A/N: Please excuse my use of an OC.
Forever Until Now
Chapter 8;; Mesmerizing
"This is how it feels to see everything you've fought for crumbling away into dust."
"What the hell?" Etcetera yelled upon instinct. Then, she realized that she'd just given herself away, and clapped her paws over her mouth. It was too late, though – she was in plain view, and Macavity and Victoria were breaking apart so as to look at her.
"Ah…Etcetera," Macavity sighed, looking about as irritated as if a fly was buzzing around his head. "What is it you want now?" His eyes flashed with a warning.
"What are you doing with Vic-" Etcetera broke off suddenly, realizing his plan. He's making Victoria cheat on Plato! Brilliant!...If a little strange.
"Vic?" The white queen gave a high laugh. "Darling, my name isn't 'Vic'. You can call me Alyana." Etcetera's head flew up and she stared at the queen in shock.
"Aly…ana?" she whispered. The voice definitely wasn't Victoria's, and neither was the laugh…on closer inspection, the queen wasn't Victoria at all, but the two did bear an uncanny resemblance. It was such a strong resemblance that Etcetera hadn't even realized until the queen had spoken. And anyone who might happen to notice would immediately assume the same thing as her.
There were very slight differences. Alyana was taller, and a little bit older, but not by much. She was curvier too, and not quite as slim as Victoria. Her features weren't as sharp as Victoria's, instead soft and endearing. Her eyes were huge, and instead of being the shocking blue of Victoria's, were a lovely forest green. Her lips were full, her cheeks rosy. She was like a kitten in some ways, yet matured.
"That's right," Alyana purred. "I'll even spell it out for you, sweetheart. A-L-Y-A-N-A." Macavity smirked at her, amused.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Etcetera muttered, shifting her paws uncomfortably. She had the distinct feeling that she was being made fun of, but both cats intimated her and she didn't want to anger them.
"You thought that she was Victoria, didn't you, little Etcetera?" Macavity grinned, a dark edge to the almost friendly expression. Etcetera hesitated, not sure whether to answer or not. But Macavity seemed in a good mood, so she just nodded. Alyana tinkled a laugh, and Etcetera immediately felt envious of the melodic sound of her voice.
"I can see why," she winked. "A pure white cat is rare to you Jelli-cats, am I right?"
"Jellicles," Etcetera corrected automatically. Alyana's smirk broadened. "And yeah…I hear there was great celebration on the day of Victoria's birth." She lowered her head, her voice bitter.
"Oh, I can imagine." Alyana's voice lilted with amusement. Etcetera found herself glaring at the white queen, though she barely knew her.
"Anyway, I don't know what you're doing, and I don't think I need to know-" Etcetera began, directing her words at Macavity.
"You're right on that, darling," Alyana interrupted, and Macavity's lips twitched into a smirk. Etcetera growled a little, fuming.
"I need to talk to you," Etcetera continued. "Urgently."
Macavity sighed. "Can't this wait until later?" He sent a very suggestive look towards Alyana, and she winked seductively.
"No," Etcetera said flatly, trying to be brave in the face of Macavity and this new 'Alyana'.
A low snarl of frustration rose up Macavity's throat, but he didn't appear to be angry at Etcetera. So she stayed, the only sign of her terror a slight twitch of her tail. She was too frozen to move anything else.
"It's okay, Mac, I'll come find you once you're done with the kitten," Alyana soothed the red tom, making Etcetera flush with anger and embarrassment.
"Yeah, you will," Macavity replied, almost ordering her. They shared a brief kiss and then Alyana scooted off, just as perfectly graceful as Victoria. Etcetera watched her go, still in shock at the resemblance between the two white queens.
"So what is it you want?" Macavity growled, his eyes suddenly devoid of that flicker of amusement they'd held while Alyana had been around. "You'd better make it quick. And don't start whining about Plato, or I swear, I'll rip your whiskers off."
Etcetera quivered, her fear suddenly doubling. Or tripling. Inside, she was screaming at herself to just run, run, and not tell Macavity about what had happened with Jellylorum. But the part of her that longed for Plato kept her planted to her spot. I need Macavity on my side, she reminded herself, so I have to tell him the truth. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"I…Jellylorum just went to, um, 'do something about you'," Etcetera confessed in a tiny voice. Macavity's attention was suddenly all on her, and he leant in towards her, eyes dangerous.
"What did you say?" he hissed. Etcetera gulped, knowing full well that he had heard her. She gulped, and pulled back a little, frightened of the very small distance between them.
"Jellylorum…she thinks that…um…you're an evil brute…" Etcetera stammered, her heartbeat speeding up.
"An evil brute? Is that right…" Suddenly, Macavity was amused. Etcetera let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you kindly for the warning, little Etcetera. I'll be off now." And with that, the red cat departed, leaving Etcetera alone and shivering.
It's such a beautiful world, Victoria thought dreamily. Plato was holding her as if he would never let go, the green of his eyes intoxicating. They were like Victoria's drug, sending her into a world of bliss. She always felt slightly drunk around Plato. She breathed in his scent, and it was wonderful. But it was nothing, nothing to his eyes. He kissed her then, their lips meeting sweetly. Victoria felt as if she couldn't breathe, as if she didn't even need to breathe. Plato pulled away, but only to trail his lips down her neck.
"I know I've told you this before," he breathed. "But you're so beautiful." Victoria smiled breathlessly, feeling unable to speak. The emotions on her face conveyed everything to Plato, though, and he understood.
Suddenly, they both noticed the presence of another cat quickly approaching. Reluctantly, they broke apart, Victoria still looking slightly dazed, Plato the picture of serenity. Macavity easily swung through, smirking at the pair. Victoria stared curiously at him, because she'd never seen him wearing anything close to a smile on his lips. Plato's eyes darkened just slightly, but he maintained a pleasant smile.
"Ah… young love. How simply lovely," Macavity purred, his tone conversational. He caught Plato's eye, and a flash of strange emotion passed between them. Victoria didn't notice – she was too busy staring at Macavity, brow furrowed slightly in thought. She'd never seen the red cat acting so… nice.
"…It's nice to see you, Macavity," Plato said softly, his tone implying exactly the opposite. Lips twitching, Macavity just shrugged and moved on.
"You're on speaking terms with Macavity?" Victoria asked, still dazed.
"I wouldn't say that," Plato muttered. "But…we have spoken before, yes. Vicki… I hope you don't mind, but I need to know what that cat is up to."
"Why?" Victoria wasn't annoyed (though she did want to gaze into Plato's eyes for just a bit longer) but she was curious about Plato and Macavity. Did they have some sort of history? She wanted to know everything about Plato, and why he was suddenly so interested in Macavity seemed like a good start.
"I have my reasons," Plato said uncomfortably. "You don't mind, do you?" He gazed reluctantly at her.
"No, I'll come," she smiled, swaying as if in a trance. Plato frowned at her, and the smile faded from her lips.
"I think it'll be best if you don't," he told her gently, brushing his lips across her forehead. "Though I wish you could… it may be dangerous." The warning in his voice didn't discourage Victoria, but she knew that he wouldn't allow her to go with him. But she did have an idea.
"Alright," she told him, sighing loudly. "I guess I'll take a nap or something…" She lowered her eyes so Plato wouldn't see the glimmer of excitement in them. To her, what she was about to do seemed exciting, dangerous.
"Good." Plato smiled in relief. He gave her one more brief kiss, and then departed, trotting off after Macavity. Victoria padded slowly towards her den for a while, and then when she was sure that he was out of earshot, she spun round and followed him. His wonderful scent lingered in the air, so it was simple to follow his trail. It didn't even occur to Victoria to feel guilty – she was too excited to see this secret about Macavity that Plato was hiding.
"So, Macavity…I hate to break it to you, but we were just about to go looking for you," came the voice of Old Deuteronomy, the famed leader of the Jellicles. "What a, er, coincidence that you've arrived." He spoke as if he was asking a question.
"Ah, you wanted me?" Macavity grinned. "It's not every day I hear that. Glad I could please you with my wonderful timing then."
Victoria could only see a sliver of the scene. She had found that the only place she could watch undetected was behind a fence. Through a peephole in the weathered wood, she could see Macavity's back and a tiny bit of Deuteronomy's face. Plato was crouched behind a wall, every so often glancing fleetingly around the corner. Victoria found it hard to keep her eyes on Macavity, because the sight of Plato kept distracting her.
"I'm afraid it's not good news," Deuteronomy stated gravely. Victoria caught a faint trace of Jellylorum's scent on the breeze, and realized that her mother was there as well. It only further piqued her curiosity.
"Ah! Well, that is certainly sad to hear." Victoria was sure that if she could see Macavity's face, he would be wearing a tiny frown.
"Indeed," Deuteronomy sighed. "Now… Jellylorum here, an honest queen, tells me that you have been, ah… harassing her daughter."
"Which one?" Macavity laughed. Victoria froze. What did he mean, which one? There were only two, and it had to be Etcetera, because Victoria knew for sure that she'd never spoken to Macavity in her life. But something deep inside Victoria tingled, and she began to wonder otherwise.
"Etcetera… wait. You haven't been messing with Victoria too?" Jellylorum snarled.
"I assure you, I haven't been messing with either," Macavity said pleasantly. "But why would you think of accusing me?"
"You know well why," Jellylorum said in a low, threatening voice. Macavity simply tilted his head questioningly to the side with an infuriatingly charming smile.
"Jellylorum, my good lady, I think it best if I handle my son from now on," Deuteronomy said quietly, keeping his eyes on Macavity. The queen huffed a little, but left them alone. She didn't even notice Plato pressed flat against the wall.
"Macavity, you did promise us you would never go back to your old ways," Deuteronomy reprimanded the red tom sternly. Victoria was awed that any cat could reprimand Macavity, though he didn't seem to care.
"Old ways?" Macavity chuckled. "No… Etcetera wanted me to help her. She was, you see, rather upset…"
"Explain," Deuteronomy said shortly.
"It's her private business!" said Macavity, his voice mocking. "I can't go around spreading it."
Deuteronomy sighed impatiently. "Macavity, I'm sure that she won't mind."
"Hmm…well, you see, she's having romantic troubles at the moment…" said Macavity slyly. Victoria froze in her position behind the fence. As in…Plato and I being together? It couldn't be anything else. Suddenly, Victoria wanted to leap out and demand answers. But she knew that that was a very bad idea. For one thing, Macavity was far stronger and bigger than her. Another, she didn't want to be discovered.
But suddenly, a whole lot of things became clear to Victoria. For instance, why Etcetera was acting so strangely – somehow, it was all Macavity's fault. It was a relief to Victoria, but it made her feel guilty for treating her sister so badly when it hadn't really been her fault that she was being so stupid. But how had Macavity even done it? As far as Victoria knew, he avoided the Jellicles like the plague, even though he was a part of them.
Through the hole in the fence, Victoria saw that Plato's ears were twitching.
"So I offered to assist, like the kind gentleman I am," Macavity continued, laughing lightly. Even the way he spoke frightened Victoria… but it frightened her in a very strange way. He didn't make her want to run away. He frightened her in the way that she wanted to climb over the fence and watch him speak close up. They call it charisma, don't they?
"And?" Deuteronomy prompted, sounding curious in spite of himself.
"And what? That's all I have to tell." Macavity's said, sounding amused.
"Come now, Macavity." Deuteronomy regarded his son with exasperation. "Why then do I hear about the odd ways that Etcetera has been acting?"
"There could be many reasons, father." Macavity's voice was oddly sincere. Victoria didn't know whether to trust him or not – her instinct told her not to, but listening to him speak made her believe his every word. "I don't know the ways of adolescent queens. It could, of course, be jealousy… feelings that she has had to bury all her life could have finally spilt out of her. Who knows?"
That's true, Victoria thought to herself contemplatively. She was acting real funny about that the other day…
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Deuteronomy sounded almost impatient now, which was a rare sight. "What with your past?"
"You shouldn't live in the past, old man." Suddenly, Macavity was hostile. "Take that story or nothing. I assure you, it's the truth." Even with the sudden change of tone, Victoria felt inclined to believe the dangerous red tom.
"Macavity…" Deuteronomy's voice was weary. The way he said that one word, it seemed to hold a thousand meanings. "Please don't tell me that you've gone back to using your powers."
"I can't ignore them, and you know it." Macavity's hackles rose in frustration. "You can't make me!"
"If you want the protection of the Junkyard, you must be normal, my son. I know that it is impossible for a magic cat to suppress their powers, but you don't have to use them on other cats such as poor Etcetera."
"For the last time, I didn't!" Macavity spat at his father. "I've done just as you've ordered! I even kept away from your precious family… I've been alone, to make sure that I keep my powers under control, to make sure that I don't harm your Jellicles or touch them with the wonder of my gifts, yet, you don't believe me!"
"I'm having a lot of trouble believing you," Deuteronomy said gently. "It's just like last time, you see…"
"That was a long time ago," Macavity said frostily. "It must be a sad coincidence."
Deuteronomy shook his head. "It is not a coincidence. You've been doing extremely well, Macavity…but it seems that you just can't handle yourself. It's a pity."
"What? You're not going to send me away, old man!" To Victoria, Macavity almost seemed frantic.
"No…no, I'm not," Deuteronomy sighed. "I probably should – you're a danger to my family. But I cannot. You are my own son, and I don't truly believe that you are a bad soul. Your powers are both a curse and a blessing."
"I don't need your pity," Macavity snarled.
Deuteronomy paused for a moment, seeming at a loss for words. "I'm sorry…" Victoria couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the red tom herself. As far as she could understand, the only reason Macavity kept away from the Jellicles was that he was a danger to them, and it wasn't even his own fault. The oddest urge to help him crept into her heart.
"Why me?" Macavity spat. "I didn't need this crap. The powers aren't worth the isolation."
"I don't know," Deuteronomy said helplessly. "Magic seems to be quite common in the Jellicle blood… but the others aren't affected the way you are. Because of her…"
The others? Victoria thought.
"They're lucky. Unreasonably so…" Macavity seemed to suddenly lose all his fight. "They can have… normal lives. They go around the Junkyard, have friends… they have lives."
"You never seemed interested in that sort of life before," Deuteronomy commented.
"No, I wasn't then. But things change," Macavity shrugged idly. "Look, father, if you're not going to kick me out, I'll think I'll be off-"
"Wait a moment." Deuteronomy caught Macavity's shoulder, making the red cat flinch away. "You must promise to not go near Etcetera again. And never work your magic upon any Jellicle cat ever again. Stay out of trouble… or next time, there will not be a next time. Understood?"
Macavity smiled wryly. "It's unbearably unfair… but understood. I'll do as you say." With that, he flicked his tail and moved away, movements sinuous. Unfortunately for Plato, he didn't escape notice this time. Macavity paused, and raised his eyebrows at him. They didn't say anything, but apparently they exchanged some sort of communication and both padded off together. Victoria, after a moment of hesitation, climbed over the fence as stealthily as possible and shadowed them.
It wasn't long before they stopped. They made sure to get far enough away from Deuteronomy that he wouldn't hear, and they took a complicated path that made it all the harder for Victoria to follow them. What was worse, it was impossible for her to find a good vantage point, so she was forced to stand around the corner. She didn't want to risk taking quick peeks, so she stood there, feeling a little nervous about what she was about to hear.
"Why were you listening?" Macavity hissed, his voice dangerous.
Plato chuckled. "Your behavior made me suspicious. I wanted to see what you were up to…but I didn't learn anything new. It was a bit of a waste of time, really."
Macavity snarled, a low guttural sound. "You don't know how much I hate you, you arrogant little tom. One day, you'll really annoy me and I'll destroy you." He laughed lowly. "I dream of it occasionally." Victoria suppressed her gasp of horror and pricked her ears for Plato's response.
"When you're not invading a certain someone's dream, that is," Plato said coldly. "I don't know what you're trying to do to her, Macavity, but I don't need you messing up her head."
"Thing is, Plato, I think she'd be far better off if I did the messing with her head. What you're doing to her is killing her good sense."
What…are they talking about? Victoria thought. But something in the back of her mind told her that she already knew, and the hollow feeling in her stomach confirmed it.
"Don't you-" Plato gave a cry of outrage, and Victoria heard what sounded like an explosion. Heart thumping, she desperately ignored the temptation to take a quick look at the scene.
"It's no use you trying anything," Macavity drawled. "I'm the elder cat here, so you know what'll happen."
Plato made a sound of disgust.
"You've been getting on my nerves for a while now, pretty boy," Macavity sneered. "Maybe I should…I don't know, do something about you?"
Plato let out a gasp. "No…you wouldn't!"
"I could very easily," Macavity said coolly. "I'll give you a choice… you get away from Victoria, and cut off all contact with her of your own will… oh, I almost forgot, you'll have to go give little Etcetera some loving… or I'll make you."
Victoria was frozen. She could hardly believe what she was hearing, and she tried to convince itself it was all a dream. But the feeling of her heart pounding was far too real, and so was the fear that held her pressed up against the wall.
"Never," Plato spat. "You can't make me do anything," he added, and another sound like thunder rolled past Victoria. Macavity just laughed.
"Shall I show you?" he said, his voice suddenly cordial. Plato made a spitting noise.
"NO!" Victoria screamed, unable to stop herself. The tone of Macavity's voice had alerted her that Plato was in danger and however foolish it was, she didn't want to let him get hurt. And of course, she didn't want him to keep away from her, no matter what strange things Macavity implied about him.
The scene that met her eyes was terrifying. Macavity was literally holding Plato up by the fur of his neck, their faces inches apart. Even though Plato was only slightly shorter, it seemed an incredibly easy feat for the red tom. Both of them had singed fur, which only made Victoria wonder what on earth had gone on that she hadn't seen. They didn't respond to Victoria's arrival at first, seemingly oblivious to her.
"What the hell are you doing?" Victoria screeched at them, putting her paws on her hips and trying to feel brave. In reality, she knew that she was shaking all over, but she put on her best angry face and stared the two toms down. They both suddenly realized her presence, and gazed at her with completely different expressions. Plato looked panicked, between Victoria's presence and the fact that Macavity was threatening him. Macavity, on the other hand, grinned as if he were a little human boy on Christmas day. His eyes lit up in a terrible, sadistic way.
"It's nice to see you here, Victoria," he winked. That kindled the fire of Victoria's fury. Now, she really was shaking with anger instead of terror.
"The hell it is!" she yelled shrilly. "Put Plato down!" She flattened her ears, puffed up her fur and spat at his face. He frowned at her like a disapproving parent.
"Now now, Victoria. No need to be so rude," he said tauntingly. Plato struggled vainly as Macavity switched his attention to the new arrival. "I'm so very pleased to see you… why can't you say the same for me?"
"Because I don't know you at all! And because you're hurting Plato!" Victoria took a step forward, ripping a snarl. It was very unlike her, and any other cat would have flinched away. But Macavity? He just stood there with an insolent smirk that infuriated Victoria.
Strangely, Victoria thought she saw his eyes soften, just slightly. The smirk stayed plastered all over his face. "Am I hurting your love?" he asked nonchalantly. And then he actually threw Plato aside like a ragdoll. "Do you really not know me?" he asked softly, leaning towards her. Victoria froze in spot, her eyes fixed on his. She got sucked into the burning yellow, almost the way that Plato's eyes hypnotized her. Then she shook herself. They're nothing like Plato's eyes!
"No. The thing I know is that you're weird and evil," Victoria growled. "The conversations I just heard prove it." Macavity stiffened, anger seeping into his eyes.
"Tell me, Victoria," he said, moving towards her. With every step he took closer, she stepped back. "What did you hear? What did you hear, little Victoria?"
"Don't call me that!" Victoria protested, on impulse. When he just regarded her scornfully, she flushed. "And why should I tell you that? If I do… If I do, you'll probably hurt me!"
"I won't hurt you," Macavity assured her. "Can't you see the sincerity in my eyes?" Victoria, without realizing that she was being fooled, looked into his eyes. And that was when she fell into Macavity's trap.
"Victoria! No!" Plato yelled, struggling to sit up. But she didn't even hear him, for she was far too fixated on the wonder of Macavity's eyes. Hypnotic, intense yellow, telling her that spoke only the utter truth. Compelling her to tell the truth as well. She gaped at him dumbly, and then nodded. He smiled at her cockily.
"Alright, Victoria. I'd like to tell me what you heard."
"I heard your confrontation with your father. And then I listened to you fighting with Plato," Victoria told him obediently.
"Victoria!" Plato cried, his voice filled with desperation.
"Good girl," Macavity smirked devilishly in Plato's direction. "But you're not done yet. Wait a moment." Victoria nodded, her eyes going blank as he turned away from her. "This is how it feels," he told Plato cruelly. "This is how it feels to see everything you've fought for crumbling away into dust." And as Plato cried out with anguish, trying to stand up, Macavity took Victoria's paw. She didn't even respond to his contact.
"VICTORIA!" Plato screamed again, cursing at his unresponsive legs. "VICTORIA! Macavity! I swear…you're the devil!" Macavity sent him one last, malicious look, and then grabbed Victoria's paw and hauled her roughly away.
"I'll deal with you later!" he called over his shoulder, laughing in malevolent delight. Plato let out a long groan of pure misery, but by then, Victoria and Macavity were out of sight.
Macavity stopped only a few streets away. "Victoria, darling," he purred. "I want you to look into my eyes again." She did so immediately, complying with his wishes as though he were the most important cat in the world. Looking into his eyes made her feel all warm and fuzzy, and once hooked, she never wanted to look away.
"Victoria. I need you to forget all you heard and saw of me today," Macavity instructed. She nodded almost eagerly. "Everything, alright? Just…get rid of the memories or something." She nodded again, and Macavity frowned a little.. "Heaviside, I've never done this before," he muttered under his breath. "Okay…I'm going to leave you here, and you'll sleep for three hours. Then, you'll return to the Junkyard as if nothing is wrong. You will tell your friends that you had a lovely lap somewhere in the Junkyard. You never left the Junkyard today."
"Yes," Victoria smiled stunningly, still gazing like a lovestruck puppy into his eyes. He smirked a little.
"Good." And then, he padded away, breaking the eye contact. Victoria felt a sinking feeling as the feeling of bliss left her, and then, just as she had been told, she curled up on the ground and fell asleep.