A/N: I know in the musical Jemima wears a collar, so one could argue she does have a home outside the junkyard, but I have seen other stories involving her that explore the possibility that she may have been born into the junkyard and therefore never had a human family. For the purpose of this story, I am following the 'she doesn't have a human family/the junkyard life is all she has ever known' plot :) just wanted to clarify that to avoid confusion.
Also, I'm not sure about other fans, but whenever I read a story that involves any of the cats interacting with humans-I imagine them as regular cats during those interaction(s), and when the cats are together I imagine the human..noid...versions we know and love from the musical. Does that make sense at all? Anyway that is pretty much how I imagine those interactions as they play out in the story ;) but of course you guys imagine whatever you want! Thanks!
It started out as a beautiful, sticky, sunny summer morning. When Jemima woke up, she immediately was welcomed by the sun shining through her den's entrance; she rolled and stretched out in the warm rays of light with a sense of glee. It was going to be a great day; she knew it. She knew it because today was the first day of the annual Sunflower Festival at St. James Park-a tradition Jemima looked forward to every summer. At the end of every August, the people of London held a giant festival, that lasted the whole week, to wave goodbye to the hot summer season and make way for the upcoming fall. There would be food carts, parades, carnival rides, games, street performers and musicians, and best of all…the sunflowers. Jemima adored the number of flowers that littered every inch of the park -she could never recall a time where she had seen so much beauty and magic in one given place.
Many of the jellicle cats made a point to visit the festival grounds at least once during the week, especially since the park was within easy walking distance from the junkyard, and it was an easy score to find some quick meals, though Jemima was single handedly the one queen most excited for it. Last year Victoria practically had to drag her away when it was time to return home-she could have happily spent many more hours rolling around in the flowers. This year was going to be just as wonderful!
Jemima leapt up after a good stretch and grinned over at Victoria's sleeping form-creeping her way over and waiting a moment before pushing her forehead into her friend's back.
"Victoria!" She whispered with enthusiasm.
"Wake up, sleepy cat! Sunflower festival! I wanna go before the parades start!" Jemima couldn't contain her grin, though it almost immediately faltered as Victoria coughed roughly and rolled over-large bags under her eyes.
"…Oh, that is today, isn't it?" Victoria's voice sounded scratchy, and she tried in vain to clear it. "Jemima, I'm so sorry, but I feel absolutely terrible this morning…"
Jemima placed a paw on Victoria's forehead, before letting out a quick gasp. "You're burning! What happened? You seemed fine last night!"
Victoria winced and rolled on her back-looking up at the ceiling of their shared den in thought.
"…Plato and I were out late last night…you were asleep when I got back. I must have…caught something...-" She coughed again; Jemima winced as a look of pain crossed her friend's face.
"…I'm so sorry Jemima…I don't think I can go with you to the park." Victoria's face washed over with guilt, and Jemima could only nod her head in agreement.
"Don't worry, Vic. You gotta stay in bed and get better…. the festival lasts a whole week, after all." Jemima tried to force some optimism into her words, though her obvious disappointment was hard to mask.
"I'm sure you can find someone else to go with you?"
Jemima pondered for a moment, before she smiled and nodded. She didn't want Victoria to feel any worse than she did…. but truth was Jemima was really looking forward to spending the time with one of her oldest friends. Victoria and Plato were beginning to get serious, Jemima knew, and it was only a matter time before Plato was probably going to pop the big question to her. Jemima suspected once Plato and Victoria officially became mates, her friendship would inevitable change with the white queen. She wouldn't have as much time with her…Jemima was thinking this year's Sunflower Fest would be one of their last hoorahs together as young, 'free' queens. How unfair it was that Victoria had to catch a bug and ruin her plans!
"Don't worry, I'll find someone to go with. I'll bring you back a flower, okay?" Jemima's smile was genuine and she nuzzled her friend's arm affectionately.
"You're wonderful." Victoria smiled, before she sighed and rolled back over-within moments, she had fallen back asleep. Jemima fluffed a few pillows under her friend's head, before she glared at her den's entrance and proudly strode outside-she was determined not to let her day be ruined.
Jemima walked a little more slowly as she reached the fence of the junkyard; doubts suddenly creeping in her mind. She had tried in vain to look for Etcetera or Electra, but both must have been caught up in their own morning activities-or maybe they were already at the park? The junkyard was unusually quiet-though it was still quite early, so it was anyone's guess as to what the other cats might be up to.
Jemima stared at the fence as she pondered, and she suddenly questioned if she was brave enough to attend the festival alone. It certainly would be more fun to have a friend with her, and she had to admit she rarely ever ventured out of the junkyard by herself, but it wasn't as if the park was terribly far away…
Just then, a black and white tail interrupted her thoughts as it suddenly appeared in front of her nose-twitching casually up and down. When Jemima jumped and looked up, Mistoffelees was smiling down at her.
"You're up early." Misto was sitting casually on the fence-shuffling something in his paws that Jemima couldn't quite make out. Jemima grinned back at the magical cat and leapt up to sit by him.
"Are you going to the festival?" Her voice was breathless; her eyes sparkling with excitement. Misto took a moment to look at her, before his cheeks turned a slight shade of rose and he looked back down at his paws. "I probably will end up there later, sure. Aren't you going with Vic?"
Jemima pouted, before she shook her head and looked down at the ground below them. "Not this year-Vic caught some kind of cold, I think. She's pretty sick."
Mistoffelees frowned, and he looked up in thought. "Hmm…that is no good. I should bring her something."
"Like what?" Jemima's expression was curious, and Misto couldn't help but smile at her.
"When we were kittens, if we got sick Jennanydots would give us warm cream with honey. I'm not sure if it really cures a cold or not, but it always did make us feel better." Misto nodded, before he shrugged his shoulders. "She would do the same for me."
Jemima nodded in agreement, before she looked over her shoulder-her nose lifting in the air as she caught the not so distant smell of fried festival food. "Well, in any case, she is staying home today…I can't find anyone else to go with me but-"
"I'll go with you." Misto's sudden interruption of her sentence made her pause, before her face lit up and she clasped her paws together-her tail looping into the holes in the metal fence to help her keep balance.
"You would want to go with me, Misto?"
Mistoffelees's face twisted into one of genuine adoration at her innocent question, before he placed a paw against her cheek. "I would love to." The confidence in his voice, and his affection, made Jemima's heart flutter a bit. Misto then reached that same paw up to her right ear, and in a movement she couldn't see, he suddenly was holding a bright yellow ribbon in front of her face. Jemima's eyes grew wide and she awkwardly scratched her ear-as if the ribbon had mysteriously been pulled right from inside it.
"WH-" Jemima started to laugh nervously, and Misto joined in her chuckling as he casually tied the ribbon around her neck in a gentle way-securing a big bow in the back. "Now you look like one the flowers too."
Jemima felt a warmth grow inside her chest, and for a moment she got lost in Mistoffelees's stare. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of drums being beaten a few blocks away.
"Oh! The parade is starting!" Jemima jumped and her head spun around in the direction of the park, before she whipped back to Misto- biting her lower lip. "We're going to miss it!"
"Well we can't have that." Misto purred in thought, before nodding his head. "Do you want to meet me there while I deliver some cream to our sick friend?" Jemima nodded rapidly, before she gave Misto a quick but firm hug-then jumped down from the fence. "You know that one bench by the duck pond-with the white flowers painted on the back?"
Misto nodded, before he also hopped off the fence, but remained on the Junkyard's side.
"Yes-give me ten or so minutes and I'll be there!"
Jemima squealed in delight before nodding quickly and running off towards the park-her heart beating rapidly as a new burst of adrenaline filled her lungs. Who would have thought she'd be lucky to have the handsome tuxedo cat fill her best friend's paws? A blur of thoughts rushed through Jemima's mind as she raced closer to the park-the sounds and smells getting stronger as she arrived.
The park was in full form, and Jemima couldn't have been more delighted. It wasn't long before she found the iconic bench she was to meet Misto at, and she settled underneath it in the shade-panting as she slowly caught her breath from running over so quickly. Her large brown eyes wandered around the area-trying to take in everything to see and do. Many humans were in the park-most settling in to wait for the upcoming parade to arrive. There were carts set up for food, flowers, and arts and crafts that were being sold. Jemima tilted her head back and inhaled mightily -the sweet, wonderful aroma of the sunflowers filling her lungs and spilling over her with a pleasant sense of nostalgia. Once Mistoffelees arrived, together they would find the biggest and most beautiful sunflower to bring home to Victoria.
A new smell interrupted her thoughts, and Jemima tilted her head as she followed the scent over to a food truck a little way across the park. It was the unmistakable smell of crispy, steaming, fluffy fried fish. Jemima couldn't stop her mouth from watering just slightly, and she realized she might impress Misto if she secured a bit of breakfast for them. Her cheeks turned warm as she quickly imagined the look of delight that could appear on the tom's face, all because of her, and realizing she still had a few minutes before he was due to show she quickly scattered out and headed towards the food truck-easily darting in between the many people crowding the area.
Jemima swiftly stalked behind a waste bin next to the food truck; eyeing the line of people waiting to purchase a snack from the vendor. She had to be careful-before waltzing over and expecting to be given a freebie, she needed to assess the people around. Perhaps soon there would be a sweet old lady who couldn't resist a pair of big brown kitten eyes, who would spare her a few pieces of fish? Or a tiny child who could throw her some extra helping of his or her own meal while the adults weren't looking. Jemima's grin widened as she patiently waited for her opportunity-her tail thumping the ground in anticipation.
A loud noise suddenly caused Jemima to nearly jump out of her fur, and she whipped her head around just in time to see what looked like four kids run into the back alley of a building across the street. Someone was crying, a few were laughing. Jemima frowned, turned her face back to the fish cart, and tried to focus on the task at hand. 'Ignore it…nothing you can do anyway.' The sound of a helpless yelp made her sit upright and she turned to face the alley again-her eyes narrowing. She couldn't quite make out anything but shadows of the human children, but she knew the unmistakable sound of crying. Why weren't any of the grown humans near her hearing this as well? Jemima winced as it became harder to ignore what she was hearing, and in a move she'll never fully understand, she raced away from the food cart and towards the alley where the children had gathered.
She had no idea what she would do, she was after all just a small cat, but an unknown pull at her heart told her she needed to investigate. Jemima tried to ignore the voice in her head quoting the infamous cliché: "Curiousity killed the cat, Jemima." It was probably nothing-just kids playing. There was no need to get worked up. Mistoffelees would be here any minute-she needed to stay close to their meeting spot or else he would think she ditched him, right?
Jemima crouched down against the building-hidden by shadows-and saw the scene unfolding. Three children were crowding around a smaller fourth child-one was pushing him against the wall and saying something Jemima couldn't quite make out-but the hostile tone of voice was undeniable. Jemima's eyes narrowed as she slowly crept closer-her side staying pressed against the brick wall of the building so that she remained hidden in the shadows.
"Aw, you gonna cry? Cry for your daddy?"
"His daddy ain't here-he ain't never coming home!"
The boys laughed; the one small boy was trying not to cry.
"Don't talk about my dad!" His voice tried to sound strong, but it was weak and shaking.
Then, the biggest of the three boys, grabbed the small one's shirt and raised his fist in the air. Jemima knew what was coming-the little boy must of too, but he didn't shrink back-he glared at the bully with determined eyes, despite what was obviously about to happen to him.
Then a moment came that would make Jemima question her sanity for the rest of her nine lives. With a growl and a hiss, she sprinted towards the group of children and lunged herself at the bully-securely landing on his balled-up fist and biting down hard on his sticky fingers-her teeth sinking in and immediately drawing blood.
The boy shrieked in surprise and dropped his victim-the others also jumping and crying out in alarm. Jemima wasn't quite sure what happened next, because her eyes were closed tightly, but she felt a grip on the yellow ribbon Mistoffelees had given her, and with an unimaginable force she was thrown into the air and slammed against the brick wall. Jemima saw a flash of white and felt an immediate sharp pain at the back of her head.
"STUPID CAT!" she heard a child yell out, most likely the one that she bit, and then before she could open her eyes she felt a jolt of pain in her hind leg-but she couldn't open her mouth to scream or yowl because it all happened so fast-the sounds around her slowing down before they disappeared completely and she was engulfed in nothing but blackness.
"STOP IT!" A small boy's cry was loud enough to make his bullies freeze, and then suddenly more children came running around the corner.
"Darius!" One female's voice cried out, and upon being outnumbered, his bullies made a run for it.
The boy called Darius immediately knelt by the calico cat that had saved him, and he let out a small sob as he saw her eyes were closed.
"Please don't die please don't die.." He gently lifted the small cat in his arms and turned to face his friends.
"Darius, what happened?" The little girl asked, her blue eyes wide as she gasped in horror at the hurt animal.
"He threw her and stepped on her little leg! She saved me…" His voice was dejected, before he shook his head. "I gotta help her."
The children all shared a determined look, before the little girl pointed towards the train station. "We need to leave anyway before my mom finds out we're gone. We can bring your cat to Dr. Bailey's office on the way back!"
With that, the children raced back towards the train, with Jemima held securely by the little boy named Darius.
"What are you gonna tell your mom?"
"I don't know." Darius's eyes never left the cat in his arms, even as the train shook itself to a start and slowly crept away from the station. "I guess that I just found her like this."
"Those stupid bullies." A friend of Darius grumbled. "How could they hurt a poor innocent cat?"
"Cuz their bullies." Sound logic from another friend.
It seemed like it took forever for the children to reach their destination, but finally after ten minutes or so the train slowly came to a stop and Darius bounded off the train as fast as he could-his friends helplessly trailing behind.
"You guys go back to Jesse's house." Darius turned to the blue-eyed girl, before pointing towards the direction of her house. Apparently, that was where all the kids were playing before they decided to sneak out to the festival at the park. "I know how to get to Dr. Bailey's-it is close enough to walk. I'll have them call my mom."
With that, the young boy raced down the road towards the vet's office and left his friends behind. His mind raced with anxiety as he prayed that his tiny, furry friend would be okay. She was breathing, at least, but he saw where his bully had stepped on her little leg in anger-his big brown eyes welled up in tears as he thought about how much that must have hurt the kitten. "You're gonna be okay, I promise!" Even though his confidence was shaky, Darius was determined to save the animal that saved him. He didn't care if his mom got mad at him for going to the vet office alone, or if she somehow found out he and his friends snuck onto the train to be at the festival without any adults, right now all that mattered was helping his new friend. He owed her, after all.
Back at the park, Mistoffelees arrived at Jemima's bench and wasn't sure if he was surprised or not at the fact she was not there waiting for him. Her excitement for the festival was all but obvious, and he had to admit it took him longer than he expected to bring Victoria her little 'get well' gift. Victoria had been thrilled that Mistoffelees was taking Jemima to the festival in her place, and she couldn't help but tease him slightly about his obvious feelings for the tiny queen as she sipped her warm cream and honey. Plato had also shown up, a bit perturbed that Misto had beaten him to spoiling Victoria a little in her ill state, and he was forced to exchange some awkward pleasantries with the other tom before finally escaping the den.
The parade had already started, and by the looks of it, would soon be over. Misto's eyes calmly surveyed the area, and he kept his nose poised to catch Jemima's scent, though it admittingly was a challenge to concentrate, given all the dozens of different smells hitting him at once. He had decided it was best to wait a short while in his spot to see if Jemima would be the one to find him-she was clear in describing their meeting spot, by the bench with the painted flowers on it, and he didn't want to incidentally confuse her by wandering off.
The parade came and went, and still no sign of Jemima. Mistoffelees began to frown a bit, before with a sigh he decided it was time to start looking for her. A mischievous smile crept onto the magical cat's face as he imagined how he would greet her once she was found-perhaps he would shower her with a bunch of sunflowers of his own making? Or maybe he could surprise her with purple tulips or red roses-the colors would pair well with all the yellow surrounding the park currently. Misto couldn't wait to see the surprise look in her doe-like eyes either way, and he moved with an enthusiastic pep in his step.
However, it began to take a little too long to find the queen. It was a large festival, sure, but Mistoffelees was always so good at finding things…or other cats…it shouldn't be taking him this long to spot Jemima in the crowd. A black and red queen with a yellow ribbon around her neck should be standing out to him! It was also a bit aggravating that no matter how hard he tried; he simply could not pick up her sweet scent. With slight frustration, Mistoffelees climbed up a large tree and gracefully nestled onto a thick branch-he needed a better view. The tuxedo tom closed his eyes to gather his thoughts for a moment, and to quiet his emotions, and when he opened them, he was more focused than ever. His dark eyes scanned every shadow, every corner of the festival grounds-his tail thumping against the tree branch impatiently. "Where are you, Jemima?" He mused silently, before finally the sight of something small and yellow, hidden in the shadow of a building, caught his attention. His pupils turned to small slits as he recognized what might have been his ribbon, and without thinking twice he leapt from the tree and raced over to the alleyway.
The wind almost blew the ribbon out of his reach, but Mistoffelees leapt up and caught it with his claws elegantly and with ease. It was unmistakably the ribbon he had given Jemima that morning, but there was something wrong. Very wrong. The ribbon had been ripped up, torn, and was a feeble crumpled form of what it once was.
Mistoffelees heart thumped a bit too hard in his chest for comfort. His head turned towards the alley and that thumping quickened its pace as he finally caught his first bit of Jemima's scent-but it was barely there, and she was nowhere in sight. He slowly paced through the alley in search of clues, but none came to him. His paw gripped Jemima's ribbon tightly as he couldn't help but let out a small hiss of concern. Where was she? Why did he have such an ominously horrible feeling in his gut?
"JEMIMA!" Mistoffelees cried out loudly, looking around for her in exasperation-his ears high in alert in hopes of hearing her sweet, beautiful voice respond to his call. Nothing but his own echo answered back, as if mocking him.
"Jemima..." Mistoffelees sucked in a breath, before his slightly trembling eyes stared down at the battered ribbon in his paw. "Where are you..?"
Back at Dr. Bailey's animal hospital, the little boy named Darius watched with large, concerned eyes as the vet wrapped a small bandage around the cat's leg. His mother had arrived and stood in the corner of the exam room with a stern yet calm expression on her face.
"Her leg isn't broken, but definitely sprained. She probably won't be walking normal for a few days. We already gave her some medicine to ease the pain, so that will help her sleep soundly for a while." The doctor smiled at Darius, hoping his words would comfort the boy, and the child nodded very quickly and rested his chin on the cold table that Jemima was resting on.
"You said you found her like this?"
Darius quickly flashed his mother a glance before chewing his bottom lip. His mother's eyebrow raised in a way to indicate she knew exactly what that expression on her son's face meant.
"Yes." Darius's voice was barely above a whisper as he answered the vet's question.
The vet smiled and look over at his mother. "Probably a feral that got caught in a fight with a bigger cat. Doesn't look like she's ever been spayed."
His mother finally took a step closer, her eyes never leaving her son's. Darius was still staring at the cat and obviously trying to make himself invisible.
"Did she have a collar, Darius?"
The child shook his head. At least that wasn't a lie.
A moment of awkward silenced filled the air, before finally Darius lifted a hand to gently pet the cat's head as she continued to remain asleep. The medicine the vet had given her when Darius first came bursting through the doors clearly had started working. She no longer looked in pain, but instead peacefully asleep.
"Momma, can we keep her?"
A/N: I know it goes without saying, but I obviously don't own the characters from CATS the musical :) I do, however, take ownership for the character of Darius, his friends, mother, the vet, etc. I felt the need to add a disclaimer that they are not based off of real people and the story I plan on telling about this little boy and his life are not based on any real child, though I am sure there will be those who will relate to him in some way. You'll see what I mean.
I, as always, apologize humbly for any spelling or grammar mistakes that snuck past my proof-reading. I will of course amend any that are found after this is published. This story will be multi-chapter, and while it may change, I am anticipating around 5 or 6 chapters at the most. Thanks for reading!