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It was hard being the newest species to Neopets. Sure, many
crazed Neopians who loved the idea and look of a Yurble adopted a new friend,
but the other Neopets weren't so nice.
Seradoikes, a yellow Turble, held on tight to
her Blue Yurble Plushie. She gazed around Neopia Central. A Christmas Uni came
bustling past, carrying heaps of bags full of Grooming Supplies and Clothing.
"Hey! Watch out!" Seradoikes cried, suddenly tumbling to the ground. The Uni
stopped, examined her hooves, and then said in her delicate voice, "You need
something, honey?"
"Uh -- no, just you bumped into me…" Seradoikes
began, but was soon interrupted.
"Hah, lookie dear!" the Uni said. "It's you
'new' species! I hear all you Yurbles go around talking about how you're so
special and new and wonderful and all that. I mean, if you rock so much, why
aren't any of you guys painted? Huh?"
"But - Missy - uh, Ma'am, I'm not like that,
you know!" Seradoikes wailed. "Not everyone's like that…and because we're new,
we just don't have much colors…yet!"
The Uni tossed her mane. "There you go again!
Just 'cause you're new, you have no special colors! Hah!" She stomped off, her
head high in the air.
"They'll make a Christmas Yurble or something
soon," Seradoikes said quietly. She heaved herself up off the ground.
Seradoikes groaned, and entered the Chocolate
Factory in the hopes to buy a treat to make her feel better. Eating a good snack
almost always cheered her up a bit. She walked to the front counter, and faced
the Kiko Shopkeeper with the fancy cane and top hat. "I like your hat, Mister,"
she commented politely, trying honestly to make a good impression this time.
She gazed around at the shelves of chocolates and candies and jellies.
The Kiko grunted. "Hurry up and choose somethin'!"
"Well…okay…" The Yurble searched around and
picked a White Chocolate Jetsam. "Too bad there isn't a Yurble one."
"Yurble this, Yurble that! Your pet species
acts like it's all that! I mean, why don't some other Neopet get a secret avatar
with them name? We have a default Kiko avatar, that's what, Yurble! You guys
ain't got no default, but your Yurble super secret avatar!"
"That's not us Yurbles faults, is it? We don't
make the avatars," Seradoinkes pointed out in a small, timid voice.
"Aha! Actin' like a smarty-pants now, eh?" the
Kiko demanded, swinging his cane and nearly jabbing it at Seradoikes. She backed
away, knowing that he'd done that on purpose. "Here," the Kiko announced gruffly,
pushing the paper bag with the chocolate roughly to Seradoikes. "Take your stuff
and pay me."
"It's 1030 NP, right?" Seradoikes murmured,
not bothering to haggle.
"No way," the Kiko protested, his voice whiny
and loud.
"Why not? It's the original price!"
"1100."
"1070, how about that?" Seradoikes insisted
fairly.
"1099 NP, then!"
"Fine!" Seradoikes shoved her hand in her purse,
pulled out a sack of NP, and slammed it angrily on the counter. Just because
that Kiko didn't like Yurbles, he had to treat her like scum off the bottom
of Wellington boots? Why didn't anyone give Yurbles a chance? The Kiko Shopkeeper
carefully counted up the money. "Uh-uh! Cheater! Off by 7 NP, here!"
"Huh? What, oh, uh, sorry." Seradoikes took
out her spare sack of NP and took out 7 NP. She looked at the pile of money
already sitting on the table. "Hey! Sir, that's 1099. That is, see, just count."
The Kiko's face turned tomato red so he looked
like he was fed a Tomato Chia Pop and it worked on Kikos. He muttered quietly,
shook his head, and dumped the bag of white chocolate into Seradoikes's paws.
Seradoikes tried again not to look too bad and nodded kindly. The Kiko stuck
out his jaw and turned away to serve the next customers, a group of wild-looking
Moehogs.
Seradoikes shook her head sadly. All she wanted
was to be nice, have some friends. Was it always so hard to be a new Neopet
in Neopia? She longed to find her owner, but she couldn't see her past the busy
Neopia Central crowd. Everyone was going in and out shops for the restocks.
The Yurble hung down her head, left the busy shopping place, and turned to the
Rainbow Pool.
She decided she might as well stare into the
rainbow and wished for Yurbles to be able to be painted Faerie or Baby or Pirate
or Striped. Anything. She wished the other Neopets wouldn't tease her and taunt
her. Seradoikes dipped her left paw into the crystal clear water and splashed
it gently. Everyone thought Yurbles were snotty and rude. But you know what?
Everyone else were the rude ones. She frowned, and nodded. Yes, all those Korbats
and Shoyrus and Scorchios were all mean. Why couldn't they just accept a new
species?
She watched past the rainbow at two little Yurbles
being bullied by an even younger pair of red Grarrls. The two Yurbles yelped
and scrambled away. A yellow Yurble was saying shrilly to a mean-looking Gelert
who was teasing about how Yurbles are so funny looking and not normal. "Duh
-- what other Neopets gots those weird-lookin' ear thingies?" Seradoikes heard
the Gelert state loudly.
She looked around. She was pretty much alone.
The closest Neopet was the mean Gelert, who was now chasing the other Yurble
farther away. Seradoikes motioned to help at first, but she didn't want her
day to get any worse. Pulling open the bag of chocolate, Seradoikes took out
the White Chocolate Jetsam. She bent off the end and began to bite it when she
noticed a Kougra happily walking towards her.
Prepare for the teasing. Seradoikes held back
a gulp and shuffled in her seat.
The Kougra looked around nearby. She looked
at her reflection in the clear Rainbow Pool water for a moment, and then turned
to Seradoikes.
"Hello. If you don't mind me asking, what are
you doing here? Just, your species doesn't have many colors yet," the Kougra
said gently in a singsong way.
"I came here because I wanted to," Seradoikes
replied dully.
"Am I disturbing you?" the Kougra asked. "Sorry
if I am."
Seradoikes was surprised. This Kougra was being
nice. She actually apologized! Seradoikes straightened up and gave a slight
smile. "No, you're not disturbing me. I'm glad you came, really."
The Kougra grinned. "You're a lot nicer than
that lot at Mystery Island. This group of Yurbles is saying how they're the
greatest species. Of course, your species might be, but I'm glad you don't act
like them."
"So that why everyone was treating me like dung!
Just because of some other Yurbles on the other side of Neopia?" Seradoikes
said, astonished.
The Kougra stuck out her paw. "Yes, some Neopets
are being a bit snotty, if you ask me. Trust me though, I'm definitely not like
that!"
The Yurble's eyes shined cheerfully. "You've
been the nicest person to me all day. Everyone else was being really rude to
me." She looked down at her chocolate, broke off half of it, and offered it
to the Kougra.
The Kougra smiled and graciously took the chocolate.
"You're very kind yourself. Some Neopets can act so indecent without even knowing
people. Do you want to see Chomby and the Fungus Balls with me and my owner
tomorrow?"
"Sure!"
"Great. Hey, I'm Lithe Nele, by the way! You?"
"Seradoikes. But you can call me Sera. All my
friends do."
The End
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