Thanx to Violante and nekofey69 for reviewing chap. 2
To Vio: Misto won't be talking for a while....but I might just use that. lol

*Alonzo's POV*

Mansion!

Swweeet!!!

It looked ominous, and I felt a pit in m stomach and a nag in my mind, but it was cool anyway.

"Woi exaclay ar' we goin' ere?" Mungo said, eyebrows raised at the unpredictable destination.

"You'll see." Viatrix said to my left, "I want Tugger specifically to meet someone."

I looked at Tugger, and he looked confused and thrilled and scared.

Ravina started whistling an unfamiliar tune, and Viatrix joined in, and they were perefectly in sync.

Mungo pounded on the seat behind him.

"Shut up, Pouncy!"

Pouncival went silent, but I heard him say, "Sheesh!"

"Alright, everyone out of the car. Someone get Pounce out."

Viatrix stepped out along with her sister (I sort of figured they were sisters, even though they probably weren't)

Tugger was the one to get Pounce out, because I suggested we leave him in.

Misto was off before Viatrix had even said to.

Mungo was looking very scared as he read the sign:

"ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK"

"Ack!" Pounce said, reading it too.

"Oh, don't mind that, he just doesn't like visitors." Ravina pushed past the thief and slid through the slight opening.

Viatrix was hanging back, probably making sure everyone came in.

Tugger and Mungo went next, only hesitating when about to enter.

Pounce gulped and ran through, probably thinking it was electric.

I went as fast as I could, and my tail got caught in it, which made some minor bleeding.

I looked back at Misto, who was looking at the fence, thinking if it was worth it to poof over.

"Come on, short one!" Viatrix shoved him forward, and he squeezed through, not a scratch on him.

I figured Viatrix had done this before, for she came through with out even touching the bars.

"Onward!" she said, motioning us forward.

We walked to some freaky big double doors, and Ravina knocked loudly.

A girl with frizzy red hair in a maid's outfit answered.

Strange crowd.

"Vat do yu vant?" she had a thick transylvanian accent.

"Ravina and Viatrix, Centra 7, Joint 4, inhabited by feline souls, on a mission from the Devil himself, come to speak with boss because of some, er, complications." Ravina recited, looking up.

"Alright, come in zen." She left the door open and walked away, joining a man with a hunch and blond hair.

"Who are they?" he whispered to her.

"Centra 7, Joint 4, came to speak to their Boss." she repeated dully.

"All of them?" he was looking at me and my fellow Jellicles.

She flipped around and looked at us, repeating her friend.

"Why iz ze rest of zem ere?"

"We were offered protection by a hospitable tribe of....feline people, and we accepted." Viatrix pushed Misto in and came around to the front. "They've been most helpful."

"Hmmph. Fine." she still looked suspicious as she yelled, "Master! guests to see their boss! Centra 7! Joint 4!"

"Comiiiiing!" a very peculiar voice rang from upstairs.

If you think the voice was peculiar, then you should have seen him.

I guess you already know what he looks like, so there's no use describing him.

"Ah, guests. I do love guests. come to see your boss, eh?"

The girls nodded, smirking.

"We'd like you to meet a friend of ours, Dr. His name is Rum-Tum-Tugger, but everyone calls him Tugger."

Ravina shoved Tugger forward as Viatrix spoke to the freak on the stairs.

"This is the person?!?!" Tugger was whispering to Ravina, who was nodding, restraining laughter.

"Ooooooh, is he Joint 4 too?"

"Actually, we found his tribe on our mission, and they offered protecion of five males, or toms. They aren't in the Devil's services." Viatrix was attempting to restrain giggles, which Ravina failed at.

"Aha. Well, they are quite tasty, aren't they. All of them." he was peering over at me, Mungo, Pounce, and Misto.

We were all very uncomfortable.

"But I do like having ladyfriends, can't you stay?" he was pouting.

"We have a mission, you know just well, and this is a short pitstop along the way. We're just saying hello while we can."

Ravina had stopped laughing at his statement, and quickly made it impossible for us to stay.

Phew.

"Oh, some people are no fun, you see. You can't even leave one of the little ones behind?"

He was looking directly at Misto, who had eyes wider than I thought possible.

"Look, they're rentals. We have to return them. All of them." Viatrix was glaring now. Impatient girl.

She called me a rental!

Ha!

"Fine, fine. Come with me." He led us off to a gigantic room.

"Up the elevator?" Viatrix said, stepping in the elevator

"Yep."

"How are we all going to fit in here? It's eight people!" Ravina was looking at the little thing.

"Squeeze." The Dr. was in the back by Viatrix and Ravina.

Me, Mungo and Tugger all took the sides.

Pounce and Misto stepped in, and we had more space than we expected, but not much.

Ravina pressed a button, and we shot up the small, but still awesome elevator.

I grabbed Viatrix's arm for dear life, and she laughed at me.

I saw Misto fall forward onto her other arm, and Pounce and Mungo grabbing Ravina.

Tugger grabbed the walls.

As soon as it stopped, I shot out.

I found muself by Tugger, also desperate to get out.

Our host was the last one out, and then we looked up to see a large hole in the ceiling.

The Dr. pulled switches, pressed buttons, and typed codes.

A red light shot through, and Ravina and Viatrix stepped into it calmly.

We all felt a white-hot heat shoot around the room, and -faintly- the girls laughing.

We stood, watching them for about ten minutes, and then they burst out, panting.

Ravina had a cut arm, and several bruises around it.

Viatrix's lip was bleeding, and I saw a ring of bruises on her wrist I'd never seen before.

"Sheesh, are we that bad?" Ravina said to Viatrix.

Viatrix raised her eyebrows.

"Right....."

"You're hurt?" The Dr. walked over to them. "Why?"

"Boss has a temper." Viatrix sucked on her lip, then winced.

"Want me to kiss is and make it better?" he smirked at her.

She lifted her hand in front of her.

He kissed it. "Echonte"

"Woop-dee, magic touch." Viatrix rolled her eyes, and I noticed Misto glaring at him.

Lol.

"Woi ar ya hurt, tho?" Mungo was looking at Ravina's arm.

"Owch!! Leave it alone!" she looked down at her cut, biting her lip.

"Let's say we're not boss's favorites." Ravina ripped her other sleeve and wrapped it around, gasping.

Viatrix did the same with her wrist and decided to live with the cut.

"So I take it you won't be seeing your boss again soon." I said, picking up Ravina's arm and inspected the wrapping.

"I hope not." she said, ignoring me.

Everyone started fussing, and even Tugger was helpful in the constant demand of water, to clean the bandages.

But everyone except the girls was wondering, aloud or not, what had been said in the red light.

They were very stubborn in revealing, but I knew we'd get it eventually.

But there were so many unanswered questions, like:

What's Centra 7 and Joint 4?

Why does the devil hate them?

How did they get hurt by light?

Who are they really?

I had to talk to someone, maybe Tugger or Mungo,

Pounce was too young to really understand the complexion,

and Misto wouldn't talk back.

Who are these people we have given our lives to?

Why did they have a red tint in their eyes that makes you feel like you've already lost your life?