Chapter 5 – Where Truth and Lies Begin
Demeter lay against Munkustrap as he watched the junkyard. He never quite got the idea that "resting" meant actually taking a break from his normal activities. Jennyanydots let go of her insistence on him staying in bed while his wounds healed. But she didn't want him back to his normal activities just yet. Though the outer injuries seemed fine, she didn't want to take a chance with those sensitive bruised ribs. He assured Jennyanydots, Demeter, and everyone else who asked him, that he was fine. Demeter had the sneaking suspicion that he told her to lean against him if she got tired, just to prove to everyone that be he injured or not, he could still withstand anything.
The only reason she was actually leaning against him was because he was boring her out of her mind! Sure, she was tired, what with all the kitten making going on inside her. But it seemed that with her being pregnant now, he didn't want her to do anything!
Not that he outright told her that. No, it was always, "I'd feel better if you didn't leave the junkyard without someone with you," or "Don't you think it's a little too hot to be walking outside with black fur?" He had to change the wording of that last one, as he first phrased it, "Don't you think it's a little too hot to be walking outside alone?" to which she remarked that it made no sense, the heat would be the same with or without a companion, which drew out a long and pointless debate as to how much sense that question had.
Demeter sighed as she thought about it. The only reason he was so nervous about her being alone was so blatantly obvious to everyone, it was almost sickening. Sure, she promised him she wouldn't leave the junkyard unaccompanied. That thought scared her as well, what with an angry Napoleon of Crime after her. But he wouldn't let her have a moment alone! She liked her moments alone... It gave her time to dream of a different life, what it would be like, and immerse herself into it, even if just for a moment.
"Are you okay?" Munkustrap asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"You sighed."
"Just thinking," she said. All that time wishing for a new life, and now that she had it, she didn't know what to do with it. It wasn't much of a new life, though. It wasn't as though being a true blooded Jellicle was a disease that was washed away from her, and she was now normal. It was a cancer. It had become dormant, yes, but waiting for the moment to flare up and destroy her life again.
"Dem?" asked the silver cat, prying his eyes away from the junkyard he was trying to keep safe and finally looking to his mate.
"Hmm?"
"Why were you scared to tell me?" Demeter sat up and looked at Munkustrap with some confusion. Inside, however, she was cursing herself. She knew this would come up sooner or later. The way she had been acting before she told him the "good news" could only be explained so far with the fact that she was scared of admitting she was pregnant. How could she explain avoiding him, running from him, looking absolutely terrified of telling him, and letting him think there was something horribly wrong? Days, she had to mull this over, as she knew Munkustrap would eventually ask, and she still had no good reason.
'Damn it, Munkustrap,' she thought in her head. 'Why can't you be just a tad slower!' There was one thing she couldn't figure out, though. Why did Munkustrap look upset with her?
"What are you talking about?" she asked as innocently as possible, though the crack in her voice should have given her away.
"The running away?" Munkustrap reminded her. "I don't understand that. Why were you so afraid to tell me?"
"Oh," she said, looking to her paws, hoping to buy herself some time. She felt her stomach turning. One lie, one little lie! That's all she needed right now to get her out of everything! And yet it wasn't coming to her. "I was just…so nervous!"
Munkustrap looked her over quickly, before taking in a deep breath. "That's it?"
"That's it." Demeter looked the silver tom over and narrowed her eyes. "Why? What did you think it was?"
"Nothing," he said, turning back to the junkyard. Demeter twitched her tail. She didn't like being lied to, though she realized the irony in that.
"Munkustrap, what do you possibly think I would keep something like that from you for?" He looked away. Demeter ran through the possibilities in her mind of what he could be thinking that would make him look away from her like that. Then she gasped, and shot up to her feet, her paws on her hips. "You take me for some kind of whore!"
"I never said that!" he yelled, quickly rising to his feet to, suddenly on the defensive.
"But you think I kept this from you because they weren't yours!"
"Dem," said the tom, concerned at how angry his mate had become. "I was just wondering why you were so scared to tell me! You weren't looking at me, you weren't speaking to me, you kept running from me, and then you tell me something like that, and it just didn't make sense!"
Demeter groaned in frustration. She knew perfectly well that it didn't make sense. What's more, it made complete sense he should, even in a stray thought, question the paternity of the kittens. But to be thought of in that way, and it in the broadest sense have merit, was what made Demeter feel like pulling her fur out. Sure, she had many toms in the past, but not at the same time! She would never do that to herself, forget the toms!
"Munkustrap," she said, with an edge of hostility. She tried to keep the words from pouring out, but she could only do so much. "I didn't think this was possible! I didn't think I could have kittens! Especially not with you! So yes, I was scared. I didn't know what was happening, and I couldn't face you."
"Especially not with me?" Munkustrap asked, completely bewildered, and bordering on angry.
"I--" Demeter saw the hole she was digging getting bigger. How was she going to explain away that sentence without insulting him? So she just kept talking. "I know you're my mate, Munku, but you weren't supposed to be." After hearing herself say that, there was a resounding 'damn it!' in her head.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he said with a slight hiss.
"I'm..." Demeter took in a big gulp of air, trying not to let that familiar nausea feeling take her over. Anything! Come up with anything to explain it away! "I mean, you…are…a high ranking tom," she began choppily, "and I'm just a queen who came in off the streets. You are a pure breed, and my lineage is so mottled, I don't know what I am! You come from a good family and a good tribe, and I can't even speak of mine!"
Munkustrap flinched. "You think…you're not good enough for me?" Demeter tried not to look too happy to be catching onto a possible explanation. So she went quiet and wrung her paws in nervousness. Munkustrap seemed to be processing the little bits of information he received, before turning to Demeter. "What did you think I would do, leave you on your own?"
'AHA!' Demeter's mind screamed. 'There it is! Latch onto it!' She looked down as she let her long practiced nervous-and-frightened-queen routine she pulled out for just such an occasion take over. It wasn't very different from her normal personality, which made it easy for her to act out, but her emotions were in control, and she had less of a chance of slipping up.
Slowly looking up to Munkustrap, she seemed to grow smaller under his gaze and sudden realization. Then, with a sharp inhalation of breath, as though she was holding back tears, she whispered, in a pained voice, "I've seen it happen many times before. I…keep trying to tell myself that this tribe is different, that you love me, that my life is different now. I guess…I just panicked. It's all I knew," she added, thinking it a nice touch.
The silver tom stared at the queen with an indiscernible expression on his face. It felt as though her heart stopped. Had he not believed her? Has she laid it on too thick? Would she be forced to run, leaving her sister to find out what happened, so they could meet at their rendezvous later and leave this tribe. She really didn't want that. Not now…
Tears began to form in her eyes at the thought. "Dem," he said with a comforting voice, scooting closer to his mate, arms stretched out, ready to hug her, if she would let him. "How could you think I would ever do that to you?"
Demeter gave a nervous chuckle. She had to do something to let out the excitement she had from finishing up a perfect lie, and not getting caught. She planned on closing it off with a gentle hug, and maybe some time in quiet contemplation in each others arms. She could revel in the fact that a lie came up at just the right moment, just like always.
"Oh…" Demeter held her stomach. She then rushed off to throw up.
After Munkustrap had found her again, apologized profusely for having upset her while carrying his kittens, and rubbed her back to make her feel better, she sighed and had to comfort herself in his arms. She almost forgot about the kittens.
Maybe it wasn't 'just like always.'
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Bombalurina laughed to herself as she sat with Demeter two nights later on top of an old car, whispering to each other. Demeter was rubbing her stomach, which didn't show any signs of her pregnancy yet, but caused her great worry. Bombalurina wasn't paying attention to the troubled queen, as she was too busy looking up to the moon. "I have to give you credit for that," said the red queen. "Thinking on your toes like that."
"May I never have to do it again," she said to the moon, a common prayer she used. That didn't make it any less important to her. "Where have you been these past few days? Out with Tugger?"
"No," Bombalurina said, suddenly getting serious. "Out with Mistoffelees." This caught Demeter's attention. She sat up, looking at Bombalurina, bewildered. "What?"
"I expect many things from you, Bomba, but that's ridiculous!" Demeter said, shaking her head in disapproval. "They're best friends! This could tear them apart."
"I'm not dating the munchkin," Bombalurina rolled her eyes. "This has to do with us."
"You and me?" Demeter asked. But their conversation was cut short as they heard giggling in the distance. It wasn't kittenish giggling, or even that of the cat burglars, but came from the oddest sources.
Alonzo and Cassandra came out from around a corner, Alonzo grabbing onto Cassandra's waist and pulling her back towards him. She, apparently, was ticklish, hence explaining why this normally quiet and refined queen was thrown into spats of silly laughter. Alonzo just seemed to be enjoying acting completely immature. "Stop," Cassandra said, pushing the tom off, but with a coy smile.
"You should say what you mean some more," he said, with a smile on his face to challenge the meaning of Cassandra's smile. "A tom could get confused with all those mixed signals."
"Well then read my lips," the Abyssinian said, getting dangerously close to the bi-colored tom. "Not tonight."
"Your lips?" he asked, pulling her as close as possible, and looking ready to devour the queen's mouth.
Demeter cleared her throat to put a stop to this scene. Two sets of moonlit eyes turned to the sisters. Alonzo remorsefully let go of Cassandra, and cleared his own throat in embarrassment. "I don't suppose there's any way the two of you didn't see that."
"Hmm," Demeter said, turning to Bombalurina. "Did you go blind in this past minute and then magically get your eyesight back?"
"Nope! You?"
"It got a little blurry for a second, but after I blinked, I was fine."
"A simple 'no' would have sufficed," Alonzo glared. Then he rubbed his head in worry. "Can you…not tell this to Munkustrap? I'm supposed to be taking over for him, still."
"I don't tell him everything, Alonzo," Demeter sighed. "Have you been doing this every night?"
"I hope not," Cassandra said, giving the tom a side glance. "This is the first time he's done anything with me this week…"
"You know…" Alonzo starting backing away, "I'm just going to go patrol for a bit." He pointed in an obscure direction, before walking off to it, leaving the three queens silently watching him leave.
"Toms," Demeter sighed, shaking her head.
"I know," Cassandra said, as turned her attention to the sisters. "Good evening, Bombalurina."
"So formal," said the red queen, tensing up at the way she had been addressed. "You're not a human, Cassie. What's more, we're friends." Cassandra nodded, smiling mysteriously, as though she had meant to upset the queen in such a way.
Demeter looked to her sister, giving her a questioning look. But Bombalurina ignored it. "I'll see you later tonight, alright?" she said, smiling. "Tell Mistoffelees too, okay? I think it's time we tell Demeter."
"Tell me what?" the gold queen asked. Cassandra turned and walked off. When she was out of sight, Demeter turned to her sister, completely and utterly confused. "Tell me what? Since when have you been friends with Cassandra? Or Mistoffelees, for that matter? What do they have to do with us?" Bombalurina now smiled mysteriously. "Please, Bomba, you're scaring me."
"Shh, it's okay, Dem," her sister said soothingly as she petted the gold queen on the head. "You'll love this." Demeter flinched at what her sister had said, but she wouldn't let her ask any more questions. All the red queen would explain was that it would make it easier for them, and it was better for her to hear it from the source. She gave Demeter specific instructions, that after Munkustrap fell asleep, she sneak out to the back fence and meet her there.
It was almost exciting in a way, but at the same time, she was hoping to have a semi-normal life. Sneaking out for a secret rendezvous after spending a great deal of energy convincing her mate that he was the only one for her, was hardly normal, in her book. Maybe for some queens, but not her.
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In her den, which had suddenly had an onslaught of flora taking it over, due to Munkustrap's determination to apologize for their horrible spat the way humans do (with flowers), she was laying down next to her mate, who was moving around restlessly. Though most cats usually didn't need much convincing to take a cat nap, Munkustrap was still used to his late night patrolling schedule, and had no way of burning that energy. Just a couple of more days, and Jennyanydots would give him the okay to go back to his normal routine. But until then, he was like a silver tiger pacing in a cage.
Demeter thought how funny it was he listened so much to what Jennyanydots had to say, when he was so obviously more powerful than her. It was always odd for her to see a queen having matriarchal superiority over a tom. Sure, she had seen it happen tons of times in her lifespan thus far, but she had never stayed long enough to understand how someone reaches such a rank. It was something that would remain a mystery to her.
Munkustrap sighed loudly. "Want to go for a walk?" he asked, though his eyes begged.
"Rest," Demeter ordered.
"I've rested enough!" Munkustrap assured her.
"But I'm tired," she said. "I don't want to go for a walk."
The silver tabby sighed. "Then I'll go meet with Tugger."
"He's busy!" Demeter exclaimed, before calming herself down. She wasn't good at stalling people. She cleared her throat, embarrassed at her excitement to inform her mate that Tugger was busy. "He always goes out late at night, doesn't he?"
"Well, then," reasoned the tom. "I'll go with Alonzo," he turned to leave.
"No!" Demeter chided. "You are NOT going to patrol anything tonight! You don't want Jenny to give you another week to stay in, do you? I know you seem fine now, but if you get in a fight and re-injure yourself…" She let it hang. Munkustrap groaned in frustration. "Just sit and rest! Save your terpsichorean powers or something!"
"I have almost a year to do that," he said off-handedly. "It's not like I dance that much anyways."
"I think you dance wonderfully," Demeter commented. "And I, personally, would like to see more of it. Maybe you didn't dance so much during the last ball because you were so tired from all the patrolling you do."
"I had to take care of Old Deuteronomy," Munkustrap reminded her. "And I'd rather watch you dance, anyway. I can't very well do that if I'm dancing, now can I?" He playfully nudged the queen, who couldn't help but smile. Then an idea struck her.
"I know what would calm you down," she smiled coyly.
"What's that?" he asked with a sigh, looking out of the den mournfully. But Demeter came up behind him and hugged him, licking his cheek. "Oh…" he said, finally understanding what she meant. He turned to her and smiled. "That…"
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Demeter walked up quickly to Bombalurina, patting her fur down after it had been ruffled. "Dem, how long does it take to get a silver tabby to sleep?" asked the queen as she kept her eyes on her sister coming up to her. Demeter was still trying to catch her breath with all her…exertions…of trying to get there. She looked at Bombalurina, hoping she wouldn't realize.
Bombalurina looked her over once. "I suppose I should ask 'what does it take'…"
"Quiet, you," hissed the queen. She wasn't in a mood to get defensive though. She was tired, herself, now, and wanted to go to sleep. Preferably curling next to the tom who would miss her if he woke up. "I'm making you take the wrap if he gets mad at me for leaving in the middle of the night. Now what's this all about?"
Demeter suddenly felt the fur on the back of her neck rise. She looked up to see Mistoffelees and Cassandra on the fence, looking down at them. "Come on," was all the tuxedo tom said before jumping off to the other side of the fence. Cassandra shook her head and followed the tom.
"...Bomba, how long were they standing there for?" Demeter had turned completely red under her fur. It didn't help that Bombalurina shrugged at the question.
The two queens followed the other two cats, who were suddenly veiled in mystery to Demeter. Even her sister was acting different, which was unsettling. Soon, she would be told what was so important that Bombalurina couldn't explain it herself, and she wouldn't feel as lost as she felt at the moment. Even with her sister so close to her, she felt very far away. Demeter just hoped she would be told soon, and this feeling would end.
Finally, Mistoffelees stopped, Cassandra stopping beside him. They were in a clearing, not far from the junkyard, near an old brick fence that looked ready to fall apart, yet sturdy at the same time. It was secluded in that area, with only the Jellicle moon to truly bring light to them. The lights of the Jellicle junkyard seemed so far away. In the night, the two cats before seemed to be engulfed by the darkness. If Demeter blinked, she wouldn't have been surprised if they simply disappeared.
"Don't look so scared, Demeter," Mistoffelees said, smiling his usual jovial smile. "We're not going to hurt you. Maybe Bombalurina got you a little nervous."
"A little?" Demeter chirped.
"I'm sorry, Dem," Bombalurina said, taking in a sharp breath to try and calm her excitement. "But this has definitely never happened before."
"What hasn't?" Demeter asked, looking over to the other two.
"Everything!" Mistoffelees said. "In all my years of living, I've never come across so many of us in one place before."
Demeter was quiet for a moment, not wanting to believe it. She turned to Bombalurina, and she nodded confirmation. Demeter looked Mistoffelees over. "You're both Jellicles…" she said in an awed voice.
Cassandra nodded. "Mistoffelees has an eye for these kinds of things. He's a lot older than he looks, Jellicle or not. He knew what I was. He knew what you were."
"Well," Bombalurina said, smiling as she turned to her sister. "Not really. Remind me to tell you about Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer."
"They're Jellicles, too?" Demeter exclaimed.
"No," Mistoffelees said dryly. "Just better at the 'smash and grab' than the 'sneak and spy.' But that doesn't matter." He was apparently embarrassed by whatever Bombalurina was talking about. "We have something we need to talk to you about."
"Okay," Demeter said wearily. Though she had somewhat known these cats for the time she was in this tribe, she felt like she was talking to complete strangers.
"You're kittens," Cassandra finished. Demeter thought the queen had lost her previous refinement. It seemed to her that her usual aloofness was set aside in order to challenge the gold queen, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Oh," Demeter muttered.
Bombalurina stepped closer to her sister. "You think there's something wrong with them?" she asked, more defensive than Demeter expected her to be.
"Well, no," Cassandra said. "It's just that from what you've told us about your lives, and what we know from ours, we're just a little confused."
"What do you mean?" Bombalurina asked.
"Well," Mistoffelees said. "We know that we're Jellicles," he referred to Cassandra and himself.
"What we want to know is," Cassandra finished. "What the hell are the two of you?"