The Wish: Part One

I opened the book, and the small yellow Poogle clambered up onto my lap for a better look. He was so cute and alight with curiosity, reminding of a baby Zafara I knew, and still know.

      “Read it for me, read it for me!” he cried happily, but not in an annoying way, but a sweet way. His caramel eyes bored into mine hopefully.

      “Only if you give me a hug,” I teased.

      He quickly gave me a hug, and chorused, “Read it for me now, read it for me now!”

      “Okay, darling. Here we go...”

     ***

      My name is Destiny, and I was a purple Draik. I felt so out of sorts when it came to my family. I have been told I was the ugliest in my family since I was born. My family, a bunch of vain Unis, always criticized me. As many could tell, they didn’t exactly enjoy my presence. They say I ruined their “immaculate” image of beauty and power. To them, my tail was too long, my eyes too narrow for the standard, and I suffered from the thing that ravaged all teens in Neopia—acne. I’d heard it so many times; I’d learned to accept myself for who I am: ugly.

      As I went through the usual and boring routine of brushing my hair and my teeth, finding something passable for school, and getting my backpack ready, I braced myself for another day. Everyone was so cruel to me, as they thought I was hideous, and there was only one other of my kind. His name was Leo, a green Draik, but he always kept to himself and never seemed to be around at lunchtime. Yet he appeared for every class. It was weird, if you asked me.

      I walked down the stairs, hearing my sister, Mint, was begging for green eye shadow. She was a selfish, vain royal Uni who always wanted a new cosmetic; whether it was for her hair, or her hooves, or for the cuticles of her petpet’s hooves, she always wanted something. I personally didn’t get it. To me, hair was just hair, and nails were just nails. But, then again, according to Mint, I wasn’t “fashion forward” because I didn’t have Midnight Eyeshadow or Peophin Shampoo.

      “But PLEASE!” she screamed at our parents. “I just want a tiny little case of green eye shadow... don’t I deserve that much?” she pleaded. She turned the full force of her blue eyes on them as I shook my head.

      I knew that our parents would give in. To them, she was their little angel and I was just some annoying, ugly, little Draik. Little did they know that it was the other way around. She was the head of the bullies at our school, Linta Way Middle School, though they themselves didn’t think of it that way. We called them the Proud Crowd. When I say “we”, I mean the geeks at LWMS. Yes, I was a geek. I studied hard, always got good grades, and was part of the orchestra. I only had one friend, and her name was Daribell. She was nice and sweet, always helping others... I didn’t understand why she wasn’t part of the Proud Crowd. She had the right clothes, she was most definitely pretty enough (she was a royal Aisha)... she should have been part of the Proud Crowd. But she wasn’t. And neither was I. This wasn’t some faerie tale. So I went downstairs to face my parents at breakfast.

      When I made it to our bland, yellow kitchen, they had given her what she wanted. Typical. As soon as I walked through the door, my parents started chastising at me for being so ugly. Also typical.

      “What ugly clothes!” my mother told me. “Why didn’t you wear your new dress—Mint likes it.” I’ll tell you exactly why I don’t like that dress, Mother. Perhaps it’s the fact that it drowns me in ruffles? Or is it the sheer fact that Mint likes it?

      “Try to tone down the squinty eyes,” my father said. “And your acne’s even worse than yesterday!” He shook his head disappointedly.

      I soon decided I wasn’t going to put up with their descriptions of my omissions and overall ugliness. So I decided to walk to school and stop at Fresh Smoothies for breakfast. I got my Large Super Lemon Grape Smoothie and started the long walk.

      Soon I came across a small blue Ruki. She looked tiny and disheveled, as if she had no home. She whimpered in a soft voice, “Food... please?”

      I handed her my smoothie, and she suddenly began quivering violently.

      “Are you okay?” I asked in horror as I watched her transform. The Ruki’s figure shuddered with excessive tremors, until the lines of her reality seemed to fade, sort of like what it felt when I brushed my teeth, except not as violent. The Ruki’s—was she even a Ruki anymore?—figure elongated, wings emerging from the back of the figure, shimmering with subtle sparkles. Blond hair flew from her head, and blue eyes opened as if she was seeing the light for the first time, full of wonder. I realized as the shaking stopped that I was staring at an Air Faerie. A real Air Faerie. I could barely stop my mouth from gaping wide like a pair of dentures.

      “Thank you,” she murmured. “I can give you one wish. But choose wisely. I will not give you another wish...”

      So I had to choose a wish. And only one. What could put me in power of the school... make me popular? Or at least let me escape the bullying? So many choices... but only one wish.

      “I wish... I was... a... faerie,” I replied uncertainly.

      “Are you sure?” she questioned. “There’s no turning back...”

      “I’m sure,” I confirmed, confidently this time.

      “Your wish is granted,” the Air Faerie murmured, sealing my fate, and she was gone.

     ***

      I woke up and took in my surroundings. I seemed to be in Illusen’s Glade. “Wow,” I whispered. I had never been in Illusen’s Glade, and it felt different being there. Maybe because I was different. I looked at my wings as they unfurled. They were clear, with blue lines crisscrossing along the delicate surface. They were beautiful. I stroked one. It was as smooth as silk and as clear as water. I loved them. I continued to observe myself in a manner as if I was a baby, bright and eager with curiosity. My hair was indigo, softly cascading around my shoulders. I wore gloves that were deep blue, matching my hair. My dress had a white top, with puffy short sleeves that ended in rosy pink lace. The dress was made up of a pink sheer bottom that ended gently in between my waist and my knees. Under my dress I had a snow white leotard with white tights. On my feet were gorgeous furry blue boots, which, I had to admit, were my favorite part.

      As I was looking at myself in awe, I hadn’t noticed Illusen come into the Glade. “Who are you?” she asked, a hint of anger in her voice. I could tell she wasn’t happy that I was in her dell.

      “My name is Destiny, and I’m a faerie,” I responded with as much confidence as I could muster, which, admittedly, wasn’t much.

      “Well, I can see you’re a faerie,” she said, a frustrated look on her face. “But what faerie are you?”

      That question had me stumped, and my pitiful excuse for confidence disintegrated in the blink of an eye. I hadn’t thought of it until now. “Well... I’m... a... actually, I really don’t know. I’m sort of new,” I replied sheepishly, blushing a brilliant crimson.

      “Great,” Illusen groaned inwardly, “I’m the one stuck with the new faerie... How did you come to be?”

      “I made a wish,” I answered shyly.

      “From whom?” she growled. She was definitely angry now. You could see it in her jade eyes, which were full of fury.

      “The Air Faerie,” I murmured.

      “Ugh, I hate when she makes wishes like this,” Illusen muttered, rage lacing each syllable in her voice. It now seemed horrible that I had made that wish. I hoped the consequences weren’t too bad. “Look,” Illusen said, “I’m going to have to bring you to the Faerie Court. We have to settle this with Fyora... you know she’s the Faerie Queen, right?”

      “Y-yes,” I stuttered, my voice shaking a little. Now I was more scared than ever that I had made that wish.

     ***

      “I hear that there’s a new faerie,” Fyora announced. “Bring Destiny in.” At those words I was brought into the center of the Faerie Court. All the most important Faeries were there, including the Darkest Faerie, who was bound in magical chains. The Air Faerie who had turned me was looking particularly guilty, as if she was accountable of a horrible crime, her eyes darting from side to side nervously.

      I looked at all the faeries. The Air Faerie had a shy look on her face and was looking down at her toes. Jhudora appeared bored, as if she had no reason to be here. Illusen looked furiously at the Air Faerie, as it was her fault I had woken up in her glade.

     Concentrated on the task at hand, the Space Faerie was looking determinedly at me. The Soup Faerie was looking down at me with such kindness, as if I was her own child. With a playful look in her eye, a Fire Faerie looked down mischievously at me, while Nereid was absorbed in a book about Tuskaninnies, paying no attention to me. Cradling a small negg in her arms, the Negg Faerie gazed at it fondly. The Grey Faerie looked sad; as she always was. Not really any surprises there. With concern, Taelia looked at me, as if something bad was to come. And last, the Darkest Faerie looked at me with a furious look in her eye, as if I had bound her in those chains.

      “This meeting shall commence!” the Faerie Queen declared. Every faerie stopped what they were doing and paid attention. “Now, Illusen, tell us of this faerie,” Fyora said.

      “Well, I was on a trip,” Illusen explained, “and I had come home to find Destiny” —she paused and glowered at me— “in my garden.”

      “What is she?” asked Fyora, with curiosity burning beneath her response.

      “She is no faerie,” Illusen responded simply. “She is the result of a wish.” At that moment, every faerie in the room gasped. A million different reactions crossed each of their faces.

      “Who gave her this wish?” Fyora demanded, rising from her seat. “Who gave her this wish?”

      “I did,” the Air Faerie said. “You see, she helped me from a bad situation and I--”

      “What was this bad situation?” Fyora inquired calmly.

      “Well,” the Air Faerie said, surprised at Fyora’s calmness, “a Dark Faerie put a spell on me, preventing me from eating and speaking to you faeries until some kind, noble Neopet came along and gave me food. She also turned me into a small Ruki. But Destiny saved me. So I granted her a wish. I had no idea that she’d wish to be a faerie.”

      “Then why didn’t you stop her?” the Faerie Queen questioned.

      “As you and I both well know, you can’t stop a wish once the recipient has their heart set on it,” the Air Faerie retorted.

      “Well then,” Fyora said, “what shall we do with her? We can’t take away her wish and we can’t send her to Faerie Academy. If some of the more malicious faeries knew that they could turn Neopets into faeries, we may have a riot on our hands. So what shall we do with her?”

      “Well,” Jhudora sneered, “she could be my little test subject.” She eyed me maliciously. I hope they didn’t choose her suggestion.

      “No!” the Soup Faerie cried. “You know good and well what will happen to her. No. Destiny should come and help me in the soup kitchen.” At this, she looked at me tenderly. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

      “I like the suggestion of her helping you,” the Faerie Queen said. “But all of us faeries need help once in a while. So she shall be our helper... but nothing reckless or dangerous,” she said, eying Jhudora suspiciously. “Now she needs living quarters. Can any faerie accommodate her?”

      “I could,” the Fire Faerie volunteered.

      “I’m afraid your living conditions are a bit too hot for her,” Fyora replied. I knew what she meant. The Fire Faerie lived in a volcano, which was waaaay too hot for me.

      “I could,” Nereid piped up.

      “I think she couldn’t breathe in your living conditions,” the Faerie Queen sighed, exasperated. It was if she had heard this many times, and she was so right! I couldn’t breathe underwater! Or at least I didn’t think I could.

      Then Fyora made an amazing proposition. “Why don’t you choose where you live?”

      “Well... umm... uh,” I stammered. I had made myself look so dumb in front of so many important faeries. This was an important decision... who would I live with? I really liked the Soup Faerie... but her abode was too cramped. I liked the Snow Faerie, Taelia, but I hated the cold. Then it hit me. I knew who I was going to live with.

      “I want to live with Illusen,” I answered confidently.

      “Do you have any space for her, Illusen?” Fyora questioned with a regal air. Illusen wouldn’t lie to the Faerie Queen.

      “I do,” she admitted grudgingly.

      “Then it’s settled,” Fyora commanded. “She will live with Illusen, the Earth Faerie. Guards! Go to Destiny’s house, get her things, and bring them to Illusen’s Glade. This meeting is dismissed.”

      But I wanted to ask the Faerie Queen one more thing before she left. “Wait!” I cried. “Do you know what faerie I am?” I hoped against hope she knew. I had never seen a faerie that was all blue and white.

      “Yes,” Fyora murmured calmly. “But all will be found out in time,” she said, and left the room.

To be continued...