Chapter 4 is out! Its my longest chapter yet. If you like it please follow, and review whether you like it or not. I can use as much feeback as I can get. Any suggestions or writing advice for the future will be used.
Jem and Misto chapter 1 is out, so I encourage you to check it out. Ch 1 is kind of short, but its just the intro. I hope you like it, since I'm very proud of it.
Finally, thanks to Kycklingk. Your support means a lot to me!
The next few weeks were a mix of playing games, and swooning over the Rum Tum Tugger. Jemima completely forgave Pouncival for what he said. He was so nice, and it became clear he never mant it. The kittens soon realized the Jellicle Ball was approaching. Victoria and Plato were chose as the coming of age kittens. That meant that Victoria got to dance the Invitation to the Jellicle Ball, and Plato and the partner of his choice would lead the mating dance. Jemima was very excited about the special occasion. Finally, the time for the Ball came.
It seemed to fly by. The unconventional Ball had one surprise that stood out to Jemima. As Plato danced the mating dance, Jemima felt something touch her shoulder. She turned to face Tumblebrutus, who smiled shyly. Jemima grinned back as they continued with the mating dance.
Jemima felt giddy the next day. She danced the mating dance! A Tom wants to Mate with her! She leaped out to the main yard to speak with her friends. "Guess what! Guess what!" she yelled to the girls.
They hadn't had a chance to speak since before the Ball. Jemima wasn't exactly sure if she was in love with him, but the kitten was excited that a Tom liked her. In fact, she didn't feel like a kitten. Jemima felt like a young Queen. Her heart pumped excitedly as the other "young Queens" joined her.
"Quaxo and I decided to be mates!" Electra blurted out. All of the other girls gasped. "But don't tell anyone! We're keeping it a secret for now."
All of the "young Queens" nodded, and turned to Jemima to hear her news. "I did the Mating Dance with Tumblebrutus!
"Wow!" Victoria smiled at the younger cat.
"Does this mean we're mates?" she asked excitedly.
"I don't know, I suppose you have to ask him," Victoria advised.
"There he is!" Etcetera whispered, though she spoke so loudly it was hardly a whisper.
Jemima turned around and was face to face with Tumblebrutus. "Umm, Jemima, can we talk?" He asked. The Black Queen nodded, and Tumblebrutus led her around a corner. They were separated from the other cats, and Jemima felt quite relieved by the privacy. She turned to face the Tom.
"Hey Tumble!"
"Hi Jemima. Can we talk about the Ball?" His voice trailed off at the end.
"Umm, sure." Jemima spoke nervously. She really didn't have much to say, and was quite surprised when she blurted something out. "Are we mates now?"
"I don't think so," Tumblebrutus said.
"Is that a good thing?" asked Jemima. She was really nervous. He didn't seem so friendly and happy right now.
"Yeah," he spoke barely louder than a whisper. "Tugger seems to have a soft spot for you. I was afraid he was going to want to mate with you. You're a nice girl, and it would be a shame if you mated with a Tom like Tugger."
By trying to protect her from the heartbreaker, Tumblebrutus managed to break her heart. His noble action stung, but she couldn't let him see. "I-I-I see," she managed to say, feeling sick to her stomach.
"Well, I like Etcetera," Tumblebrutus said nervously.
"You two would make a great couple," she forced out.
"And I'm not supposed to tell you this," Tumblebrutus started slowly, "but you deserve to know. Pouncival likes you. That's why he was so awkward. He was afraid to mate with you, but he didn't want Tugger to make his move first." That made Jemima smile. It felt good to be liked by a Tom. Especially since she always secretly liked Pouncival more. Her heart was soaring again, but this time, she liked her admirer back.
They went and rejoined the rest of the kittens to play their daily games. "Who wants to be a Captain?" asked Victoria.
"Me and Plato!" yelled Etcetera.
"You guys are always captains!" Electra butt in.
"What about Jemima and Tumblebrutus?" suggested Victoria. Everyone nodded. All of the kittens viewed Victoria as a goddess.
Jemima and Tumblebrutus stepped forward. Jemima was a little nervous, as it was her first time as Captain. "Ladies first!" Tumblebrutus said.
Jemima looked over the group lined up in front of her. The answer was clear. "Pouncival," she said. It was hard to say it so calmly when she wanted to yell excitedly. Plato was installing furious that he wasn't first pick. He glared at Jemima angrily.
"Etcetera." Jemima glanced over at Tumblebrutus. She was surprised, though she didn't understand why. It seemed like he thought it was time to start courting the kitten. Jemima was happy for him.
"And I guess I'll take Plato." Yes he was rude, but he was also good at sports. He and Etcetera were the best by far.
"Then I'll take Electra. So Vic can go with Jemima."
Victoria didn't mind be last pick. Sure, she was good at their games, but she was the best dancer. Jemima was very glad to be on her best friend's team.
A few hours later, Tumblebrutus asked to speak to Etcetera alone. They walked away from the group, and Electra and Plato followed them. Plato was not thrilled that his sister would be alone with a Tom, and he wanted to supervise. Victoria chased after Electra to convince her to respect Tumblebrutus's wish to be alone.
That left Jemima and Pouncival. Their mothers sat off to the side, barely supervising the kits. "Can we talk?" Pouncival asked nervously. Jemima nodded, and Pouncival led her away. They were soon out of sight and earshot before he spoke. "Tumblebrutus told you?" he asked.
"Yeah. How do you know he told me?"
"He felt guilty and confessed," Pouncival sighed.
"Ohh," Jemima wasn't sure what to say.
"So how do you feel about that?" Pouncival finally got to what he wanted to ask.
"Well, I feel kind of happy," Jemima started. "No kind of happy, I feel really happy. You are my first crush. You are-"
She was cut off by a kiss. So this was the first kiss she had thought about since she first met him. He was now her pre-mate, the cat equivalent of a boyfriend. Afterwards, Jemima was frozen in shock. Pouncival immediately felt guilty. "Oh! I'm sorry!"
"It-it's ok." Jemuma nodded nervously and let out a smile. "More than ok. Amazing."
Pouncival smiled with relief. "Good."
"Should we tell everyone?" asked Jemima.
"Nah," said Pouncival. "Let's make it out secret." A secret romance! How exciting! As they walked back, Jemima blushed and beamed. It seemed they were the last ones to return. Everyone's anxious faces melted into relief when they saw the pair. Tumblebrutus flashed them a knowing smile.
"Where were you guys?" asked Victoria.
"We thought the ball rolled over there," Pouncival lied. "We were looking for it."
"Mhmm," Tumblebrutus raised his eyebrows. Pouncival flashed him a look that told him drop it.
Etcetera leaped up to Jemima. "Tumble is now my pre-mate!" Plato looked really angrily at Tumblebrutus. He looked ready to attack the young Tom.
"That's great Cettie!" Jemima's smile was genuine. A few hours ago, she would have been jealous, but now Pouncival was all she could focus on.
Demeter stood up, halting her conversation with Jenny and Jellylorum. "Jemima, your father and I need to speak to you." Jemima knew what that meant.
"Bye guys!" She turned and strolled to her den, followed by a chorus of "Bye Jemima". Jemima crawled through the cave nestled in the trash, and found that her mother had beat her home. She stood by Munkustrap smiling down at her daughter.
"Jemima, dearest, we didn't want to tell you this until you are older," Demeter spoke so slowly that Jemima's emotion flooded with concern.
"Well, with all the Macavity business at the ball," Munkustrap started another one of his speech. The story was too painful for Demeter to tell. "Macavity used to be a member of our tribe. He was my brother." Jemima gasped. They were saying Macavity was her father's brother! "There's more. And well, he went evil. He left the tribe to form a group that just causes pain. He wouldn't hesitate to kill. And I'm sorry for what I am about to say.
"Macavity was always in love with a beautiful Queen. He kidnapped her. Her sister and the Tom who loved went to rescue her, but it took them a month to find her. When they found her, they were horrified to see she was completely broken. They managed to get her home. It hurt them so much to see her in such poor shape. They swore to always protect her." Jemima noticed her mother was crying, and she couldn't deny her damp eyes. "Though she never fully recovered, she is better than she was. A few months later she gave birth to six kittens. All stillborn except for one. By the coloration, it was clear that the child was Macavity's. Do you understand Jemima?"
She wished she didn't understand. She wished she didn't know. Jemima nodded before turning and sprinting out. "Give her time to think," Munkustrap stopped Demeter from going after her.
Jemima sprinted past the other kittens, tears pouring from her eyes. She ran a bit farther, to where she thought she was alone. Yet, two kittens followed her. When Jemima stopped and fell to the ground, two kittens rushed to her side. "What is it?" Victoria asked. Pouncival stared at Jemima with such concern, Victoria soon figured out that her companions were in a relationship.
Jemima sobbed. "He's my father! Macavity is my father!"