"LET ME GO!"

Graci struggled against Zazor's tight grip for what seemed to her to be the millionth time. The ground was at least 50 feet away. Zazor seemed to have gained some new power from stripping his brother of his title. Graci was quite sure that even Macavity's force would not be able to match him now. He was unstoppable now, and even more bloodthirsty than Macavity.

To Graci's great surprise, they flew right over the abandoned warehouse that was his normal hideout. Zazor seemed to have a different destination in mind, "Really, darling, you should stop squirming. You don't want me to drop you while we're flying, do you?"

"I'd much rather that than stay with you!" Graci cried, "You lied! You lied to Macavity just to get his stupid title! You lied to your own brother! How could you?!"

"I'm not the kind to keep my word, kitten." Zazor chuckled, "I guess Macavity had a bad influence on me, huh?"

Graci growled, and snapped at his paw, "My father is a wonderful Tom! Much better than you'll ever be!"
Zazor groaned loudly, "I grow tired of your ignorance. No Queen of mine will be thought of as a fool!" He laughed, and laid an unwanted kiss on Graci's head.

Graci felt a twinge of fear run through her tiny body. "If you had kept your word, I wouldn't have to be your Queen!"

Zazor sighed, "It would truly be a shame if I had to harm such a pretty kitten…My paws can get rather slippery when I'm mad, you know…" He stroked her neck softly.

Graci felt like crying, "Why do you want me? Why me?"

Zazor looked amused, "For the same reason that any Tom would want you! You're beautiful…" He stared bluntly down at her chest, "And sexy!"

Graci tried to squirm in order to hide her body from Zazor, but it was hopeless. She felt disgusted. "But I'm just a little kitten! Why don't you go after somebody your own size?"

Zazor shook his head, a smile on his face, "Graci, little Graci when are you going to learned that age doesn't matter to me? Anyway, do you know any Queens about my age that AREN'T Jellicles? They're aren't any! They're all dead! Queens aren't made to rough it…That's why I chose you. You're a kitten, and I can mold you to learn how to survive. And you can stop trying to get out of this, because you never will. Get it through your head, kitten, you're mine!"

Zazor landed at last on a bare patch of ground, and held Graci in front of him. The little kitten looked around. It was as though she had stepped backwards in time.

Back when Graci had lived in the Junkyard, she and her siblings had begged Munkustrap to tell them a story every single night before bed. One of Graci's favorites had been called The Wizard of Oz. It was about a small Human girl who lived in a place called Kansas, which was supposed to be the dullest place in the world. Graci had often pictured what it might look like in her mind's eye. There would be a small grey farmhouse, with only one room inside. There would be a picket fence out front, with a swinging gate. And, of course, there would be a tornado shelter, a sort of hole in the ground with stairs leading down to it. The grass would be brown and long, and it would go on for as long as you could see. That was exactly what she saw in front of her no, except it looked as though a tornado really had hit it. The roof had been ripped clean off the little house, and was sitting some 15 feet away from the rest of it. The little door was hanging off of its hinges, and the picket fence was now no more than a few pieces of wood stuck here and there in the ground.

"Where…Where are we?"

Zazor rolled his eyes, "Finally, a sensible question. We are at what I like to call the Pollicle Ranch. It was abandoned quite some time ago, as you might be able to tell."

Graci was confused, "What was wrong with Macavity's old lair?"

Zazor's face twisted into a forced sneer. "Rule number one: NEVER speak my brother's name!"

Graci ducked her head down quickly as Zazor dropped her to the ground, "I'm sorry…"

Zazor grinned, and put his paw possessively on Graci's head. "Good girl. You're learning to obey me. Keep this up, and you'll make your life a whole lot easier."

He moved his paws to her shoulders, and gestured to the ranch at large. "This is your new home. Now, I only have three rules. You've already heard number one, and I'm not about to repeat myself. Number two is that you must obey every order that I give you. And number three is that, if I call on you, you will not attempt to resist me."

Graci shuddered, and looked away Zazor rested his claw on her cheek and forced her head back so that she was looking at him again. "Are we clear, little one? If we aren't, I can always get back in touch with your family. I haven't met your lovely older sister yet. Fenera, isn't it?"

Graci looked down at the ground, "I'll do as you say."

Zazor smirked, "See? You're getting smarter already."

Graci trembled. She was scared of what Zazor would do to her, but she was terrified of what he would do to Fenera.

"Now, you can do anything inside the borders of this ranch. Henchcats patrol the borders, so I would advise you not to try to escape. I will find out, and I can guarantee that it won't be pretty when I do. Get my drift?"

Graci nodded. The place was inescapable, she could tell. Even if her mother and father did come to save her, she could not see how they could. Zazor sneered, apparently reading her thoughts, "Glad we understand each other. Follow me."

Zazor led Graci to the hatch in the ground that was the tornado shelter. It was the only thing that remained intact of Graci's dream of Kansas. "This is where you will stay for the time being."

He pushed her down the flight of stairs that the hatch opened onto, and chuckled as she fell to the floor face first. "Hope you like it, sweet. Oh, and, by the way…" He grabbed the hatch doors, and held one in each paw as he stared down at her, "If you behave, I might attempt to keep the Henchcats away from you!"

With a mad cackle, he slammed the doors shut, and there was a rustling of metal as he tied a chain around the handles so that Graci could not escape. "Sleep tight!"

Graci was instantly bathed in complete darkness. She felt her way over to a corner, and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest. How had it come to this…