it. "Of course, Kitty. I leave the matter in your most capable hands," Arrow said gallantly, and nodded.
Kitty smiled winningly at him, then---head up, and determined---she headed down toward where Jim and Silver were. "Mr. Silver!" she called out, loud and clear.
Silver looked up, and stiffened to attention. "Yes, Ma'am?" Silver said politely, as he always did when addressing an officer.
"I see you've assigned Hawkins here to scrub down the decks. Sorry, but that's not really necessary. The decks are not in need of a scrubbing every day, thank you.. Once a week should prove fine enough; waste of time otherwise. So, instead, I suggest you take our Mr. Hawkins here down to the galley and educate him in the fine art of food preparation. That is your speciality, Mr. Silver...is it not?" All in all, Kitty felt rather pleased with herself.
"Yes, Ma'am! Right away, Ma'am," Silver replied forcefully. Jim looked over to Kitty---when Silver wasn't looking---and grinned when Kitty winked at him, before she turned smartly on her heel to go up on to the bridge. There, she found Amelia scanning the instrument, with Arrow patiently and reassuringly beside her.
"Ah, good morning, Mrs. Doppler," Kitty greeted her friend mischievously, which caused Arrow to stifle a chuckle with a small cough.
Amelia eyed her sourly. "Oh yes...very funny, you two. Perhaps you should both resign your commissions and form a comedy team, hmm?" Amelia said sarcasticly, rolled her eyes and sighing.
"Well well...speak of the devil..." Kitty observed, looking over toward where Delbert had appeared, yawning, from his cabin.
"Just my bloody luck," Amelia grumbled under her breath. "Lord, give me strength." Kitty's acute hearing heard her friend's grumbling, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Amelia glared at her, feeling put upon. "Oh, laugh away, Kitty," Amelia growled. "If you believe---even one moment---that I'm going to fall in love with the Doctor...well, then you have another thought coming, dear.".
Kitty patted Amelia's shoulder compassionately. "Oh, believe you me...you will," Kitty told her matter-of-factly.
"Ha! I'll not take your word on that particular matter, my friend. I'm rather afraid I'll need to see some proof of that," Amelia declared stubbornly, crossing her arms before herself.
"Sorry, Captain...I'd love to, but...not just yet," Kitty said mysteriously, and then excused herself to go back into Amelia's stateroom again, where she started drawing. Drawing was a hobby she enjoyed nearly as much as singing. She started drawing, allowing her mind to float away. Before she knew what was happening, she heard the door open, and Amelia's rather commanding voice declare, "I somehow knew I'd find you here, you rogue."
Kitty blinked, coming back from dreamland, and blushed as she saw that she had drawn Alexander Dalley while her mind had drifted. She shook her head, and tore the page in half before it promptly disappeared from view.
"Tsk, tsk...isn't it you that's always telling me how you don´t love Mr. Dalley?" Amelia said, smiling evilly. "Right...and I´m the bloody Empress."
Kitty scoffed in reply, angry that she was still blushing. She stood roguishly and bowed theatrically. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Kitty replied coolly and smiled.
"Drolly amusing, Kitty," Amelia answered, but scowled.
Kitty smiled at her winsomely, and then took out her headphones and started listening to her "Cats" CD:
Are you blind when you're born?
Can you see in the dark?
Can you look at a king?
Would you sit on his throne?
Can you say of your bite
That it's worse than your bark?
Are you cock of the walk
When you're walking alone?
Because Jellicles are and Jellicles do
Jellicles do and Jellicles would
Jellicles would and Jellicles can
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
When you fall on your head,
Do you land on your feet?
Are you tense when you sense
there's a storm in the air?
Can you find your way blind
when you're lost in the street?
Do you know how to go
to the Heaviside Layer?
Because Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicles do and Jellicles can
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicles do and Jellicles can
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Can you ride on a broomstick
To places far distant?
Familiar with candle,
With book and with bell?
Were you Whittington's friend?
The Pied Piper's assistant?
Have you been an alumnus
Of heaven or hell?
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
We can dive through the air
like a flying trapeze
We can turn double somersaults,
bounce on a tire
We can run up the wall,
we can swing through the trees
We can balance on bars,
we can walk on a wire
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Can you sing at the same time
in more than one key
Duets by Rossini
and waltzes by Strauss
And can you (as cats do)
begin with a C
That always triumphantly
brings down the house
Jellicle cats are queen of the nights
Singing at astronomical heights
Handling pieces from the Messiah
Hallelujah, angelical choir
The mystical divinity of unashamed felinity
Round the cathedral rang "Vivat!"
Life to the everlasting cat!
Feline, fearless, faithful and true
To others who do what
Jellicles do and Jellicles can
Jellicles can and Jellicles do
Jellicle cats sing Jellicle chants
Jellicles old and Jellicles new
Jellicle song and Jellicle dance
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Practical cats, dramatical cats
Pragmatical cats, fanatical cats
Oratorical cats, delphioracle cats
Skeptical cats, dispeptical cats
Romantical cats, pedantical cats
Critical cats, parasitical cats
Allegorical cats, metaphorical cats
Statistical cats and mystical cats
Political cats, hypocritical cats
Clerical cats, hysterical cats
Cynical cats, rabbinical cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle bells that Jellicles ring
Jellicle sharps and Jellicle flats
Jellicle songs that Jellicles sing
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats
As Kitty softly sang along with her CD, she didn't notice---as Amelia settled down to continue her paperwork---the special look the Captain gave her, her normally stern---yet lovely still---face softening as she smiled fondly at her friend, her sister in all but bloodline. That special, warm smile that lit Amelia's face was due to the fact that, even if her Kitty was an admittedly strange and mysteriously 'special' young woman, Amelia still loved her very much.