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We landed on the floor of the gym, shaking with exhaustion.
"Ruby! Are you alright?" Matt asked me with concern.
Emerald glared at the blue Uni. "What ever happened
to, 'Emerald, are you okay too?'"
"I'm fine, Matt." I struggled to my hooves and
helped Emerald up too. Then, I said, "It was Andrew."
"What?" Em asked, confused.
"On our way up those stairs, when we saw that
light at the top, the truth was revealed to me. Andrew Croaker the Quiggle from
the dance committee wrecked the dance. He dislikes Indigo because she started
the newspaper and wouldn't let him write an untrue story for it. He hoped that
she would be blamed for the crime.
"The Spirits of Myst kept Andrew's secret for
him, because he was the only one who truly believed in them. When I resolved
to solve the mystery, they haunted me, hoping to daunt me. Needless to say,
RubyRainbow333 will not be deterred so easily."
"The Spirits' job is to make Neopets ignorant,
to hide the Honored Truths of the world," Emerald said. "But one thing is stronger
than knowledge. Faith. I had the faith to believe that my sister could solve
the mystery and she did."
"And I had the faith to believe that the mystery
could be solved."
I paused, and looked into my brother's eyes.
"And I couldn't have done it without you."
* * *
Andrew was given a suspension. My article about the dance made the front page
of the Golden Jubjub Voice newspaper. I didn't mention anything about ghosts
or swirling vortexes. After all, who would believe me? The Halloween Hoopla
was rescheduled for the following Friday. And I had a magical time.
Lights flashed, and the music played. Emerald
was dressed as a skeleton and was stuffing Infested peaches in his mouth hastily,
trying to win the gross food contest. Indigo in a Faerie costume dunked her
head in a bucket of water and came up with an apple in her jaw. A blindfolded
Daywalker in a Dr. Sloth costume stuck his hand in a jar of peeled grapes, supposedly
"eyeballs." And Dante in a WereLupe costume was judging the "Best Costume" contest.
I was on the dance floor, jumping and twirling
and laughing with Matt. We were dressed as, ironically, ghosts. We had each
tied an old sheet around our necks and cut up an old white pillowcase to make
a hood. Not very interesting, but in my opinion, the best costumes at the party.
"Ruby!" Emerald raced over to me, carrying a
small gold-colored trophy. "I won! I stuffed 18 infested peaches into my mouth!"
"And I won, 'Prettiest costume,'" Indigo said,
holding up a huge lollipop.
Daywalker snuck up behind her and grabbed her
with his cold hands. "Boo!" He shouted. Poor Indigo nearly jumped a mile into
the air! Then, Daywalker stared at the Gelert with his nose wrinkled. "You smell
like wet dog."
"Come on, people!" Dante called. "They're going
to serve pizza!" My friends all rushed to the refreshment table, but Matt and
I stayed where we were.
Then, the music changed. The fast-paced disco
beat slowed and turned into a beautiful love song. "Ruby?" Matt asked. "May
I have this dance?"
"Certainly," I said, pulling my hood down. He
did likewise, and I was lost again. Lost in the clear blue skies of his eyes.
Those skies, where a cloud never passed and the sun always shone.
We danced.
The End
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