Darkness seemed to have settled over the London skies as October progressed. Rain fell from dark storm clouds that hung oppressively low in the gray sky. The air was cold and icy, bringing a hint of what was to come in the winter fast approaching. Everything was quiet and tense, as if waiting for the month of evil to pass and move on to the month of thanks.
Mungojerrie curled up on his bed and stared at the ceiling. It would be so easy to end it all. A few pills, a knife, a gun, poison, anything. Claws, even. He flexed his claws in and out experimentally, staring at them with wide eyes. It was so easy. So why couldn’t he do it?
Someone tapped softly on his door. Only one person ever knocked. “Come in, Tea,” he called wearily.
Rumpleteazer opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Jerrie rolled over to face her. He patted the bed next to him. Teazer crossed the room and sat down next to him. Jerrie sat up and gave her a soft hug. Teazer curled against him and held him tight.
“Jerrie, we need groceries. There’s nothing left. And I need some personal items,” Teazer said, her face buried in her older brother’s shirt.
Jerrie nodded slowly. He knew what she was talking about. Girl time would be coming up in about a week. “Okay, come on.” He sat up. Teazer got up too. “Where’s Dad now?”
“Downstairs, asleep in his chair.”
“Okay, come on.” Jerrie took her paw, and the two crept out of the room, down the hall to their dad’s room.
It was a scary, dirty place. Empty bottles were scattered everywhere. The windows were coated with dirt and grime, a sharp contrast to their own rooms where they kept everything bright and sunny. The bed was unmade and tousled from their dad’s nightly escapades with whomever he picked up during the night. Syringes from illegal drugs were scattered everywhere, on dressers, on shelves.
Jerrie slid open the bottom dresser drawer. His dad would cash his checks he made from his work he did in computers on a varying shifts, as well as the money he made dealing drugs, and he would keep it all in a stained, black purse. There was hardly ever a lot there, because their dad squandered it on drugs, prostitutes, and most of all, whiskey. But no matter what was there, the twins always took $30. Ten went into their “savings”, which was a pencil box full of money in the back of Teazer’s closet. They used this when there was no money for them to use, or when they needed money for something, such as school or personal items. The other twenty went for food every week.
Soft as mice, the two stole downstairs and out the door. They had 45 minutes before their dad would wake up. Every day he slept from 1 to 2, like clockwork.
Jerrie snatched a pair of sunglasses out of his jacket pocket and slipped them on, hiding the black right eye he had gotten the day before. Teazer squeezed his paw comfortingly. “Are you okay, love?”
“No, but I will be.” Jerrie smiled gently at her.
They paused at the corner. Teazer looked away absently and said in a small voice, as if afraid to mention it, “My birthday is coming up.”
“I know,” Jerrie said, hugging her. “I’d never forget your birthday.”
“I’ll be 16,” Teazer gushed as the light changed to green. They crossed the street together. “I can’t wait.”
“What do you want for your birthday?” Jerrie asked, wishing he had all the money in the world to buy her something special.
“Just you,” Teazer purred, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder.
Jerrie smiled and kissed the top of her head gently. “You’ll always have me,” he promised, regretting ever thinking about suicide.
Teazer smiled as they came to the store. “Thanks, Jer. I… I couldn’t live without you.”
Unexpected tears sprang to Jerrie’s shaded eyes. “Me either, sis. I… Without you… I’d have no reason to live.”
Teazer squeezed his paw, and they entered the store.
They were cutting it close as they raced out of the store half an hour later. Jerrie checked his watched as they headed for home. 4 minutes. “Shoot! Come on!” The two raced home, bursting inside with only two minutes left, stuffing their groceries into the fridge, and running up to Teazer’s room where they sat down, panting, on the bed and just gripped each other.
At precisely 2:01, Roth came storming upstairs. Jerrie heard him check in his room, then bang on Teazer’s closed door. Teazer squeezed her brother’s paw and called in a shaky voice, “Come in, Dad.” They knew better than to refuse to let him in. Jerrie had a nice scar on his arm from that.
Roth stormed in as Teazer gently pushed Jerrie slightly behind her. Jerrie cowered, ears plastered to his head. “What are you two doing?”
“Nothing,” Teazer answered softly. “Just talking.”
Roth glared, then looked around Teazer’s spotless room. Jerrie swallowed, imagining his dad flying at him and dragging him downstairs, but he kept quiet. He prayed his sunglasses were hidden in his jacket pocket, his jacket stuffed under Teazer’s covers. If his dad found out they had been outside…
“You two stay up here,” Roth ordered. “I’m going out. You leave, I kill you.” He slammed the door.
Jerrie burst into tears and flung himself onto Teazer’s pillow, sobbing into it. “Shh. Shh, love. Shh.” Teazer massaged his shoulders gently as she heard the downstairs door slam.
“I can’t do this, Tea! I can’t!” Jerrie cried, gripping the pillow tightly with his claws.
“Yes, you can,” Teazer comforted him, rubbing her cheek on the back of his head. She lay down, resting her cheek on the base of his shoulders, purring softly in his ear.
Jerrie cried himself to sleep, gripping the pillow tightly. After he was asleep, Teazer pulled a blanket over him and stroked his head, then picked up a book from her meager collection in a stack in the corner of her room. She began to read, rubbing Jerrie’s back absently. Every now and then, Jerrie would whimper or mew in his sleep, and Teazer would lean down and purr softly in his ear to comfort him. He looked so scared and helpless, and she felt guilty she couldn’t help him. She sighed and turned a page of her book.
Their dad came back about an hour and a half later. He had someone with him. Teazer knew it was a queen he had picked up on the streets, and she shrank against her sleeping brother. When her dad brought a queen home, he did not like to be disturbed. And there was no way to tell how long they’d be there. As short as an hour or maybe all night.
Jerrie awoke with a start as the door closed downstairs. He nearly tumbled off the bed, but Teazer grasped his paw and pulled him next to her. Together they sat, holding each other as they heard the two come upstairs. Teazer’s door opened as Roth checked in on them, then slammed the door hard enough to make the windows rattle, and led the queen into his room. The door closed, and the twins sighed with relief and collapsed into each other’s arms.
Now what to do? Boredom was a horrible factor to be faced with. All their homework was done, everything was cleaned, they weren’t allowed to snack, and they weren’t allowed to watch TV. That didn’t leave much left to do. “What do you want to do?” Jerrie asked Teazer gently, masking his fear for her sake.
Teazer shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Same as usual, huh?” Jerrie teased lightly, but his heart wasn’t in it.
Teazer smiled a bit and gazed out the window at the glass blue sky. “I want to go to the park, but we can’t.”
“Yeah,” Jerrie said softly, thinking of their tree house. Their dad had built it for them about two months before their mother had died. Now there was just enough room for them to sit knee to knee, but it was cozy and warm and safe. Once they had spent the night there, but when they had gotten home the next morning, Jerrie had nearly gotten both arms broken and a few bruised ribs as well, so they couldn’t do that anymore.
Teazer picked up her photo album and paged through it as Jerrie looked over her shoulder. Their mother and father smiled at each other at their wedding. They looked so happy. Neither had ever seen their dad so happy as in those pictures. Then there were a few pictures of their mother when she was pregnant with Mungojerrie. She looked so happy. Then there were pictures of Jerrie as a kitten. Roth and their mother smiled down at him as he smiled at them and sucked on his tail. Then came pictures of Teazer as a kitten and Jerrie’s first birthday. Their father still smiled, but their mother looked paler and skinnier. Then came a few Christmas pictures and a few birthdays. Their mother smiled less, and their father looked gloomy.
Then there was a picture of Teazer, Jerrie, and Roth sitting in the completed tree house. Their dad smiled happily at the camera as the tiny twins clung to him and smiled wide smiles with large, innocent eyes.
After that, everything got progressively worse. Their mother grew gray and skinny, and their father looked grim and distant. The last picture was of the three at their mother’s funeral. The book ended there.
Teazer slowly turned the book back to a picture of the four of them. Kitten Teazer sat on their mother’s lap, and toddler Jerrie sat on their dad’s. All were dressed in their best, and they all had happy smiles as they took this special family photo that was supposed to have hung on their wall but had been burned by their father after their mother died in a fit of rage and sorrow. The two studied the picture intently. It was so hard to remember those days. Teazer sighed softly. “Can you remember that far back, Jer?”
“A little,” Jerrie said softly. “I wish she hadn’t died.”
“Me either,” Teazer said. She traced the curve of her mother’s smile with a fingertip. “She’s so beautiful.”
“Just like you,” Jerrie purred, sliding an arm around her shoulder. Teazer smiled.
“I wish I could remember her.”
“Yeah. She loved you, Teaze.”
“You too, Jer.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Silence fell between them for several moments. Teazer set the book aside with a sigh. “If mom was alive, you wouldn’t get hurt, Jer.”
“Shh. I know. I know,” Jerrie said, holding her close.
Silence continued for about four minutes before Teazer asked, “Now what?”
“I dunno,” Jerrie said softly.
Teazer pulled her knees to her chest. “I’m scared.”
“Me too,” Jerrie comforted her, hugging her huddled form.
Teazer snuggled into his arms and purred. “You won’t ever leave me, will you?”
“Never!” Jerrie promised fiercely. “I’ll never leave you, Rumpleteazer.”
Teazer smiled and lay down on her bed. Jerrie stared out the window for a while, and both sat in content silence until the sky faded to gray. “Let’s go to my room, Teazer,” Jerrie suggested as Teazer’s clock blazed 6:32. “Maybe we can find something to do.”
“Okay,” Teazer agreed. They opened the door and headed down the hall towards Jerrie’s room. But their father’s door opened, and the gray queen that had come home with their dad stepped out, colliding with Teazer.
“Watch it, toots,” she snapped, grabbing Teazer’s arm sharply. Teazer yanked her arm away and rubbed the claw marks gingerly as Jerrie pulled her behind him and glared at the ratty queen.
Roth stepped out of the room and glared at Jerrie who shrank back a bit. “What are you two doing?”
“We… we were just… going to Jerrie’s room,” Teazer mewed softly.
“Oh really?” Roth hissed.
“Who’re these, sweetheart?” the gray queen asked, pulling on a ratty fur coat.
“My good-for-nothing kids,” Roth said, handing the queen what looked like to the twins way too much money for her services.
The queen pocketed the money hastily and glanced Jerrie up and down rudely. “Oh. Cute.” She flicked her tail at Jerrie, making him retreat a step, nearly tripping over Teazer. “Whaddya say, junior? I got a kid sister yer age. You wanna have a go with her?”
“No,” Jerrie growled as Teazer squeezed his paw. His eyes narrowed as his dad smirked slightly.
“Suit yourself, darling.” The queen shrugged and headed down the stairs. Roth followed her, and Jerrie and Teazer bolted into Jerrie’s room. Jerrie flung himself onto his bed as Teazer closed the door. He cried and cried as Teazer sat down and rubbed his shoulders.
“I hate him! I hate him, Tea! How could he let her do that to me?” he cried into his pillow. His words were so muffled that Teazer had to guess what he said.
“Shh, Jerrie, shh. It’s okay.”
Jerrie sat up and hugged her tight. “I’ll kill him, Tea.”
“No,” Teazer soothed gently. “Don’t talk like that now. Shh. You’ll be all right.”
Then the door slammed open, and Roth stormed in. He shoved Teazer roughly aside so she nearly fell off the bed and grabbed Jerrie by the scruff of the neck, paralyzing the young tom. “You bastard. You know better than to talk back.”
Pain flooded through Jerrie’s entire body, and his eyes squeezed shut as fire burned through his tired muscles. He gasped in pain. “I’m sorry,” he pleaded.
His dad released him roughly, giving him a sharp slap across the face. Jerrie gasped and pressed his paw to his throbbing cheek, staring up at his dad in terror. His dad glared down at him, then suddenly reached over and grabbed Teazer’s arm, pulling her roughly to her feet. Teazer cried out in terror. Jerrie instantly was on his feet. “Let her go!” he ordered.
His dad smirked and pulled Teazer closer to him. Teazer froze, a mixture of fear and disgust on her face, fear being the stronger of the two. “What’s that? Want your bitch back?”
“Don’t talk like that about her!” Jerrie snarled, tail lashing dangerously, his fists clenched tightly at his side as his eyes burned. No one could insult his sister like that!
Roth laughed and pulled Teazer closer so her back pressed against his chest. She mewed and struggled. “You want her? You want your little whore back? Don’t want anyone else to touch her but you?”
Jerrie felt like he wanted to explode. How dare anyone talk to him like that! He hissed. “You bastard,” he growled, his claws going out. He took a step toward his dad, but his dad suddenly gave Teazer a hard shove that sent her flying into Jerrie’s arms. The two tumbled backwards onto Jerrie’s bed, Teazer landing on top of him, their faces inches apart. Teazer gasped and tumbled off her brother, ducking behind him. Jerrie placed his arm protectively in front of her and glared at his dad. “Get out!”
He instantly knew he was in trouble when his dad’s paw landed right on his cheek, knocking the young tom flat across the bed. Teazer cried out and flung herself in front of her brother, her eyes pleading for him to leave them alone. Roth smirked and suddenly grabbed Teazer’s neck, spun her around, and shoved her down so her lips met Jerrie’s. The two of them recoiled, but Roth held Teazer down tightly. Teazer whimpered and struggled, trying to push her dad’s hands off of her, but he was stronger than she was. All she could do was wait and try not to cry until, a few moments later, she was released roughly and pulled away from her brother who sat up quickly, his eyes full of hate and anger, not at her, but at their father.
Roth sneered at them and turned to go. Teazer burst into tears and buried her face in Jerrie’s pillow. Jerrie rubbed her shoulder gently, suddenly afraid to touch her. Their dad left, and Jerrie leaped up to close the door, leaning against it weakly and closing his eyes. He wanted to kill him. How dare he do that to them! How dare he force them to touch each other like that! He supposed he had to be grateful he didn’t force them to do anything else. He moved back over to the bed and knelt down next to his sister, not sure she would appreciate him on the bed right now, even though it was his own. “Tea?”
Teazer lifted tear-stained eyes to him. “Jerrie, I… I’m sorry… I…”
“Shh,” Jerrie said gently. “It’s not your fault. It’s not, Tea. I don’t blame you. Shh.”
Teazer sniffed and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. “I… I didn’t know what to do…”
“Tea, listen.” Jerrie took her paw in his own. “It’s all right. We’re both okay. We didn’t get hurt, all right? You did the right thing. Shh now. We’ll just pretend it never happened, okay?”
Teazer sniffed and nodded slowly. “O… okay… Do… do you think he’ll… he’ll come back tonight?”
“No, I don’t think so. If he does, I won’t let him touch you. Promise.”
Teazer nodded and scooted over on the bed. Jerrie climbed up next to her and pulled his blankets over her frail body. “You sleep. I’ll keep watch.” Teazer smiled gratefully and closed her eyes. Jerrie watched her and rubbed his mouth with two fingers. All he could think was how far that might have ended. He had no power to stop it. He closed his eyes to hold back tears, but it didn’t work. He cried himself to sleep that night.
Sunday afternoon, Bombalurina curled on the couch, her science textbook lying on her stomach. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling so achy and tired. She shifted a bit just as Macavity entered. “What the hell are you doing?” he growled, snatching the book up and tossing it into a nearby chair. Bom looked up and glared.
“Give me back my book.”
“You’re not putting it on your stomach. You’ll hurt the kitten.”
“I won’t either!” Bom argued.
Macavity dropped his backpack he had brought down from his room on the floor. “Scoot over.”
Bom sat up and allowed him to lay down next to her, though her first instinct was to surrender the couch entirely and go upstairs to avoid him. Macavity lay down, his back pressed against the back of the couch cushions. He pulled her down into his arms so she was curled against him. Bom yawned and curled into his arms, feeling very sleepy. She purred softly and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her. Macavity’s own lime eyes closed and, after a few minutes, he too was asleep…
“Daddy! Daddy’s home!” came a happy, high-pitched cry as he walked in the door of the house. A bright red ball of fur suddenly came flying down the hall and launched itself into Macavity’s arms. Unprepared for the weight, Macavity stumbled backwards with a grunt, bracing himself against the wall. A furry face beamed up into his own, a tiny face with short whiskers, squashed ears, and big button eyes. A kitten. The kitten blinked up at him adoringly. It might have been cute if it had not been for the chocolate smeared all over its furry mouth.
Suddenly something latched onto his leg. He looked down to see two kittens barely higher than his knee, clutching his leg tightly. “Hi Daddy! What did you bring me?” asked one.
“Hi Daddy! What’d you bring me?” chorused the other one. Macavity stared down at them before someone grabbed his gingery tail and yanked. He turned to face a pair of bright blue eyes belonging to a shy-looking yellow kitten. “Daddy, he hit me,” she mewed, pointing down the hall to a brown and black spotted kitten at least twice as old as she.
“She started it!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Not!”
“Too!”
“Not!”
“Too!”
Macavity’s eyes widened as at least six kittens stampeded down the stairs and ran at him to hug him. “Hey, what the-.”
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” came a chant from many voices suddenly. Around the corner appeared kittens. Dozens of kittens. Hundreds of kittens. Millions of kittens! “Daddy!” they chanted. They all grabbed him tightly with sticky, grabbing fingers. He could hardly breathe, and more kept coming. Suddenly Bom emerged from the kitchen, three kittens in her arms, somehow balanced on her hips.
“Darling! You’re home! I have wonderful news! We’re going to have another kitten! I’m pregnant!”
Macavity awoke with a yell. With a snarl of anger, he shoved Bombalurina next to him onto the floor. Bom woke up with a cry. “Macavity, what?”
Macavity suddenly leaped on her, grabbing her up by the shoulders and tossing her against the wall. Bom yelped as she hit the wall, the air forced from her lungs, and stared at him in terror. “Macavi-.”
Macavity suddenly slapped her hard across the face. Bom screamed, her paw flying to her cheek, her eyes frightened. “Don’t!” she pleaded.
“Shut up!” Macavity ordered, delivering another blow to her jaw and sending her reeling to the floor. She stared up at him in unabridged terror as he stood over her, his green eyes blazing with hateful fire. What was wrong with him? He had never hit her before, no matter how rough he had ever seemed.
Macavity glared at the trembling queen at his feet. “Get up.”
Bom scrambled to her feet, paws up defensively, whiskers trembling. Macavity watched her a moment, then suddenly pushed her back against the wall, his paws sliding up under her shirt to touch her. Bom gasped. “Let go!”
Macavity paid no attention, his hips pressing roughly to hers as he leaned in to kiss her. Bom hissed and shoved him away with all her strength. He stumbled backwards and fell back onto the couch. He glared at her a moment, and Bom unsheathed her claws, ready to defend herself if he approached her again. But, after a moment, his eyes seemed to clear, and he stared up at her in confusion. “Bomby?”
Startled by his sudden use of her name, she lowered her paws a bit. “M… Macavity?”
“What’s wrong, baby? You seem… nervous.”
Bom stared at him in confusion. “You… you hit me.”
Macavity raised a brow. “I’ve never hit you, Bomby.”
“You just did!” Bom nearly cried.
Macavity shook his head. “I don’t… I don’t remember ever hitting you, Bomby.”
“Well, you did,” Bom said softly, rubbing her sore cheek
“Oh, Bomby, sweetie, I’m sorry.” Macavity got up and reached out to hug her, but Bom retreated a few paces. “I honestly… don’t remember.”
“Well, what do you remember?”
“I… I remember my dream… I came home, and… and we had millions of kittens. All over… Crawling on me… We can’t have millions of kittens!”
“For Heavyside’s sake, Macavity, what do think I am, a kitten factory?” Bom protested angrily, shaking her head.
Macavity sighed and glanced down at Bom’s still flat stomach. “Even one seems like too many.”
“It’s still not too late to get an abor-.”
“No!” From the fire in his eyes, Bom knew he was angry. She cowered and gazed back at him. “Don’t you say one more word about that, Bombalurina.”
“O… okay,” Bom agreed before getting up and escaping to the bathroom to take some medicine for her throbbing jaw. As she caught her reflection in the mirror, she began to cry until she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to stop.
Monday night after school, Victor was curled up soundly in his bed, but his sleep was restless. He tossed and turned under his blankets, holding them close to him protectively. “No,” he meowed under his breath, twisting and fighting against the sheets that enveloped him. “No, let go! Please, lemme go!” His claws sank into his soft pillow and, before he even had time to think, tore five long gashes in the feather-stuffed cushion. The rending sound seemed to snap him out of sleep, and he shot up in his bed with a scream. “Mommy!” he yelled, clutching the blanket to his chest, his eyes darting around wildly.
The hallway light snapped on, and almost instantly his mother hurried in, trying to tie a pink bathrobe around her. “Victor, darling? What’s wrong?”
The young tom’s panting seemed to go down a bit as he began to cry. His mother sat down next to him and folded him into her arms. “Oh, sweetie, another dream?”
Victor sniffed and nodded, holding his mom tightly. A moment later, his dad, yawning like a bear, came stumbling in. “What’s all the ruckus?”
“Victor had another dream,” his mother said gently, hugging her son to her shoulder and rocking him gently.
“Another? I swear, Lynna, this gay business needs to stop.” He turned to his son. “You wouldn’t have these dreams, Victor, if you weren’t always frolicking with that boy.”
Victor glared at his dad over his mom’s shoulder. “What do you know?” he hissed.
“Victor, be polite. Hector, behave yourself. You know poor Victor has had a lot of trauma, and it’s not because of Plato.”
“Lynna, I don’t see why we allow this nonsense to go on. Our son does not need to go flaunting himself all over creation with that-.”
“You don’t know!” Victor yelled. “You don’t know anything! Just leave me alone!” He got up angrily and grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt off his dresser, yanking them on over his pajamas.
“Where are you going?” his father demanded.
Victor glared as he stuffed his feet into his sneakers. “Out. To some place where I know people care about me!” He grabbed his backpack and stormed out of his room and down the hall.
His parents watched him go. His father growled softly. “He’s your son,” he muttered, shaking his head.
“Oh, Hector, he’s just going over to Plato’s house. You know that. He always does whenever he has a dream.”
The night was dark, but that didn’t bother Victor. He knew the way by heart. His mind churned angrily as hot tears filled his eyes. What did his family know? They didn’t know. They didn’t know the pain. They didn’t know the fear, or the humiliation, or the shame he had to live with every day. They didn’t know how much he had suffered.
Plato’s house was dark, but Plato’s room was in the basement. Victor flopped down on the damp grass and tapped on Plato’s half-window that stuck up above the grass line. After a moment of no response, he tapped again, louder. Plato was a deep sleeper, unlike him.
The bedside light next to Plato’s bed came on, and, after a moment, Plato’s head appeared out from under the covers. “Huh?” he muttered groggily.
Victor tapped the glass again, which seemed to get the other tom’s attention. Almost instantly, Plato stumbled over to the window and opened it enough to speak to his friend. “Hi. What’s wrong?”
“I’ll give you one guess,” Victor muttered as the grass tickled his nose. “You wanna let me in?”
“Of course. Back door.” Plato disappeared. Victor headed around to the back door and waited patiently, shivering as a sudden wind swept over him. After a moment, the door clicked, and Plato opened it to allow the younger tom in.
“Come on in,” he offered, stepping aside.
“Thanks.” Victor stepped inside with a shiver.
“Damn, it’s cold out there. You must be freezing,” Plato said, feeling the cold air against his shorts and tee shirt he wore for pajamas.
Victor nodded slowly and rubbed his eyes groggily. “Sorry I woke you.”
“Hey, no problem. You know I don’t mind. Come on. I got some blankets in my room.”
The two headed down the steep stairs to Plato’s room. Both were silent until they were in Plato’s room and Victor was bundled up in a blanket. Plato perched on the edge of his bed as Victor sank down at Plato’s desk chair. “So, wanna tell me about it?”
“Just the same thing,” Victor said softly, hugging the blanket close. “The dark, and the pain… and them.”
Both knew who he meant by “them”. Four toms, with ratty jackets and blue jeans, young, probably not much older than Plato or Victor themselves right now. With cruel eyes, long fangs, twisted smiles.
Plato was silent a moment, then looked up and asked, “You wanna stay here tonight?”
Victor nodded slowly. Plato smiled and slid over to give Victor some room on the bed. Victor slid off his sneakers, then slid off his jeans and sweatshirt he had yanked on over his pajamas. He crawled down under the soft covers next to his friend. The light went off, and the room was plunged into darkness. Next to him, Plato’s warm body gave him some comfort. Victor closed his eyes and tried to sleep, and he eventually drifted off…
“Come on, Selter. Prove it.”
“But why does it have to be this way? Come on, guys. He’s just a kit.”
“Yeah. He’s just a kit. He’s perfect. Come on, let’s go get him.”
“Lanceney, I just don’t feel right about this…”
“Oh, come on. You say you’re with us, so prove it!”
“Yeah, prove it!” came a chorus of two other voices nearby. Selter swallowed and felt three pairs of eyes bore into his.
“You… you sure we won’t… um… you sure we’ll let him go back?”
“Yeah, once we’re done. If you do everything right.”
Selter glanced down the street again at the young kitten, no more than seven, playing by himself in the playground. Why no one was around was a mystery to him, but it was a relatively safe neighborhood. He swallowed a pang of guilt in his stomach. He didn’t have to do this… Why should he hurt this kitten? Lanceney’s voice cut into his thoughts. “If you’re chicken, you can cut out of the deal.”
“No,” he said hastily. “No, I’m not out.”
“Then you’ll do it?”
Selter swallowed and glanced at the kitten once more. Why couldn’t say no? It seemed so unfair for the poor kit… “Y… Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do it,” he said softly. “But after that, no more, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Got the stuff?”
Selter numbly pulled two handkerchiefs and a coil of rope from inside his jacket. Lanceney nodded, then looked over at the other two toms who pulled similar items from their jackets as well. “Okay, no screw-ups, got it?” Lanceney pulled a switchblade from his back pocket and flashed it menacingly.
Selter’s eyes widened. “What are you gonna do with that?”
“None of your business. Just do your part.”
“Lanceney, don’t hurt him.”
“You do what you’re supposed to, I won’t have to.” He looked. “Everyone ready? Let’s go.”…
Seven-year-old Victor was on his knees, playing in the sandbox by the swings. It was such a nice day out, but most of his neighbors were older with no young kittens to play with, so he spent much of his time in the playground alone. His mother was out shopping, and his dad was working in his woodshop behind their house, which was across the street from the little park. Victor hummed to himself as he patted down the edges of his sand castle. It was the first sand castle he had ever built himself that had stayed up, and he was excited to show his dad his accomplishment. Just one more pat to make sure it stayed up-
Suddenly a heavy sneaker landed right on the crumbly castle, and the whole thing collapsed back into the pile it had formerly been. “Hey!” Victor protested, looking up at the perpetrator with tears in his innocent, green eyes.
“Aw, did we wreck your sand castle?” asked the large, light gray tom with cruel-looking, yellow eyes. Victor swallowed and shrank back. “Where are your parents, kit?”
His mom always told him never to speak to strangers and to come right home if anyone ever bothered him. He scrambled to his feet and turned to run, but suddenly two other cats blocked his way. “Going somewhere, kitty?” the older one taunted.
Victor turned again, but he suddenly found himself trapped in a ring of four toms, three of who grinned wickedly at him, one who seemed like he’d rather be anywhere but there. He decided to make a break for that one, but before he had taken two steps, the light gray tom grabbed him from behind, securing his arms behind him. Victor opened his mouth to scream, but the reluctant-looking tom forced a cloth into his mouth, momentarily choking him. He began to kick and struggle furiously, crying loudly through the gag, but suddenly he felt a deep pain on the back of his neck, right by his spine. Lights danced before his eyes just before the world went black…
Victor woke up with a stabbing pain in his head. His eyelids fluttered as he desperately tried to open them. After several moments, his ears kicked in. There were voices… first slow and low, then high and fast, then finally leveling out to a normal voice. “…should do it now, before he can fight back.”
“I don’t know, Lanceney. I don’t feel right about all this. I mean, he’s just a kit-.”
“Exactly! He’s just a kit. He’s easy prey, Selter!”
“Too easy, Lance. Can’t we just send him back? Please?”
A suddenly sharp sound echoed through the room, and Victor involuntarily winced. It was about that moment his eyes began to work, and he saw Selter rubbing his cheek painfully as Lanceney, the gray tom that had grabbed him, watched with glowing eyes. He felt bad that the poor tom was getting hurt because of him, but he couldn’t help feeling sorrier for himself, not sure where he was or when he would get to go home, or even what he was there for. He tried to sit up from where he had been laying on a cold, cement floor, but he couldn’t move his paws, which were behind him. He could feel something rough on his wrists and suddenly realized he was tied up. He mewed softly, struggling. The soft sound seemed to attract the attention of the two teens standing nearby. Lanceney smirked and sauntered over, his gray face a sinister smile. Victor felt a shiver go through him. He cowered, his ears pressed flat to his head, staring up in terror.
“Nice to see you’re up, kitten.”
“Where am I?”
“Somewhere.”
That was not helpful or comforting. Victor moaned and twisted a little on the hard floor, feeling very, very small under the standing tom’s gaze. “What… what do you want?” he demanded, trying to sound courageous, though his voice trembled.
Lanceney smiled again and gave Selter a light push forward. “You’ll find out. Til then, I suggest you behave.” He turned to Selter. “I’m gonna go find Larsen and Colt. You watch him. If he gets away…” Lanceney flexed his claws lazily. Selter gulped and nodded. “I’ll be back soon, and you better be ready when we get back.” Lanceney turned and walked away.
Victor turned to look up at Selter with teary, scared eyes. “Who are you?”
Selter’s tired, brown eyes seemed too old for his teenage body as they smiled gently at the kitten. “My name’s Selter. What’s yours?”
Victor hesitated. Was it better to tell or not to tell? “V… Victor,” he squeaked softly.
Selter smiled again. “Victor. That’s nice.”
Feeling safer with this tom than the gray one, Victor asked again, “Why am I here? What do you want?”
Selter’s friendly eyes suddenly turned soft and very sad. “Well… whatever Lanceney says is what will happen.”
“What does he want?”
Selter licked his lips slowly, his mouth gone dry. “I… I can’t say…”
“When can I go home?” Victor pleaded. “Please, let me go. Please. I wanna go home.”
Suddenly Selter began to cry. His large, brown eyes filled with hot tears, and he dropped to his knees by the trembling kitten. “Oh, Heavyside, I can’t do it. I can’t!”
“Can’t do what?” Victor asked, worried.
“Can’t… can’t…”
“You can, and you will!” came a growl from the doorway, and both looked up in terror to see Lanceney and the two he had gone to find standing watching them.
Selter seemed to shrink under Lanceney’s steely gaze. “Lanceney, I…”
In a few deliberate steps, Lanceney had crossed the room and smacked Selter in the jaw. Still on his knees, Selter tumbled to the ground next to Victor with a cry. “Don’t!” Victor couldn’t help pleading, not wanting the only kind tom in the bunch to be hurt.
Lanceney raised an eyebrow, and suddenly Victor found his head resting against Selter’s hip, a stinging pain in his cheek. He cried out loudly and began to sob. Lanceney uncurled his fist and straightened up. “Now, Selter. Do it now.”
Selter groaned in pain and shifted. “Lanceney, please no…”
“Do it!” Lanceney yelled, his voice reverberating off the cement walls. Everyone flinched.
“Do what?” Victor whimpered, ears flat to his skull as Lanceney’s shout died away.
Selter hesitated. With a growl, Lanceney stalked over and yanked Victor onto his back, then grabbed Selter and literally dropped him on top of the poor kitten. “Do it now, or I kill him,” he hissed, his voice guttural and not even cat-like anymore, but more like the snarl of a demon. He grabbed Selter by the back of the head and shoved him roughly towards the kitten’s own.
Victor gasped as Selter’s mouth suddenly met his, and he began to struggle, feeling his stomach lurch. But with his paws behind his back and the heavy tom holding him down, he couldn’t get away. Suddenly something came over his eyes, blocking his vision. He felt it being tied at the back of his head. He began to cry, trying to kick his legs at anything nearby, but he could hardly move. “Don’t struggle, kitten,” came Lanceney’s voice. “It’ll be easier for you.”
Victor cried harder, then yelped as he felt his pants sliding off his waist. He mewed and struggled blindly. He suddenly felt Selter’s mouth next to his ear. “I’m so sorry, Victor,” Selter whispered, sounding like he was crying.
Then the pain began. A pain unlike anything he had ever felt before in a place that he knew no one was supposed to touch. But, being only a kitten, he knew nothing about the world of sexuality and what it was. He just knew he hurt and that whatever was happening should not be happening to him.
The pain grew and grew until Victor’s cried turned to screams that echoed off the wall. His tiny body shook with pain as he tried to fight away from it, but he could not.
How long the pain lasted, he couldn’t tell, but it seemed like an eternity before the horrible feelings subsided and the weight that had been holding him down went away. He lay, shivering, on the floor, sobbing, curling into a tiny ball of half-naked fur, his eyes still covered with the damp cloth.
Selter stared down in horror at the sobbing kitten at his feet. How could he have…? It didn’t seem possible… He suddenly felt Lanceney’s paw on his shoulder and flinched. “We knew you could do it. See? It’s easy.”
“Just shut up and leave me alone!” Selter hissed, jerking away from Lanceney and storming away. Lanceney watched him go, then turned to the kitten in front of him. With a grin, he reached for his jeans…
Victor hissed as someone leaned over him, then gagged as he felt something in his mouth. Something unfamiliar but something he decided was not supposed to be there. He struggled, but someone was holding his face in place with a rough paw. “No teeth or you’re dead!”
He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but Lanceney ordered him to do something else. Victor’s face burned with shame, unsure whether or not he’d even be able to follow the disgraceful instructions. His mouth hurt as he tried to do what Lanceney commanded, deciding in his mind that if he did what they wanted him to, they’d let him go home. He heard Lanceney start to pant and wondered what he could be doing to the tom, still unable to see through his blindfold.
This went on longer than he thought it would, until he wanted to gag, but he couldn’t. His mouth felt like it was bleeding, and his whole body was racked with pain so bad that he wondered for a moment if he was going to faint. Suddenly Lanceney forced himself hard against Victor’s mouth, and Victor panicked to feel something else in his mouth, then in his throat. Something horrible-tasting that he was sure was not supposed to be there. Suddenly Lanceney pulled away from him. Victor didn’t hesitate, rolling onto his side and retching painfully. Whatever it had been in his mouth splashed onto the floor, tainted red by blood from his torn mouth. He coughed a few times, panting, praying this shameful torture was over.
After that, he heard some talking, which he could not make out through the violent headache that suddenly came upon him. He curled into a ball, drenched in sweat and his own vomit, praying that everything was over and he could just go home.
Just when he thought he might be allowed to rest, someone grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him onto his back again, and the pain down there began again. And all he could do was scream and bear it…
Through the painful memories, the older Victor that was now nestled in Plato’s bed whimpered and curled closer to his friend, crying softly as the memories assaulted him. He awoke with a start and a gasp of pain that roused Plato from sleep. Plato sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Wha?” he mumbled sleepily.
Victor looked over at his friend and slowly relaxed. “N… Nothing… It’s okay… Go back to sleep.”
Plato gazed at Victor, only his illuminated eyes visible in the dark. “The dream came back?”
Victor nodded and curled closer to Plato. Plato hugged him tight and pushed him back gently against the pillow. “Go back to sleep. You woke up, so it’s gone now… Just try to sleep.” Victor nodded and closed his eyes again, sleep coming back to claim him after a few moments. But, even as he drifted off, he knew the dreams weren’t over, because the events had still not completed themselves…
After school the next day, Etcetera was lying on her bed, reading her book for English and swishing her tail lazily against the bedspread. Cheerleading practice had been going very well, and she had been especially pleased to see that Tugger had given her a smile every time he passed her in the hallway. He had even stopped by her locker once a few days ago to talk to her. It hadn’t been much. Just a hi-how’s-it-going sort of thing. He told her that her flips in cheerleading were amazing, and she had told him about her big math test she had coming up that she was worried about. After that, he hadn’t talked to her for a few days, and now she was starting get concerned that he was not interested in her anymore.
The phone in the hallway rang, and she sat up to get it. Her parents had run out to the mall to pick up a new microwave after theirs had died, and they were not yet back. Etcy picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey kitten!” came a voice from the other end.
“Tugger?” Etcetera squealed, almost dropping the phone in shock.
“Yeah, that’s me. How’re you?”
“Fine… just fine… How are you?”
“Not bad all at, kitten. Hey, I was calling to know if you wanted to come over?”
Etcetera froze, her breath caught in her throat. He wanted her to come over? “I… I suppose I could… Why?” she asked softly, feeling foolish that she had to ask that question.
“Well, you mentioned you needed help studying for your Algebra test… I can give you some help if you want.” Tugger’s voice was kind.
Etcetera bit her lip. “I… I’d like that… But my parents aren’t home right now…”
“Want me to come over there instead?” Tugger asked.
“No!” Etcetera said quickly. “I mean… no, they’ll… they’ll be back soon… I… I guess I could come over for a bit, but I’d have to be home around like ten.”
“Well, it’s only 5:30. Plenty of time to study.”
“O… Okay,” Etcetera agreed. “I… I’ll be over there soon.”
“All right. Bring your math book.” Tugger gave her his address and then purred just a bit into the phone. “See ya in a bit, kitten.”
“Yeah. In a bit.” Etcetera hung up the phone, then stared at it. What had she just done? She couldn’t tell her parents she was going over to a tom’s house to study. They’d flip! She bit her lip, then figured it out. She was always walking over to Electra’s house. She’d just leave them a note that she went over there to study, then would be home later. It was so easy.
But, even as she headed for her room to get ready to go, she felt a hard knot forming in the pit of her stomach. He didn’t want her over there to study, and she knew it. Why was she letting him do this? Because she wanted to, she answered her own question curtly. She grabbed her purse, her jacket, and her math book, hastily scribbled a note to her parents, and headed out the door towards Tugger’s house, ignoring the angry buzzing at the back of her mind telling her she knew better.
Etcetera rang Tugger’s doorbell at 5:56. He opened the door for her with a smile that would shame a movie star. “Hey kitten. I was getting worried about you.”
Etcetera stepped inside and smiled shyly. “I… I’m a slow walker.”
Tugger smiled and shut the door. “Let me take your coat.” Etcetera relinquished it slowly, handing him her purse as well. He set them aside in the closet. “I thought we could study in the living room.”
“Al… alright,” Etcetera agreed, following him into the bright room. A real fire burned in the real fireplace, spreading warmth throughout the room. Etcetera sat down on the edge of the couch. “This is nice…”
“Thanks.” Tugger sat down next to her. “My parents like to spend money on nice stuff.”
“What do your parents do?” Etcetera asked politely.
“Well, my mom’s a manager for an architectural company, and my dad’s an engineer.”
“Cool.” Etcetera set her math book down on the glass coffee table. “Um, did we… wanna study?”
“That’s what we’re here for.” Tugger opened the book up. “What page?”
“Um, starting at sixty-three…” Tugger flipped the pages to find it, and Etcetera studied him intently. So far he hadn’t done anything other than what he had said they would do: study. She studied the way his jaw tensed as he searched the pages, the way his back curved as he bent over the book, the way his tail twitched from side to side intently.
“Ah, here we go.” Tugger smiled. “Angles. Fun.” He turned to her. “Not my specialty, but I’ll do my best.”
“Okay,” Etcetera agreed. “I… I don’t understand how to find this.” She pointed to an obtuse angle.
“Ah, okay.” Tugger grabbed a pencil out of a cup on the coffee table. “Now, what you want to do…”
He showed her several different ways to answer her questions, trying to make everything as clear as possible. Etcetera finally smiled and looked up at him shyly. “Thank you, Tugger. I… I understand it a lot better now.”
“That’s good.” Tugger smiled his killer smile at her. Etcetera almost melted, her eyes plastered to his lips. Those succulent lips that she longed to touch, to put her own lips on. Etcetera leaned a bit closer and moved his eyes up from his mouth to his eyes.
“Tugger?”
“Yes?”
“I…” She swallowed. What was she trying to say? She didn’t even know. Nothing came to mind.
“What?”
“N…. Nothing. Never mind.”
“Alright. You think you understand enough to pass your test?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Good.”
Etcetera leaned closer again. “Tugger, I…” His smile stayed on expectantly. “I…” Come on, you dolt! Say something! she chided herself. “I…” She leaned closer and felt his warm breath on her face, his golden eyes peering deeply into her own. She felt an overwhelming desire come over her, and, before she could stop herself, she leaned in and touched her mouth to his. Then, as quickly as she had done it, she pulled away, his face burning.
Tugger’s eyes flickered, but his expression didn’t change. “What was that for?”
Etcetera swallowed. “Uh… I… I don’t know… I just… just wanted to… to kiss you.”
Tugger smiled and suddenly leaned in closer to her. Etcetera held her breath. Tugger gently touched her cheek and slowly pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were soft against hers, and she closed her eyes as a wonderful sensation washed over her entire body. The kiss lasted only for a few moments before Tugger pulled away. Etcetera opened her eyes, sorry it had stopped. “Tugger…”
“Yes?”
Etcetera froze, then felt herself move as if controlled by some force beyond her own will. She moved closer to him and curled into his arms, cuddling against his chest. His arms went around her in the warmest hug she had ever received. She purred softly, closing her eyes. Tugger held her and stroked her ears ever so gently with his fingertips. “Mmm,” Etcetera said, flicking one ear lightly.
“You like that?”
“Yeah…”
Tugger suddenly leaned down and caught one of her ears between his teeth, nibbling gently on it. Etcetera gasped and opened her eyes. “Ooh…”
Tugger began to purr softly as he ran his tongue over her sensitive ear tip. Etcetera inhaled sharply and pressed her chest against his with a soft mew. Tugger looked down at her and lifted her chin with one finger so she had to meet his eyes. “You want more?”
Etcetera nodded. Tugger suddenly pushed her down gently against the couch. Etcetera felt a wave of panic was over, but she pushed it back. She wanted more. She wanted to feel his arms around her and hear his purr in her ear. She rested her head on the pillow and gazed up at Tugger with adoring eyes. “You… you won’t hurt me, will you?”
“Of course not.” Tugger smiled at her and leaned down again to kiss her, this time on the neck. Etcetera closed her eyes again. She felt Tugger’s paws run down her shoulders, then over her chest. She gasped softly at the feeling she had never felt before. His paws stroked her gently, then suddenly slid down to her waist and started to pull the shirt up. Etcetera gasped and touched his paw.
“Tugger?”
Instantly, his paws were no longer on her. “What?”
“Do… do you think we’re moving… too fast?”
“No.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
Etcetera nodded slowly. “Tugger… be gentle?”
“Whatever you want,” Tugger promised. Etcetera nodded slowly. His paws slowly snaked down her stomach to the bottom of her shirt again, and he slowly pulled it up to her chin, exposing her bra. Etcetera swallowed and followed his movements with her eyes. He slowly ran his paws over them, and Etcetera moaned.
“Ahh,” she said softly.
Tugger suddenly paused. “Wanna go up to my room?”
“O… Okay,” Etcetera agreed. Perhaps the couch in the middle of the living room was not the best place for this. Tugger slid his arms under her and lifted her up in them. She squealed and clung to his neck as he carried her out of the living room and up the stairs to his room. He slid inside and closed the door with one foot, laying her down on the bed, and locking the door with a click. Etcetera felt her heart jump. From anticipation or fear, she didn’t know which. Tugger turned to her, his handsome face gentle. “You’re not gonna change your mind?”
Etcetera shook her head. “No…”
Tugger touched his light switch, and the lighting dimmed to almost darkness, just enough light to see by. Etcetera shivered a bit. Tugger lay down next to her and pulled her close. His paws sneaked up her shirt again, then suddenly moved under her bra. His paw landed on her flesh, and Etcetera gasped. He smiled a bit. “It’s okay.”
Etcetera nodded and felt him pull her shirt up. She leaned forward a bit so he could slip it off, leaving just her bra on top. He dropped the shirt onto the floor next to the bed and placed his paws gently on her stomach. She mewed softly and squirmed. He grinned and slid his paws behind her to fiddle with the clasp of her bra. She inhaled and felt a sliding sensation as it tumbled off her chest. She gasped softly and put her arms instinctively around her exposed breasts. Tugger seemed willing to take it slow. “It’s okay, Etcy. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
She trusted him. She slowly put her arms down by her sides again, watching him carefully. He leaned down and touched his mouth to kiss her. She gasped and squirmed, wanting more. He grinned and reached for her jeans. Etcetera froze. Warning bells, neon lights, booming voices, the whole nine yards, went off in her head. But she pushed them away. Her body craved more stimulation. Tugger suddenly slid off his shirt and pressed his bare chest to hers, his black fur mingling with her gray. Etcetera moaned as he pressed his thigh between hers. “Tugger…” she pleaded.
He read what she wanted and slowly undid her jeans, pulling down the zipper slowly. Etcetera whimpered and twisted her hips. He slowly pulled them off and deposited them on the floor with the rest of her clothes. “Last chance to say no, kitten.”
Etcetera shook her head hastily. No way was she going to give up these feelings now. She swallowed as he reached for his jeans and pulled them off, then reached for her underwear. She closed her eyes slowly. “Tugger… you… you’ll be careful?”
“Of course.” Tugger’s smile was craftily gentle. Etcetera swallowed again and nodded. She wasn’t going to give up now.
Tugger sighed and lay back comfortably against his pillow. Etcetera curled next to him, not really sure what she was supposed to do now. Her body ached, and she was coated with a thick layer of sweat. She hugged the blankets closer to her.
Tugger sighed softly, then glanced over at her. “Mind if I smoke?”
Etcetera looked up at him. “Uh, no…”
Tugger reached over behind him to his bedside table and grabbed a package of cigarettes off of it. He pulled out a smoke and put it in his mouth, grabbing a lighter off the table. He lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply on it, exhaling the smoke lazily towards the ceiling. Etcetera watched him with wide eyes. Tugger glanced over at her and smiled. “What?”
“N… nothing,” Etcetera said softly, realizing she had been staring.
Tugger smiled a bit. “I guess you’ve never smoked after sex before?”
Etcetera blushed. “Well, since I’d never had sex to smoke after… And… and I’ve never smoked before.”
Tugger smiled and took another drag of the cigarette. Etcetera watched in fascination. “Can… can I have one?”
Tugger raised a brow. “Sure, if ya want one.” He reached over and grabbed a cigarette from the package, handing it to her with a smile. Etcetera took it and studied it in the palm of her hand. Then she carefully held it, imitating Tugger’s hold on the tiny thing. Tugger lit the tip of it for her, and Etcetera took a deep breath.
Tears filled her eyes, and she nearly choked. She began to cough, forgetting to hold the blanket around her naked body, tears slipping down her face as the smoky feeling invaded her nose. Tugger patted her back gently. “Easy, sweetie. Don’t inhale til you’re used to it.” He smiled and exhaled another puff of smoke. Etcetera wiped the tears from her face, forcing back a gag. After a few seconds, she put it back to her mouth. The second time seemed to go better, and she exhaled the smoke a bit easier, pulling the blanket back up around her.
Tugger lay back on the bed again, his arm curling lazily around Etcetera’s shoulders. Etcetera cuddled into his grip, inhaling slightly and watching the tip of the cigarette glow bright orange. Suddenly she felt a strange sensation and sat up quickly. Her free hand reached down to touch her aching body and pulled it away streaked with crimson. “Tugger, I… I’m…”
“Bleeding,” Tugger said matter-of-factly. Etcetera nodded, ears pressed to her skull in fear. Was that a bad sign? Was she going to die? Was she sick? Tugger sat up and pulled her close to his warm chest. “Most virgins bleed the first time, sweet thing. Don’t worry about it.”
Don’t worry about it. That was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one that was bleeding. But she held her tongue and cuddled closer to him. He knew what he was saying. She was sure he’d seen it before. Probably many times more than she wanted to admit. “Will it stop?” she asked worriedly.
“Of course it will. You wanna go rinse off in the bathroom?”
Etcetera nodded. Tugger got up, pulling his jeans on. “I’ll go turn on the water for you.” Etcetera nodded and lay back against the pillows again, taking another light drag of the cigarette. What a night this had been… She wouldn’t soon forget it either. A moment later, Tugger returned. “Water’s ready.”
Etcetera got to her feet and headed for the bathroom to wash up.
Etcetera entered the noisy lunchroom of Jellicle High the next day and looked around. Her friends were across the room, opposite where Tugger was. She’d have to walk right past him. What would he say? Would he break up with her now that he had what he wanted? Could she take it? With bold steps and head high, she walked towards her friends. Suddenly- “Hey, Etcy!”
Tugger stood up and offered her a paw. “Wanna sit with us?”
Us consisted of Tugger, Munkustrap, Alonzo, Rumpus Cat, Macavity, and Victor. All except Tugger stared in surprise, but Tugger seemed unaffected by the looks. Etcetera swallowed, but she took his paw and smiled. Tugger gave Alonzo a shove. “Scoot over.”
Alonzo moved. Etcetera sat down, a little self-conscious of all the stares, but she felt better when Tugger squeezed her paw. “How was class?”
“Good,” Etcetera said, setting down her books in the center of the table with the rest of the books.
Alonzo cleared his throat. “So, Tugger, what’s going on?” His voice implied the unspoken ‘between you two’.
Tugger slid an arm around Etcy’s shoulder. “Nothing, Lonz. Can’t I invite my girlfriend to sit with us if I want?”
Etcetera beamed. Alonzo didn’t answer. He just bit his lip and opened his calculus book. Etcetera settled into Tugger’s arms and purred. His heart beat under her ear, and she let it soothe her. She dug into her lunch bag and nibbled on her sandwich, accepting the cookie that Tugger offered her from his school-bought lunch, and was just content to sit in his arms, watching the older toms around her.
As lunch progressed, books came out for study. Tugger became absorbed in his science book. Etcetera started to feel lonely and was trying to engross herself in her English book when a familiar quitten appeared at her side. “Etcy?”
Etcetera looked up at her best friend, aware that the older toms were also watching. “Hey, Lec.”
“Cassie wants to talk to you about something from cheerleading. Can you come over?”
Etcetera glanced at Tugger who nodded without even looking up from his book. Etcetera picked up her stuff from the table and started to follow Electra when Tugger leaned over and touched her arm. “See you tonight?”
Etcetera bit her lip. “Where?”
“Wherever works.”
“Um…” Etcetera watched Electra’s retreating back.
“My house. Seven o’clock.” Tugger let go of her arm and smiled. Etcetera smiled and nodded, then hurried after her best friend.
Alonzo watched Etcetera walk away, then turned to Tugger. “Tugger, how old is she?”
Tugger shrugged a shoulder carelessly. “Fourteen, I think.”
Alonzo raised a brow. “And how old are you?”
“Eighteen a few weeks ago.”
“Tugger!”
“What?”
“That’s statutory rape!”
“It is not!”
“She’s under sixteen!”
“So?”
“She’s underage! You can’t have sexual relations with her!”
“She consented!”
“Doesn’t matter! Law is law!”
“You go out with a fourteen year old!”
“But I don’t sleep with her!” Alonzo hissed, his dark eyes blazing.
Tugger stood up sharply. “Oh, that’s right. Mr. Perfect, can’t do any bad stuff so as not to ruin his perfect image. Can’t sleep with any girls until he’s married.” He grabbed his books off the table sharply, pivoted on his sneaker heel, and headed for the computer lab.
Alonzo watched him go, his patched face a mask of fury, aware that every tom at their table had been listening. He growled and got up, heading for the bathroom to cool down. “Hey, Lonzo!” He turned. Munkustrap was following him. He stopped in the middle of the hallway. Munkustrap stopped next to him. Both were silent a moment before Munkustrap touched Alonzo’s shoulder. “You did the right thing.”
Alonzo nodded slowly, but his head bowed shamefully. “Why does he always have to throw that in my face?”
“Forget him.” Munkustrap squeezed Alonzo’s shoulder lightly. “He’s just being immature. You’re in the right here, Alonzo. Don’t worry about him.”
Alonzo sighed and looked down at his feet. “I just don’t want to see him hurting that poor girl.”
“I know, but you can’t do anymore than what you’ve done, okay? Let Tugger make his own mistakes.”
Alonzo nodded and set his jaw firmly. “You’re right, Munk… I just… just wish he wouldn’t throw our virginity back in our faces every time I say something to him.”
“He’s a guy,” Munkustrap said, stating the obvious. “Typical teenage tom. We just aren’t typical teens.”
Alonzo smiled. “I guess if that means I’m not like him, that’s a good thing.”
“Yeah.” The bell ran over their heads, and both toms covered their ears. After it stopped, Munkustrap turned to Alonzo again. “Well, see ya later.”
“See ya.” Alonzo headed for the lunch table to get his books. Munkustrap watched him go and sighed.
It had taken some prompting, but Etcetera had gotten her parents to go out for a movie and promised to go to Electra’s house and be home by 9. So they left, and Etcetera walked over to Tugger’s house. She tried to think about him, but her mind kept drifting to the strange looks Electra had kept giving her at lunch that day, and, though she had never said anything, Etcetera felt that Electra knew her little secret.
Tugger opened the door as soon as she rang the bell. “You’re late,” he teased.
Etcetera checked her watch. 7:04. “Sorry,” she said.
Tugger smiled and opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
“Where are your parents?” Etcetera asked as she slid out of her jacket.
“Shopping. They won’t be back til late.”
Etcetera swallowed back a savage feeling in her stomach. “That’s… good.”
“Come on,” Tugger said, taking her paw.
Etcetera allowed him to lead her up the stairs to his room. She felt a pang of terror grip her stomach, and she had to swallow to force it back.
Tugger turned down the lights and closed the door. Etcetera sat down on the bed. Tugger sat down next to her. “You look scared.”
“Why should I be scared?” Etcetera asked, but her voice trembled as she tried to laugh, and it came out more like a nervous giggle.
Tugger leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth. “Don’t be.”
After a moment of hesitation, Etcetera laid her head down on the pillow. Tugger smiled and moved closer.
Etcetera knew that Tugger knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what places to touch, to fondle, to pet, to stroke to make her comfortable, to make her want him. She felt her breath stick in her throat as he pulled off her clothes. She held him close to her fur as he forced himself down on her.
Etcetera curled closer to her pillow, purring a bit as Tugger shifted to hold her close. The cigarette in her hand glowed with a strange, orange spark. Her stomach was feeling better now. Tugger had “taught” her a few new “things” that she wasn’t sure yet if she liked, but she just wanted to have him by her, to feel his warm chest on hers.
Tugger purred softly, giving her a kiss on the side of her neck. Etcetera curled into the kiss, taking a slow puff on her cigarette. Suddenly her eyes flew open, and she sat up to look over Tugger to his clock. The yellow numbers burned 9:42.
“Shit!” she yelled, surprised the curse came from her mouth.
“What?” Tugger asked, sitting up.
“I shoulda been home forty-five minutes ago!” Etcetera wailed as she leaped out of the bed, getting tangled in the sheets.
Tugger watched her in amusement, inhaling his own cigarette. “You’ll be okay.” He exhaled the smoke towards the ceiling.
“My parents will kill me!” Etcetera cried as she yanked her shirt on.
Tugger got up and slid his jeans on, reaching for his sweatshirt. “You’ll be all right.”
Etcetera raced out the door and down the stairs. She paused at the front door to give Tugger a quick kiss before racing out the door towards her house.
She burst into her own house at 9:54. No one was home. With a cry of relief, she fell back onto the couch and fell asleep.
The morning had already begun when two forms slipped silently into the teacher’s lounge. No one was around, since classes were in session. Already late for school, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had decided they needed to do something before they went to class. They hadn’t caused trouble in weeks, and they were starting to get restless again.
Jerrie approached the teacher’s mailboxes. “Think they’ll notice?”
“I’m sure they will,” Teazer said, grabbing a few memos from Old Deuteronomy’s box and stuffing them into Skimble’s. Jerrie grinned and grabbed the nameplates off a few boxes and quickly placed them on different boxes. Teazer switched a whole handful of announcements into about ten different boxes. “It’ll take them hours to sort this back out.”
“Yeah,” Jerrie agreed, stretching a bit to place Grizabella’s name on a business teacher’s box.
“Hold it, you two,” came a voice from the door. The two whirled around to see the science teacher, Bustopher Jones, standing in the doorway, his great bulk blocking their only exit. The two backed away guiltily. “Explain why you two are out of class, vandalizing the teacher’s mailboxes.”
They had no answer. Bustopher sighed. “You two… I thought we were through with your tricks this year.” He rubbed his nose with a paw. “I hate to give you two detentions again.”
Teazer whimpered softly and curled close to her brother. Jerrie swallowed. “Please, Mr. Jones, don’t…”
“I’m sorry, Mungojerrie, but you two should have thought of that before you decided to play mailman. I’ll see you two in my room after school today.”
“Today?” Teazer squeaked.
“Yes, today. Don’t you two try to get out of it, or I’ll see to it that you get another ISS.” ISS stood for In-School-Suspension, and it certainly wouldn’t have been the first time they’d had one.
“Y… Yes sir,” Jerrie said softly, hugging Teazer close.
Bustopher nodded and stepped aside. “Both of you get to class. Now.”
The two hurried to obey. Once the door had closed behind them, Teazer turned to Jerrie with scared, brown eyes. “We… we can’t have detention…”
Jerrie’s own eyes were scared too. “I… I thought he would notice…” He bit his lip. “There’s nothing we can do, Tea.”
Teazer began to cry. Jerrie hugged her close to his chest, wincing a bit as her body pressed to his beaten skin. “I won’t let him hurt you, love. I promise.” He tilted her chin up to him. “I promise.”
“Where were you last night?” Electra demanded. “I called and called, but you weren’t home.”
Etcetera leaned against her locker. It was lunchtime, and the two were collecting their books from their lockers. “I… I was with Tugger,” Etcetera admitted, not meeting her best friend’s eyes.
Electra sighed. “Etcy, he’s bad. You didn’t… you didn’t let him…”
Etcetera nodded slowly. “Yeah, I… I did… And the day before that too…”
“Etcetera! You knew! Why? Why?”
“Because…” Etcetera grew quiet.
Electra’s eyes were sad. “Etcy, I… I don’t know what to say… Please don’t go out with him anymore… Please.”
Etcetera smiled at her best friend. “I… I won’t, Lec.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Etcetera squeezed her friend’s paw. Electra didn’t seem very convinced, but she nodded. Etcetera forced another smile, but, deep in her heart, something twinged, telling her she was not being very truthful to her friend. She sniffed softly and headed for the lunchroom.
The twins were silent all the way home after serving their detention. Teazer clung to Jerrie tightly, her eyes wild and scared. Jerrie was silent. Whatever happened when they got home, it was his fault. It had been his idea to get them in trouble again. He gave Teazer a gentle nudge. “Partners in crime?” he whispered softly as they neared the door of their home.
Teazer’s face was scared, but she put on a brave smile. “Forever,” she whispered back, hugging him softly.
“Ready?” Jerrie asked, touching the doorknob. Teazer swallowed and nodded slowly. Jerrie took a deep breath and opened the door softly. If they could just make it upstairs… They stepped inside and shut the door.
“Where the f*ck have you two been?” demanded their father, stepping out of the living room and glaring at them. The overwhelming smell of alcohol assaulted their noses, making their eyes water.
“We… we were at school,” Jerrie said, nudging Teazer behind him.
“School ended a long time ago. You two were talking to someone!” Jerrie ducked to avoid his dad’s paw.
“We weren’t!” he pleaded, pulling Teazer back with him.
“Then where were you?”
Teazer looked up at Jerrie, then swallowed and looked back at their father. “We… we had… had detention,” she said softly.
Roth raised a brow, and Jerrie shrank back, pushing Teazer behind him again. “You had detention?” Roth asked in a dangerous voice. The two shivered. Roth moved closer to them. The two kept retreating until they had nowhere else to go, pinned against the door.
Roth suddenly smacked Jerrie out of the way and grabbed Teazer’s arm in his paw. Jerrie scrambled to his feet. “Let go of her!” he snarled.
Roth smirked and looked over at him, pulling Teazer closer. Jerrie hissed and lashed his tail like a whip. “I said let go of her!”
“You want her? Come get her.”
Jerrie glared. Teazer had started to cry now. With a cry of anger, Jerrie leaped at his dad, but the older tom moved faster. His fist latched onto the scruff of Jerrie’s neck, instantly paralyzing the young tom. Jerrie yelped and felt hot tears sting his eyes in pain. “I told you two if you ever got detention again, you’d both get it!” Roth’s voice was terrible, the whiskey on his breath permeating the air around them. Jerrie whimpered, but he could barely move from the pain. He suddenly became aware that their dad was dragging them towards the stairs. He could hear Teazer sobbing, but he was blinded by tears of agony in his eyes, lights dancing before them from the throbbing pain.
Their father dragged them up the stairs and to his bedroom. Jerrie struggled madly, but he couldn’t break his dad’s iron grip. Suddenly he found himself flying backwards across the room. His head connected with the corner of the wall, causing his eyes to black out for a moment. Then pain was so intense he feared he was going to pass out as he slumped to the ground, unable to move. He wondered if his neck was broken; his whole body felt numb with pain.
“Jerrie!” Teazer screamed, trying to struggle away from her drunken father, but his grip was too strong. She tried to scratch him, but he held her hopelessly too far away. Fear rushed through her blood, hot and paralyzing. Suddenly she tumbled backwards and felt the mattress of the bed under her back. She gasped and screamed, trying to fight back, but she felt paralyzed by her own fear. “Dad, please-.”
A sharp slap snapped her head painfully to the side, and she began to sob. “Jerrie,” she begged, praying to any higher deity that her brother would come help her.
Suddenly, Teazer felt her father’s paws working the button on her jeans. She screeched and tried to grab his paws to push them away, but he was stronger and easily overpowered her. She felt the zipper sliding down and began to scream, sobbing madly. A sharp blow to cheek stunned her into paralyzed silence, tears running down her pretty, orange face. Her father took the opportune moment while she was quiet to yank her jeans off and drop them on the floor, then grasp her underwear, and, with one tug, ripped them so they fell away from her body.
Cold air touched her bare body, rousing Teazer out of her stunned state. Her eyes traveled down her bare torso to her exposed femininity and where her father was standing, one paw holding her down, the other one undoing his own pants. Teazer stifled a scream and tried to fight away, but he was hopelessly stronger. She forced herself to look away as his pants dropped. “Dad, please,” she tried again, but it was no use. She felt his paws run down her thighs and pushed her legs apart. She felt a wave of dizziness and nausea hurt its way to her head, and she forced herself to look over at her brother’s fallen form in the corner where he lay, stunned.
Every muscle in Jerrie’s body screamed at him to get up. To stop his father. To save his sister. But, try as he might, he couldn’t force his legs to work. It was as if they were not attached to his body. His whole body felt paralyzed. It was his worst fear come true. His sister was being hurt, and he was powerless to help her.
Teazer’s eyes squeezed shut a moment as the world seemed to swim before her. She wanted to scream, cry, and throw up all at once. She held her breath as she suddenly felt her dad press his hips to hers, then let out an ear-shattering scream as he pressed his body up inside hers. Every muscle in her body contracted in pain, trying to get her to pull away, but she could not move.
The scream seemed to cut through the haze in Jerrie’s mind. Through bleary eyes he could see them. See Teazer’s frightened eyes. See his dad forcing himself on his beloved sister. Adrenaline rushed through his body and shouted at him to get up. He tried to obey it, but only succeeded in sitting up before his head began to hurt again.
Teazer was crying profusely, her tiny body trapped beneath her father. It hurt more than she had ever imagined it would. She couldn’t resist him as his hips ground against hers. Her body twisted beneath him, but he was stronger and kept her in place, right where he wanted her. Her breath seemed to stick in her throat as she tried to speak to her brother. “Jerrie,” she pleaded, trying to turn to look at him.
Her voice, so scared and pleading, forced Jerrie to his knees. He started to get to his feet when his dad suddenly wrapped a paw around Teazer’s throat. “You so much as twitch, and I kill her.” Teazer began to choke, her lungs burning for air that she desperately needed to express her pain at her father’s cruel torture. Jerrie froze. He would do it. He knew he would. As much as he didn’t want his little sister to suffer this agony, he didn’t want her dead. With a defeated sob, he sank back to his knees, tears running down his face.
Roth released his grip on Teazer’s throat, and Teazer gasped in a strangled breath, panting to suck in the needed oxygen. Her body shook as her dad continued to rape her. It felt like she was being torn in two. It was the most exquisitely horrible pain she had ever experienced in her life.
Roth suddenly grabbed Teazer’s shirt by the collar and yanked it, ripping it from the collar to the hem, the shirt now in pieces, exposing Teazer’s soft breasts clad only by her bra. Teazer gasped and tried to protect herself, but her father pushed her paws away and ripped the bra from Teazer’s chest. Teazer screamed and tried to cover herself with her paws. Her father’s own paws slid up her stomach and began to handle her roughly. Teazer sobbed, too weak to fight back anymore.
Roth suddenly pulled her hips to his sharply, and Teazer cried out as his seed passed into her body. A moment later, her dad stood up, smirking slightly, and slid on his own pants. Teazer curled into a ball on the mussed covers, sobbing and desperately trying to cover her naked body with her paws and the shreds of her shirt.
Roth smoothed his fur, then turned to Jerrie. “You two leave this house, you die!” He turned and stalked out of the room.
The instant he heard the downstairs door slam, Jerrie leaped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back, and rushed to Teazer’s side, yanking his shirt off, and wrapping it around her body. Teazer sobbed, clinging to her brother tightly. Jerrie held her close. “Shh, love. Shh. I got you. It’s okay now.” He held her close, letting her cry. He felt his heart breaking in his chest. Why couldn’t he have helped her? Why did she have to suffer like that?
“Jerrie…” Teazer whimpered. Jerrie cuddled her closer. “Don’t let him touch me again,” she sobbed into his shoulder.
“I won’t. I promise,” Jerrie said, purring softly in her ear to soothe her, feeling guilty. He had said that earlier that day, and now he was seeing what little good it had done. He scooped Teazer up in his arms, then realized with a start that she was bleeding. “Oh, Teazer, darling…” He carried her into the bathroom and set her down in the tub, turning on the water. “You stay here. I’m gonna go get you some clothes, okay?”
Teazer whimpered and nodded slowly. Jerrie headed into Teazer’s room on shaky legs. He grabbed her some clothes out of her closet and sat down weakly on the edge of Teazer’s bed. He wasn’t sure whether or not he could get up again. How could he have done that to her? He had gotten them both in trouble knowing his dad’s threat and knowing that his dad was serious. He closed his eyes weakly and laid down against her pillow. Hot tears stung his eyes like acid as he started to cry. Why couldn’t he save her? Why was he unable to protect her from the same suffering he had to live with every day? He stopped his crying and got to his feet, heading into the bathroom to deliver Teazer her clothes and praying that the worst was over.
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