Part 2
Macavity waited for the very last Jellicle to fall asleep, whom was Mungojerrie, tenderly curling up with Rumpelteazer behind a bush in Victoria Grove. His humans had thrown him out again, just as Macavity told him they would.
He decided he knew the eternal fate of the Jellicles. Three years ago he had put Demeter to sleep for three weeks. In that time he had mated with her and she had later produced one kitten, during which Macavity took over her memory, so she would enver know she had a kitten.
He hadn’t wanted a kitten, he only wanted Demeter, so he sen the kitten away. Now the kitten was back, and he realized how much he loved her. He knew she needed a mother. And if her real mother refused to be one, then he would force her, by putting the Jellicles into a deep sleep, for eternity.
He almost had enough power to put them asleep until their heart came to its last beat. But he needed a little more. And he knew just where he could get it.
Mistoffelees had enough power to fulfill the lack he had. With Mistoffelees’, he would be able to follow through with his plan. He had to corner Mistoffelees first. Capture him, forve him to sleep, then drain his powers. After that there’d be nothing, and eternally sleep, just like the rest of his fellow Jellicles. The only Jellicle that wouldn’t sleep was Demeter. Because she would be his mate once again.
Mistoffelees was fast asleep in Pouncival’s basement, the cold was chilling them all. He knew that as long as Mistoffelees was sleeping and helpless, he could do anything.
“Luctien!” he shouted.
“Yes sir?” Lucieten, a small calico scrambled before her master.
“I want you to bring Mistoffelees to me.”
“The Conjuring Cat, sir?”
“WHY MUST YOU QUESTION MY KNOWLEDGE?!?!?!”
“Yes sir.” He scampered out of the lairs, and into the big city of London. Macavity already felt ashamed for his order. It was wrong of him to put away all the Jellicles, but it must be done.
Malisa came out of her chamber. “Daddy, will you tell me a story?”
“Of course, pun’kin.” He lifted Malisa on his lap. “Once in a kingdom, far, far away, there lived a young maiden, a boy and his cow, and a childless baker and his wife…”
Meanwhile, Mistoffelees had heard a small crash outside the door. He shook Rum Tum Tugger and Pouncival awake. “Did you hear that?”
“You shaking us? No, but it kinda pissed me off,” Tugger said snidely.
“Tugger, I’m serious.”
“So am I.” Misto rolled his eyes.
The wall was banged on again.
“Okay, I’m answering that,” Pouncival went right for the door. Pouncival flung the door open. “Now listen here, you—“
“Hsssss!” screeched the stranger.
“Oh brother…” Pouncival gasped.
“What do you want?” Rum Tum Tugger stepped in front of his friends bravely as possible.
The stranger scanned the room. He stopped when eyes met with Mistoffelees’.
“You…” the cat began, looking directly into Misto.
“Me?” Misto pointed to himself, confused.
The cat hissed again and leaped onto Mistoffelees. Misto scrambled from his grip and jumped up to his feet, growling ferociously. Rum Tum Tugger jumped in front Mistoffelees and snarled. Pouncival growled from farther behind.
At last, Tugger pounced on the cat, his claws out and sharp. His victim battled him off with great strength, the curious cat was surprised of his fighting skill. But there was no time to wonder. Tugger had a large cut in his left forepaw, and there was no one to help.
The stranger grabbed Mistoffelees quicker than anyone could see. His claws came out long and jagged, wrapping around his prey’s neck. Misto was breathing, but not much.
“I have what I want,” said the visitor. “Now I’ll go. And none of you move until I’m gone. That’ll give me fair chance.” He was out of breath, Tugger noticed, but that advantage was not his. He could barely move.
But Pouncival saw that. Pouncival was small. He had not much training in skilled fighting and methodss of such. But he was the black cat’s only chace.
When the mysterious cat turned away, Pouncival jumped on his back and dragged his claws through the cat’s skin. He yowled, and his grip became obviously tighter on Misto’s neck. Pouncival jumped backwards. The grip loosened the tiniest bit.
“If you need me, by name is Lucieten. But you’ll never find me!” With a dark laugh, he smashed through the basement window and was gone.
“Rum Tum Tugger!” Pounci yelled. “We have to do something!” he shook Tugger madly.
“I can’t,” Tugger breathed.
“Right. I’ll go get help!” Pouncival ran out into the dark city night, not sure where he was going.
Meanwhile, Lucieten had released his grip on Mistoffelees. “Don’t try to get away. I’d much rather kill you if you did.” Misto didn’t want to put his life in anymore danger, so he took the threat seriously.
“Where are we going?” he asked firmly.
The calico grinned. “Home.”
They came upon an infamous opening in the ground.
“This is an entrance to Macavity’s Lairs!” Misto gasped.
“I know.” Lucieten grabbed Misto’s paw and yanked him under. They fell down a dark, deep mud slide, hitting rocks and spikes of metal. It was almost as it Lucieten wasn’t in pain at all by the obstacles, for he didn’t make a sound.
At the bottom of the slide stood the Napoleon of Crime himself—tall and scraggly, he looked cruel and superior to Misto’s position.
“Thank you, Lucieten,” Macavity said to his now obvious henchcat. “For once, you have done well.”
The henchcat bowed. “A pleasure, sir. Are you going to need anything for the spell?”
“You have brought the only ingredient I need,” he replied with a grin.
Lucieten nodded and walked away, but Misto looked up at the ginger cat with angry eyes.
“What are eyou planning to do?” he asked.
“I would tell you, but that wouldn’t be right, would it? After all, what if by some chance you were able to tell soemone?”
“Macavity, you have to tell me. I mean, you saved my life once… why do you want to take it?”
“I’m not going to take your life. I’m taking something else.”
Not my innocence, I hope, Misto thought.
“Mistoffelees, three years ago, you were not born, am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“But Demeter was. And she was with me. And we were in love.”
Oh man, Misto thought. I know where this is going.
“And I wanted to mate with her so much. I wanted her to be my mate. But she wouldn’t she said that she had come to fall in love with a Jellicle. And I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that at all. So I put her into Narcolepsy.”
“Narcolepsy?” Misto was a very bright cat, but he didn’t see how Mac could do that.
“Yes. For three weeks. And in that time, I mated with her… several times. But the whole time she was sleeping, of course. So then she woke up, and never found out about mating. I trust you Misto, to understand, I was young and foolish. Then I realized she was pregnant. She didn’t, but I did. She would have if she knew she had mated. But I knew she couldn't find out. So I put her into Narcolepsy for three weeks again. And she gave birth to one kitten, my dear Malisa. At the time, I didn’t want a family. I only wanted Demeter. So I sent Malisa away. And I never teld Demeter that she gave birth with me before with Munkustrap. And now Malisa is back, and I am ashamed. Which is why she must know. So Malisa can have a mother, and I can have a mate.”
Mistoffelees listened and felt sympathy and sadness for Malisa, Macavity and Demeter. Macavity shouldn’t have done it. It was more than less assault, and it was wrong. But he was ashamed and knew he had to tell Demeter the truth, but she wasn’t listening. Demeter should know she has another daughter, it’s only right. And poor Malisa, stuck in between a villainous father who loves her very much and a mother who doesn’t know that she’s her child. Misto was afraid now, of what Macavity might do.
“How do I fit into the plan?” Misto asked.
“I want to put the whole London Jellicle Tribe in Narcolepsy.” Macavity must really trust what he was doing. Whether by accident or not, he had told Mistoffelees the plan.
“And…”
“My powers aren’t enough. I need yours.”
“What about Demeter? Once there all asleep, what good will that do?”
“I’m putting them all in Narcolepsy except Demi. Then she’ll have no choice but to be Malisa’s mother and my mate.”
“Don’t you care about her happiness?”
“She’ll be happier with her real family.”
Mistoffelees had nothing to reply. What Mac was saying might be true. Demi belonged with her real family. But she wasn’t even meant to have a family.
“How are you going to get my powers?” Mistoffelees moved on, staying completely calm.
“I’m going to drain them… through death.”
Fear rose in Misto’s throat. Death? Was he serious?
“You’re going to… kill me? After all the good things I told about you?”
“I have to. It’s the only way to get Malisa’s mother back.”
“I”ll explain everything to her—“
“No!” Macavity protested. “You won’t. I want your powers. Now.”
“Gotta catch me first!” Mistoffelees launced off through the darkness, straight for an opening he remembered finding as a kitten.
Mac was out of breath before he could begin. “Lucieten!”
Mistoffelees’ neck hurt very much. The blood had basically dried in his fur.
A million thoughts flew through his mind. If what Macavity said was true… well, for once, he had a plan that just might work. Which was why he had to tell the Jellicles. And he had to get Malisa her mother. He believed that Demi was Malisa’s mother. It made sense. It sounded like something Macavity would do.
He had to warn the Jellicles. But he had to do it right. One wrong turn, one indirect angle, and Mac would catch him and wring his neck to the grave. But he also had to get Demeter to realize Malisa was her child too. He didn’t know how he knew, but he believed Macavity. Somehow, whether Mac knew it or not, he trusted Misto. And Misto, even if Mac had never been exactly a friend of the Jellicles, he had to fulfill his end of the bargain and stay trustworthy. If he didn’t, he’d be worse then Macavity, even.
Outside of the Junkyard, Jellicles were searching for them. When Matty saw his face, she shouted out: “MISTO!!!” at the top of her lungs. Everyone turned and there he was. They ran to hug him. Demeter pulled him to the side.
“What’d Mac do to you?”
“Nothing,” Misto almost felt like he was lying.
“Then what’s this nothing in your neck.” He could feel his neck throbbing, but he had really forgotten about it. It was no longer bleeding, but the pain was worse.
“He just grabbed me a little. I’m fine.”
“He grabbed you? It looks like he cut your neck open!”
“Demeter! Really, I’m fine. Look, I have to tell you something very important. Something Macavity needs to tell you but he wants to do it the violent way. And I can only tell you right now.”
“Huh?” Demi looked confused. “Alright. I’ll be over in your shack in a minute.” Misto nodded and walked towards his shack. Demi shrugged and followed.
“Demi,” Misto said a little breathlessly. “Macavity wants you back.” He swallowed hard. “You’re Malisa’s mother.”
Demeter pasued. At first, she wasn’t sure how to reply. “How can you be so sure of yourself?”
“I wouldn’t if I didn’t know for sure. Listen, It’s Macavity. He has a plan and it could work if you don’t cooperate. Malisa is your daughter. You have to trust me on this one. But she is.”
Demeter’s was wide-eyed now and nodding. “You’re certain?”
“Yes. He told me everything. But there is no time to worry, we must act. He will be out to find us all soon. He wants my powers, and he’ll get them if we don’t hurry. To summarize our problem, he wants to put us all in Narcolepsy.”
“Huh?”
“He will make us sleep eternally.”
Demeter gasped.
“Come on now. We have to warn Munkustrap, so he can get us all in alert.”
Demeter just glared at him. “Munkustrap?”
“Of course!”
“Why? He’ll just think up something stupid and drastic like last time and someone will end up hurt. Remember the Jellicle Ball? Because he didn’t take time to try and talk to Mac, he, Mungojerrie, Pouncival, Alonzo and I ended up getting hurt.”
“You know he didn’t mean for it to be that way.”
“But the carelessness. Mac could have killed one of us, and then where would you all be?”
Mistoffelees was beginning to see her point of view. But Munkus had only looked for the best. He only wanted to be a good leader. “Demi, really…”
“Misto, I’m serious. When I went to see Malisa, after strictly telling him not to, he followed me, and thrashed at Mac, even when Mac didn’t do anything. And that’s why mac is mad. Because Munkustrap couldn’t belive for one minute that he was wrong and I was right.”
Could that be true? Could it me that Munkus never thought he was wrong, and that was what dragged them into these problems?
No, of course not. Munkustrap was good leader, he always dragged them out of trouble. Though he had never heard the tabby admit that he had been wrong. And some of his choices were obviously wrong. Like th eone Demeter was telling him about.
“But you love Munkustrap,” Misto said.
“I don’t know anymore.”
“Oh Demi!” he hugged her tightly. “Really, this is getting out of hand. Munkustrap was wrong to follow you, but he was only trying to protect you. Look, we have to deal with Mac, then we’ll set things straight.” He looked into her eyes. “Okay?”
She nodded.
He wiped a tear away and let her go. “Come now.”
They led back out to the junkyard. Misto told Munkustrap, who immediately alarmed the cats. He didn’t seem at all set back by his and Demeter’s fight.
Then, Munkustrap declared an attack. But Misto stopped him.
“No! You can’t. See, we want Mac to know that Demeter knows Malisa is her child. We don’t want to be put in Narcolepsy. We want justice. And we can’t get that with violence. We have to talk to him, as hard as it may seem. But it has to be someone who Mac wouldn’t jump at immediately. That takes out me, Munkus snd Bomby.”
“Who is the leader here?” Munkustrap almost sounded cocky.
“You. Who is the Jellicle here?”
“We’re all Jellicles!”
“And there you have it! Proof that it’s, all for one, and one for all!”
“—Catch your whiskers before they fall!” Matty said as she zapped at Pounci’s whiskers, beginning to crumble and fall.
“Now, I suggest Demeter, Mungojerrie, --“
“Oh no you don’t,” Mungojerrie stepped right up. “I am not going back in those lairs!”
“Anyway. Demeter, Mungojerrie, Rumpelteazer and… where’s Plato when you need him? Alonzo! Yea, that’s it! Dem, Jer, Teaze and Alonzo!”
The four stepped forward. “You have to convince Mac not to attack, but to work something out between Demeter, Macavity and the child. No violence.”
“I really think it’d be best if I followed,” Munkustrap walked towards them.
“Why? Don’t you trust them? You think they can’t do it just because you’re not there?” Bombalurina piped up.
“Yeah!” several more cats joined in. Jonathan and James came up and dragged Munkus back into the crowd.
“Good luck!” they cried, as four very brave cats walked to a angry villain’s lairs.
To be continued…
Part 3
