Two days later, she burst into my consciousness, all upset. She wanted to come back. I told her that would be extremely difficult, that in fact I had no idea how to go about it. She stubbornly insisted and was conceived the following day (at least, so she led me to understand). During one visit (and I couldn't see her; I just knew she was there), I told her that I wanted to call her something different. When I suggested Désirée, her aura turned bright gold, like the sun, if you got close enough to see the flames. Her spirit filled me with perfect joy.
After looking everywhere for Misty/Désirée, on October 13th, I went to my local Petsmart and there she was - a tiny gray and white kitten. As soon as she saw, me she clung to me. We sat together for an hour and a half. I had to go out to the car to get some papers. She cried inconsolably until I got back.
When I brought her home, I told her that she was Désirée. I only said it once. Then I locked her in a dog crate to protect her from the other three cats, two of whom are huge Maine Coons. Within an hour, all three cats had clustered around the dog crate and were talking to Désirée. I took her out and sat her on the couch. She buried her nose in Biscuit, my 3-year-old Maine Coon's chest. He put both front paws around her and held her as though she were a long-lost love (Biscuit and Misty had been very close). Later Muffin, the other Maine Coon, did the same, and Cinder, my Korat (Misty's best friend and playmate), allowed Désirée to play with her tail until she fell asleep.
I only kept Désirée in the crate for two hours. After that, she was kissing and playing with the other cats. The very odd thing was that she answered to her name immediately. Last night, when she was tuckered out from playing hard, she fell asleep in a chair. "Désirée" I called softly. Her little ears perked up straight, and she tried to get up, but she was still asleep. That was the moment at which I was certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt that "Désirée" is Misty - that she really has come home.