|
What do we see in our dreams? A world we long for… or one we wish to escape
from?
-Illui, Kougra
Vai was washing dishes while Keagn chopped vegetables
for supper. A smile was etched on her face; she was pleased that Keagn was finally
doing something besides reading comic books.
"How are the veggies coming, Keagn?" Vai chirped
as she looked at him over her shoulder. The Shadow Lupe growled and the click
of the knife on the cutting board grew louder. Vai smirked and turned back to
the sink, failing to notice that her elbow had bumped the hot water tap.
She shoved her hand under the faucet and yelped
as scalding water poured over it. Vai withdrew her raw hand immediately, massaging
it. As she tried to soothe the redness, she noticed a strange shape on the back
of her hand; a pattern of three curved green leaves. The moment Vai caught sight
of it, the symbol vanished. She blinked, wondering if she was seeing things.
Vai passed it off as her mind playing tricks on her, and resumed work with the
hot water shut off completely.
When dinner was ready, Vai had to drag Katanya
and Keagn out of the living room, despite the way Keagn insisted they would
be "neat". However, Keagn wasn't half as stubborn as Katanya. Together, the
two pets had to yank the little Aisha off the couch, into which she had dug
her nails, squealing indignantly. This is all Keagn's fault, Vai thought. Him
and those comics…
Katanya was heavy on Vai's mind. She had not
yet told Keagn what had happened in the garden that fateful morning; it was
not something to be shared lightly. The more she thought on it, however, the
less remarkable it seemed. It was almost as if Vai was having déjà vu. But…
that wasn't possible. Vai had certainly never seen anything like what Katanya
had done.
Vai left her thoughts long enough to yell at
Keagn for trying to glue peas to the ceiling with mashed spuds. Keagn merely
grinned, and flung a spoonful at Vai's nose. She didn't remember to dodge, and
found her self splattered with mash and peas. Putting manners aside, Vai tossed
a handful of sugared carrots at Keagn, but he ducked and the carrots flew into
the wall. Katanya quickly guessed what was happening, and began tossing handfuls
of whatever food she could lay paw on all over the kitchen. Soon, all the food
that had been on the table was now strewn equally across the walls and the three
pets. Vai muttered something about her shirt being new, but she didn't really
mean it. Although she'd never admit to it, Vai had a lot more fun throwing the
appetizers than eating them.
******
"Approaching Illusens Glade, Meridell sir."
"Excellent. Don't land yet, just try and hover
underneath the trees. The main point is not to be seen by anyone."
"Yes, sir."
"They usually take walks through this forest at night, correct?"
"That is correct, sir."
The purple Grundo nodded, and returned his gaze
to a massive holographic map, steering carefully. The Interstellar Transporting
Shuttle was nothing to brag about for size, but it was one of the fastest and
quietest starships you could find. Captain Furg Leegrax had insisted on using
it for "such a dangerous operation."
General Xanxar had laughed, but he had let Furg
use the ship anyway.
Furg knew that the mission wasn't dangerous;
he had just wanted to use the ship. The ITS was the newest model, after all.
This would be his simplest mission ever. Some Aisha with special powers had
been tracked here, and Sloth needed them for something. Furg knew better than
to question what. But really, a captain of his stature kidnapping one little
Aisha, how dull can you get?
******
Vai changed clothes, and yelled upstairs for the others to hurry up. Katanya,
ever cheerful, slid down the stair-rail with a happy squeal. Keagn was trying
to button his jacket on the step, but he lose his balance and tumbled head over
tail right in front of his sister.
"Good one, Keegs. Too bad I didn't have a camcorder
with me."
Grumbling, Keagn regained his footing and pulled
a sweatshirt over Katanya's head. The thing went past her knees, sleeves that
were much too long trailing on the floor.
"Was this all we had to give her?" Vai asked,
staring at the comical little figure.
"This was the smallest one I had."
Vai shook her head and tried not to laugh. She
ushered the reluctant pair outside, and handed Keagn a Neopoint. He flipped
it, calling heads. It spun in the air, and when it landed they both looked down.
"Tails. We're going to Glade lake."
Keagn shrugged; Vai knew he would naturally have
picked the local arcade rather than a walk in the woods. As they entered the
trees only minutes from their house, Vai made it a point to walk ahead. The
Glade was a good place to be alone, especially at night.
The smell of water was thick in the air now,
insects buzzing around the Spotted Aisha's four ears. Bright orbs that were
fireflies danced above her head, gamboling through the branches like living
stars. Around the bases of ancient trees, glowing white mushrooms sprouted.
Sweeping away whippy branches and a blanket of moss hanging between two trees,
she saw the lake.
With the full moon and the stars gleaming on
its crystal surface, Glade lake took even Keagn's breath away on clear nights.
The branches of weeping willows swept the edge of the water, and water lilies
shone softly near the other end, opalescent in the ethereal light. The croaking
of Mortogs somewhere close created a haunting sort of ambience that mingled
with the sound of a breeze winding through the abundant flora.
The moss veil behind Vai was pushed back again,
announcing the arrival of Keagn and Katanya. For a minute they stood looking
at it too, their eyes as starry as the sky above them. Then, Keagn whooped and
cannonballed into the lake, obscuring the glassy surface with waves. Katanya
mimicked him, splashing water everywhere. Vai didn't join them; she hated water.
"He'd better not complain when he's soaking
wet going home," Vai whispered to herself. She remembered Whisper's words before
she left on her vacation;
"Go on a walk every night when I'm gone, it's
the best time to be outside. Keagn won't want to, but I'm sure you can convince
him otherwise, and he won't cause any trouble once he's actually outside. And
don't forget; No matter where I go, or where you go, I'll always be there when
you really need me. I promise…
Keagn and Katanya splashed around for a while
in the water, so when they came back to shore they were soaked to the skin.
They settled beneath a tree and lapsed into a half-sleep. Vai mimicked them,
sometimes whispering the odd comment to one another. As Vai watched the lake,
she noticed something strange on the surface. A pattern of red lights, revolving
slowly. As she watched, they became larger…
A horrible high-pitched whine split the air.
Vai's hands immediately flew to her four ears. It grew louder and more painful
by the second, and all three pets were on their feet now. The noise threatened
to split Vai's head open, where was it coming from?
Then… silence. Dazed, the pets stared around
at one another, lost for words.
Finally, Keagn broke the silence. "Vai, I think
we'd better…"
He never finished the sentence. A low vibration,
starting at Vai's feet and to the tips of her ears, was emanating from the air
around them. The trees and the surface of the lake moved with it, rippling softly.
It was such a calming feeling, almost… hypnotic…
It was only then that Vai saw it. A huge shining
craft, shaped like a teardrop. It was hovering a few feet above the center of
the lake, absolutely still except for a few blinking red lights around the underside.
The lake surface was moving beneath it, from the strange vibrations, and from
the way the ripples were arranged, it was as if they were coming from the ship
itself.
There was no door, not even a crease signifying
an opening. But now, the strange silvery metal that made up the outside of the
thing was rearranging itself, into a bridge that extended to the shore. And
now, from the wall of the vessel, a massive creature was melting out…
No, not one. Two.
******
"We have them on sonar, sir."
The Grundo smiled. He could already visualize
the new commanders stripes on his uniform.
"Send out Mulgurg and Zrax. I think two mutant
Grundos can handle a little Aisha, don't you?"
"Of course, sir."
"Especially under the Sleeper."
"Correct, sir."
The Sleeper was the slang term for a new invention
patented by the Space Station black market weapons dealer. Tough and amazingly
well-trained, not to mention one of the most intelligent pets around, the weapons
dealer was the best pet you could go to for the most innovative technology in
and out of Neopia.
Her name was Miss Audrilene, and without her,
Sloths army wouldn't have had the technology to put a cappuccino machine together,
much less maintain an entire Space station.
Furg kicked back into his plush captain's chair,
and watched two huge mutant Grundo's walk out the Osmosis doorway. That was
Furgs favorite luxury on the ITS. You could walk right through the wall anywhere;
no worries about sticky garage style doors that were big and slow, or ancient
hinged ones that squeaked when you opened them.
Mulgurg and Zrax were perfect for a mission like
this. They were big, bulky, and between them, had the rough mental capacity
of an earthworm. Followed any order they were given; no questions asked. Furg
liked that in a soldier. The more cement in their skull, the better.
******
Vai was dead to the world now. She no longer saw the huge creatures marching
towards her, or the teardrop shaped craft, or even her own brother. The vibrations
had invaded her mind, numbing her senses to the point where she could not think
of anything else.
"Neep ilix Vai! Signxa kakabai!!"
Vai's vision was filled with a pair of pure blue
eyes. Something was familiar about those… yes. An Aisha? A little white Aisha
named…
"KATANYA!!"
The trance broke. Vai turned to Keagn, and shook
him. He didn't notice her; just stood there with a bemused grin on his face,
empty-eyed. The vibrations were beginning to trap the Spotted Aisha's mind again,
she had to hurry. With all her strength, Vai slapped Keagn across the face,
sending him flying across the ground. Keagn yelped, and got up, in full control
of his thoughts again. The two creatures were only meters away now; Vai grabbed
Keagn and Katanya in either hand, and sprinted through the Glade. The trees
dissolved into streetlamps; they were almost home. When they reached their Neohome,
Vai threw the other two in and slammed the door. After locking it, she slid
down, panting heavily. Keagn's eyes were out of focus.
"Vai, what happened? The ground was moving,
and then I was really sleepy, and you…"
"I don't know, Keagn. I don't know anything
anymore."
Vai wasn't sure what was real and what was a
dream now. Everything in her orderly life was flipping upside down. Something
told Vai these incidents weren't just coincidence; no, there was a connection
here, a master plan. Someone had been watching her, trying to find…
The door Vai was leaning against suddenly heaved,
and Vai was tossed forward. It happened again, something was trying to get in.
"We've been followed! RUN!!" The other two complied
without question. The second Katanya turned the stairs, the door gave. Vai didn't
see who entered; she was too busy running into Keagn's room. For the second
time, she locked the door.
"It's a nightmare. It's not real. None of this
is really happening…"
Keagn had curled into a ball, muttering under
his breath. Katanya had a death grip on the corner of his jacket, petrified.
And Vai, trying desperately not to panic, was running impossible escape plans
through her head.
"Oh, Fyora…" Vai whispered to the wall. Only
an icy breeze from the window answered her, chilling the back of her neck.
…Window? Breeze!
"Guys, the window!"
Katanya and Keagn both stared at it, and then
back at Vai.
"NOW!!"
Vai was the first to climb out onto the roof.
She heard footsteps coming from somewhere below, big ones. Keagn lifted Katanya
out to Vai, and then he followed. Crawling on all fours, Vai led them to the
storm drain. Holding onto the shaky aluminium, Vai slid down. Katanya, who was
too scared to do much besides breathe, had to be handed down again. Keagn simply
jumped, landing on his Lupe paws without a sound. And then, the inevitable question:
Where now?
Who could they go to? Even their own home was
no longer safe. They needed someone powerful, someone kind who could protect
them until this was over. Someone like…
Vai started running again. Left without another
choice, Katanya and Keagn followed. She ran into the trees of Illusen's Glade,
and stepped into the creek. "Keagn, brush away those prints. And then step in
the creek. It'll cover our tracks."
Keagn didn't even have enough wit in him to question
her. He just did as he was told, something that almost never happened. All three
of them stepped in the creek, which was icy and unpleasant. Even though Vai
was losing feeling in her toes, she began walking against the current, further
west.
Vai didn't bother counting how many tedious minutes
were wasted as she walked through that creek, her brother and Katanya shivering
close behind her. At last, Vai looked up into the highest tree in the Glade.
Planks were nailed into the trunk, making a ladder up to the top. Vai couldn't
see further than a few feet without a light, so she decided to take the chance.
Gesturing to the others that they should stay, Vai began climbing. Her freezing
ankles barely gripped the wood, but somehow she made it to the top.
In the part of the tree where the trunk split
off into five branches thicker than Vai could wrap her arms around, there stood
a magnificent treehouse. It was huge, with windows and balconies and doors with
polished handles. Vai knew this house; after how many Illusen quests Whisper
had sent her on, how could she not?
Knocking exhaustedly, Vai waited until she heard
the telltale footfalls. And when the door opened, Vai looked up into the kind
and beautiful face of a very well known earth Faerie…
"Anevai! How good to see you!"
"Illusen!"
They hugged as old friends do, and then Illusen
asked, "What brings you here so late?"
"Something bad's happening. These two things
broke into our house, and we had to come here, so me and Keagn and…"
Illusen's brow furrowed.
"And…?"
"A friend. I'll tell you everything inside,
but first,"
Vai whistled. After a long minute, Keagn appeared
from the ladder, Katanya's hands wrapped around his neck.
Illusen beckoned them inside, and Keagn set the
sleeping Katanya on her couch. "Poor kid," he muttered.
Vai and Keagn both waited anxiously while Illusen
fixed cider, and when she handed them the mercifully warm mugs she asked, "So…
you had a break-in?"
Vai drank some of the cider and replied, "Yes,
well, kind of… I'll start from the beginning."
And she told the whole story, from finding Katanya
to the thing on Glade Lake, to finding Illusen herself. Again, she left out
the incident in the garden; Illusen was trusting, but she wasn't gullible.
After Vai had gone silent, Illusen simply stared
at her. Then;
"These events are not coincidence, Anevai. Something
is happening beyond your control, even my own powers. A strange Aisha showing
up the day Whisper leaves on vacation, that thing on my lake…"
"Do you have any idea what it is?"
"Well…" she began, and then stopped. "No, I
don't."
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing important…"
"Please tell us, Illusen."
Illusen looked deeper into Vai's green eyes,
fixing her with a beseeching gaze, and sighed. "Do you know how it was Whisper
adopted you and your brother?" she murmured, as if someone was listening.
Vai and Keagn looked at each other.
"Adopted?" he said quietly, "she created us."
"No, she didn't," Illusen said, her face solemn.
"You weren't ordinary pound pets either. Whisper had been here only two days
when she moved to Meridell, and discovered my Glade. She had no pets at the
time. In fact, she intended to never own a Neopet, but then… something happened
that she didn't quite expect that changed her mind. On the first night the Desert
War truly began, Whisper was walking in my Glade. She found two Neopets, a green
Aisha and a blue Lupe, curled under a tree, only children. Upon taking the pair
home, whisper found that they remembered nothing of who had abandoned them,
or how they came to my Glade. She decided to keep them, and they have stayed
with her since."
Silence filled the air in the house like a shroud.
"Why… why didn't she tell us?" Vai finally asked
in a pinched sort of whisper.
"Perhaps she thought it was best if you didn't
know."
Another bout of silence. Illusen said in a calming
voice,
"Perhaps you should get to bed. It is late out,"
she said. Keagn looked at Katanya.
"Kitty's beat; she's not moving from this spot."
"She won't have to," Illusen nodded to Kat,
smiling. "Alien Aishas do tend to attract attention, and I think the last thing
you want right now is some tourist snapping photos of you. You have my permission
to stay here as long as you need."
"We can? Really?"
"You're a lifesaver, Illusen."
"Please, don't thank me. It will be my honor,"
Illusen said, blushing.
The two Neopets nodded. Illusen led them to a
guest bedroom, but Keagn decided to sleep on the floor in the living room by
Katanya.
"I don't want her to wake up tomorrow morning
and not have anyone there," he said shyly. "After all, it's been a rough night
for her."
Vai nodded, smiling weakly. As she lay in the
guest bed, trying to fall asleep, she kept thinking that there was something
Illusen hadn't told her. Vai hated when people kept secrets from her, and she
knew that the one Illusen would never tell her would prove to be the one that
she needed the most…
To be continued...
| 
