Hi, people! I'm back! Since this author's note is already long, I will say that: In England, I got to see both the Lion King, Jersey Boys, AAAND Phantom of the Opera! All of them were AWESOME.
I have no idea how to write French accents… any tips? So for this chapter, just imagine that the OC queen is speaking with a French accent, 'kay? Oh, and I've got a poll up on my profile. Read my profile first, and then vote in the poll please, if you haven't yet. :D And, if I had to name this chapter, it would be:
In Which Mistoffelees Is Angry, Coricopat Is Sad Because of Mistoffelees, We Learn What Aforementioned Psychic Tom Thinks of Himself, We Learn More About His Past and What He Likes To Do In His Spare Time (Asides From Playing Music.)
Jeeze, that was a long title… and, since FF apparently won't let me separate sections with that thing that I normally do, my separation thingy will now be…
~CFBE~
And, I have decided that if I know a quote that fits the plot (or some of the plot) of the chapter, I shall put it after the disclaimer.
… ONWARDS!
Disclaimer: See previous chapter. Oh, and I don't own Hair or the poem in this chapter.
"There are three rules in the old neighborhood. One: Don't lie to your mother. Two: Don't tell the truth to your wife. Three… well, every guy should know that."
- Nick Massi, Jersey Boys
~CFBE~
Mistoffelees drove along Jellicle Boulevard, the other members of Confused Flower Beetle Epiphany in the car with him. They were headed to school after deciding to carpool and reduce pollution, as Jemima had recently become very fanatical about saving the environment.
"Why did that green light only let one car through?" Misto questioned angrily. "And then the light beyond it went green! Someone needs to coordinate those things properly!"
"Misto, it's just a traffic li- YAH!" Coricopat yelled, interrupted by someone forgetting to brake and bumping the back of the car. Misto, already in a bad mood, was further angered by this incident.
"What is your problem?" he yelled, sticking his head out the window. He stopped as the other driver looked out the window.
"I am so sorry," the queen apologized. "I am not used to these types of cars yet." Her bright green eyes were framed by midnight-black fur, and she had her hair tied back into a ponytail. Altogether, it made for a stunning appearance.
"Oh, erm, it's all right. Rush hour always makes me edgy," Misto admitted. "Where are you going?"
"School," the queen replied. "High School of the Everlasting Cat." Mistoffelees' face brightened.
"That's where we go! We can give you a tour after school," he offered.
"Actually, I can't," Coricopat told him. "I have detention."
"Again?"
"Yeah. But I was framed, I tell you! Framed!"
"Tell that to the judges, boy," Electra joked.
"All of the judges are biased. I think they hate me."
"I think you're just paranoid," Jemima commented.
"Maybe… but it's the M16's fault! They've been following my every move…" He smiled at Jemima. "Not really. But I had you worried for a second there, didn't I? You were totally concerned for my life."
"In your dreams."
"More like, 'In my nightmares!'" She reached over the seat to slap him.
"Oi! Misto, it's a green light again," Tanto alerted him. "Will you two lovebirds stop being all flirty with each other? It's making me sick."
"You're just jealous of me," Corico teased. "It's because I've got all the girls in school fawning over me, isn't it?" Electra snorted as Misto continued to drive.
"Why would I want all the girls in school to fawn over me? You're the one who's obsessed with 'Hair.'"
"It's a good musical. But what does that have anything to do with it?"
"… And your favorite character is Woof, who is a guy, and has a crush on Mick Jagger."
"Oh, shut up."
"And none of the girls in school fawn over you. It's just in your own, deluded sense of reality."
"… They're just playing hard to get."
~CFBE~
Once the school bell rang, Misto waited impatiently for his friends and the new queen.
"Hello!" the queen greeted happily as she walked up to him. "I never caught your name; what is it?"
"Uh, I-I'm Mistoffelees," Misto stammered. "But most people call me Misto." She smiled.
"It is a lovely name. I am Joli. Where are your friends?" she asked. Misto shrugged.
"It doesn't matter- I can still take you on a tour."
"That would be wonderful, Mistoffelees!"
~CFBE~
In the meantime, Coricopat was sitting in detention and waiting for the teacher to show up. He wasn't very surprised when his sister plopped into a seat next to him and only slightly surprised when Electra came in the room. However, when Jemima sat on his other side, he was shocked.
"Jemima? What are you doing in detention?" he questioned.
"The math teacher put me in here for laughing in class," she replied glumly. "How long does it usually take for the teacher to get here?"
"An hour, at least," Coricopat replied nonchalantly. "That usually gives me enough time to escape. But I figured I might want to get all of those hours of detention I've missed out of the way before I go to college."
"How many hours have you racked up already?" Electra asked. He did a quick calculation.
"I think it's enough to last from now until I graduate. I'm lucky, though."
"How?"
"They've only caught me half of the time I'm doing something I shouldn't!"
"So… what do you want to do in the meantime?" Electra asked. Tantomile grinned.
"How about 'Truth or Dare?'"
~CFBE~
Misto walked Joli around the entire school, until they had come back to where they started.
"Oh, and over there's the detention hall," Misto gestured. He quickly walked over, looked into the window, and, blushing, turned away.
"I never thought that Cori and Jemima liked each other that much…" he muttered, walking away with Joli.
~CFBE~
"Okay, guys, you still have five more seconds," Tantomile announced. Her brother glared at her as best as he could while making out with Jemima. Five seconds passed, and they fell away from each other.
"I told you that she was going to do something highly embarrassing to you once you had used up all your chickens," Corico panted, falling back in the seat.
"I just didn't think it would be that weird," Jemima said, blushing.
"Am I a bad kisser or something?" The queen blushed even more.
"Erm… no, it's just the idea of making out with anyone for five minutes is kind of… strange… for me." He seemed appeased by her answer.
"Oh, and guys?" Tantomile added.
"Yeah?"
"I saw Misto looking through the window while you two were smooching. There will be questions later."
"Once I can breathe again, I'm going to kill you," Coricopat stated.
"I look forward to seeing you try."
~CFBE~
"What on earth was that about?" Misto demanded as he saw the other four members of Confused Flower Beetle Epiphany walk out of the school building.
"What was what about?" Coricopat inquired innocently.
"The- the kissing Jemima thing!"
"Oh, that that," Cori replied. "I thought you were talking about the other that!"
"What other that?"
"Y'know, that other thing that we… we… that!"
"I think we're thinking of two different things here."
"No, we're thinking of two different thats." Coricopat replied.
"Misto, the truth is…" Jemima began, interrupting Coricopat's ramble, "Tantomile dared us to do it."
"Explain."
"Well, we were playing Truth or Dare while in detention, and Tantomile dared us to make out for five minutes."
"Why didn't you chicken out of it?"
"I was out of chickens."
"Oh." Misto paused. "I can't come to practice tomorrow, by the way- I have a study date with Joli."
"And who is this Joli?" Corico asked, putting a French accent on "Joli."
"The queen that I showed around school today."
"Misto's got a girlfriend, Misto's got a girlfriend!" the other tom crowed.
"Shut up!" Mistoffelees snapped.
"Misto's got a girlfriend, Misto- OW!" Tantomile, pitying the tuxedoed tom, had whacked her brother on the head and sent him flying to the ground.
"What was that for?" Corico exclaimed.
"Acting like an idiot. I have a reputation to upkeep, and it won't help if you keep on doing that."
"Doing what?"
"That."
"What that?" His sister sighed. It would be a long day.
~CFBE~
Mistoffelees nervously rang on the doorbell of 6328 Tigris Avenue. A slim, black queen opened the door.
"Oh, hello, Mistoffelees!" Joli greeted happily. "Come in, come in! I already have my textbooks out upstairs." She led him upstairs, into her room. Posters of famous models stared down at him from the walls.
How on earth am I supposed to study with all those things looking at me like that? Misto thought, eyeing the posters warily.
"Alright, how about we start with chemistry?" the queen questioned. He nodded.
"Chemistry's good."
Yeah, and maybe some chemistry will develop between you two today… a voice that sounded suspiciously like Coricopat cackled in his head.
Why has Coricopat suddenly joined my mental voices?
You didn't think that those rumors of Tanto and I reading minds were just rumors, did you?
Wait, so you can read minds?
I'll read your girlfriend's if you give me five dollars tomorrow.
"Mistoffelees? Is something wrong?" He snapped out of it.
"Um, no, nothing's wrong."
I think I'll pass- and she isn't my girlfriend! Now get out of my head!
But-
OUT! Misto was relieved to feel the striped tom's presence leave his mind.
"Alright, where were we?"
~CFBE~
"Tanto!" Her head jerked up as her idiotic brother came rushing down the hall. "I just had a brilliant idea!"
"Call the newspapers! Call the army! Call the president!" Electra exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. "Cori's actually had a good idea!"
"We can open a booth at the Fall Fair! Mind reading for five dollars, you do tarot cards for ten bucks, and I'll read palms for seven dollars. Whaddya say?" He grinned enthusiastically at her as Electra slumped back onto the chair.
"Cancel the reporters, it was a false alarm…" Tantomile sighed.
"Cori, what have I said about us doing a psychic stall at various fairs?"
"That nobody would come."
"Exactly! We wouldn't get any business, it would be a waste of time-"
"I'd come," Jemima piped up. "If you really can read minds and do tarot and stuff." An expression of concentration passed on the tom's face.
"You're thinking of what song we should play… and you think we should play 'Bubbly.'" He made a face. "Why would you want to play that?" For the twenty-fourth time that month, he was whacked on the head by his twin.
"Stop being so insensitive," she stated simply.
"Y'know, maybe if you stopped hitting him so often, he would have enough brain cells to be sensitive," Electra offered.
"What brain cells?" Jemima hurried to stop the impending fight between the siblings.
"Okay, we won't do Bubbly, and that solves the question of whether or not you guys can actually read minds. Let's brainstorm on song ideas instead of fighting, okay?" They nodded enthusiastically.
"I think we should do Paint it Black," Tantomile suggested.
"For the first time, I actually agree with her," her brother said.
"I think we should do Aeroplane Over the Sea," Electra added.
"In my opinion, we should play Poker Face. But let's wait until Misto's around so that he can put in his two cents, before we make any decisions."
"Yeah, I guess so…"
~CFBE~
Misto yawned and glanced at his watch. How much time had passed?
"AAH!" he yelled.
"What is it, Mistoffelees?" Joli mumbled sleepily.
"It's… it's… two o' clock in the morning! We've been studying for eight hours! How on earth did we manage to study for eight hours? And tomorrow's a school day!" She blinked.
"Really? You can sleep here, if you would like… and tomorrow is a Saturday. I do not think we have school on Saturdays… do we?" He shook his head in a no.
"Right. You're right. Oh, Bast, I hope that my parents aren't mad…"
They'll be mad, all right, a voice grumbled inside his head.
Coricopat! I thought I told you to stay OUT OF MY HEAD!
I can't help it! Your bad vibes woke me up!
Bad… vibes?
Yeah… like feelings, auras, and all that jazz. Now shut up and go to sleep so I can do the same!
Fine! Just get out of my head! Joli lead him to the couch where he could sleep, said good-night, and went back to her bedroom.
~CFBE~
He woke up the next morning with a sore back, as well as feeling thoroughly disgusted with himself. How in Heaviside could he allow himself to have such… vivid… dreams about Joli? He had only just met her!
You've gotta admit, she is a looker…
SHUT UP ALREADY! Misto screamed.
Coricopat shut up.
Composing himself slightly, Misto walked down the stairs to greet Joli, as the couch was located in the attic. But, as he walked down the stairs, what sight should greet his eyes but Joli kissing Plato?
"Wait a minute… didn't you only arrive the day before yesterday?" Misto interrupted, wondering when Plato had arrived at the house. Joli glanced at him.
"No, I arrived a month ago," she replied coyly. "But I was home-schooled until yesterday. I met Plato, and…"
"You're dating," the tuxedo tom stated flatly.
"Yeah," Plato agreed. Misto tried not to spit out his next words.
"I guess I'll be leaving, then. Goodbye, Joli. Goodbye, Plato."
~CFBE~
Four of the members of Confused Flower Beetle Epiphany were lounging around the breakfast table at Coricopat and Tantomile's house when Mistoffelees burst in.
"I can't believe her!" he roared angrily. Corico jumped up from his seat, having been startled awake. (He was the type to sleep in incredibly late… especially when he had been woken up in the night.)
"Believe who?" he mumbled blearily. "And why do you have to come and wake me up… again?" Misto ignored him.
"What's wrong?" Electra inquired.
"Joli! I had to spend the night over at her place- not like that, Cori, I slept on the couch- and when I woke up, she was downstairs kissing Plato!"
"Do you want to know how I deal with anger?" Jemima offered, carrying a tray of fresh coffee through and placing a mug in front of Cori, which he accepted gratefully.
"How?" Misto asked, still seething.
"I make tea! Or I bake… or cook… I find it relaxing."
"Do you want to know how I deal with anger?" Cori suggested.
"Do enlighten us, Coricopat," the other tom snapped.
"I go and hit something… preferably the thing that upset me in the first place."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Or I rip up stuff… mainly paper. There's some upstairs, if you want." Misto, unspeaking stormed up the stairs to rip something apart. The others, not sure if it was going to help or not, followed him.
"Stupid… jerk… Plato… GAH!" He finished tearing the piece of paper in half, and tossed it into the fireplace before working on another piece. The striped tom looked over his shoulder to see what was being destroyed… and nearly shrieked in a desperate move to save the small portrait from being devoured by flames.
"No! Not that! Not any of the paintings! None!" Coricopat babbled, having had a sudden change in demeanor. He grabbed several other items to save them from the Wrath of Mr. Mistoffelees, and hurried up to the third floor.
"What was that about?" Jemima mused, worried. "I'll go up and check on him." Before anyone could stop her, she ran after the striped tom.
~CFBE~
"Cori?" she whispered, slipping into the room. He had dumped the items on the floor, with the torn sections of painting heaped in a small pile. The tom was shaking, supporting himself on a small desk.
"Sh…" Jemima murmured, rubbing his back in a soothing- almost motherly- gesture. She had no idea why the items were so important, but she was determined to find out. "It's okay, Cori… come and sit here with me," she implored, taking a cross-legged seat position on the floor. He slowly sat next to her, tears dripping down his cheeks. Jemima, pinpointing the cause of his concern, carefully re-arranged the scraps of canvas so they formed a picture- that of a silver-striped queen, not unlike the twins in appearance.
"See? It's okay, Cori, it's all better now. Alright?"
"No… it's not all better…" he sobbed. "She's still gone…" The small calico presumed that "she" was the queen in the detailed portrait.
"She's your mum." It was a statement.
"Yeah…"
"She's… she's dead, isn't she?"
"Yeah…" His voice choked. "It… it took me two years to paint that… I just couldn't bring myself to work on it for long before I'd break down and cry… but I wanted to remember what she looked like. My memories were fading, and I didn't want to forget…" Corico paused, and dried his face on the back of his hand. "I suppose that I should have moved on by now… it's been ten years, after all."
"Is… is there anything that I can do to help?" Jemima asked softly.
"Not really… but… you could go to the movies with me next Saturday?" He looked hopefully at her, some of his old mischief back, and she smiled, happy that he had stopped crying.
"Sure," she replied. "If you teach me how to play guitar."
"I will if you teach me how to make coffee."
"In fact, I could teach you how to cook… if you paint something for me," Jemima offered. He smiled- it was still a sad smile, but it was better than it had been a few minutes ago.
"What would you like me to paint for you?" She paused for a moment.
"Do you remember that poem that Gus made us read last month? The one by E. V. Rieu?"
"Of course," Coricopat replied. "It was the only poem I've actually liked!
'Cobalt and umber and ultramarine,
Ivory black and emerald green-
What shall I paint to give pleasure to you?'"
"'Paint for me somebody utterly new.'" Jemima replied teasingly, glad that Operation Make Cori Feel Better was working.
"'I have painted you tigers in crimson and white.'"
"'The colors were good and you painted alright.'"
"'I have painted the cook and a camel in blue,
And a panther in purple.'"
"'You painted them true.
Now mix me a color that nobody knows,
And paint me a country where nobody goes,
And put in it people a little like you,
Watching a unicorn drinking the dew.'" Jemima finished the poem with a grin. Corico merely beamed and stated,
"As you wish." At that moment, the rest of the gang cam bursting in, wondering what had been taking their friends so long. Even Misto's anger was temporarily cooled down.
"Misto, I know of a way for you to relieve your anger that doesn't involve ripping up my artwork," Cori declared.
"What?" Tanto inquired.
"Singing! And I even know the perfect song…"
"Let me guess," Misto interrupted. "Norwegian Wood?"
"Norwegian Wood."
~CFBE~
The poem is called "The Paint Box," by the poet that Jemima mentioned, and is one of my favorite poems. Also… I'm just wondering, has anyone reading this seen the Princess Bride? If not, you should go and see it. I alluded to it in one line of this chapter… and in case you haven't noticed, I'm one of those writers who enjoy torturing their favorite characters. Why? I have no clue. It's just fun to write, I guess… And be warned: This is not the end of the Great and Epically Angsty Tale of Coricopat and His Mother That Almost Made Me Want to Change the Genre Of the Fic to Tragedy/Angst… but it probably won't appear for the next few chapters.
More Reviews= Happier Me= Faster Update= Happier You= More Reviews!