Jeopardy Junior
"Oh my goodness!" a black kit screamed, staring at a piece of paper that came in the mail. She began jumping up and down. "Yay! I did it! I did it!"
Scourge turned the volume up on the television so he could hear the show he was watching. "Quiet, Tutu!" he hissed. "I'm watching CSI: ShadowClan!"
"I made it on Jeopardy Junior!" Tutu carried on, squealing excitedly. "I'm going to be on TV!"
Misery hurried into the living room, looking at the rest of the mail scattered over the carpet. "Did I get a letter from Jeopardy Junior?" she asked, beginning to pick up the envelopes.
The black kit shrugged. "I don't know. I was too excited when I saw my name to look for yours."
"Oh, I did get one!" Misery squeaked, opening an envelope with her name on it.
Their father sighed loudly, turning the television off. "I swear, you two are too loud! And don't get so excited Misery. You're too dumb to be on TV."
"I made it!" the kit shouted, ignoring her father as she read the paper. "Dear Misery from Pain and Suffering, we are delighted to inform you that you have been chosen to compete on Jeopardy Junior on the night of November 19th, this leaf-fall."
Tutu grabbed the paper out of her sister's paws. "Oh, we get to compete on the same day! Isn't this the bestest thing ever? Yay us!"
"Nerds," Scourge muttered, leaving the room to finish his show somewhere else.
"This is going to be so boring!" Lollipop groaned as she followed Nightcloud and Scourge into the studio to find seats. "Who cares about all this smart cat stuff anyway?"
"Misery and Tutu go to your basketball games, so you have to go to their nerd games," her mother mewed. "Besides, this will be fun! I know I have the smartest kits on the whole planet!"
Scourge snorted, shaking his head. "We have the most boring kits ever. At least Hashtag is evil."
Nightcloud turned back to glance at the little black kit, who was wearing glittery devil horns and a glittery devil tail. "No shenanigans today, missy. You can't do anything evil on live TV!"
"You're no fun!" Hashtag whined. "I never get to do anything evil!"
Sparkle and Shimmer sat down in their seats and immediately took their stash of makeup out of their identical pink purses.
"We must always look our best," Shimmer mewed, applying green eyeliner to her fur gently.
"We might be seen on camera," Sparkle added, spraying herself with perfume. "Or see a cute tom in the audience."
Scourge sat next to Hashtag and sighed, already bored. Hashtag climbed on his lap and tried to mimic his sigh.
"Hashy, you're my favorite kit," her father mewed, hugging her gently.
"Hush up, Scurgy!" Nightcloud hissed. "The show is starting!"
The lights in the studio dimmed around the audience, illuminating the stage. Spotlights shone on the three competitors. Tutu and Misery stood next to each other at blue podiums, chatting together quietly. A black and white tom kit was standing the farthest back, staring straight ahead and ignoring the she-cats.
"It's time for Jeopardy Junior!" a she-cat announcer called loudly. "Let's welcome your host- Blackstar!"
A large white tom with black paws and a silk red bow tie padded onto the stage, flashing the camera a proud look. "Thank you, Russetfur. Now who's ready for a day of trivia? Let's meet our contestants. We have Misery from Pain and Suffering, a straight A student who loves school, teddy bears, and her daddy. Next we have Tutu, a straight A student who loves school, history, books, and learning. Finally we have Blackfootkit, my incredibly awesome straight A son who's going to win this game!"
The audience chucked softly at Blackstar's introduction. Tutu gave the tom kit a shy smile. Blackfootkit smiled back at her and the she-cat looked as if she might faint with joy.
"Now here are the categories for today," Blackstar continued- "Geography, History, and Literature. Each section has three questions worth one hundred, two hundred, and three hundred points. At the end we will have a Final Jeopardy question and whoever has the most points at the end wins that much in cold, hard, mouse cash! Blackfootkit can choose the first question."
"Um, I'll take Geography for one hundred points," the tom squeaked nervously.
Blackstar nodded. "Okay, the question is: What continent is the country of France found on?"
Misery pressed her button immediately. "The answer is Europe!"
"Correct!" the host meowed. "That's one hundred points for Misery! You can choose the next question."
The kit thought for a moment. "How about Literature for one hundred?"
"Okay, the question is: Who wrote The Hunger Games Trilogy?" Blackstar meowed.
Blackfootkit pressed his buzzer. "The answer is Suzanne Collins!"
"Yes it is!" the host exclaimed. "One hundred points for Blackfootkit, my amazing, incredibly awesome son!"
The kit smiled shyly as the camera zoomed in on his face. "I'll take History for one hundred next, please," he mewed.
Blackstar nodded. "Isn't my son great? Anyway, the question is: What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?"
"1776!" Tutu squealed, pressing her buzzer madly. "The answer is 1776!"
"Correct!" the host mewed. "The scores are now tied at one hundred points each! We have some brilliant competitors today! We'll be back after a short break."
The game paused for a commercial break, so the cats in the audience began to talk. Sparkle and Shimmer had finally finished applying their makeup and were now drinking Earl Grey tea from little china teacups.
"Did you two seriously have to bring your good china to the show?" Scourge grumbled. "That's not very evil, you know."
"Proper young ladies always drink tea," Sparkle mewed, taking a delicate sip.
Lollipop bounced in her seat. "I'm bored!"
Nightcloud took a packet of M&Ms out of her purse and shoved all of the chocolates into her mouth at once.
Hashtag grabbed Shimmer's purse without her noticing and began sifting through it quietly.
"And we're back!" Blackstar meowed. "Are you ready for some more questions? Tutu, you get to pick next!"
"I'll take Literature for two hundred points," the black kit squeaked.
The host nodded. "Certainly. Your question is: Who wrote The Cat and the Hat?"
Blackfootkit pressed his buzzer. "The answer is Dr. Seuss!"
"Correct!" Blackstar cheered. "Isn't my son wonderful? He's so smart! Now choose the next question!"
"I'll take Geography for two hundred points," the black and white tom mewed.
The host flicked his tail as he asked the next question. "What continent is the Sahara Desert found on?"
Misery pressed her buzzer. "The answer is Africa!"
"That is right! Two hundred points for Misery!" Blackstar cheered.
"Good. I'll take History for two hundred points," the gray kit mewed.
The white tom nodded. "Alright, the question is: When was the Civil War fought?"
"American or English?" Misery asked, narrowing her eyes.
Blackstar narrowed his eyes, staring at the kit. "English."
Tutu jammed her paws on the buzzer. "The answer is the 1640s! And King Charles I was beheaded in 1649!"
"Nerd!" coughed Lollipop, loud enough to be heard on camera.
Nightcloud's "hush" was also loud enough to be caught on camera.
"That's correct!" Blackstar meowed. He tallied up the points. "We are still tied. Misery, Tutu, and Blackfootkit all have three hundred points! We're going to take another commercial break now, but don't leave the room! We'll be back soon!"
"Hey, where's my purse?" Shimmer cried, searching around her seat.
Hashtag laughed maniacally and held up the pink purse, now riddled with holes.
"You ruined it!" the tortoiseshell kit cried, tearing it out of her sister's paws. "Mama!"
Nightcloud glanced at her distraught daughter and saw what had happened. "Hashtag!" she scolded. "That was very naughty. You're going to have to buy her a new purse now!"
"And it has to be exactly like Sparkle's!" Shimmer hissed, stomping her paws.
Hashtag just laughed. Scourge high-pawed his daughter, giving her a proud smile.
Lollipop was sitting upside down in her chair, staring at the paws of the cats in front of her. "I'm still bored! Can't we leave and go to a football game instead?"
"We are back!" Blackstar announced, interrupting the bored kit in the audience. "It's time for our third round. Tutu, choose the next question!"
"I'll take History for three hundred!" the black kit mewed.
The host straightened his red bow-tie. "Your question is: Who was the United States' sixteenth president?"
Blackfootkit pressed his buzzer. "The answer is Abraham Lincoln!"
"Correct! My son is just incredible, isn't he?" Blackstar asked. "That's another three hundred points for Blackfootkit. Choose the next question, son."
"Hm…I'll take Geography for three hundred."
Blackstar gave the camera a dazzling smile. "Of course. The question is: On what continent can you find the country Suriname?"
Misery pressed her buzzer gently. "The answer is South America, Mr. Blackstar!" she mewed sweetly.
"Yes it is! That's another three hundred points for Misery!" the host announced. "And the last question is Literature for three hundred points. The question is: Who wrote the play Hamlet?"
"William Shakespeare!" Tutu shouted, hitting the buzzer. "He's the best playwright ever! I love love love him so much!"
Blackstar gave the kit a weird look. "Well then…that's a bit strange, but your right. The score is now a three way tie at six hundred points each! That means the Final Jeopardy question will be a tie-breaker. You each will wager a portion of your points. If you get the question wrong, you lose those points. If you get it right, those points are added to your score. The kit with the most points at the end wins! Are you ready to answer the question?"
"Yes!" Tutu and Blackfootkit squealed, jumping excitedly.
"I am ready!" Misery mewed a bit quieter.
The host nodded, smiling. "Good. The Final Jeopardy question is: What year was the Battle of Hastings?"
The three kits thought for a moment while quiet music played overhead. Misery wrote her answer down first. Tutu thought for a moment longer before writing her's down. Blackfootkit was the last to write down his answer.
"Okay, time is up!" Blackstar meowed. "Let's start with Blackfootkit. What was your wager?"
"Three hundred points!" the kit announced.
The host nodded. "Half of your points. Risky. And your answer is…?"
Blackfootkit held up a whiteboard that read "1215."
"I'm sorry, Blackfootkit, but that is incorrect," Blackstar meowed. "The Battle of Hastings did not happen in 1215. Your score is now three hundred points." He turned to face Tutu, who was smiling brightly.
"I wagered all of my points!" the black kit squeaked. "The answer is the year 1066!"
Blackstar clapped his paws happily. "That is correct! That makes your score twelve hundred points!"
Misery spoke up from her spot on the stage. "I also wagered all of my points and said the answer is 1066."
"Then we have a tie!" Blackstar mewed. "This has never happened before. Hm…I don't know what to do now."
The announcer cat's voice sounded on the intercom. "How about a dance party?"
"Not now, Russetfur!" the host cried. Then he thought for a moment. "You know what, Russy? That's actually not a bad idea. Dance party time!"
Russetfur started playing music over the loudspeaker and all the cats started dancing around the stage. Nightcloud and Scourge danced together until Scourge got fed up and stormed out. Hashtag danced with Lollipop, but then they got bored and followed their father out. Sparkle and Shimmer tried to waltz, but got mad that Russetfur was playing pop music and left, huffing about how un-ladylike pop music is.
Misery twirled around the stage with Blackstar, tossing her twelve hundred mouse dollars in the air as he spun her around.
Tutu chased Blackfootkit around the stage, wanting to dance with him. He looked terrified.