A small calico kitten crouched down so that she was closer to the ground. She pulled the piece of black material around her, ensuring that she wouldn’t be seen. She opened the small sock she was carrying with her; everything was still there. She made her way across the street and began to causally walk through the over grown field. She shouldn’t come across anyone, maybe a rat or a mouse, but no one else. She saw two big brown eyes staring at her. She arched her back and hissed at the stranger. She smelled the air to see if she could identify them only to roll her eyes. She pushed down the broken piece of a mirror and continued on her way.
'Scared by my own reflection. I’m glad that none of the guys were around to see that,' she thought to herself. She stopped for a moment and went back to the mirror to look at her reflection. She sighed deeply as she saw herself; her fur was matted and needed cleaning. She looked at what bit of her fur that she could see from beneath her cloak. Orange and black was lined across her white fur in thin stripes, leaving a white strip on her back and her stomach. Okay so maybe she wasn’t a calico, she was a tabby and a calico mixed together; a tablico as she liked to call it.
The tablico ran through the rest of the field and marched up a hill; trying to look dignified. She passed two burly toms in black cloaks as she entered the building on top of the hill. She made the familiar way down the dimly lit hallways to the Master Room. It was well named considering that’s where their master always was. She raised her paw and knocked on the door and waited outside on the heavy door until she heard him beckon her.
“Ah, Valjean.” He smiled as she came in, slightly shuddering at her ‘name’. “Back so soon?”
“I’m done sir,” she said as she placed her sock on the floor. The tom cocked his head to the side, causing some dust to fall down off of it. He stretched out his red body and began to walk over to her.
“Already? You never cease to surprise me Valjean; and please, call me Macavity,” he told her as he grinned. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to have that promotion? Your life could be better.”
“Macavity, if I go any higher I’ll be in to catnappers and assassins. You know I refuse to kill or steal... cats,” she reminded him as she shook her head politely.
“Why do I put up with you then?” he asked her exasperatedly.
“Because I’m your best thief and the best one at breaking your prisoner’s spirits with out causing any bodily harm,” she told him with a smile.
“You’re right,” he said as he picked up her bag and emptied it onto the floor. He pushed a few things aside to get a better view of the objects. “Everything’s here. Wonderful job Valjean,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “I do believe that you grabbed this for yourself,” he growled as he picked up a piece of yarn.
“Yes sir; my tie on my cloak snapped during the raid so I grabbed it to replace it. I hope you don’t mind,” she said sheepishly, knowing that he did not tend to like his workers using his time for themselves.
“I suppose not,” he pondered as he handed it to her. “Only since you were honest about it,” he added as he spotted the broken fastening around her neck.
“Thank you sir,” Valjean said as she graciously took the yarn from him.
“Speak nothing of it. Now go down to cell block B, there’s a new guest down there who I want you to break,” Macavity said in a commanding voice.
Valjean nodded as she left the room. She breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way to the cells as she fixed her tie. She signaled the guard on duty to take his relieve as she took her place. She walked up to the nearest cell and stood up to see inside.
“Mitcha,” she whispered as the prisoner turned around. The insider’s eyes immediately seemed relieved as she made her way to the door.
“Hey Valjean,” the queen purred. “You babysitting us again?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Mac told me that we have a new guest, know anything about it?”
“She’s two blocks down on my wall,” Mitcha told her as she jerked her head in the direction. “She’s taking it pretty hard; just stopped crying a half hour ago.”
“That’s horrible. Is she a kitten?” Valjean asked as she felt her heart breaking.
“From what I could tell, she’s older then you though. Probably by four months. Although you’re not much of a kitten anymore now are you?” Mitch pointed out in her smoky voice.
“I suppose not,” Valjean said as she rolled her eyes.
“Starting to get those queen urges aren’t you? Needing a tom to fix them. Who is it Val, Aconite? I saw them way you just looked at him when you told him that he was done for the night.”
“Shut up,” Valjean said as she lightly pushed her friend through the bars. “Now I’m not going to feed you,” she teased.
“No, anything but that,” Mitcha cried dramatically making her guard laugh as her door opened.
“What would I do without you?” Valjean asked as she set down the bowl of food.
“Go crazy and senile,” Mitcha told her before she got a shocked expression from her friend. “Oh, that’s right. It’s too late.”
“I’ll see you later,” she told her before shutting the door. She handed out food to the other four blocks and came to a stop in front of her last one; the one with the new queen inside. She carefully pushed it open, not wanting to frighten her. It was a scary enough place as it was.
“Hi,” Valjean said quietly as she stepped inside. She saw a gold and black queen lying on the floor. The queen noticed her and began to hiss and swipe at her.
“Take it easy, I’m just here to give you something to eat,” she told the scared queen as she set the bowl of food on the floor. The queen eyed the food and guard carefully. “It’s not like its poisoned or anything.” Valjean picked up a piece of the food off the plate and ate it. “It’s fine if you like tuna.” The queen kept giving her a death glare.
“So where are you from?” Valjean asked trying to see if she could get the queen to speak. “Is this you’re first time here? What am I doing, of course it is, I would have recognized you if it wasn’t. Do you have a name or something?” Valjean sighed as the queen remained silent. “Well, I’m just outside your door if you feel like talking.”
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Valjean sat back down outside the door three days later. Every night she tried to get the queen to talk to her but she was still being stubborn. At least she was eating the food now. And she stopped crying, but now sat in silence.
“Pssst, Valjean,” she heard somebody whisper. She looked up and saw a paw sticking out through the bars of the door across from her. She slowly got up and walked over.
“What is it, Jellybean?” she asked as she peered in and saw the orange spotted queen.
“Can you do me a favor?” she asked as her eyes grew big; starting to plead with the queen already.
“Depends,” she said sternly with a smile.
“Sing. I can’t sleep. So I was hoping that you could sing the lullaby I taught you, the one my mom used to sing,” the small queen pleaded as Valjean nodded. She gently opened the door as Jellybean curled up to her.
“You owe me,” Valjean reminded her as the kitten nodded. “You have to sing the first line.”
“Midnight, not a sound from the pavement,” Jellybean sang quietly before looking up at Valjean.
“Has the moon lost her memory? She is smiling alone. In the lamplight the withered leaves collect at my feet; and the wind begins to moan,” Valjean sang sweetly as she stroked the queen’s head; causing her to drift off. She gently rested her on the bed she was given before resuming her post.
“...Demeter,” a soft voice came.
“What?” Valjean asked as she looked around for an intruder.
“My name; it’s Demeter.” Valjean rose and looked through the bars of the door and saw the queen, Demeter, looking right at her. She allowed her self in as she sat down across from the queen.
“Hi Demeter,” she said politely. “I’m... well, I actually don’t know who I am. Everybody here calls me Valjean though.”
“What do you mean?” Demeter asked as she became puzzled.
“When we come here, we loose our identity. We’re given a new name as a sign as a new life. Macavity keeps all of our names on file though; and when he retires us, we get our old name back. So he decided to call me Valjean; after the thief from ‘Les Miserables,’” Valjean explained as Demeter nodded. “So where did you come from?”
“The Jellicle Junkyard. That’s where I grew up. All my friends are there too, and my older sister, Bombalurina. She’s a major flirt. We’re... all pretty close together in the junkyard. If something happens to someone from there, it’s like it affects us all. Even if it’s someone we didn’t get to know very well. We all just get concerned. We usually stay inside the Junkyard though. We don’t mind; it’s awesome for hide-and-seek. And we have these balls every year. We dance and sing and tell stories and one of us gets sent to the Heavyside Lair to be reborn,” Demeter explained, growing more and more excited by the word.
“Sounds wonderful,” Valjean said enviously.
“It is; that’s why I miss it so much,” Demeter said as he voice dropped. “What about you?”
“My mom dropped me off here when I was little; about three months I do believe. She said that she knew I’d be better off here then I’d ever be with her. I’m not sure if she’s right or wrong yet.” Valjean added with a little laugh. “So, I began training. We all learn defense when we start. Then we get trained in what ever fields we’re assigned to. I’m the best in my fields so far. Although, Macavity wants me to become an assassin. I won’t do it though. I won’t even kill a mouse. Nobody deserves to be killed, unless it’s at the hands of The Everlasting Cat,” she added with a look skywards. “So, a year later and here I am.”
“Ever think of running away?” Demeter asked.
“All the time, but the cons always outweigh the pros; and Macavity’s the con. He personally hunts down his runaways; kills them; and feeds them to Pollicles.”
“That’s awful,” Demeter breathed before a silence fell over them. “What will he do to me?”
Valjean sighed as she looked at the ground. “Most likely he’ll use you for pleasure; especially if you’re sill innocent. That’s what he likes in a queen.” She looked up and saw the tears in Demeter’s eyes. “It’ll be okay; he’ll use you once or twice and then you’re set free. The most harm that you’ll get is a few bruises from when he slaps you, but nothing permanent. It’ll clear up in time. Are you scared?” she asked quietly.
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Demeter nodded her head as Valjean brought her into a hug and comforted her as best as she could. A plan began to form in her head that she already began to regret.
“Come in,” Macavity’s voice rang through the door. Valjean eased it open and slipped inside with her bag. The routine began; Macavity overlooking the new items, brought up the promotion; Valjean turned it down, and received a kiss on her forehead from her boss.
“Any luck with the Jellicle?” Macavity asked as he twiddled the golden chain between his claws.
“Yes Sir, she’s terrified. She told me so last night,” she reported as she pursed her lips together.
“Wonderful, I’m so glad that I can trust you to never let me down.” Macavity said with a bit of a purr to his voice.
“Sir, I was wondering if I could make a deal with you?” Valjean asked as Macavity turned around.
“I suppose you may try,” he said as he resumed his perch on the seat of the armchair. “What is the deal you wish to make?”
“Me for Demeter,” Valjean said quickly as she closed her eyes.
“What?” Macavity roared as he bolted up.
“Sir, she’s terrified. Where she grew up she was sheltered and now she’s here and down right petrified. The way I see it, my spirit’s already broken from working for you for so long,” Valjean debated. “Send her back to the Junkyard as a warning to the Jellicles. Scare them by using her.”
Macavity jumped down and began to circle his employee; giving her a look over. He removed her cloak and checked her once more.
“Aconite,” he called as the black cat appeared in the doorway. “Go to cell block B, release the Jellicle. Bring her down to the road and give her directions to Main Street. I do believe that she can find her way back home from there,” Macavity told him. “Now!”
“Thank you sir,” Valjean said as she bowed to him and turned to leave.
“Where are you going Valjean?” Macavity asked as he began to advance on her. “I kept my end of the bargain, now it’s time to keep yours.”
Valjean limped her way down the hall and signaled the current guard to leave. Once he was out of view she collapsed on the ground. She tried to breath but she was in too much pain from her ‘meeting’ with her boss.
“You okay,” Mitcha asked as she peered through the bars.
“Demeter still here?” Valjean asked weakly as she rolled over.
“They took her away about an hour ago, do you know why?” Mitcha asked.
“They freed her; my request. I made a deal with Macavity,” she explained.
“You didn’t give him your.... You know.”
Valjean rolled back on her stomach as she heard her friend gasp. “Valjean!” she scolded.
“I’m in enough pain as it is Mitcha,” she grumbled into the ground.
“What’s going on?” Jellybean asked as she peeked through her bars.
“Valjean gave herself to Macavity!” Mitcha told her as the other queens peeked out.
They all began criticize her on her decision as she tried to tell them her point, although it couldn’t be heard over them queen’s hisses.
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Valjean rested in the hall; she just got back from her latest encounter with Macavity. The queens stopped criticizing her once she was able to get her side across. She looked up as she heard footsteps approaching. Aconite turned the corner as Valjean stood up.
“Boss wants you,” he told her.
“I was just with him a few minutes ago,” she told him bewildered.
“So, he wants you now,” he said as he took post. Valjean quietly walked down the hall, worried about what would happen to her. She knocked and walked in. He was sitting in his armchair, holding a box in his lap.
“Ah, Valjean, how are you?” he purred.
“I’m fine. Did you want another go Macavity?” she asked bluntly.
“No. I did want to give you something though,” he said as he approached her with the box. He opened it revealing a Woolworth pearl bracelet.
“What’s that?” she asked as she peered at it.
“Your freedom,” he said as he removed her cloak and attached it around her neck. “I decided to retire you. This was no place for a kitten for to grow up. I figured that you need to see if the stories that you’ve been hearing from my guests are all they were cracked up to be. If you decided that it isn’t what you thought it would be, then feel free to return your collar and resume your original post.”
She looked at him in disbelief and she touched the pearls. He looked down at her before kissing her forehead. “Rumpelteazer.”