The Crimes We've Committed

A Jellicle History

Chapter One – Hinc Illae Lacrimae

What a horrible fate we have destined ourselves to-

Is there anything we can do to reconcile ourselves?

Her name was Victoria. She was a kitten just coming of age. A gifted dancer, a wonderful singer, a talented child in so many ways. She was the one with the open heart, the caring mind, the child-like innocence. Maybe she saved us all. After all, we have been doomed to this fate since the day the first of us set foot in this world. Maybe she changed it.

A tall blonde girl with stunning blue eyes and light freckles ran through the village, the hem of her skirt flittering about in the breezing.

"Mary!" Her name stopped her dead in her tracks, turning around to face the speaker. "Oh, Mary, I've been waiting for you all day. Where are you headed?" The speaker further inquired. Mary edged forward, still in very much of a hurry to get where she was needed.

"The market." She admitted quietly; know there would be a task for her to carry out.

"Oh, lovely. Take my hen." Mary bit her lip as the chicken was offered to her. "We can split anything you get." Nodding to the speaker, Mary took the chicken and continued on her way to the market.

ooo

"Oh, salvation." A tall girl muttered, moving through the hall and dragging her fingers along the edge of the seeing pool.

"Freya, love, if you're going to swear you might as well swear." Freya jumped as her companion appeared in front of her, leaning on the marble statue.

"Terpsichore, you scared me." She said, turning back to the pool.

"What are our favorite little troublemakers up to this time?" The muse asked, moving forward from the statue.

"They sent the child to the market again." Freya mumbled, rubbing her temples. The people of the village they called Nativity where her burden to bear. She, one of many lower deities, had been given a single village to watch. Even Terpsichore, the muse of dance, had more power and responsibility than she did. Freya, the lower deity and haphazard person she was, could not even keep a village of thirty odd people in line. Terpsichore shook her head.

"They're going to exile you." The muse said as she watched Mary grab things off carts as her chicken caused general chaos.

"Oh, Terpsichore, don't say that! I'll make them better, you'll see." Freya said quietly as Mary took the chicken from a stranger and nodded her thanks, then retreating from the marketplace with his goods hidden in her basket.

"I'll give them a month." Freya jumped as the new voice spoke, turning to see Juno, her overseer. "Although I doubt an entire town of thieves can change their ways, even with a goddess to help them." Freya nodded as she caught her breath.

"Yes, Juno." She said, bowing in respect.

"Terpsichore, you're needed." He informed the muse, who had been watching Mary and the owner of the chicken split the goods.

"Yes, Juno." She said automatically, bowing her head and standing to follow him.

"A month." Juno reminded Freya, who was biting her lip to keep from crying. Her town, her power, her followers! She was going to loose everything in a month's time.

ooo

Mary had left the hen owner's house with a few onions and part of a head of lettuce for that night's dinner. As she returned home, her brother welcomed her warmly.

"Mary! How was your day?" He asked, ushering her into their cottage.

"As my days always are, Jacob." She said, placing the vegetables on an old tin plate on the table. "Stealing things, lying to people." She shook her head.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Mary." Jacob assured her, placing the rest of the food they had to spare out on the table.

"Why the feast?" Mary inquired as she swept the floor. So much work to be done in such a little time, it made her head spin.

"We're having company." He replied with a vague smile.

"Company?" She racked her brain for a second before giving up. "Who?"

"Daniel and Meredith." He replied simply, finishing with the table. Mary made a face. "What?" Jacob asked, laughing. "You don't enjoy their company?" Mary shook her head, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face.

"Meredith's fine. It's her sister that gets to me." She said with a shrug.

"Britney? I like her." He said quietly, frowning.

"I know you do." Mary said, smiling slyly. "But little Miss Perfect gets way to much attention for my tastes."

"Oh, so you're jealous?" He poked at her, rather annoyed with her at the moment.

"I was the best singer in town 'til she and her sister showed up." Mary mumbled quietly. Competition in Nativity was a natural. Everyone wanted to be the best at something, whether it be dancing, singing, writing, or cooking. Moreover, everyone was the best at something, since they tried so hard.

"You're still the best dancer, Mary." Jacob assured her quietly.

"So, is it true?" Mary asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Is what true?" Jacob asked, pure confusion lurking in his dark eyes.

"That Daniel is courting Meredith now." Mary explained, finishing her chores and settling down on her bed, looking up at her brother who was fixing flowers in a vase for a centerpiece.

"Oh." He said, thinking for a moment. "I guess we'll find out soon enough." He said with a shrug, putting the vase on the table. Mary laughed. There was a knock at the door.

"I suppose that's them." She said, standing up to get the door.

"I suppose it is."

ooo

"We've got to stop." A fiery redheaded woman said, her brown eyes sparkly with determination and her hair curling more than normal. Her freckles also seemed bolder than usual.

"I don't see what you're going at." Her tall companion said slowly, moving to the other side of the prayer building.

"Glenn, we need to stop stealing things." She insisted, following him across the room.

"Catherine, believe me, I'd love it if we could persuade everyone to stop, but we depend on what we take." Glenn insisted, turning to face her with a sigh.

"You can." Catherine insisted, pushing her stubborn hair out of her face. "The townsfolk will listen to anything that you say."

"No, Catherine, I can't." He said firmly, putting up a hand for her to stop. "Why is this so urgent, anyway?"

"I heard it from Freya."

ooo

"Poison." A tall redheaded woman explained calmly. The short girl behind her was anything but calm.

"Poison? I've been poisoned?" She said, her dark brown hair slipping into her face as she sat up.

"Sallie, dear, if there was one person that might labeled as a thief in this town, it would be you. You're not exactly discreet." She informed the girl as she washed her dishes.

"So the storeowner knew I was going to steal the chicken leg and he poisoned it?" She asked yet again. The redhead turned around to look at her. The girl's face was rounder than normal and she had a button nose that was currently creased with worry.

"Don't worry, dear. You'll be fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about, Aunt Julia. It's Judd." She said, pointing to her friend who was sprawled out on the other bed in Julia's guest room. "He's really bad."

"Judd will be fine, dear." She assured the girl, who lay down again.

"But we got poisoned." She murmured, hugging her blanket.

"It's mild poison, dear, you'll be fine." Julia assured Sallie, continuing with her cleaning.

"But…" She began, but Julia shushed her and told her to go to sleep. Sallie obliged reluctantly.

ooo

The rest of the evening passed rather normally for Mary and her brother, after their guests left. Mary was now sitting on her bed, writing in her journal.

"What is it you write every day?" Jacob inquired warily, lifting his head off his pillow.

"Things I need to remember. You need to go to market tomorrow to get some things." She added, grabbing the chance to assign thieving duty to him for once.

"Why don't you do it?" He asked, burying his face in his pillow.

"I've done it every day this week!" She said in an exasperated tone of voice.

"Fine, fine. I'll go tomorrow." He finally agreed, shaking his head. "You always get better food than I do, though." Mary laughed and blew out her candle, drifting off to sleep.

ooo

"Spare an apple?" Catherine asked, drawing her dark brown cloak to her face and holding out a frail hand. The shopkeeper shook his head, bidding her to move onward. "I'm sure that somebody here would be willing to give a poor woman an apple." Catherine told him bitterly as a costumer occupied his attention. She reached to take the apple anyway. As her fingers brushed the fruit, a strange sensation passed down her spine. She though briefly of leaving the apple, but grabbed it anyway, hiding it under her cloak as she left.

ooo

"No!" Freya's crisp voice rang through the hall as she slammed her palms down on the marble ledge she'd be looking over. Even her most faithful follower had failed to keep her filthy hands off of other people's goods. "Terpsichore! I need you." She yelled, causing the muse to appear in front of her.

"Freya!" She gasped as she stumbled forward. "I was in the middle of something." The muse said bitterly, catching the taller girl's elbow as she fell forward.

"Sorry…" She mumbled, moving back the ledge.

"Looks like she took it." Terpsichore said blandly, brushing a lock of black hair out of her eyes. Freya shook her head.

"Hence these tears." She replied, brushing a tear off her cheek.

"Oh, Freya. I'm sure nothing too bad will happen." Terpsichore insisted, moving away from the ledge.

"It's been two weeks. I'm running out of time." Freya murmured. "And things aren't getting any better."

ooo

"Town meeting." A tall girl with red-brown hair scoffed as she exited her house, dragging her sister along behind her. Her sister looked almost nothing like her with light brown hair and a demure face, nothing like her sister's stubborn chin. The only feature they shared were their blue eyes.

"Jennifer, please." The younger sister said to the redhead, who had a very tight grip on her wrist.

"Sorry, Morgan." She mumbled, dropping the girl's wrist. "Here we are." She added as they arrived at town hall.

"Ah, good morning. Jennifer, Morgan." Glenn said slowly, nodding to the girls.

"It's more like afternoon now." Jennifer pointed out, forcing a smile and pushing her way into the crowded hall. They took a seat and waited for the meeting to start in silence. Finally, Catherine took the stand, ready to give her address.

"A few weeks ago, Freya told me that it was crucial we stop stealing from others." There was verbalized scorn floating about the hall by that point, but the fiery redheaded woman pushed on. "She told me that if we didn't stop, we'd be punished severely."

"And we're supposed to believe you?" A voice rang out. Catherine looked up.

"Why shouldn't you? You've always believed me before." She said slowly, stepping off the stand.

"Well, this time, we don't." Jennifer said crossly, her hands on her hips.

"Well, you may do what you like, but I'm leaving and changing my ways. I don't want to die." She said, gritting her teeth and exiting the hall. All eyes were now on Glenn, who'd been standing in the entrance.

"Sorry for the interruption. Go about your normal activities." He said hastily, ducking out the door. The hall exploded into argument again- between those who believed Catherine and those who didn't. In the end, however, everyone agreed that there was no threat and the remaining week continued as the weeks before it. And even though Catherine left, she continued thieving as well.

ooo

"They've made their decision." Juno announced to Freya on the last midnight. She nodded slowly, biting her lip. "And now, they will be punished. Bast, you're needed."

"Bast?" Freya questioned, curious. What use would she be of?

"Yes, Juno?" The woman asked, bowing deeply as she stepped into the hall.

"Come help me with this task." He said, explaining to her briefly what she was to do. "And now, Freya, we need to talk." Freya nodded, still confused. "What I've done is this. I've turned your villagers into cats."

"Cats?" She coughed, disguising a laugh. What sort of punishment was that?

"They will decided yearly on a citizen to send to us for re-evaluation. If I find that the citizen in question has learned right from wrong, then they will be sent back to their village. If they haven't, then they will be replaced with the rest of the cats for another year." He explained slowly. Freya's brow was lined with thought. It still didn't seem like much of a punishment, but then again, there must be a catch.

ooo

Yay, first chapter. This probably made little to no sense to you… and I'm sorry. Next time you see them, they'll actually be cats! ; Props to anyone who can guess who is who.

Edit/ ACK! The separates disappeared. Fixed it, sorry guys.