Macavity, the mystery cat, walk quickly down the prison cells. His cats had just completed the mission he sent them on: to kidnap one of the younger Jellicles. His prisoner was still unconscious, they told him, but should be waking up anytime. He stopped as he saw one of his henchcats come toward him.
"Is the prisoner awake?" Macavity demanded.
"She is."
"So, you kidnapped a queen. I told you to get one of their toms." Macavity snarled.
The henchcat shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "Well, she was the easiest one to get too." Seeing Macavity's glare, he added, "I'm not sure which one it is. I think she's the youngest female."
Macavity was silent for a moment. "That will work out," he finally said and continues on his way. The henchcat let out a sigh of relief. This wasn't the first time he displeased the mystery cat, and he wasn't always able to dodge his claws.
She heard footsteps. "Oh, Heavyside, please let it be a Jellicle," she prayed.
The door opened. In it, stepped a tall, this figure. She wrinkled her nose. Why is that smell so familiar? Then she remembered smelling it once before. At the Jellicle ball, right before Old Deuteronomy had been kidnapped.
"Macavity!" she hissed.
She could hear him laughing at her. "Yes, this one will do nicely," she heard him mutter. "Easily trained, no problems whatsoever."
"What are you talking about?" she cried. There was no answer, just his laughter. It was the last thing she heard before she blacked out again.
"Jemima's missing!! We can't find her!" she wailed.
" We?' " he asked carefully.
"Me, Electra, and Victoria! We were playing hide and go seek, Jemi was trying to find us, and now she's gone!"
"Calm down, Etcy," Munkustrap said. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere."
"Hey, Munku!"
Munkustrap looked and saw Alonzo striding toward them.
"Hi, Alonzo," Munkustrap greeted. "Have you seen Jemima anywhere?"
Alonzo stopped short. "Why?" he said suspiciously.
"She was playing with Vicci, Electra, and Etcetera. Now, they can't find her and they're in a state of complete panic."
Alonzo groaned. "Oh, that's wonderful. The word on the street is that Macavity's just kidnapped a cat who could possibly be a Jellicle."
Munkustrap felt his stomach knot up. "Etcetera," he said seriously," how long has Jemima been gone?"
Looking frightened, she said," Since after lunch." It was close to dinner now.
Turning towards Alonzo, Munkustrap said," Go find every Jellicle and tell them to meet at the car pronto. And have them spread the message to anyone they see."
Up in front, Demeter drew in her breath, the memories of Macavity kidnapping her flashing before her eyes. Bombalurina put her arm around her shoulder, comforting her. Looking at Demeter, Munkustrap continued," There's also a rumor that it's a Jellicle."
Suddenly, from the back, came a frightened gasp. "Where's Jemima?" Jennyanydots demanded, not seeing her youngest daughter.
Munkustrap nodded grimly. "This is why you all had to be here. Think hard. Has anyone seen Jemima lately?" No one answered. Tantomile and Coricopat stood up.
"We can try to sense her," Coricopat said in his calm voice. Munkustrap tells them to go ahead. The twins take each other's hands and closed their eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, they released hands and opened their eyes.
"Well?" Rum Tum Tugger prompted.
Tantomile looked worried as she spoke. "We could feel her. I don't know where she is, but she is very lonely, frightened and confused."
Munkustrap closed his eyes, trying to think of what to say. When he opened them, he scanned the crowd, looking for some particular cats. When he found them, he said," I want everyone to go look for her. Get into groups of two or three and leave the junkyard. Come back here when it gets dark." Pausing, he then added," I want Skimbleshanks and Alonzo to bring Old Deuteronomy here. Also, I want Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, the twins, and Mistofellees to stay behind. I need to talk to all of you."
The cats ran off to do their various duties, getting into their groups. When all but the ones named were gone, Munkustrap gathered them up on the car.
Turning to Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, he said," This is serious. I need you to tell me. Has Macavity been planning this for awhile?"
Both of them shrugged their shoulders. "Ever since Mungo stopped working for 'im, it's been kind of 'ard to get information," Rumpleteazer said. "Do you want us to sniff around that rat and see if 'e 'as Jemima?" Munkustrap nodded. The two cats took off out of the junkyard.
He then turned his attention to the twins and the magical cat. "Do you think it's possible you can find out exactly where she is?" he asked them. The twins shook their heads. Mistofellees didn't say anything. He was staring off into space. "Hello, earth to Magical Mr. Mistofellees. We have a crisis on our hands and we need your opinion on it," Munkustrap said.
The young tom shook himself out of it and shrugged his shoulders. "I know that I got Deuteronomy back, but I have a hard time just doing it when I want too." Seeing the look on the gray cats face, he added," I am still learning, you know."
Munkustrap sighed and told the cats to stay close to the yard. Everyone should be reporting back soon. The twins went into their house to try to sense Jemima again. Munkustrap sat thinking on the car and Mistofellees went off by himself.
" I love her," Mistofellees said out loud. " There's no doubt about it."
The guard shoved into the room a very frightened young Jellicle. Macavity studied her. Smaller than most cats, but almost an adult. Almost painfully adorable. "What's your name, Jellicle?" he hissed at her.
She straightened up and said, almost in defiance, "Jemima."
The mystery cat smiled and said," I remember you. You were that kitten who sang about the moonlight after that old prostitute disrupted your precious ball."
"Her name was Grizabella!" she snapped. Jemima had been one of the few cats who sympathised with the weary Glamour Cat. It enraged her to hear others speak ill of her.
Macavity ignored her outburst and continued," I believe you’re one of the daughters of that rail-way freak and the mouse-trainer."
"Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots!" she half-yelled at him. "Wait," she thought to herself, "I'm playing right into his paws. He's trying to get me angry. Calm down. Think of Mistofellees." At the thought of the magical black tom, she felt her anger subside.
The mystery cat kept badgering her, until he realized that he would not be able to anger her. At least not yet. Disgusted, he had the guard throw her back into her cell. A day or two without food will make her more short-tempered, he decided.
*** Jemima was roughly shoved back into her cell. "I want to go home," she sobbed to herself. "Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you cry," she told herself fiercely. Still, she felt so anguished inside that she had to let it out. "How could Grizabella do this?" she thought. "She could not show any weakness or the street cats would have killed." Then Jemima remembered. The Glamour Cat expressed herself through song. Lifting her sad face to the sky, she began to sing.
A thought came to his head. As long as she held onto that, it would be harder to train her. He had to find out who her "love" was and bring him in as a demonstration of his power to her.
