Welcome to Your New Home!!!

      Halfway down the staircase which led to the kitchen, Kitty could already smell the pleasant aroma of her owner cooking breakfast, a carrot and pea omelette.

      "Good morning, Kitty!" her owner, Izzy greeted her.

      "Good morning!"

      "Eat your breakfast. I'm going out soon. Just make sure you don't leave your plate on the table!"

      "Okay," Kitty promised.

      The omelette was steaming hot, but that didn't stop Kitty from devouring it in a matter of seconds. Izzy was just opening the door to leave. "Kitty," she said.

      "Whuh?" Kitty mumbled through a mouthful of eggy goodness.

      "What did I tell you about overeating?"

      Kitty swallowed the omelette and said, "Don't worry, I have an iron stomach!"

      "Whatever," Izzy sighed. Kitty was so lost in her breakfast that she didn't notice the white slip in Izzy's hand.

      Kitty was probably the most spoiled Neopet you could ever imagine.

     She had so many toys that Izzy almost got tired from playing with her. And Kitty had the most attention a Neopet could get. Her bedroom was gigantic, and her owner was willing to buy her a new bed. But Kitty hadn't been able to convince that human yet; apparently, according to her owner, she "hadn't saved up enough Neopoints." But other than that, Kitty was living a lavish lifestyle, and she was proud of it.

     ***

      In a few minutes Izzy returned, holding a crate in her hand."What's that?" Kitty asked anxiously.

      "It's your new sibling!" she announced excitedly. "I adopted it from the pound. It's a yellow Acara named Sunshine. Pretty name, right?"

      Kitty's mouth dropped open. A new pet? What was this all about? "But -- who -- what -- how -- why -- you -- WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!?!"

      "Aww, Kitty, why are you so upset?"

      "Why did you do this?"

      "Kitty, look at her! She's so hungry, so weak and helpless. How could you ignore such a poor creature?"

      "Why did you do this?"

      "Stop saying the same thing!"

      The Acara suddenly made a squeaky sound. "You're upsetting it!" Kitty screamed.

      The Acara spat out a sad, weak, hungry noise that sounded like a "Oofer" type thing. Kitty wondered if Sunshine spoke a different language.

      "Oh, Kitty, you're the one upsetting it." Her owner's voice was surprisingly calm. She placed the crate on the floor and opened it. A scrawny Acara shyly peeped out of the darkness. Kitty now understood why her owner couldn't ignore this creature. She tended to be so soft on those Neopets that don't get enough attention. Maybe that could explain Kitty's luck. The Acara was so skinny, and Kitty couldn't believe what she was smelling!

      "Ugh!" she said. "That thing smells worse than a rotten berry!"

      "Kitty!" Izzy shouted. "Do not insult Sunshine like that!"

      "Whatever. Hello, Sunshine. My name is Kitty." But however pleased she sounded, Kitty didn't mean it. She hated Sunshine from the start, and she never really liked Acaras, anyway.

      Her soft voice must have encouraged the young Acara to come out of the cage. It didn't really help, though. Poor Sunshine only tip-toed her way a few inches. "It's okay, Sunshine. Come out. Kitty only bites fuzzles!" their owner prompted. But Sunshine stayed put. Her owner sighed. "Kitty. . ."

      "Come on, Sunshine! Get out of that cage!" Kitty tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice and put in her best effort to sound enthusiastic.

      Eventually, Sunshine came nervously out of the crate. "Hello. . .?" came the voice. It was raspy and weak.

      "Sunshine, this is Kitty. She's going to be your new sibling!"

      "Sibling. . .?" Sunshine sounded doubtful, as if she didn't want this statement to be true. She must see my battle scars, Kitty guessed. "Um, I'm Sunshine. . . What do you like to do?" she asked weakly.

      "Explore, " Kitty replied flatly. "You?"

      "Well, I'm glad you two get along!" Izzy said gladly.

      Kitty snorted in disapproval.

      "Kitty, I don't care if you don't like Acaras or not. Now go feed Sunshine or no more Neonip games!"

      "WHAT?" Kitty shouted. The Neonip Critter was her favorite toy!

      "Go feed Sunshine!"

      "Fine! Whatever! If you'd rather play Neonip with Sunshine, I don't care! I'm NOT feeding her, and I'm not your slave!"

      "NOW!"

      Kitty sprinted to the kitchen as a super-mean plan came to her mind. She didn't look back to see if Sunshine was following her or not; she already hated Acaras.

      "Oh, Sunshine!" Kitty called. "I have something delicious for you to eat!"

      "Hold on!" the Acara yelled back as loud as she could (which was actually pretty quiet). "I just can't find out where I am!"

      "Good," Kitty whispered to herself. She reached into the cupboard for a Glowing Jelly. She knew that that was the food most Acaras hated most, and her friends told her about how abandoned Acaras get Neomonia if they eat it (although Kitty wasn't really sure if that was true or not). But Kitty was able to eat it because, as she said before, she had an iron stomach! "Heh, heh, heh. . ."

      As Sunshine padded through the kitchen door, Kitty was still arranging the Glowing Jelly on the plate. "Hold on!" she ordered. "I want to make it extra special for my favorite sibling! Don't look yet!"

      "Okay!" The Acara looked happy as she covered her eyes with her paws; she seemed as if she felt well cared for. Kitty suddenly thought about stopping the dirty trick, but she wanted this 'poor' creature to suffer. "Here you go!" Kitty announced.

      "Ooh, yum!" Sunshine gulped down the Glowing Jelly the way you'd see Kitty gulp down a carrot and pea omelette. Kitty worried that this particular Acara loved Glowing Jelly, and she worried even more when she realized what would happen if Sunshine got Neomonia. Most likely Kitty would get in big trouble, but Izzy would for sure pay far more attention to the sickly Sunshine, and leave Kitty to eat rotten berries. And that was not good.

     ***

      That night, Kitty had to share her bed with Sunshine. Thankfully, the smelly Acara took a bath, and Kitty didn't care if her owner used any of Kitty's favorite grooming supplies. But she did care if her owner let Sunshine use Illusen's Comb. Kitty would never let anyone ever use Illusen's Comb, except, of course, herself. Kitty had to complete a quest for her and as a reward, Illusen gave Kitty one of her combs. And Kitty hid Illusen's novel so Sunshine couldn't read it, just in case that Acara ever walked past it and wondered what it was. Kitty's favorite faerie was Illusen, and anything from Illusen was not to be touched by anyone except herself. Not even her friends were allowed to even go near it! That's how overprotective Kitty could get sometimes.

      Sunshine snuggled into the warm blankets and curled up in a ball. Kitty twitched her nose in annoyance. Are you kidding me? she thought. I sleep that way, copier!

      But of course Sunshine couldn't hear what Kitty was thinking, so Kitty thought about meeting up with her friends tomorrow and bringing Sunshine with her. And maybe. . . she thought. Maybe, I just might be able to get them on my side.

      Kitty shoved Sunshine, making her wince. "Kitty. . ." she whined.

      "What?" Kitty retorted. "I just want some room!"

      "Kitty? Sunshine? Is that yelling I hear?" Izzy sounded tired.

      "Nope!" Kitty was the first to answer, because she always knew the answer when Izzy asked questions like "Are you still awake?" or "Kitty, are you lights still on?" And the answer would always be "Nope!" So one could easily conclude that Kitty got away with a lot of things. Because if the answer was "Nope!" to the question "Are you still awake," then you'd think Izzy would be quite suspicious.

      "But--" Sunshine began.

      "Hush up, Acara!" Kitty whispered furiously. "You don't want her to know that we're awake!"

      "We don't? Why not? Shouldn't we tell the truth?" The Acara started bombarding Kitty with questions until Kitty just had to make her stop by using force. She quickly put a paw up to Sunshine's mouth, preventing her from saying anything more.

      "Be quiet, and go to sleep."

      And so it was left at that. But this time Kitty curled up first, leaving only a little space in the bed for Sunshine to sleep. But she didn't try to shove her the way Kitty did to her; she saw those battle scars, and someone like Kitty wasn't someone you'd want to mess with.

     ***

      "Wake up!" Kitty screamed into Sunshine's ear. But the Acara still wouldn't move. Sunshine let out a grunt in her sleep. Well, at least she's alive! Kitty thought.

      "Sunshine! You have to wake up! There's a Skeith right here and he's hungry!"

      Immediately, Sunshine sat bolt upright. "Where?" she asked. She sounded quieter than before, and her eyes were glazed with fever. "Hey! There's no Skeith! That's mean to trick me!"

      "Well, it's the only way to wake you up!" Kitty snapped.

      "Ma! I don't feel well!" Sunshine said suddenly said.

      This is the end, Kitty thought.

      "Don't worry. I'll get you a cure," Kitty quickly decided.

      "Okay," Sunshine said.

      "Ma! I'm taking Sunshine to the Hospital! She told me she wasn't feeling well and she's really warm!" Kitty called to Izzy.

      Sunshine and Kitty made their way downstairs with slow progress. But finally they were in the kitchen and their owner picked up Sunshine. "She does feel warm," she commented.

      "I told you I'm taking her to the Hospital!" Kitty said.

      "Okay, you do that, Kitty."

      And then they were on their way. Kitty took Sunshine to the Hospital and the doctor told them that Sunshine had Neomonia.

     So Kitty was on her way to the pharmacy to buy some Medicinal Soap.

      "Now I have to bathe you with this," Kitty told Sunshine.

      "Okay. Whatever makes me feel better," Sunshine replied.

      "Thanks," Kitty told the pharmacist, and they left.

     ***

      Kitty returned home with the Soap and gave it to her owner. The human bathed Sunshine and Sunshine thanked Kitty with all her heart.

      "You're welcome!" Kitty replied. For once, Kitty felt sorry that she had ever made Sunshine sick. So instead of making Sunshine meet Kitty's friends so they could make fun of her or whatever; instead Kitty wanted them to make a new friend, just as Kitty did.

     ***

      So the time was set. Kitty scheduled a day so Sunshine could meet her friends during lunch.

      "Sunshine, this is Biscuits the Kougra. Biscuits, this is Sunshine." Biscuits was a lively yellow Kougra.

      "What's up?" she said.

      "Nothin' much," Sunshine replied cheerfully.

      "And Sunshine, this is Comet the Xweetok."

      "Hello. . ." the striped Xweetok said in a quiet voice.

      "Wow!!" Sunshine exclaimed to Comet. "You're... You're beautiful!"

      "This is Bubbles, the blue Aisha," Kitty announced.

      "Hi, Sunshine. Pleased to meet you!" said Bubbles.

      "Pleased to meet you, too," Sunshine answered.

      "And last but not least, Flint the shadow Gelert!"

     Flint didn't say anything.

      "Um, hi, Flint!" Sunshine tried.

      "Hey."

      "Uh, do you mind. . .?" Sunshine asked Kitty.

      "Sure," Kitty said. "HEY, FLINT!!!"

      "Hm?"

      "Gosh, Flint! Say hello to Sunshine!"

      "I did."

      "Whatever," Kitty retorted. "He doesn't really like newcomers," she told Sunshine.

      "It's okay," Sunshine reassured her.

      "Oh, jeez," Kitty gasped. "It's time to go!"

      "Oh, okay! Bye, everyone!"

      "Bye!" everyone but Flint answered.

      And so they made their way home. Kitty eventually saved up enough Neopoints to buy Sunshine a bed nicer than her own, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was make Sunshine feel good. Every day at lunch at school, Kitty, Sunshine, Neon, Comet, Bubbles, and Biscuits would sit at the same table. They would chat about the usual stuff, like the weather, clothes, books, or they would tell stories about what they did over the weekends. And when a new student came to school, well, Kitty would never ever think of doing anything mean to them.

The End