"What? Another one?" Oshea said to herself and folded the newest issue of the
Neopian Times in half.
She sighed, there had another disappearance in Kiko Lake. This time it was
a new born Kiko, reported missing by a nearly hysterical owner just a week ago.
They never found a body. This was the twenty-third disappearance in just one
month. They never found a single trace of any of them. They all had just vanished.
At least, that's how it seemed. She stood up. How could this be happening? Kiko
Lake was a beautiful, safe place to live, up until recently. She had read many
newspaper articles about the disappearances and it seemed no one wanted to admit
what was happening. The police said it was probably just Jetsams, which lived
mostly in the deep, dark places in the lake, hunting in more shallow parts of
the lake for food. However, since there were no traces, Oshea didn't believe
it. She couldn't see how even the most evil of Jetsams would steal a new-born
Kiko out of their crib, in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep.
Besides, how much food could such a small Kiko provide? All the disappearances
didn't involve young people. Kikos and Flotsams of all shapes and sizes have
been reported missing. Oshea decided this would have to stop and it would stop
with her.
Oshea had researched into the mysterious disappearances and knew enough to
find each of the last places the Kikos had been seen. She puzzled over them.
One was outside a movie theater after the last showing, another had been an
elderly Flotsam last seen on her porch looking at the stars, and another had
been a young male Kiko playing in his backyard, waiting to be called in to wash
up and go to bed. There were just so many different locations that the Kikos
and Flotsams were last seen. Oshea decided to visit her friend, Sean, to see
if he could help her.
Sean was a red, male Flotsam. He was an intelligent little fellow; he knew
everything you ever wanted to know about technology. Varying from something
as small as a compact disc player, to something as big as a rocket launcher,
he could tell you all about it. He was her best bet for finding some help. She
reached his NeoHome, a small, simple place and rang the doorbell. No answer.
She could hear the whirring of his machines working in his basement. She frowned.
He'd never leave his machines on when he wasn't home. She twisted the doorknob,
not expecting the door to open, but it slid open silently. She went in and swam
down into the basement. The door was wide open. She went in and was startled
by what she saw. The computer screens were broken, machines were knocked over,
and glass littered the floor. Someone had gotten Sean, and whatever it was,
it was long gone. A tear went down her cheek and she wiped it away. She was
going to find Sean.
She looked over the room searching for anything out of place, other than the
wrecked equipment there was nothing. She began to cry again, there wasn't a
chance. Sean was gone and the disappearances would never end! It would only
be so long before it got her too. She swam back towards the door and something
caught her eye. She looked to her left and a grin spread across her face.
A miniature video camera was embedded into the wall. This was her last chance;
she swam quickly over to the camera and popped out the film. There wasn't a
working television in this place, she'd have to get home quick. She swam home
faster than she had ever done before. She dashed through the doorway into her
NeoHome and hurried into her living room. She popped the tape into her VCR.
The film began. She watched as the mysterious creature entered the room and
destroyed everything in sight. It then picked up Sean who was frozen in fear;
his mouth dropped open in unbelieving awe, and stuffed him into a bag. It seemed
then Sean came over his paralysis and struggled to get free. No such luck. The
creature was tall, wearing a dirty brown cloak, and she didn't think he was
a water creature. The figure turned around, as if to admire what he had done,
and she could see for a brief moment he was wearing a scuba diving mask. That
proved it; it was an air breathing Neopet. He turned back around and swam jerkily
to the top of the basement and knocked a hole into the top of the basement with
his bare fist, big enough for him and the bag containing Sean, to fit through.
As he struggled through the hole something dropped from his cloak, something
she had missed. A small jar landed on the ground and broke into tiny pieces,
spraying glass all around. Then a glowing small creature, in the middle of all
this glass, tried to get up. It struggled, but it couldn't move. It collapsed
there and did not attempt any longer. Oshea jumped a little when she realised
what it was. It was a faerie, which was no longer alive. The faerie began to
fade away until it was gone.
Oshea gasped, a faerie? In Kiko Lake? No wonder it couldn't move, its wings
must have been soaked! The poor thing must have suffocated there. Then it hit
her. No one hunted faeries, except for one creature. It was one very bad creature
indeed. Balthazar! She had a good idea where to find him.
She waited until the last bit of sunlight was drained from the sky. Balthazar
hunted at night. She had just finished her dinner, but it had tasted like paper
to her. She hoped that wouldn't be her last meal. She crept out of her house
carrying her only weapon, her Kiko sword. She swam silently the streets were
deserted. She looked for the perfect place for someone like Balthazar to live.
At last, she found a large underwater cavern in one of the many mountains surrounding
Kiko Lake. She swam in as quiet as she could, but she yelped when she saw the
cages. Many cages lined the walls with pets that were in a deep sleep. She clamped
a fin over her mouth, but it was too late. Before she knew what was happening
she was standing in front of Balthazar, the bounty hunter, who was inside of
what seemed to be a bubble. Probably stolen from Bubble Tours she decided.
"Ah. I see you've found my humble home," he hissed at her.
"Why are you doing this, y-you rat?" Oshea screamed at him.
"I'm hardly a rat at all, merely a handsome, strong Lupe," he said grinning,
"and you're stranded like a Kiko out of water,"
"Answer me! What are you doing this for?" she questioned him. "Neopoints, of
course," he said slyly.
"Neopoints? How will kidnapping pets get you money? Ransom?" She asked.
"My dear, haven't you been doing your homework? Ransom isn't good enough.
Too much work and too easy to leave traces," he replied.
"Then how are you getting Neopoints for kidnapping these pets?" she asked.
"Don't be so naive! Think about it. I take the strongest, the wisest, the
cutest, and so on. Then I sell them while they sleep in their stage of coma,
to unknowing Neopians dying to have the best Kikos and Flotsams in all of Neopia.
It seems I'm about to add another Kiko to my collection," he said arrogantly.
"I don't w-want to have to hurt you," she threatened and drew her sword.
"Hurt me?" he replied and laughed, "I hardly think you can hurt me,"
"Oh yeah? Let's find out!" she challenged.
"If you wish," he said menacingly and hurled himself at her. He missed, crashing
into a cage containing a baby Kiko. The Kiko barely moved.
She prepared herself for his next attack. He drew an attack sword; he smiled
at her and his eyes narrowed into small slits. He charged at her, and the fork
went into the soft flesh of her lower belly. The fork left a large hole in the
bubble; it was losing air and gaining water quickly. She grimaced and let out
a shriek. She took her sword and with all the strength she could muster swung
it at him. It cut him across his left shoulder. He only grunted. Crimson blood
dripped down his shoulder and he looked back at her.
"You'll pay for this!" He growled and charged at her. He missed her entirely,
and was sent sprawling into another row of cages.
Oshea took this opportunity and swung her sword, this time she cut him across
the thigh, the blade went through deep. Balthazar screamed in pain and floated
slowly out of the cave. She let him go, she didn't have much energy left, and
she had to live to tell the police, or these pets would all starve here. She
swam slowly until she reached town. It was morning when she got there, and she
felt very weak. She finally made it into the police station, gulped a few times
to manage to speak.
"Balthazar, cave, in deep water. Missing Kikos and Flotsams," she managed to
say, and passed out.
Oshea woke up the next morning in a hospital bed. A spotted Kiko was leaning
over her, rewrapping the bandage around her middle.
"Where am I," Oshea gurgled and looked hazily at the Kiko.
"You are at Kiko Lake General Hospital," the Kiko replied, "I am your nurse,
bandaid_head. You'll be fine, you've just lost a lot of blood."
"What about the-," Oshea began, and the nurse put a finger to her mouth.
"Shush... don't say any more. Save your energy. The pets are all fine, thanks
to you," the nurse said and smiled.
"Balthazar," Oshea murmured.
"They weren't able to find him, I'm sorry," she said with a frown, "but I
don't think he'll be in Kiko Lake ever again."
The End | 
