Chapter Six

"Aw, Bast what a night!" Coricopat entered the house laughing, throwing himself onto a nearby pillow with a careless air. I stared down at him from my perch in the windowsill. He had spent another night on the town with Alonzo and the Rum Tum Tugger, helping the two toms read unsuspecting queens' minds and helping them "score chicks", as Rum Tum Tugger fondly referred to his favorite pastime.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust, "You reek of alcohol and seedy bars."

"Tugger chose the location this time," Corico sighed happily, disaffected by my obvious disgust. He jumped up excitedly as he suddenly remembered, "Oh, gosh, Mil, you should have seen it. There was this one chick, with a brown coat, and she was sitting—"

I watched my brother chatter away about Tugger's latest conquest (achieved with help from Cori's telepathic abilities), not really hearing his words. Who was this cat? He looked like my brother…he sounded like my brother…he even smiled like my brother! But this was not Coricopat. This was not the cat I grew up with, the one who understood my soul and shared my pain. This cat spoke of "chicks"—a word my brother found deplorable and degrading—and bragged of using his powers on innocent, unsuspecting queens.

This cat had slowly appeared over the last few months, growing a little stronger every weekend as Cori went out with the toms. Eventually, this stranger had taken over completely, leaving little more than an empty shell of my brother. A hollow, self-seeking shell, without a soul or a conscience.

Despite his odd transformation, I was jealous. I had watched Coricopat slowly become one of them, enviously turning my attention to his every move. Oh, they didn't understand him like I did! Sure, they laughed with him, went out to party with him, but no one knew the true Corico. No one could even begin to comprehend him like I did. He was mine—mine alone! My brother, my friend, my only shelter in life's storms. He did not belong to them; he did not belong with them—his place was beside me, watching as the others lived their lives. No, he was not supposed to become one of them. He was not supposed to leave me alone, to abandon me for fair-weather friends and fleeting happiness.

We had stopped speaking telepathically weeks ago. I suppose Coricopat was directing all his power towards other females, for his friends' enjoyment. I had fallen into a slight depression at the loss of my brother; I often wouldn't leave the house for days at a time. Teathrice was concerned, but whenever she asked what was wrong, I avoided her question. This created a distance between us as well, for when she spoke, I would not answer, and I never spoke to her, choosing to look bleakly out at the yard instead.

I cocked my head to the side curiously, watching my brother as he told this endless drabble of a tale, motioning wildly with his front paws.

"Do you even realize how foolish you look?" I interrupted coldly, squinting my eyes and trying to see some semblance of the old Coricopat.

He was silent for a moment. Finally, he lost that ridiculous expression.

"I am detecting some hostility from you," Corico said quietly. "And I don't know what I have done to deserve such cold treatment."

I felt a pang of regret at the accusation. At the same time, I was filled with such a dark jealousy that I scared myself. Never had I felt so passionately about anything—never had I felt such emotion. I could not contain my feelings any longer.

"Don't you see?!" I cried out, my voice hoarse with emotion. "They don't care about you, Coricopat—not like I do! They are just using you!"

"Why would you say something like that?" Corico's innocent face was filled with hurt.

"Because it's the truth," I said darkly, my voice containing the venom of hatred and jealousy.

"Why do you have to be so cruel?" Corico asked. "Why can't you believe that someone would like me for me?"

"Because you are a freak!"

There was a moment of horror. I couldn't believe it—that word, that word I had come to hate with a passion that could outshine the sun! I had spoken that vile, awful word! I had used it like a weapon against my own brother, my flesh and blood. What had I done?

Despite my own shock, I could not back down. I continued relentlessly, my anger so bright that I only concentrated on one thing: hurting my brother, "Why do you think Alonzo and Rum Tum Tugger hang out with you? Because you help them get queens! They don't invite you because you are their friend—they invite you because you are a freak with a gift, a gift they can use! Do you honestly think they could care less about you? Do you?"

Coricopat looked down at the floor. I could see his eyes glisten with tears in the waning moonlight. He took a ragged breath—I could hear the sobs in his chest, the ones he tried to hard to suppress. Finally, he spoke.

"You know what? You sound just like Mother."

~*~

My brother could not have cut me deeper, even if he tried. His last remark fell upon my ears like a death toll, causing my mind to stop for a moment. Oh, bast, had I really become the one I hated? Had my jealousy turned me into the spiteful, ignorant cat that I called Mother?

I took a deep breath, my mind still reeling from the thought. Suddenly, I realized how horrid I had been, "I…I'm sorry, Coricopat. I don't know what else to say. I just…I miss you. I know I was angry, and I said a lot of hurtful things, but to be honest, all I really wanted to say was that I missed you, and I wanted you to come back. To start being my brother again."

"Oh, Tanto," Corico's face softened. Try as he might, he never could stay angry at me. He jumped up beside me on the window sill, wrapping his tail around me affectionately. "I'm here. I'll always be your brother; nothing can change that. And I'm sorry too—sorry that I haven't been around as much. I just got caught up in it all. I've never had friends before—I like it. I just got so busy that I didn't realize…"

I nodded. "It's Ok. We both just need to learn how to communicate."

Cori gave a soft laugh, "Never thought that'd be a problem for the two of us."

"Sometimes the closest relationships are the ones we take for granted," I said softly. It struck me as odd that I would be giving advice about relationships, but Corico didn't pick up on the irony of the situation.

"So," Cori sat up, looking forward determinedly. "From now on, I will spend less time out with the toms. And you will learn to talk to me again."

I nodded in agreement. My brother gave a soft chuckle.

"What?" I looked at him. He shook his head. "Just something this chick said tonight. We were down at the—"

I stared blankly at my brother as he launched into another mindless tale of his most recent mental conquest. Despite our heart-to-heart (and my rather harsh accusations), he had not changed. I knew he would be true to his word—he would spend more time with me, but it would not be like old times. The new Coricopat was here to stay, apparently. And nothing I said or did would bring the old one back.

Once again, I did not listen to his words, choosing instead to observe his movements.

Did he even notice how disinterested I was? Did he even care? Oh, how useless were his words! How frivolous, how full of lies and ignorance! Words—what an epic waste of time! With words he had promised me to mend his ways, and with those same words he had proven himself to be a liar. With words I had been labeled and cast out, with words my life had changed forever. Oh, how I hated them—so fleeting, yet they possessed the power to change a life.

Then and there, I made a decision. I decided never to speak again.