Marisella woke up late in the first night of her banishment. The moon was full and bright and cast light just inside her new den. She had been asleep on her side and when she opened her eyes the movement was slow and steady. She stared at the outside and then rose sweepingly from her makeshift cot. In her sleep ideas always came to her, things were always so much clearer after she had a good hour or five of rest. This time everything was clear to her now.
She knew the Jellicles were now her enemies, every last one them, even her Demeter. Thinking of them all made her fur glow with magic from her anger. She growled and carefully stood up, walked to the entrance of her den and looked out in the direction of the Junkyard. She sent her mind racing to find her brother and felt his anger at her. Her lips curved in a smile as an idea formed; right now her brother's emotions were wild and hard for him to control. If she took him back and trained him to be like her. . .then they'd both wreak havoc on the Jellicles.
She laughed darkly and then clapped her paws together and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Macavity had just laid down to sleep, his body sore and aching. Just as he put his head on his tattered pillow there came a knock at the den door. He groaned and thrust his head under the blankets.
It was Skimble, he had taken the night off from the train, "Macavity? Are you alright? Demeter came home screaming about you blowing yourself up?" He was met by silence, and knocked again. "Macavity?"
"Go away Skimble! I just want to be alone right now. . ." He said.
Outside he frowned and stood back from the door, "Macavity I know this must be hard and I want to be there for you. I always have and you know that."
He stared at the wall as he listened to the Scottish orange tabby who had found him nine years ago. In the dark shadows of where his sister used to sleep a small puff of smoke went unnoticed and two acid yellow eyes peered out at him from the dark.
"If you want to move in with me, Jenny, Jelly and the kits we'd be happy-"
He was interrupted by Macavity's screams and the sound of a scuffle. Skimbleshanks instantly burst through the door and found Marisella with her brother in a headlock. She grinned at the tom who had taken her in and began laughing.
"Let him go Marisella!" The orange tom shouted and lunged forward to get Macavity.
Marisella swung a slightly glowing fist and hit him in the face with a surprising amount of force and sent him sprawling on the ground at her hind paws. Her laugh echoed as she disappeared with her brother into the night.
Skimble groaned and then fell unconscious.
Marisella reappeared with her younger brother back in her makeshift den. She dropped him to the floor and then walked passed him to a sit on her cot and leaned back on her elbows.
"Welcome home Macavity!" She said cheerfully.
He growled, "The Junkyard is my home! And I'm going back!" He turned and began to run away from his sister.
She snapped her claws together and he fell to the ground, his legs locked together by an invisible force. With a dramatic effort she flung herself off the cot and walked forward. She crouched down and gently smoothed his wild fur out of his eyes. To his extreme surprise she was looking at him with tenderness.
"Oh little Macavity. This is your home now," her voice was so smooth and it wasn't like her at all. "You see I had a revelation in my dreams tonight after my banishment. I unlocked something in my head that made my magic even stronger. I also realized that I had to have my little brother with me."
"Wouldn't you rather have your precious Demeter by your side?" He spat at her.
She laughed and helped him up, brushing him off as she did, "Silly tom, she isn't magical. She certainly isn't blood. You're my blood brother and we need to stick together through this! Trust me, it's for the best." She smiled deeply and her acid yellow eyes glowed softly.
Macavity looked at her uncertainly and let her led him to the back of her den. She waved her paw behind her and some objects came forward to form another bed for her brother. She watched him lay down and then went to her own cot and they both fell asleep.