When The Jade Stone Disappears

Jade was pouncing every cat in sight when she noticed her friend Pouncival walking into the junkyard. She considered saying hi, but decided pouncing him would be more fun. Jade crouched, stalked, and leaped! Pouncival groaned when she landed on him. "Go away." "Huh? But I wanna play!" Jade was disappointed. "Then play with Cornelius." "He's too boring." "Then play with your dad." "He's asleep!" "Wake him up." "No! I'll get in trouble!" "And I'm s'posed to care?" "I'm gonna leave the junkyard! Just you watch me!" Jade was very prepared to make good on her threat. "Go ahead." Pouncival wasn't paying attention to what she was saying by now, and didn't much care. But it was too late. Jade had already left. She had scampered right past Pouncival and her brother, who was playing with a little ball he had found in a junkpile. Jade sailed right past everyone, and was feeling good when she leaped out of the junkyard. She, being the daughter of Mistoffelees, had magical powers. Her brother did not because he looked exactly like their mother, who didn't have magical powers. If Cornelius had any black on him, that would have given him a few magical powers. "But they're all for me!" Jade often said happily to herself. But, because of several disasters, she was forbidden to use them. "Who's going to stop me?" she said happily as she ran along the street. "I am." said a very familiar voice behind her. An all-too-familiar voice. Jade stopped and turned around. "Hi, Daddy. How are you today?" "Very well, thank you. What are you doing out of the junkyard?" Mistoffelees sounded calm, but Jade was still in trouble. She could tell. "Ummm, I was going to find someone who would appreciate my pounces." Jade thought that sounded like a good excuse. In fact, it wasn't even lying. "I see. And why might no one appreciate your pounces?" Mistoffelees looked at his daughter calmly. She didn't want to tell him what happened. He might get mad at Pouncival. "I didn't want to play with anyone nearby, so I left. So there." Jade stuck her tongue out at Mistoffelees. "And you're not the boss of me!" she added. As soon as she said it, a thought immediately occurred to her. Uh-oh! "I see. Then who is your boss?" Mistoffelees started to walk away, knowing Jade would follow. "Nobody. That's why I can't do anything in the junkyard, 'cause everybody bosses me around." Jade tried to make a quick cover-up. And failed. "So, do you want me to leave you out here to the Pollicles, Miss Bossless Kitty?" Mistoffelees turned to Jade outside the gate of the junkyard. "N-no." she stammered. "I-I c-can go inside." Jade peered around, looking for Pollicles. "Oh. Are you still bossless?" "Yes." "Then you can't come in here." Mistoffelees tried not to laugh at Jade's facial expression. "Why?" Jade looked like she might cry and laugh at the same time. "Because everybody has to have a boss. At least in here they do. So you can't come in." Jade did start crying. "Will you be my boss?" she sobbed up at him. "Okay. But I might need your Mama's help being your boss." Mistoffelees looked down at Jade's solemn face. "Okay." she said seriously, only to yell in anger when Cornelius said, "Why can't I be her boss?" "Cause you're just a kitten." Jade was about to pounce on Cornelius when Misto jerked her to the ground. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked the angry Jade. "You're still in trouble for leaving the junkyard." "But I came back!" Jade rubbed her bottom, having been injured when she was jerked to the ground. "So? You left. You're not supposed to do that, Jade. Come on." Mistoffelees picked Jade up and put her to rights, and she, in turn, glared at him. "Yeah, Jade, you're not s'posed to leave the junkyard!" Cornelius smirked, thinking he was safe from anything his sister might pull. He wasn't. Jade had a silent war going on in her head. One half told her, You're already in trouble! And the other half said, Exactly! You can do whatever you want! What're they gonna do about it? And the reasonable half argued, You could get in more trouble! And her reckless half won, saying the ultimate sentence, Yeah, but what the heck? "Hey, Cornelius! Yoo-hoo!" Jade called, making sure she sounded innocent. "Hey, 'Nelius! I have something to tell you!" Cornelius turned, impatient, and asked, "What?" "Just this." Jade pointed, concentrated, and ZZZZZAAAAAAPPPPPP! Cornelius screamed in pain, and he pointed at Jade when all the Jellicles looked at him questioningly. "It was her!" Cornelius screamed. Mistoffelees shook his head. "You just had to do that, didn't you?" Mistoffelees tried to take Jade over to the old car, so he could make sure she stayed inside and out of trouble.

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