Sorry for the not-so-quick update! Again, my excuses are study for exams and various music concerts to rehearse for. So I rattled this off last night, long as possible because I've had some complaints about short chapters (sorry, people!). Ok, thank you all for reviewing, I love reading your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
It didn't take long for the Jellicles to notice that many things were going missing. At first most of them thought it was just coincidence that everyone lost their possessions at the same time. Nobody was immune to dropping something amidst the piles of junk and losing it, particularly the younger cats. But after a few weeks the adults were growing suspicious.
"I could understand if a few cats lost things," Munkustrap remarked to Jellylorum after they had searched everywhere for Electra's favourite ball-with-a-bell-inside. "Yet so many things have been lost that I'm beginning to think that this can't be an accident. But surely none of our tribe would steal, especially from the kittens."
"It's hard to believe," Jellylorum agreed ruefully. "I hate to say it, but it seems they are being taken out of spite." Munkustrap grimaced expressively.
"I'm sure it's not the twins," He said, referring to Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer. "They really have turned over a new leaf recently. Besides, Rumpelteazer lost her pearl bracelet the other day."
"You'd better call a meeting." Jellylorum suggested. "Maybe the others will have ideas. It's possible it's Macavity's doing, trying to create conflict within the tribe."
"I'm sure Mistoffelees would know if Macavity was skulking about," Munkustrap said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He didn't want to think that Macavity was back – but maybe he'd prefer it that Macavity was doing these things, rather than one of the trusted members of the tribe. "Alright, I'll call a meeting at the tyre for midnight tonight. Whisper-to-Whisker." Jellylorum nodded and ran off, looking for the two cats she had to pass the message to. The Jellicles had a system going much like a human phone-tree, each cat repeating the message to the next so that everyone heard about the latest developments. Jellylorum's cats to tell were Plato and Mistoffelees, and she went in search of them. Munkustrap headed off to find Victoria and Alonzo.
Soon, whisper-to-whisker was running swiftly through the tribe, and sure enough all the cats were at the tyre by midnight, the last to arrive being an out of breath Jemima and Skimbleshanks, who had sprinted to get back from the station in time. The youngest kittens had been told to play inside the car, and stay out of trouble – Jennyanydots kept a careful eye on the broken back window in case a naughty kit might try to escape.
Raising his voice, Munkustrap spoke to the assembled cats.
"As most of you have probably noticed, over the past month or so a lot of small possessions have gone missing." A murmur and a sea of nodding heads greeted this statement. "Unfortunately, I have reached the conclusion that this can't possibly be coincidence or accident any longer. Barring the possibility of Macavity's mischief," there was a shiver throughout the tribe at the evil cat's name, "we have a thief in our midst. It saddens me to think that any of you here could do such a thing to their fellow tribesmates, but this is the situation. If anyone has any ideas or contributions, please offer it now."
Mistoffelees stood.
"Just saying that it isn't Macavity, at least not him in person. I haven't felt his magic near for ages." He said simply, sitting down again immediately. Munkustrap nodded.
"Thank you, Misto. Anyone else?"
"Yes," Mungojerrie called from the back, his cockney accent standing out in the silence. "I know some of you think that Teazer and me might be behind this. I've had questions from some of you about your missing stuff," he looked pointedly at the Tugger. "But it's not us. We haven't taken anything from another cat for ages, and isn't it true that most of your own trinkets come from our human burglaries?" The cats nodded, some reluctantly. "So you see. We've got nothing to gain by robbing any of you, and we don't want to take from our friends anyway. Right Teazer?"
"Right!" His smaller sister agreed.
There was a short silence, then Cassandra stood up.
"So, most of us have had things stolen. Who's had something go missing?" She asked them all. Munkustrap didn't move, but approved silently. This could be an easy way of telling the culprit's friends, or possibly even the culprit themselves, if they were that naïve and easily trapped. He raised his paw, still slightly annoyed over the loss of the silver metallic ring that was usually attached to his collar. Most of the others did too. In fact, there were only two cats out of the entire group that hadn't lost anything.
"Alonzo, Jemima?" Cassandra asked, surprise evident in her voice. "How come you haven't had your stuff taken? Everyone else has." Jemima shrugged uncomfortably.
"I don't know. I just haven't lost anything." She said simply. Surely, surely Cassandra didn't think that she would steal anything? Alonzo gripped her paw comfortingly, knowing how the young queen was feeling.
"I haven't lost anything, but perhaps the thief didn't get around to us yet." He suggested calmly. Jemima looked appealingly at Demeter, who sprang to her feet instantly.
"I don't know what you're trying to imply, Cassandra, but Jemima would never, ever take anything from anyone. You all should know that!" She said stormily. Usually it took a lot to make Demeter lose her cool, but she was fiercely protective. Cassandra looked hurt, and Munkustrap put his paw on Demeter's arm. The touch seemed to bring Demeter to her senses, and she looked slightly apologetically at Cassandra. The slender Abyssinian didn't notice, however. She began talking again.
"Doesn't anyone else think it's strange that they're the only ones who haven't lost anything? I think they should be made suspects until proven innocent." She suggested. A burst of noise greeted this statement. Most of the cats shook their heads and growled softly, or called in disagreement to Cassandra and Munkustrap alike. None of them could, at first, imagine that either Alonzo or Jemima, Jellicles since birth, would do such a thing.
"SILENCE!" Munkustrap roared from the tyre, and the noise level subsided. Bombalurina sprang to her feet.
"But this wouldn't be the first time those two have stirred trouble," She reminded them all. "Don't you remember what happened just a few weeks ago?" There was a muttering. Both Jemima and Alonzo flinched, Jemima having to gulp back tears. Alonzo put his arms around her, glaring at both Cassandra and Bombalurina defiantly.
"That was completely different, and unfair to drag up a dead issue!" He said angrily. "Why would we want to steal from you? We have no gain from it!"
"Oh, I don't know." Cassandra smiled thoughtfully, her eyes glinting at her angry ex-mate. "Some of the missing things are very pretty. Jemima loves pretty things. And Alonzo, you like catnip nearly as much as the Rum Tum Tugger. You realise, four catnip-filled cushions, and three filled toys have gone missing? Satisfy you enough?" While Alonzo was gasping at both the insult, and the audacity of Cassandra, Demeter found her tongue.
"So what have you lost, Cassandra?" She asked. "I haven't heard you complaining." Cassandra smirked.
"I don't complain. But yesterday I lost a small mirror with roses painted on the back. You do love roses, don't you, Jemima, and nobody can deny you're pretty enough to like mirrors." Nobody could disagree with this, although if Jemima had faults, vanity was certainly not among them.
"I didn't take it!" Jemima called pleadingly.
"She DIDN'T!" Demeter yelled. Cassandra suddenly lost her temper, the memory of the way the little queen had stolen her tom driving her crazy.
"You're a sneaky little rat, a two-faced thieving she-Pollicle!" She hissed venomously at Jemima. "And as for you, Alonzo, you're nothing but a sleazy two-timer whose mother slept with a Peke!" She was broken of by Munkustrap's second yell for silence.
"Cassandra that is enough! You've made your point!" He said quellingly, glaring at her. "And I'll thank you to keep your temper and your language under control. This is supposed to be a rational discussion!"
When she had sat down and silence reigned once more, he spoke wearily.
"Does anyone have anything to say?"
"I do!" Demeter said. "Jemima would never do such a thing, and nor would Alonzo!"
"I'll second that!" Victoria called, glaring at Cassandra.
"And I!" Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots called together.
"I call for a search of Alonzo and Jemima's dens!" Cassandra spoke up again. "If we don't find the missing things there, I'll admit to being wrong." Demeter growled.
"I'll second that," Exotica said unexpectedly. The quiet brown queen was one of Cassandra's few friends, and decided that she had better prove her friendship by sticking up for her. Munkustrap sighed.
"As the impartial, I must agree to the search." He said, reluctance heard in his voice. There was a collective gasp, and Jemima buried her face in Alonzo's fur.
"Don't worry." He whispered so only she could hear. "We know it's not true, and so do the others. They won't find anything in our dens. Cassandra is probably still angry about…you know. That's why she wants to make us upset."
Nobody suspected Cassandra of framing the two. Such a thing had never been heard of within the tribe, and most of them naively supposed that Cassandra was angry – and rightfully so – about the incident of the last month. So when Munkustrap discovered a stash of the missing catnip creations hidden cleverly in Alonzo's den, and Jellylorum discovered a collection of pretty objects in Jemima's, they were all shocked to the core. Jemima and Alonzo most of all. Demeter refused to believe it, but she was Jemima's family after all. The others turned on the two, and while Munkustrap refused to banish them from the tribe, there was nothing he could do. In his heart he knew that Alonzo and Jemima wouldn't do it, but the evidence was there.
Jemima was heartbroken, especially when her closest friends pushed her away. The only ones who stood by her were Victoria, and her sister Demeter. The kittens, Etcetera and Electra, didn't understand what was going on, but had been told to stay away from them. The toms all shunned Alonzo. The average tom was less spiteful and more straightforward than a queen, and they just refused to speak to him. When the other queens began freezing out Demeter and Victoria as well, Jemima knew that something had to be done.
"They won't believe us." She sobbed to Alonzo one night. "We can't put Deme and Vicky through this as well, and I've noticed that Deme and Munku have been arguing recently over this problem. Munku can't prove us innocent and he has to act fairly. We have to leave. I just hope it's not forever."