|
I woke up to the aroma of ... well I didn't know what it
was. I had never smelt pancakes before. I wandered downstairs and the only person
in the dining room was Grundioy, the spotted Aisha, wearing an apron covered in
pictures of rowzez.
"They've all gone to try to get a loan
from the bank, they'll be back soon," she said, looking up. "They didn't want
to wake you," she added, understanding I was feeling slightly excluded.
I sat down, not even thinking of eating
one of the pancakes that were stacked up on a plate in the middle of the table.
"How are you Cettica?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," I said unconvincingly. She
said nothing, returning to her book. Grundioy was a very intellectual Aisha.
"I just ... don't you hate Grundos?!" I burst out.
"No ..." she said slowing, looking up
from her book. "Why, do you?"
"They're just so... silly, cute, and annoying,"
I said angrily.
"They can't help the way they were born,"
she said, putting her book down. "Besides, don't you ever feel discriminated
against?"
"Yes..." I said in a small voice. I didn't
know how I could make her understand. Everything had been fine before Grim had
come along. It had just been me and Heidi, and everything was perfect.
"We all have our siblings we have to deal
with," Grundioy sighed. At that precise moment Rofal2000 the silver Shoyru flew
through the doorway and hurled a yellow snowball at Grundioy, and flew upstairs
laughing, after grabbing a pancake.
"I see ..." I said, watching her dry herself
off with a tea towel. "Don't you ever wish you could do something about it though?"
"But you can," she said simply, picking
up her book. I knew that was the end of our conversation and I went back upstairs.
"I can do something about it, Jewel,"
I said to my Wadjet. The thing was... what could I do? I could buy a morphing
potion and turn him mutant. But I couldn't afford that. And I couldn't ask for
the money, that would seem suspicious. I could go and see Edna the witch ...
but she has been known to put Neopets into food and I didn't want anything that
drastic to happen.
I thought some more. I could leave him
in the Lost Desert. But I didn't know where it was. Maybe I could take him to
the Space Station Pound for somebody else to adopt! I had always been a creative
Lenny and my mind filled with possibilities. I could take him to Jelly World
and leave him to eat green jelly forever. No ... I wasn't even sure if Jelly
World existed.
I decided to give my brain a rest. I'd
come across the answer sooner or later. Rabbit, Flowal's Bearog jumped onto
my lap.
That night I had a nightmare. I was with
Flowal eating pancakes. Suddenly Grim waddled in and sat next to Flowal. She
turned to me and said "You know... I never actually liked you Cettica I was
just being nice."
Then Heidi and Joey came in and said,
"We just lost all our money in the stock market. I'm afraid we'll have to eat
Cettica to feed Grimlaerian." They turned to me with glittering red eyes and
wide open mouths, to swallow me whole ...
I woke up sweating. Looking over at Flowal
sleeping peacefully, I rose quietly and picked up Jewel. I dug around in my
bag for my books. My books on a particular topic. I had All About Dark Faeries,
My First Faerie and Dark Faerie Magic. I read them all and put
the first one under my wing. Then I opened the window and flew out, Jewel clinging
around my neck like a necklace.
It was almost sunrise but I knew nobody
would be up for hours. It pained me to know nobody would notice me missing,
but there were more important things to worry about.
I flew high above the clouds. It was bright
up there, and the sun warmed my feathers. But I was weighed down with the decision
I had made.
I looked down on the milky white clouds.
Eventually, I don't know how much later it was, I caught site of a black cloud.
I flipped through a few pages of my book and found the picture. Yes ... that
was the cloud. I swooped down and landed (landing on a cloud is not as difficult
as you think). Jewel was still hanging around my neck like a necklace, I had
been afraid I’d lose her when we were in flight but she was safe.
"Hello?" I said, looking around. My voice
sounded small but I wasn't really scared. After all, she was only a Faerie.
There was a throne in the center of the cloud that cast a purple shadow. Suddenly,
without a pop or any cushy sound effects Jhudora the Dark Faerie appeared in
the throne.
"Yes? Do you want a quest?" she said impatiently,
looking me up and down.
Gathering my courage, and giving Jewel
a pat for good luck, I took a step forward. "My name is ..."
"Your name is not important child, now
speak! No... I can tell from that look. I know why you have come," she said,
amused.
"I want to make a deal," I said finally.
She smirked. "I know. What kind of a deal?"
"If I bring you a neopet can you provide
shelter and wealth for my owner and I?"
She smirked again and flung her hand out.
Immediately I saw a Neohome appear on a nearby cloud. If Joey200010's house
was a mansion, this was a palace. It was huge! The walls were of silver cloud,
with turrets reaching far into the sky. There was a giant garden with singing
flowers and I saw Heidi and myself sitting, laughing, tossing money into the
air and watching coins rain down.
I turned away from this image, though
it was hard. "If I do bring my... brother," I still felt disgusted to call him
that, "what will you do to him?"
"Oh, he'll be fine with me," she said.
I could tell she was lying but for some reason I didn't care. "How soon can
you bring him?"
"I'll return within the week," I said.
"Is that a promise?"
"You have my word." And we shook on it.
As I flew off, I began to feel an overwhelming
sense of guilt but I shook it off. I realized everyone would be up soon so I
flew harder.
I approached Winding Wood Drive and searched
for number 21829. I soared through the window and looked around, realizing I
was in the wrong room. It was Grundioy's Zen room, she was sleeping quietly
in her Zen bed. I couldn't help but notice how impeccably neat her room was.
There wasn't a robo Quiggle out of place, or a book off the shelf. I could make
out a figure in the other bed. It was Grimlaerian, snoring loudly. I went over
and looked at him. Again I was angry at Heidi for adopting him on a whim. We
hadn't needed him. He hadn't needed us. And the sooner I got rid of him the
better.
I turned to leave and got a start when
I saw Grundioy standing there sleepily, rubbing her spotted Aisha eyes.
"Do you still hate Grundos, Cettica?"
she asked quietly.
"Yes," I said, hastily walking to the
door that she held open for me. I hoped she wouldn't ask what I was doing in
her room this early, and she didn't.
"I was born one you know," she said without
emotion, closing the door on me. Then I went downstairs and pretended I had
just risen.
Flowal was up already, which surprised
me as she usually slept in. Beauty sleep, she called it. "Morning sunshine!
Where were you this morning, I was so worried!" the Usul said, chewing on a
stick of celery.
"Oh I umm... I went to the Grooming Parlour
to see if that new eyeshadow shade had come in yet. I wanted to be the first
to try it."
She seemed to be satisfied with my answer.
"Oh... I was going to ask you to come shopping with me today! But since you've
already gone out..."
"Oh no, it's okay. I'd love to," I said,
hearing the disappointment in her voice. Why she'd want to go shopping with
me is anyone's guess. Maybe all her friends were organizing a surprise party
for her or something, and were unavailable.
She cheered up. "Oh good, because there's
this dress I know will look just perfect on you! You should go and get ready.
Where's Jewel?"
I raised my wing to my neck. Jewel wasn't
there. Not panicking yet, I excused myself and ran upstairs. I burst into Grundioy's
room and searched for her. Not there. I retraced my steps but couldn't find
her anywhere. Then with a gasp I realized where I had left her... Jhudora's
cloud.
I was just opening the window when Flowal
ran into the room. "There you are, Cettica!" she cried. She was wearing a tiara
and had Rabbit on a lead. "You're not ready yet?"
"For what? Oh..." I said, remembering
I'd promised to go shopping with her.
"Come on," she said happily, taking my
wing and leading me outside. I had to find Jewel quickly, and for that I'd have
to go to Faerieland. I tried to make the shopping go as quickly as possible
but every time we finished with a shop there were two more she wanted to visit,
and I didn't want to be rude. After all, she had done so much for me.
Finally we had a break, and went for smoothies.
We sat in a booth with our shopping bags piled all around us. Flowal was chewing
on her straw when suddenly she said, "Look!"
"What?" I said, wondering why she was
whispering.
She pointed over to a table where two
Lennys were sitting. I recognized the male starry one as Leon3o_753, from the
Gourmet Club. I wondered who the girl was.
"Leo!!" Flowal almost screamed, waving
frantically. I sunk into my seat, embarrassed. Obviously she was good friends
with him because he came over grinning. Rabbit barked a greeting.
"Flowal, Cettica, Rabbit," he nodded to
us and Flowal's Bearog. I nodded back, not knowing what to say. I'd never really
talked to him before.
"Come sit with us Leo," Flowal2000 said,
moving a few bags aside and patting the empty space next to her.
He looked slightly awkward, "Umm... you
see... I'm actually with someone Flo." Flo? He called her Flo!
"Oooooh, your little friend over there?"
she said giggling, but not meanly.
He turned bright red. I thought it looked
quite nice amongst his starry complexion. "Umm ... she's my sister," he mumbled.
For some reason that made me feel better.
"Hey... I gotta go," he said, looking
at his feet and edging away towards his Lenny sister. I had completely forgotten
about Jewel by that time.
"Bye," I said, smiling at his awkwardness.
Boy’s were so strange.
"See you later, Cettica," he said, looking
directly at me. And I knew he meant it.
To be continued...
| 
