Clobo
The whole room was packed with cages full of depressed Neopets with tangled
fur and big sad eyes. It had a terrible smell of an old sweaty sock. The walls
were cold steel and there were no windows. Dr. Death pulled a pen from his pocket
and picked up my hoof and wrote on the bottom of it 7856 and then he pushed
me into one of the top cages and locked the cage door and then walked out of
the room.
"Welcome to first day of the end of your joyous owned life," said a sad voice
from the cage on my right, "No more going out to shop in Neopia Central, no
more delicious churros, no more sunshine, and no more fun. This is Neopia's
underworld."
"Uhhh... thanks for the comforting welcome. I'm sure I'll enjoy my stay...."
I answered half joking.
"You're welcome, kid. Stay? STAY? You think your going to be in and out of
here quick? Well, lemme tell ya, you got a lot to learn if you think of this
as a 'stay' like it's a vacation. I thought this would be a 'stay' too, but
I've been here for 5 years. In this same cage, never seeing the light or day,
never taking one step out of this cage!" the voice cried back.
"Whoa," I exclaimed, "I didn't mean to hit any nerves."
"That's OK, kiddo. By the way I'm Kurt698745, but just call me Kurt. I'm a
Buzz. My first owner abandoned me one day because I wasn't as great at the Battledome
as my older brother," the voice introduced. His voice was ruff and tough like
sandpaper.
"I'm Bronzeya... my owner wanted a Krawk and I was the first to be abandoned.
She never exactly adored me." I sighed lying down and trying to get comfortable
on the cold steel cage floor. I moaned and put my head on my hooves.
"Well, Junior, it's going to be a loooooonnng hard visit to Neopia's Underworld,"
Kurt sympathised. I nodded even though I knew Kurt couldn't see me. I snuggled
against my locket and doll. I lifted up my hoof and looked at the number 7856
and gave another sigh and lay on my side drifting off into slumber.
***
I yawned and opened my eyes as I heard a key in the lock to the door into the
cage room. Dr. Death came in leading a young girl behind him. I barely lifted
my head. Probably another one that wants a Poogle or Chomby I thought.
"So what kind are you looking for?" asked Dr. Death pulled all the keys to
the cages out of his pocket.
"A Kau. I want the best you have," The girl said looking through the cages
at the sad pets. I sat up quickly and knocked my head against the top of my
cage and let out a painful MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Dr. Death looked up and
saw me.
"Oh, yes that's the best quality one we have. One of the best I've ever seen!
It's a female named Bronzeya," Dr. Death bragged like he was the one who was
best quality. He reached up and unlocked the cage, pulled me out of the cage
and set me on the ground. The young girl looked down at me and gasped with excitement.
"IT'S BEAUTIFUL!" She exclaimed and leaned over and snuggled me. I let out
a soft pleased Mooooo-like purr. It felt good to be hugged by a human again,
"I'll take it. I don't care about the price."
"Oh," Dr. Death seemed blown away, "Well, let's go around front and let you
sign the paper work." She carried out front to the counter as I held on tightly
to my two possessions. She set me on the counter as she signed the contract.
"Well, ms. writing_obsessor-" Dr. Death started.
"Oh, just call me Clobo," the girl interrupted.
"Umm... well then Ms. Clobo just give me 800 Neopoints and she's all yours!"
Dr. Death continued. Clobo quickly handed over the 800 Neopoints and grabbed
me and ran out of the pound onto the street where she set me down. It was nice
to feel the sun on my glossy fur. It had been two months in the pound. I shook
my body and smiled.
"Bronzeya, let's go talk over some ice cream!" Clobo cried excitedly and we
both ran to the shop. We ordered our ice cream and sat down at a small table
in the corner.
"I'm Clobo, Bronzeya, I've been dying to get a Kau for a long time!" Clobo
introduced herself. Suddenly an unpleasant thought hit me, What if she had three
other perfect pets? Will the same thing happen with Hanna and me with her? I
shook the feeling off and smiled.
"So, who abandoned you?" Clobo asked.
"Well, this girl named Hanna did. I had three other perfect siblings and she
wanted to get a Krawk and since she thought I was the least important of all
four of her pets she abandoned me," I explained.
"Oh," Clobo said sympathetically, "that's harsh." Suddenly she brightened,
"You won't have to deal with sibling rivalry with me because your my first and
only pet." She smiled.
"COOL!" I burst. I smiled and then she smiled back. Suddenly the door opened
and Clobo turned around. Through the door came a young boy owner with three
Kaus all different colours following him. Clobo smiled and gasped.
"It's him. Here at..." She checked her watch, "12:00 he usually comes at 1:05
after he's eaten a ergy pizza at Pizzaroo and an organic leek and then he licks
his fingers has a drink at the drinking fountain and THEN he comes here. What's
going on?" She turned around again and took a glance at him. She looked nervous
and turns to me,"How do I look?" She licked her teeth and straightened her brown
hair.
"Huh, what...." I couldn't say anything more because she took my hoof and pulled
us both from our seats and over to the boy.
"Hi Adam, what are you doing here?" she asked normally and smiled as Adam turn
around on his counter chair and the three Kaus do right after each other like
dominoes.
"I always go here," Adam smiled at her, "This is my favourite ice cream place.
I always go after my meals!" He said in a charming voice. I had to admit he
was pretty handsome - for a human.
"REALLY?" Clobo asked, acting all fake and "nicey nice" and girly-girl, "I
do too!" She acted surprised, but I could see past it.
"If you didn't know it was his favourite ice cream place how come you knew
what time he came here everyday," I muttered under my breath. Suddenly Adam
looked down at me--his eyebrows raised and his blue eyes sparkled.
"Clobo, that's the most amazing female Kau I've seen! It's perfect quality!"
Adam gushed.
"Isn't it? I found it at the pound..." Clobo beamed and patted me on the head.
I smiled too feeling perfectly at home.
***
"I love Kaus They're my favourite Neopet!" Adam replied as if we hadn't noticed
his three Kaus
"Mine too!" cried Clobo in excitement. I looked at the two, they seemed so
happy, but I had a sudden twinge in my stomach. Something was wrong here.
"Well...." Adam checked his watch. "I've got to bring one of my Kaus to the
Water Faerie. Maybe we could meet here again on Saturday?" Adam proposed. Clobo
nodded and smiled.
"That would be great!" she gushed. He smiled shook her hand and all four of
them walked out. As soon as they were down the street she squealed in excitement.
She jumped up and down flapping her arms like an idiot. She ignored the puzzled
glances from every other customer.
"Oh Bronzeya it worked! It worked! It worked!" She danced in circles,"My plan
worked! He was so nice to me!" I jumped in alarm as she began to squeal some
more.
"What plan?" I asked suspiciously not joining in on her big exciting moment
and jumping up and down like an idiot. I had the feeling in my stomach that
I had always had when I was at Hanna's home. I felt like nobody really wanted
me. I tried to shake the feeling off, but it just made it worse.
"Well, I needed a pet and when I met Adam I fell for him, but he didn't seem
interested. I followed him around disguised so he didn't know it and I found
out he loved Kaus and since I knew it was fate I needed to make him interested.
So I got you!" She explained still smiling with glee. I stumbled backwards,
the nicest owner I ever had. The one that treated me so kindly, the best I've
ever been treated turns out to be even worse than Hanna. At least Hanna didn't
use me.
"You... you... you're using me?" I sputtered.
"Awww... don't think of it that way, Bronzeya!" coaxed Clobo reaching for me.
The tone in her voice was like Hanna's choked with fake sweetness. I snapped
at her hand and growled and turned around. "Bronzeya- I-...." She tried to get
me to turn around.
"Forget it!" I huffed my brow hanging gloomily over my eyes and I squeezed
my two belongings, which I had been holding for the whole time. After standing
for a few seconds Clobo walked out of the shop. I followed far behind her not
wanting her to try and goad me into her oh-so-perfect-little-world. She stopped
at a NeoHome in the suburbs of Neopia. She pulled a key from her pocket and
unlocked the door. I stomped in not saying a word to her and she shut the door
behind me.
"Bronzeya, I didn't-" she began.
"I said, forget it!" I barked angrily. Her eyes seem to be full of tears. I
didn't care if she was crying; now she felt my pain of being unwanted.
"Your room is ready upstairs. Second on the right," Clobo said and then walked
off down the hall. I stomped up the stairs when I came to a hallway. I walked
down to the room the second on the right. I walked into a room with walls of
blue covered in clouds. The bed had a silver bed head and footboard and it's
mattresses and sheets and comforters were covered in blue with little clouds
dotting them. It had a white bedside table which had a lamp on it and a cloud
beanbag in the corner. The carpet was fuzzy and blue, but it didn't help since
my hooves didn't have feelings. I plopped onto my bed and put my locket into
a bedside table drawer and held my yellow Kau plushie close. I looked at my
hoof and at the 7856 and choked on my tears. I looked around at the walls and
saw a poster of a cloud Gelert with some rainbow clothes on that had the words
on it: Gemini, The clothes here are out of this world. I quickly pulled myself
under the stiff, but comforting covers and fell to sleep with that same twinge
in my stomach I had had all my life.
To be continued... | 
