Uptown Gelert: Part Two by shelleylow |  |
Two nights later Jazz was back at Kalaia’s. She had Neomailed him again, telling
him to come again. He had been waiting for her answer, yet at the same time,
he was dreading what it might turn out to be. She emerged from her room, her
brown eyes glistening wetly with tears.
"Oh, Jazz, I just had to tell you in person, she…she won’t let me see you."
This was exactly the answer he had been dreading. "What exactly did she say,
Kal?"
"She said that I should know better than to try to run with a…a pet like you.
She called you a common, poor pet, and that us of the upper class shouldn’t
mingle with you lot or something like that. Then she started telling me about
how long she had researched pedigrees to find a perfect example of the Gelert
species (me) and all her hard work would go down the drain if I went with you,
poor breeding, or something. And… and… oh, Jazz," and here she burst into tears
again, "she’s betrothed me to another Gelert."
Jazz felt his hopes slowly and painfully begin to vanish. "Is there any way
to make her change her mind?" Kalaia shook her head miserably. "Tried. I just
got another lecture. And... oh, Jazz, I’m so torn. I do love you, but I love
her too, despite…despite everything. It’s just the way Gelerts were made, I
guess, to be loyal and true…"
Jazz sighed sadly. "Then I guess you’ll just have to listen to your owner.
Have you met that other Gelert before?"
Kalaia wrinkled her nose. "Yes, he’s called Rexon. ‘The finest qualities of
breeding’ he has, according to my owner, but he’s so proud! The way he struts
around, showing off his things as if he did anything to deserve a rich owner,
or to be painted Golden, like me… I don’t want to go with him, even if we do
have perfect pups."
"Well, if he’s rich, then he’ll take good care of you. That’s all I care about."
Jazz gently touched her nose with his own. "Good-bye, Kal, have a good life."
He jumped down and away again, with a much heavier heart. Kalaia remained where
she was on the balcony for a very long time, even after his silhouette had melted
into darkness, making no effort to stop the tears that were trickling down her
long face and staining her gleaming fur.
***
"Jazz, what’s wrong with you? You haven’t touched your breakfast."
"Huh? Oh, right."
Jazz began slowly to eat his Lamb Broth, brought home hot and freshly made
from the Soup
Kitchen. It was his favourite, with its creamy texture and delicious
chunks of meat, but today it tasted bland and devoid of flavour, for some reason.
Oh, yes. Kalaia would never be his, now.
Once he’d finished he crossed the little dining room, intending to go the tiny
bedroom he shared with the other two --and was immediately stopped by Tara.
"All right, what’s the problem with you?"
"Nothing. I swear!"
"You wouldn’t be acting so weirdly if there wasn’t a problem. Now, what is
it?"
Jazz realised there was no getting round it, so he told Tara everything. But
when he’d finished, there was no ‘I told you so,’ she just looked at him sympathetically
and patted his head.
There was no more to be said.
***
A week later, it was raining. Tara had taken Hyper to the Baby Pets’ Daycare
Centre; he had been really living up to his name that morning, practically bouncing
off the furniture. Jazz was all by himself at home.
He sat gazing out the window at the great sheets of rain pouring from the clouds
and listening to the thunder, no more than a distant rumble. He had gotten over
Kalaia. True, there was still a dull ache in his chest when he thought of her,
and he did have a tendency to go quiet when he saw a NeoPet couple go strolling
by in the park, paw in paw, talking and laughing together, but it was better
now than a week ago. In his heart he still yearned for her, but he had comforted
himself with the fact that Rexon would take good care of her.
To be continued... |
