I gasped loudly and couldn’t speak for a while. She was supposed to be destroyed…
the doctors called my mom… didn’t they? I was confused and couldn’t think. Why
after so much time she has come back, if she was alive wouldn’t she have told
me? Wouldn’t I have known?
“What’s wrong?” NightFlameCharmer asked in puzzlement.
“Well… seeming as you've been destroyed… I’m a little confused,” I spoke softly.
“What… destroyed? I’ve never been destroyed. What are you talking about? A
year ago I was kidnapped by some group of scientist. They took me to their lab
and did tests on me. They have been watching Kougras all over Neopia and kidnapping
them, then they send out clones to be destroyed. Then no one knows that there NeoPet
has been taken because they have an exact replica sent to them and they think
it’s the real thing. They only pick the strongest Kougras…” she said before
I cut her off.
“But what about the bow? You gave it to me the day before you were destroyed
and told me never to let it out of my sight!” I screamed.
“Shhhh… what bow? I’m starving is there anyway you can get me some food?” She
asked.
We walked back to the house and I snuck her in. I told her to wait in my bedroom
till I came up with food. I walked into the kitchen and gathered some snacks
I heard a noise and my ears twitched, my mom had just walked into the room.
“Flame, there is something I need to tell you about your bow… It’s a good thing
Silver broke it or I would never have found it… there was a tracing device in
it. I don’t know where it came from but I think we should tell the Chia Police
about it.” She said with a very worried nervous glance.
“Mom… there’s something I need to tell you something… It’s about NightFlameCharmer…
She…” I didn’t have time to finish a loud crash was heard from upstairs and
my mother was already half way up the stairs.
I chased her up the stairs ran between her legs and into my room. I slammed
the door and looked round my room. NightFlameCharmer had knocked over my Battledome
trophy. She was standing near it with a wide embarrassed grin on. I told her
to get ready for trouble because my mom was right behind me.
“Flame? Is everything all right? Please let me in,” she said and I opened the
door. She was going to be upset.
“Hi momma… do you remember NightFlameCharmer?” I asked trying to look innocent.
“Oh Flame, what is this some kind of joke?” my mother said with tears forming
in her eyes. My mother was very close to NightFlameCharmer too she had treated
her like one of the family, and was very sad when she got the phone call from
the hospital saying she was destroyed.
“Hello Jade… long time no see,” NightFlameCharmer gulped.
“It’s not a joke mom, she really is here,” I said quietly.
“I can’t believe this…” My mother sniffled.
“You remember this?” NightFlameCharmer reached in her pocket and showed us
a locket. “You gave this to me for my first birthday.”
With them last words my mother grabbed both of us up into her arms and hugged
us. She was crying, we were all crying. Silver, Autum, and Shadow came into
the room to she what all the fuss was about. They stared in awe as NightFlameCharmer
was put down and shook her fur back in place.
“Is that… her?” asked Shadow with his eyes bigger than pumpkins.
“Yes, that’s NightFlameCharmer, my best friend,” I said as I walked over to
her and rubbed my face on her cheek.
“Whoooooooo!” said Silver, “Methinks she’s more than a friend!”
“Oh cut that out Silver. Let’s go downstairs and leave them alone for a while,
I’m going to cook for her, you guys can help,” my Mother said happily.
They left the room and shut the door. I sat there in silence for a while… the
muffled sounds of pots and pans clanging together were heard from the kitchen.
“Wow, I didn’t notice before, you got painted. You look very nice. Spotted
suits you well,” she said smiling.
“Thanks, heh… so you’re going to stick with Shadowed for a while then right?
You look perfect just the way you are,” I said blushing.
“Yep, let's go and help your mum cook,” she said, sticking her tongue out then
running to the door.
We had a great night it was fun having my best friend back. As we ate, I kept
thinking I heard a faint beeping; I shrugged it off and kept eating. We all
went to bed very late. What could have been greater than for this to go on forever?
But what was waiting to happen in the future no one would expect.
**A month and few weeks later**
It was the end of fall already! NightFlameCharmer had been living with
us for so long, it was great! We were all so happy… except NightFlameCharmer
was acting strange. My mother noticed it first and talked to me about it, I
said it must have been all in her mind till one day when the Neomail came she
went out in the back yard and cried while she read her letter. What was she
reading about?
“NightFlameCharmer what’s wrong? Please tell me…” I begged.
“Nothing, everything is fine… couldn’t be better,” she lied.
“You never were good at lying, so please tell me what’s wrong?” I said quietly.
“I keep getting letters… bad ones… I might have to leave…” she said while she
sniffled.
“No! You can’t leave! You’re my best friend in the whole of Neopia! You can’t…”
I cried.
“You don’t get it do you? No amount of writing will make me want you to leave!”
I said.
To be continued... | 
