Yayyy!!! If you are reading this, it means that you have probably read the first part, and want to go on! I'd really really appreciate your opinions on my fic. You can tell me what you think in my guestbook or email me. Thanks, and enjoy part 2!
"Whoah!" a striped cat looked out from behind a tire. "Who is it, 'Jerrie?"
"What's going on here?" a grey tabby male appeared behind me. "Who are you?"
"C...Celestia," my fur bristled. What if they attacked me?
"I'm Munkustrap. This pair of numbskulls are Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They got kicked out of Victoria Grove - again..." he glared at them. Rumpleteazer stuck her toungue out at him. "They're really not that bad," he whispered to me. "They just like to pretend that they are." My shoulders relaxed a little. Maybe they wouldn't hurt me. And I didn't have that awful feeling I'd had around Macavity.
"Are you looking for a place to stay?" Munkustrap asked. Somehow, I knew I shouldn't mention Macavity.
"I don't know," I replied.
"Stay, then. You'll be safe from Macavity's goons around here," Munkustrap said. "They'd never come after you if you're with us!"
"Not since the ball, anyway," Mungojerrie cut in. "You did a fair job o' kickin' 'is tail, but I wish I coulda gotten a better swing at him!"
"Anyway," Munkustrap continued, giving the cockney-accented cat a hard stare, "we're all Jellicles here, so I'll take you to meet Deuteronomy in the morning."
"Deuteronomy?" I asked.
"The leader of the tribe," he explained. "But for now, just find somewhere and get some rest. You look worn out."
"Alright," I said softly, and turned.
Quietly, I climbed up on an old sofa to see if Erik was still around. He had dissapeared. I breathed a sigh of relief. I never wanted to see him, or Macavity again. My neck was still sore... And obviously, Macavity didn't like these Jellicles too much. What would he do if he found me here? And what would the Jellicles do when they found out that I belonged to him?
But I was too tired to pursue the questions. I saw a drainpipe across the junkyard. It looked quiet and empty, so I hopped down, and padded up to the entrance.
"Hello?" I called timidly. My voice echoed inside.
"Huh? What?" Someone said. I heard a metallic thump on the inside of the pipe, followed by "Ow... Who are you?"
"I'm so sorry!" I began to apologize. "I didn't know anyone was in here, and..."
"Don't worry about it. Are you new here? I've never seen you around before," a tom's voice said.
"Yes. Who are you?"
"Mistoffelees. And you are..."
"Celestia," I said. The cat crept forward. He was black, with a white chest and face. His blue eyes glittered in the dark...
"Celestia... something to do with stars?" he asked.
"Yes. My..." I swallowed hard. "...human always liked them."
"Is it your Jellicle name?"
"I...I'm not a Jellicle," I swallowed again. Please, don't ask! my mind begged. "I've already met Munkustrap, Rumple-something and Mungo-whatshisname..."
"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer?"
"That's it," I said.
"They must have agrivated their human again. They're always into trouble. But they're fun," he smiled.
"What's this place like?" I asked.
"We're sort of a mixed group," he said. "You'll fit right in," he assured me.
"I don't know..." I said to myself. "Where do you fit in?"
"Well... I'm not really sure," he said. "I never thought about it before. I'm kind of a loner," he scratched his ear. "I'm sort of different than the rest."
"How?" I asked.
"I can do magic," he said, softly.
"Magic?" I asked.
"I don't know how. I was just born this way. It kind of makes me the freak of the tribe."
"I don't see anything freaky about it," I remarked.
"Everyone else seems to think so," he gave a sort of half-laugh.
"I'm not like everyone else," I said. If only you knew how different I was...
"I do believe you are," he looked at me. Why was my head feeling funny?
"I'm not the most popular cat on the street," I explained. He listened thoughtfully. My chest was pounding - what was wrong with me? I remembered other cats in my old neighborhood calling me "Witchy-cat" and "Human-lover". They were only kittenish teases, but one day they went too far. They began to tease me about being an orphan. I'd never forgiven them, and hence, never had a friend who was a cat.
All this floated through my mind at once. Mistoffelees looked at me with an unsure expression. I turned from his gaze. I knew I could never get along with other cats. I was just too strange.
I cleared my throat, looking at the floor. "Hey, Mistoffelees... sorry I pounced into your den like this. I should go..." I tried to save myself from embarassment.
"Are you sure? Please...stay..." he held out a paw. I mustered my courage to look him in the eye.
It hit like lightning. I was seeing me.
"Alright," I replied. He curled up beside me. He purred softly, and I felt his chest vibrate. I'd never slept beside one of my own species before. And I was feeling something I'd never felt before...
To go...
Back to the Observatory...
Back to the Library...
