"Pouncival, wake up." A voice said, making Pouncival open one eye and realized that Misto was the one waking him up. He immediately opened his eyes and sat up, still feeling dizzy. "What is it?" he asked curiously. Misto was looking down, lost deep in thought.
"You're in love with Jemima, right?" he asked, making Pouncival's heart pound. He nervously and slightly nodded his head, blushing a bright shade of red. Misto didn't say anything, he was thinking again. "Mungojerrie and I talked about how to win Jemima in the ball. And, I don't know if you'll accept it but, we'll be having a secret battle." He said, startling Pouncival.
"What?! Are you sure about this?!" he asked, alarmed and now fully awake. Misto nodded his head, looking a bit disappointed. Pouncival thought about it, can think of a choice and finally nodded his head.
"Okay then, I accept." He said, looking confident. But Misto looks like he doesn't like Pouncival's answer but he knew there was no choice. "The winner gets to go with Jemima in the Jellicle Ball, and the first one who losed the battle will have to leave the Jellicles." Misto explained, making Pouncival's eyes widened.
"What?! Why?!" he asked a bit loudly.
"Because, Jemima will feel guilty at the one who she rejected. It will just tear her heart away. We don't us to be a burden to her." A voice said as they turned around to see Mungojerrie, walking towards them. Misto nodded in agreement and glanced at Pouncival.
"I'll be telling Jemima…"
--
Jemima yawned softly and looked around her den like she usually do. Her mother, Demeter, was still asleep but her father, Munkustrap, already left the den. She wondered what her friends are doing now. Her friends… She was so grateful that they were there for her when she was kidnapped by Macavity. Victoria, Etcetera, Electra, Mungoje— After thinking of the tom's name made her blush darkly and made her heart pound.
"I forgot about the toms…" she thought sadly. Misto, Mungojerrie, and Pouncival were such great friends to her but they showed how much they love her and she just can't reject them. She knew how it felt after being rejected since she was rejected by Tugger, saying she's too young for him. She touched her chest and closed her eyes, feeling the pound of her heart.
"Pouncy…Misto…Jerrie…" she whispered their names, smiling gently. "JEMIMA!" An energetic voice called, bringing her out of her thoughts as she poked her head out of the den and found Etcy, smiling brightly at her while holding a tuna can.
"Let's play with this!" she said excitedly, causing her friend to giggle and nod. Jemima was about to walked towards Etcy when she was soon approach by Misto. "Jemima, may I talk to you…in private?" he asked nervously. Jemima looked slightly confused but nodded her head. Sh excused herself toEtcy and walked off with Misto while Etcy pouted. "Then I guess I should annoy Pounce then." Etcy said, shrugging her shoulders.
Misto and Jemima walked behind the junkyard, making Jemima feel awkward. "W-well, what is it?" she asked curiously. Misto was hesitating which was taking an awful lot of time. She can hear him muttering a few words then he looked at her, causing her to flinch.
"Jemima, Mungojerrie, Pouncival, and I have decided to have a secret battle for you." He said, surprising her. "What?! For me!? Why?!" she asked, alarmed. Misto hesitated again, looking down at the floor.
"Because, since… you can't make up your mind…on who you're taking to the ball… we decided not to confuse you anymore and have this battle. The first one who loses will have to leave the Jellicles." He said, looking rather sad and disappointed. But his eyes stared at Jemima.
"I will win this battle. I'll win this for you." He said, holding her hands, causing her to blush. He suddenly pressed his lips against hers, making her blush darker. The kiss finally stop when Misto finally pulled away and walked away, not giving Jemima a chance to say something.
"This have to stop. This just have to stop." She thought. She doesn't want them to get hurt because of her. This was entirely her fault and she have to stop this battle before one of them gets hurt.
0-0-0
"Jerrie!" Jemima called, running towards Mungojerrie who was busy talking to Rumpleteazer. "May I talk to you in private?" she asked, sounding like Misto but shook the thought away. He nodded his head and excused himself to Rumpleteazer, causing his sister to pout. "I guess I should annoy Pouncival then." She said, shrugging her shoulders.
Mungojerrie and Jemima walked inside Jemima's den, making Mungojerrie feel rather nervous. He knew Jemima will tell him about the battle and he knew he won't be able to find the right words.
"Jerrie, you have to stop this battle." She said, her eyes filled with concern. He wanted to tell her that he will stop the battle for her but he knew he can't. He already made his decision and he have to live with it. He gently shook his head.
"But, I don't want you all to get hurt because of me! I just can't take it!" Jemima said, hiding back the tears. She knew she'll just show herself weak if she cried. She knew that crying won't do her good.
"I can't. I'm sorry. But if you want us to stop the battle, you have to make your choice now on who you're going to take to the ball." He said softly and wishing that he didn't accepted the battle if this was tearing Jemima apart.
No words came out from Jemima. She just looked down at the floor, wanting to cry on someone's shoulder right now. She felt Mungojerrie embraced her, startling her.
"I will win this battle for you. I'll be your mate at the Jellicle ball." He finally said and kissed her on the lips. After a few minutes, he finally pulled away and walked away before giving her chance to answer.
"This can't be happening…"
--
Pouncival walked out of his den, looking rather confused.
"Sheesh, what was Rumpleteazer and Etcy's problem?" he said to himself, looking confused and annoyed. He stared at the cloudless sky, thinking about the battle he will be encountering later. His plan was to lose on purpose. He knew he can't take care of Jemima at all. Mungojerrie can make her laugh while Misto can protect her with his magic, and him? All he does was talk and nothing else. He have to lose on purpose, even if he have to leave the Jellicles. To his surprise, he found Jemima running to him.
"Pouncival…Please…Stop this fight…" she said between pants. He looked away from her, not daring to look at her. She have to hate him so she won't feel sorry for him for losing. He have to hurt her. Not physically, of course, but mentally.
"If you want to stop this fight, make your choice. Me, Mungojerrie, or Mistoffelees?" he asked a bit coldly, balling his fists. Jemima looked tacken aback, still fighting back the tears. Jemima can feel her lungs tighten for holding her tears back. "P-Pouncy…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Jemima, just for you to know, I don't love you at all. I was just making fun of you." He said, now finally looking at her. He wished he didn't say that and that he'd embrace her and tell her everything will be okay. But he knew he can't. He have to give her to Misto or Mungojerrie since they're the only ones who can bring her happiness. Jemima didn't say anything. She just stared at him, hurt. Before she knew it, tears started forming in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them, still trying to stop her tears.
"Then…if….you don't love me…why do you…still want to continue this fight?" she asked between sobs. Pouncival took his eyes away from her and at the cloudless sky. He didn't want to see Jemima cry like that because of him.
"Because, if I gave you to them without a fight, then what kind of man am I? No, that will ruin my pride. I don't even want to look at you. I hate you. I hate you and your guts. You're too weak for my taste." He lied. Every word he said stabs Jemima's heart. Pouncival already walked away, leaving the crying Jemima.
"Jemima! Are you alright?" she heard Victoria said, who was kneeling down beside her with concern but Jemima couldn't even speak.
"I cried…I am weak…" she whispered, hot tears streaming down her face.
At last, I made the second to the last chapter! Sorry I didn't updated earlier because I totally forgot that I still have an unfinished fanfic. Just one quick question, did my grammar turned bad? Or was it better? I want to know what you think. I've been reading a lot of English books and I'm desperate to get my grammar a little better. Please click the review button to tell me what you think of this chapter. I still have one chapter to go!