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Untitled Document
Introduction
Winds from a force three hurricane ravaged the shores
of Mystery Island. Fifty-foot waves towered, spewing bits of driftwood like
giant green monsters. Anyone with brains would be inside. Unfortunately, Leye
didn't have brains. She had something more.
Leye was a genius. That's what the psychologists
said. They also said she was crazy. She was both. The electric Kyrii knew no
fear. Perhaps that was because there was nothing that she could fear. She was
an untamed spirit. Tough as anything, and twice as mean. People had tried for
years to force some manners into her, but they all failed.
She wasn't in school. She had dropped out on
her first day when the principal suspended her for offending a fellow student.
Leye wasn't prepared for school, and school was most definitely not prepared
for Leye.
There was only one thing that brought Leye
happiness, or something close to it: surfing. Her lightning-patterend board
was her only possession that was of real worth to her. Surfing was in fact the
reason she was out in deadly weather. A competition had been scheduled for that
evening. She was the only contestant there. The only being in fact.
She roared with excitement as she caught a
swell. Her paws gripped the sides of her board as she rose up on the growing
wave. Spray flew in her face as she stood up. Anyone else would have been swept
away by wind and wave. But this wasn't anyone else. This was Leye.
She spread her arms out for balance as she
prepared to do a handstand. The second there was a slight lull in the wind,
she leaped to the nose of her board and landed firmly on her paws. She shrieked
triumphantly, only to have her voice carried off on the wind.
Suddenly, the wave began to tumble down with
a tremendous gust of wind. Leye was flung off her board and thrown under the
water. Her ankle cord pulled her board behind her. She was thrown and tossed
around beneath the foamy waters, struggling for air. But she only found water.
All around her was water. Churning, roiling, spinning, angry water. She felt
her brain begin to numb. Her vision blurred and darkness played at the corners
of her eyes. Just as she thought she was about to black out, her board surfaced
and dragged her up. She gasped for air, managing a mouthful before she was pulled
back under. When she bobbed up again, she grabbed her board and was able to
stay above the murderous waters.
When Leye regained her breath, she glanced
around. She was a good hundred yards from the shore. She groaned, coughing up
seawater. A gust of wind tossed her wet fur about. She coughed again, regurgitating
more water and more than one bit of slimy green seaweed.
"Think I'll head back," she muttered to no
one in particular. A wave threw her onto the shore. She coughed feebly, stumbling
to her feet. She hefted her board onto her shoulders. She turned to the water.
"I'll be back!" she shouted before retreating. "I'm just takin' a coffee break!"
Then, she turned her back to the churning waters and walked off against the
wind.
* * *
Some psychologists would link Leye's behavior to her "lonely" childhood. This
was a big laugh for most people. Leye's childhood had been not in the least
lonely. Her parents had been extremely supportive in everything she did. But,
if anybody had a right to say they were lonely, it would be Leye's parents.
At a young age Leye had decided that she could do things by herself, and rejected
every offer of kindness her parents gave. They were now living in nice padded
asylum in Neopia Central. You'd most likely be in the same position if you'd
had to bring up someone like Leye.
But it was true in a way: Leye was lonely.
She could define friendship, but she didn't truly know what it meant. She had
only one person vaguely close to a friend. His name? Brak, Lord of the Alleys.
. .
* * *
Though the hurricane winds raged outside, Brak was warm crouched at a grubby
table-for-two at the Island Foods shop, nibbling on a slightly rotten tigersquash.
The shadowed Kougra was one of the many who were seeking shelter in the shop.
He was, of course, the only non-paying customer with food. The gruel the others
were fed wasn't worthy of being called food.
A blue Quiggle approached him. "Brak,"
he whispered. "I don't think this is the safest place for you. Half the people
on this accursed island are after your head! You know how you stole a sausage
from that one strawberry Gelert?"
Brak took a dainty nibble from his tigersquash
and glanced carelessly around the room. "Of course I remember her. She looked.
. .rich. And that was no sausage. It was a Chia Pop. Lemon I think. Very tasty."
The Quiggle waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Pop, sausage, same thing. Anyway, she's here!"
Brak raised his eyebrows and pretended to stare
at a chipped claw. "You don't say? Well, Flaurin, I don't think we're in mortal
danger. She can't catch me. She probably doesn't even know I'm here."
At that moment Brak was proved wrong as
a very flushed strawberry Gelert rushed up to Brak's table. She was swinging
her handbag menacingly. She glared daggers at the shadowed Kougra.
"You're the little thief who stole my
sausage!" she cried.
"Chia Pop," Brak corrected.
The Gelert rolled her eyes. "Whatever!
You still stole it! And nobody steals from Pertry Gallensfield!" she raged.
Brak snickered. "Very *snort* sorry, Miss
*giggle* Gallensfield," he choked through his laughter.
Pertry's face went from deep pink to crimson.
"My name, thank you, was inherited from my grandmummy, so it's Pertry Gallensfield
II to you!"
"Well then... *giggle* Pertry Gallensfield
II, I apologize. I was only going to share it with a poor little Doglefox. You
see, that's what I do. Steal from the rich, give to the poor, and play tricks
on those I don't like. A modern day Robin Hood! A very choosy Robin Hood, mind
you."
Pertry's face was the very picture of
fury. "Well then, Robin Hood, I think I ought to teach you a little lesson about
'the rich'." Her pink color returned and she smiled evilly. "They have bodyguards."
She clapped her paws and a drooling mutant Cybunny bounded up, growling angrily.
"Sick ''im," Pertry growled.
The Cybunny bared its buck teeth and faced
Brak. Suddenly, the door swung open and a gust of wind swept through the shop.
A soaked electric Kyrii stood in the doorway. She glanced at Brak.
"Offa the Kougra," she snarled at the
Cybunny. It whimpered and took a step back. Leye motioned Brak over and slammed
the door shut.The shop buzzed with whispers as the Kyrii and the Kougra walked
up to the counter.
Leye glared at the shopkeeper. "Gimme
a cuppa coffee," she snarled.
"We... don't have coffee," he returned.
Leye laughed dryly. "I don't believe you
heard me right. I said I wanted coffee." A hush fell over the crowd gathered
in the shop.
The shopkeeper's face purpled. "And I
said we don't have any," he growled, anger etched vividly in every feature on
his face.
"Do you know who I am?" Leye questioned,
keeping the rage in her voice to what she considered minimal.
"No," the shopkeeper balled a fist, "I
don't think I do."
Leye took a swipe at him with her fist
and he slumped to the ground. She smiled coolly. "Tut tut. You'll never find
out if you stay unconscious like that," she said in a tone of mock reproach.
Brak smiled. "Good one, babe." Brak had,
for some strange reason, a bit of a "thing" for Leye. Leye wasn't very perceptive
when dealing with things like this. If she'd known how Brak felt of course,
she either wouldn't be able to care less, or would feel oddly compelled to kill
him.
She punched Brak sharply in the jaw. "Don't
call me babe," she growled.
Brak rubbed his jaw. "'Kay babe-uh Leye."
This happened every time they met up. Brak called Leye by her real name only
once every so-often.
Leye peered over the counter. A pot of
coffee steamed on the shopkeeper's desk. Leye gritted her teeth. "Liar," she
snarled quietly. Brak shrugged. He lied all the time. What was wrong with lying?
Leye poured herself a cup of coffee from
the steaming pot. Brak opened the walk-in freezer and selected a fresh tigersquash.
He also spotted a Rainbow Chia Pop that was probably the shopkeeper's. He grabbed
that too, then shut the freezer door. He planned to eat it in front of Pertry's
face later.
He followed Leye back to his table-for-two.
The blue Quiggle Flaurin still stood next to it. He raised his eyebrows as Brak
took a seat across from Leye.
"Saved by your girlfriend, huh? I thought
it was damsel in distress, Brak." He extended a hand in Leye's direction.
She glanced at it. "Nice to meet you," Flaurin prodded.
She pushed his hand away. "I'm not his
girlfriend!" she snarled.
Flaurin held up his hands. "Chill out!
Geez, Brak, she's feisty! Hiss, hiss!" He grinned and pretended to claw the
air like a cat.
Leye glared at Flaurin. "Who's this weirdo,
Brak?" she questioned.
Brak gave Flaurin a playful punch. "Aw,
this is just Flaurin. He's not weird, just.. Flaurin," he gestured to Leye.
"And Flaurin, this is Leye." Leye glared some more.
"Flaurin, huh? He looks like a wuss."
Leye flexed a fist. "If punch it, will it scream?" Flaurin looked indignant.
Brak laughed.
"Naw, Flaurin never did really scream
a lot. Yeah, what he does is more of squeal." Just to prove his point, Brak
kicked Flaurin hard in the shins. He let out a high-pitched squeal. Leye started
to laugh, but halfway through she convinced herself that it wasn't funny and
shut her mouth.
Flaurin rubbed his shins and turned to
Leye. "You didn't see that," he moaned. This time Leye actually did laugh.
Brak stared at her, dumbfounded. She closed her mouth and started to sip her
coffee quietly. She couldn't suppress the feeling that something was happening
to her. She had laughed, stood up for Brak, and met someone who could possibly
be considered a... friend. Yes, Leye was changing. No one knew how or why, but
as circumstances soon proved, her change was good thing.
To be continued...
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