A Very Peophin Christmas: Part One

Christmas: It's the wonderful day of the year when Neopians everywhere cast aside their differences to join together in celebration. Many different treats are made to feast upon, a few special birthdays are celebrated, and gifts are given. Now, many unforgettable, heart-warming tales have taken place around this day, and this story is one of them! You see, today you will learn the tale of one of the little-known events that occurred in Advent Y11. This is an epic tale of love and loss, of two very different families and one Peophin that is caught between them. It's about a decision that will change her life forever. It's a Very Peophin Christmas.

     * * * * * *

      "Ugh!" DeeSamantha, known as Sam, smiled to herself groan filled the living room, followed by a muffled thunk.

      "Still no snow, eh?" the Tyrannian Peophin asked without even looking up from cutting paper snowflakes.

      "Nope. Not a flake," the owner, a young girl named Savannah, mumbled through the couch cushion that she had shoved her face into. The girl's sandy brown hair fell over her face, hiding it from the world. "Plus, there's only eight days until Christmas!" It had always been Savannah's dream to have a white Christmas, and all twelve of her pets knew it.

      "Don't worry, Savvy. Maybe it'll snow tomorrow."

      There was a grunt in reply. Rolling her eyes, Sam smiled.

      The Peophin's life was nearly perfect. Her owner had taken her in just a few months before. Back then, she had been Sam: the lowly green Peophin with no hope of a future. She didn't care for anyone in fear of losing them. But Savannah had been persistent, and after many fights and a near-tragic accident that landed her in the hospital, Sam became the eighth pet in the family, soon followed by Nicky, Lindy, Cordelia, and Star. And she was happy here.

      But the thing that changed her perfect life to nearly perfect, was her original family. Bree, her original owner, had put Sam and her siblings in the Pound when she had lost the family's savings in the stock market. She had wanted for them to have a perfect life, and thought that they would be better off having them somewhere else.

      Also, this would be her first Christmas without them.

      Sam paused, suddenly curious. What were they up to? Did Laura, Dylan and Meg feel the same way as she did? Was Bree even still in Neopia? Or had she maybe returned to the mysterious place where owners came from? And why couldn't she have brought them with her, and just saved back up?"

      "Hey, Sam? Are you okay?" The Peophin turned to see Savannah gazing at her, a worried look on her face.

      "Yeah, I'm fine," the pet replied, not looking her owner in the eyes.

      The blue-eyed girl frowned, standing up. She could read Sam like an open book, and could tell that something was up. But, if she didn't want to talk, then that was okay. So, she smiled weakly. "Alright-y then. Well, I've got to go to the Shop Wizard before dinner, so how about you go help Maddie with the shop? We'll finish decorating later."

      Sam hesitated for a moment, glancing once more at the pile of half-finished paper snowflakes that laid on the floor, and then nodded. "Okay."

      * * * * * *

      Twenty minutes later, the Tyrannian Peophin was standing in front of a cheery white shop with blue trim. Bright lights twinkled inside the shop, and yards of multicolored tinsel hung from the windows. The small shop was owned by Savannah, but all of her pets helped run it.

      Ding-dong! The bells above the door jingled merrily as Sam used her shaggy hoof to push the glass door open. Behind the counter, bent over, was Madalleena - Sam's ex-rival, now her best friend and older sister.

      "Welcome to Savannah's Super Shop! My name is - oh, hi Sam!" The faerie Kougra smiled as she righted herself, a Yullie in her paws, and spotted her sister.

      "Hey, Maddie. Savannah said that I could come up here and help out for a while."

      "Okay. Well, I'm actually almost done. How about you help me with these petpets?"

      "Sure." Sam quickly grabbed her monogrammed smock, and minutes later, the two were running about, straightening items, and feeding the petpets that were sale.

      "Whew!" the elder pet sighed, closing the doors as the last customers scurried out with their purchases. "What a rush!"

      "Yeah." The Tyrannian Peophin sighed half-heartedly and flopped into a nearby bean bag chair. Maddie frowned, eyeing her sister.

      "Okay." She pulled off her own smock and flopped down as well. "What's up?"

      "What do you mean?"

      "I know that look. That's your 'something-is-bothering-me' look. You had that look on all the time when you first moved in. So, spill."

      "Okay, okay," Sam sighed, realizing that Madalleena would keep badgering her if she didn't talk now. Leaning back so that she was in a more comfortable position, the Peophin explained about her worries and sadness about her first Christmas without her creation owner and siblings. As she neared the end of her explanation, a few tears sprang to her chocolate brown eyes.

      "Sorry," she apologized, giving a small smile and rubbing at her eyes.

      "Oh, don't apologize!" the winged pet smiled gently and wrapped her furry arms around her sister. The two embraced for a moment, and then the wall clock chimed five times.

      "Now, how about we head home and try to get dinner before it's all gone?"

      * * * * * *

      Three cartons of milk, two dozen eggs, one pack of sharpened pencils, the latest issue of the NT, Nicky's Christmas gift, some hair spray for Cordelia...

      Savannah skimmed over the shopping list that was written in her Cybunny, Kisa's lovely handwriting, and then glanced thoughtfully at the list of shops that the magical Shop Wizard had given her. Nibbling thoughtfully on a cookie that she had purchased, the blue-eyed girl began to check off items, until there was only one left.

      Sam's Christmas gift.

      After owning the Peophin for only a few months now, Savannah still wasn't sure what to buy for her. Clothes were too girly, she was already painted, and she owned a young Gruslen named Taylor.

      "What do you think that Sam would like, Misty?" the owner asked, smiling at her baby Xweetok, who was cooing in her stroller while the blue-eyed girl sat on a park bench.

      "Gloo-ba!" the baby squealed, causing Savannah to giggle.

      Handing a small piece of her cookie to Misty, the girl popped the rest of it into her mouth, and scanned the Bazaar in hopes of spotting something that would give her an idea. But, instead, she felt a tap on her back and leaped about a mile, choking on her treat in the process.

      "Ack!" Savannah sputtered, clutching at her throat. Thankfully, the same hand that tapped her thwacked her on the back, hard, and dislodged the cookie.

      "Savvy, you've got to stop doing that!" a familiar voice chided, and the brunette turned to see Dove, one of her twin blue Xweetoks.

      "Me?! What about you? Stop scaring me like that!" Dove rolled her eyes gently, and then smiled.

      "I'm finished with today's work, so can we hurry home?" Dove helped the Soup Faerie often, and around Christmas time, it got a bit hectic, causing her to spend most of the day serving soup.

      Savannah glanced at the last item on her list, and then nodded, tucking the paper safely into her pocket. Taking a deep breath, the owner whistled once, loud and shrill.

      Almost automatically, a shadow Eyrie swooped down from the sky and landed softly beside them.

      "Good evening, girls. Where would you like to go?"

      "54108 Fire Faerie Crescent, please." Savannah pulled Misty out of the stroller and folded it up, carefully tucking it into the saddle on the Eyrie Cab. She and Dove quickly scooped up the shopping bags, and then hopped onto the Eyrie's feather-y back.

      "Yes, ma'ams." There was a slight bump as he jumped off of the icy ground, but in seconds they were soaring gracefully through the clouds.

      "It's quite chilly today, isn't it?" the Eyrie asked, trying to make conversation.

      "Yes, it sure is," Dove replied tightly, trying not to look down as she gripped the saddle with her claws.

      "Quite strange, really, but I actually dropped off two young girls at this address just moments ago. Is there a party?"

      Savannah frowned and shook her head."No... I'm not expecting any guests. What did she look like?"

      The Eyrie squinted, as if deep in thought, as he reached the peak of his upward climb and began flying over the neighborhoods. "One was a tall red-head with a briefcase. The other was a tall blonde with glasses and deep green eyes. Both were about your age. Any of that ring a bell?"

      But the girl had no chance to answer, because at that moment, the shadow Eyrie touched down in front of their house. On the porch stood three figures, one belonging to Sam, and the other two, the strangers.

      Stepping off of the cab with Dove by her side, Savannah gasped. She recognized the blonde haired girl from pictures. A feeling of dread suddenly washed over her, drowning out all of her thoughts. Suddenly, the Peophin's excited voice broke through.

      "Bree!"

To be continued...