Where To?

     I shrugged my shoulders. "Maria said she had some special trip planned for us, but it's a surprise." My owner always gets excited over a surprise, especially when she's the one doing all the surprising.

     "Some secret. No offense, but your owner can't keep two peas in her mouth. She already told Gabby about it," Ponycorn laughed as she unwrapped her salad. Our owners are great friends; that's how I have known Ponycorn even before Neoschool started for us in PreK.

     "Give her a break. She can't help it. Anyways, what are YOU doing over the summer, nosey?" I laughed playfully as Ponycorn stuck out her tongue at me.

     "We're going to the Lost Desert, to Sakhmet to be exact. My siblings want to work on their tans." Ponycorn rolled her eyes.

     "Someone doesn't sound very enthusiastic, now. What's your problem?" I teased.

     "I can't take the intense heat. Or the bugs. That place is infested! Ewww! And, get this, we have to sleep in crowded little tents! No hotels or spas!" Ponycorn moaned.

     "Oh! You poor thing! A Ponycorn, but no spa? How tormenting!" I snickered.

     "Oh shut-up!" Ponycorn laughed as she threw a tin-foil ball at me.

     "Yeah, yeah, sure, buddy. Whatever you say," I said thoughtfully, taking a bite of my Bacon Omelette.

     The bell rang and we picked up our Science books for our next class. But my mind was still on what Ponycorn said. What WERE we gonna do for summer vacation?

     * * *

     "Byyyyyyyye, everyone! See you in fall!" I waved good bye to everyone as I sped out of my classroom.

     It was a week after my conversation with Ponycorn about summer vacation. Since then, I kept bugging my owner about it, but she wouldn't spill it. She was bubbling with excitement, and I knew that she wanted to tell me... I wish she would've. But that was my primary means of excitement that day, besides school ending. We'd been packing all week and we were leaving for our mystery destination the next day, but Maria was gonna tell us that night once my sister, Addie, my brother, LightningBolt, and I had gathered in our Mystery Island Neohome.

     "Maria!!! I'm hooooooome!" I shouted as I glided through the doorway.

     "Hey, Precious! I hope you had a good last day! I'm just looking for Crucio out in the back. Do you want to help me?" Maria said as she walked into the room.

     I laughed. My brother was a green Eyrie, and the only one who could ever lose a sea-rex. He lets him swim in the pool while we're all at school (including my owner herself), but that little guy squeezes down the drain (which isn't that small) and goes through the sewage system and comes out smelling like LightningBolt's socks.

     As we rummaged through the pipes, I decided to bring up the subject of our vacation.

     "Hey, Maria? Can I ask you something?" I asked.

     "Sure thing. Ask away," Maria replied, her voice echoing from the gigantic pipe that she was sticking her head in.

     "Where are we going for vacation? I wanna know, pleeeeeeease?" I begged.

     "I can't te-" *BANG!* "OWWW!" Maria came out of the pipe, holding her hand on her throbbing head, laughing.

     "Sorry about that!" she said. "Now, what was I- oh yeah! Sorry, I can't say anything until Addie comes back from her debate team meeting and LightningBolt comes home from his soccer practice. Sooo sorry!" Maria joked.

     "Humph. Come on! You can tell me! We get along the best! And you know it's true!" I fluttered my lashes adoringly.

     Maria threw me that I'm-gonna-say-it's-not-true-even-though-it-is-true kinda look. "Sheesh! Just wait, and help me pull this chubby thing out of here!"

     I sighed as I helped my owner heave out the over-weight sea-rex. I told my brother this might happen if he gave his petpet all those treats!

     We finally got the petpet out, just in time for Addie to waltz in with her Aisha-perfection. Her perfect Aisha smile, her perfect Aisha outfit, her perfect Aisha popularity, and her perfect Aisha brown fur. She was wearing one of those wigs you get at the NC Mall, and she looked perfect in it. What else is new?

     "Hey, Addie! How'd your meeting go?" Maria asked from the middle of our staring contest.

     "Great! I was elected captain of the debate team? Can we, umm, celebrate, possibly?" she said, giggling sheepishly.

     "Sure! We'll have that ice cream that's behind the Maggot Stew LightningBolt won last year at Test Your Strength," giggled Maria right back. Addie smiled and rolled her eyes.

     "Hey, Precious? Can you go inside for a minute? Don't you have a Sludgy to feed or something?" Addie said.

     "No. Fudge is at Ponycorn's house to play with her petpet for awhile. He'll be back later." I rolled my eyes.

     "Fine. Maria, pleeease tell me where we're going for vacation! You know I'M your favorite." Addie put on her cutie-pie face.

     "Trust me, it doesn't work," I laughed. Addie and Maria laughed along with me. Addie was a great sister overall, but she can be a little self-absorbed from time to time.

     "Hey, everyone! Guess who's back?" shouted my little brother through the door.

     "Hopefully the police to say that you were stolen," snickered Addie.

     "Very funny, Miss-Popularity. But, I'M the funny-guy here, okay? So, go powder yourself or something, Little Miss Princess." LightningBolt smiled in approval at his own joke, looking like he made a mental note of it.

     "Anyways," I said, changing the subject. "Tell us what we've all been waiting for! Where are we going for vacation this summer?"

     "Yeah, just spill it already!" LightningBolt anticipated.

     "Alright. We are going to-"

     My green eyes widened with curiosity.

     "The dinner table!" Maria laughed.

     "Aww man!" LightningBolt moaned.

     "I'm just kidding! Okay, well... I sorta lied to you, I really don't know where we're going; I didn't even book the trip," Maria shrugged.

     My mouth hung open. This was mutiny, I thought.

     "Then WHO booked it?" I asked worriedly.

     "Nobody, exactly. I won it in a contest. It's in this envelope." Maria held up a blue envelope with a Petpet Growth Stamp on it.

     "Well, open it!" Addie screeched.

     Maria ripped open the envelope and read aloud:

     "Dear Froggygirl49 (Maria),

     Congratulations! You have won the draw for our Grand Prize, Summer Vacation! We at Neo-Travels are sure that you and your pets are dying to find out where you're all going for vacation! So here it is, you are going to-" Maria stopped there, her mouth agape.

     "What? Is it Faerieland? I hope it is!" giggled Addie.

     "I don't!" I retorted. "If Tonus were meant to live on clouds, we wouldn't have been built as stocky."

     "Whatever! Let's just get on with it! Where are we going?" LightningBolt said eagerly.

     "U-Uhh, Let m-me finish the l-letter. N-none of y-you are gonna b-be happy," Maria stammered.

     "So here it is, you are going to Mystery Island! Congratulations and enjoy your trip. It's a wonderful place!

     Yours Truly,

     The Staff at Neo-Travels."

     Maria looked at us, then the letter, us, and the letter again. Addie covered her mouth with her paw. I stared at Maria and Addie, horrified. And LightningBolt finally broke the eerie silence.

     "BUT WE LIVE HERE ALREADY!!!" LightningBolt shouted, flustered.

     "Great... And I could be in Faerieland right now." Addie smacked her forehead and shook her head.

     At that, there was a knock on the door and Ponycorn came in, with Fudge.

     "Hey, guys! Precious, I brought back Fudge. So where are you all going on vacation?" Ponycorn scanned the expressions on the faces in the room, sensing it didn't go well.

     My slimy little Sludgy sidled up next to me, wanting me to pick him up. I cradled him in my arms like a baby, he always loved that. He snuggled in my arms, closing his eyes.

     "Apparently, Maria won our trip in a contest and we just got a letter announcing that our vacation is on Mystery Island," Addie sighed.

     "Oh... Well, you're always welcome to join us in the Lost Desert," suggested Ponycorn.

     "Will Gabby mind?" Maria asked.

     "Nope. She accidentally bought the premium pack of boat tickets, so she got ten tickets and was looking for someone to use them. What do you say?" Ponycorn asked.

     We all looked at Maria eagerly. Ponycorn's brothers were LightningBolt's best friends, and her sister was Addie's best friend. And, of course, Ponycorn herself was MY best friend. Maria was making the decision of a lifetime.

     "When are you leaving?" Maria inquired.

     "Tomorrow night," Ponycorn answered.

     "Well?" I asked.

     "Well, I guess we're going to the Lost Desert!" Maria smiled.

     Oh yeah. This was gonna be a good summer.

The End