Like Matisha said, Faline and Macavity sent for me. I had my eye on her then. She was one of the most----well, that isn't important. I always wondered where she hid her female side. If you asked me, she was acting a little TOO much like Macavity. I could hear them fighting as one of Macavity's henchcats guided me to the door.
"You have absolutely NO right to give commands unless you clear them with me first!" That was probably Macavity.
"You always told me to follow my instincts. Are you asking me to forget EVERYTHING you taught me?" Faline demanded. "I'm in now. ALL the way. And that includes ME giving the orders every once in awhile. I have my own mind, Macavity. You don't own it OR me."
"If I may interject," a new voice with a thick Scottish accent started to say.
The henchcat opened the door. Faline and Macavity in the center of the room, looking like they were about to jump at the others throat. A cat that resembled Skimbleshanks was pretty much behind them. He was pretty thin and had an odd looking mark around his front paws.
("No," the Tugger said to the others, "that wasn't Skimble. The idea of Skimble working for Macavity is-----how would Faline have put it-----inconceivable.")
The room was a large one. Pretty wide. No windows were in the room. The only door I could see was the one we had just come through. I thought there may have been another door behind a pile of junk that rested in the corner, but I wasn't sure.
Faline and Macavity turned to the Scottish cat. "NO," they said at the same time.
"Zarion, how many times do we have to tell you?" Faline demanded. "NO INTERRUPTING OUR CONVERSATIONS!"
"I call that arguing," Zarion retorted.
"We," Macavity snapped with as much dignity as he could muster, "are discussing. There is a difference!"
"Then you discuss pretty loudly," Zarion stated.
"Just SHUT UP!" Faline snarled.
"I brought the tom," the henchcat cut in. He shoved me forward.
Faline and Macavity both turned to see who dared to interrupt them. When they saw it was one of their own, Faline put on a snake-like grin as Macavity advanced on us.
"Good," Macavity hissed, circling us. "You can go. HE stays."
The henchcat tried to hide a relieved look as he left.
Faline's eyes narrowed. "He isn't much, is he? I say we drown him and get it over with."
"What did I just tell you?"
Faline hissed, but said nothing else. ("That's it?" Matisha said, a little disappointed. "No," Tugger retorted. "Of COURSE that's not it. I'm not done yet.")
Macavity signaled to a waiting cat. "Take her below," Macavity ordered.
The cat jumped forward and put a paw around Faline. "Come on."
He dragged her off to another room and I could hear the sounds of some unknown machine. Yelps of pain reached out from another room.
"Stop it!" I ordered. "You're hurting her!"
"She understands the punishment," Macavity retorted. "She disobeys orders; she pays the price."
"That's not being fair to her!"
"Who said I was fair?"
"You're a disgrace to Old Deuteronomy!" I retorted, lunging at him. I was angry with him.
Macavity dodged quickly. I sailed over his head and landed on Zarion. It was a pretty soft landing.
(Old Deuteronomy looked worriedly at Faline. "Hey, it's all right," Tugger tried to assure him. "Wait till you hear what she did in a few seconds!")
Zarion left out a whoosh of air and I bounced off him onto the throne of Macavity's room Macavity whirled and spotted me. That I hadn't counted on.
"Get off there!" Zarion scolded me, leaping for me. I jumped over him and landed near Macavity.
Suddenly, Faline burst from the other room. I had no idea where she had come from, but right now I don't care. She jumped over me, landing between Macavity and me.
"Macavity! He's just a kitten! Great Heavyside, leave him alone!" Faline hissed. Silver claws extended and retracted.
Macavity looked even more annoyed than he had been a few minutes ago. "I thought I warned you-------"
"Yeah," Faline retorted. "You did. I've had it with you, Macavity. Come on, Tugger. Let's get the others and head back to the junkyard."
"I'll still need you," Macavity protested.
"I'm through, Macavity," Faline snarled. "Find someone else to do your dirty work."
"Speaking of that, does anyone remember what happened when she came back? I sure don't," Tugger said. Matisha purred and rubbed her head against him.
"Mistoffelees and I would," Munkustrap said slowly. "So would Old Deuteronomy. Who was the first cat she had contact with out of the three of us?"
"I spoke with her shortly after the ball was under way," Old Deuteronomy commented. "But, then again, I always come in late."
"I was with her after you spotted her, Munkustrap," Misto added, licking a paw. "You tell it."
"All right, then. I will," Munkustrap stated. "It was the night of the Jellicle Ball when Grizabella left us……"
Gus was telling me stories with Jellyorum and Jennyanydots. Uncle Skimble was keeping some of the other rowdier kittens in line.
"Tell us another one, Grandpa Gus," Jelly and Jenny chorused.
"Please?" I added. Before Grandpa Gus could respond, HE had to show up.
"Grandpa Gus! Uncle Skimble!" Tugger shouted, barreling over a junk pile with Bombi, Demeter, and Matisha racing after him.
"I was wonderin' where you four disappeared to," Uncle Skimble said, glancing at them. "Xenophon and Zipporah are lookin' for someone to play with."
All of us looked at each other and groaned. Xenophon and Zipporah, another pair of Jellicle twins, were friends with Coricopat and Tantomile when they were just little kittens. ("Munkustrap, Coricopat and Tantomile were REALLY little at the time. This was their first Jellicle Ball," Misto reminded him. "Remember how they used to reach out their paws when Old Deuteronomy appeared, even before we saw him?" Matisha grinned. "They were so CUTE!")
Anyway, no one really wanted to play with Xenophon and Zipporah. They were alienating us and sticking around Grizabella all the time. We could never see what they saw in Griz. ("By the way," Munkustrap said, "I have a story to tell you about them later." Matisha's face perked up. "The kittens too, right?" Munkustrap nodded and continued.)
"We have someone to show you, Uncle Skimble, Grandpa Gus," Matisha said, her voice happy.
A dark cat slunk on top of a nearby junk pile. It was then I got a good look at Faline for the first time. She looked like she was around my age, maybe three or four years older. Silver claws glinted from black paws. White fur made her green eyes stand out.
"My name is Faline. I'm returning these four from captivity. Macavity got at them."
"Macavity!" Jelly exclaimed, glancing around as if looking for Macavity. Jenny hid behind Gus, scared.
"No, he isn't here," Faline retorted, jumping down. She walked over to us, claws retracting.
"I should hope not," Grandpa Gus told Jelly.
I jumped in front of the others, glaring at her. I recognized Macavity's scent from a previous appearance that morning. She leapt back, claws extending, ready for a fight.
"Munkustrap!" Skimble chided. "You'll have to excuse Munkustrap, my dear. He thinks anyone with Macavity's scent is bad."
"It's all right. I wasn't expecting much of a homecoming party, anyway," Faline responded.
"Homecoming party?" Matisha wondered, eyes confused. I hate to admit it, but I was just as confused.
"Hi everyone," Mistoffelees called, walking in. Seeing Faline, he jumped back, hissing. Suddenly his expression softened into an expression of shock. "That's impossible. You're supposed to be dead!"
"What are you babbling about?" Faline demanded. "I'm alive."
Uncle Skimble and Grandpa Gus slowly grinned, a look of recognition spreading across their faces.
"Misto, who IS that?" I demanded.
"That's Faline," Uncle Skimble explained. "You were too young to know her, Munkustrap, but she's probably around your age."
"Maybe a year or two older," Grandpa Gus added. "It's good to see you again, Faline."
That's when Grizabella entered the junkyard. Faline pulled back, not knowing who she was.
"Hi, Griz," Misto said, voice lacking enthusiasm.
Slowly, twin kittens moved around from behind Griz: Xenophon and Zipporah. They acted like she was their mother.
"Hello," the twins said in unison. They spotted Faline and walked over to her curiously. Twin sets of eyes looked at Faline with interest. They pounced on her. Suddenly, they were playing together. This was their way of saying, "We except you, now PLAY WITH US!"
"Hello, Mistoffelees," Grizabella responded, "Gus, Skimbleshanks, Munkustrap, Matisha, Tugger. That wouldn't be Faline, would it?"
"Yep," Misto said proudly, deciding to go join the twins in their game with Faline.
"After she's done playing, I want to have a word with her," Griz told Gus. "Tell her that for me, will you?" She left.
I noticed Matisha sticking her tongue out at Griz as she left.
"Oh that's VERY mature, Tisha," I piped up, using Skimble's old nickname for her.
"Aw, come on," Matisha retorted, leaping down gracefully. "You wanted to do it, too."
"No, I didn't," I replied.
"Did."
"Didn't."
"Did."
"Didn't."
Gus gave us a Stop-It-Before-I-Jump-In-And-Do-Something-I'll-Probably-Regret look.
"Be my guest," Munkustrap responded, grinning. His grin turned to a frown of worry as he looked at Faline.
"Don't worry, Munkustrap," Matisha said, reaching a paw across the circle to touch Munkustrap's shoulder. "She'll be fine. She always is."
"This is where Old Deuteronomy, just before dawn….," I started.
"…through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife….," Xenophon chimed in.
"…announces the cat who can now be reborn….," Zipporah continued.
"…and come back to a different Jellicle life," they finished in unison.
"They didn't drill this into you, right?" Faline wondered.
"EVERY Jellicle knows that," I responded.
"Old Deuteronomy…." Faline seemed quiet about that.
"What about him?" Xenophon wondered.
"That name seems so familiar to me! I don't see HOW it could. I've never heard it before."
Grizabella was crumpled up into a corner. Worried, Faline hurried over to talk to Griz.
I cautioned the kittens to keep at a safe distance from Griz.
"Is something wrong?" Faline asked.
"No. Nothing's wrong," Griz responded, sniffing. She had been crying.
"Come on. You can tell me," Faline insisted. She sat next to Griz.
"I don't feel loved enough here," Griz complained.
"Are you crazy? There are enough cats that are here that CAN love you!"
"Faline, do you know what's out there? Beyond the junkyard walls?"
"Of COURSE I know. I've lived outside them long enough. The road, a bunch of sewers, buildings…."
"I mean BEYOND that."
"I've never been outside the city! Sorry. You gonna be all right?"
With a nod, Griz stood.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," Faline said before Griz walked off.
"I'm Grizabella. And you would be?" Griz told her.
"Faline. It's a pleasure," Faline responded.
Griz left.
Slowly, cats began to fill the junkyard. The Jellicle Ball was going to begin.
"I'll go again," Munkustrap cut in, before any other cat could respond.
"And I will take over after Munkustrap," Old Deuteronomy put in.
Faline grinned and looked around. She was becoming quite friendly with the rest of us by then. I walked over to her.
"Come on, Faline. Don't you want to dance with us?" I asked.
"I don't dance," she retorted. "Besides, I don't know the steps!"
"A Jellicle knows the steps," I told her.
The Rum Tum Tugger made his first wild entrance that night. Of course, most of the queens went crazy. Okay, ALL of them. All except Faline. She made these disgusted faces. When the Tugger moved over to her, she clawed him.
Suddenly, I noticed Coricopat and Tantomile. They were playing with Xenophon, Zipporah, and Jellyorum. They looked around. "Old Deuteronomy," the twins said, raising a paw in the direction they were looking in.
"You have GOT to meet Old Deuteronomy!" I told her. I started pushing her with my head.
Old Deuteronomy entered the junkyard.
("You can take over now," Munkustrap told Old Deuteronomy. With a nod, Old D continued.)
A new cat was being pushed by Munkustrap. I made my way over to them.
"And who would this be?" I asked Munkustrap.
"This is Faline. She's being stubborn," Munkustrap told me.
"Faline?" I looked her over. "I thought Macavity killed you!"
A looked of realization swarmed over Faline. "FATHER!" She wound around me.
"You two are related?" Munkustrap wondered.
I nodded. "Come. We must get back to the Ball."
"Demeter isn't here, so I'll say it for her," Matisha told them. "Macavity!"
He appeared on top of a car.
"Hello, Jellicles," Macavity hissed.
Munkustrap took up a protective stance in front of the cats.
"Buy me some time!" Misto ordered.
"Look, all I want is Faline. You can either surrender her peacefully NOW, or we can do this the hard way," Macavity told them.
"Then you're gonna have to do this the hard way, Macavity!" Matisha told him. "We aren't going to give her up that easily."
"What she said," Munkustrap snarled.
"I didn't think you would." He signaled to some henchcats behind him. "Get her."
A fight began, giving Old Deuteronomy enough time to hide and Mistoffelees enough time to work on Faline. Slowly, the masked Jellicle stood and leapt straight for Macavity.
The Mystery Cat grabbed her. "You're mine again, Faline," Macavity purred into her ear, "and this time, I'm not going to let you go that easily. Come on!" he shouted to the henchcats. "We have what we came for! Move out!"
The group slipped away.
"Curse it all!" Matisha snarled, pounding the ground with her paw. "They got away with Faline!"
"Don't worry. We'll get her back," Munkustrap told her. "I hope."
"Um, guys?" Misto tried to cut in. "It's too late."
"What do you mean too late?" the Tugger demanded.
"When I was trying to help Faline, I think I may have hit on that darkness I found in her mind earlier. She can't escape it now. She's an enemy now. Permanently," Misto explained.
"What is it?" Macavity demanded.
"You wanted me to let you know if I was gonna come back," Faline told him, tearing off the purple collar she was wearing. Macavity had a spiked collar next to him. "I'm back and this time, I'm gonna stay." Slowly, she took up the spiked collar that had once belonged to her and put it on. She felt that old sense of evil slink back into her mind. Faline was home again. Home in evil.
