An Accidentally Permanent April Fool's

     This story isn't about those foolish Neopians that didn't heed Ghoulore’s very specific warning. This story is about those very residents that were rumored to live there.

     Living within the confines of Goulith Manor lead to a very mundane existence for Screamee and her friends. Screamee was put in charge of taking care of a Baby Quiggle and a Baby Grundo with rather large imaginations. This was the deal she had made with Goulith when these babies had first been left on the doorstep all those months ago. Screamee had never seen herself as a mother figure, but the alternative options all seemed too grim for her to live an eternity with so she took on this challenge. Thus, Screamee adopted Foaky, the Baby Quiggle, and Foeky, the Baby Grundo.

     These babies were full of energy and joy that were exhausting to keep up with and as an Invisible Aisha, it was extra difficult being a motherly figure to the children when they couldn't actually see her. This led to her donning a white bed sheet to help Foaky and Foeky– the Foaekys, as she dubbed them– see her. This white bed sheet was a magnet for stains and numerous coloring projects, but it always washed out… until it didn't.

     The Foaekys never seemed to truly grow up, on occasion they did change color to match their games or how they felt. Foaky was frequently in a state of Grey, but Foeky was more content in her baby form causing chaos and mayhem trying to push the boundaries of Goulith’s very strict rules she had put in place for Screamee.

     Rule One: The babies should never be seen, and minimally heard.

     Rule Two: They must stay in their designated part of the manor which includes the closest bathroom and kitchen.

     Rule Three: They aren't ever allowed to leave the manor.

     Rule Four: Their stuff may never enter the other parts of the manor. This includes art or anything that resembles childish joy.

     The last one had been an exceptionally hard concept for Foeky. Foeky loved to draw and create art, but Screamee refused to give them the supplies because she feared that Goulith would have them painted and sent away if they broke the rules one too many times. Foeky was insistent about getting her little hands on art supplies.

     On March 31st, Foeky put together a heist to steal art supplies from Goulith’s sister and resident artist, Crayans. In the dust on the floor, where Screamee would never stop to look, the little Grundo drew the floor plans of the manor. She looked up to the Grey Quiggle ringing his hands together.

     “Are you sure this is going to work, Foeky? I don't know, Screamee seemed pretty serious when she told us the consequences for disobeying the rules,” Foaky said, his words full of worry.

     “I'm as sure as I am that I can land my wagon on Kreludor one day… which is very sure. I just need to make my way to the attic to get the supplies. Goulith is out in the swampy areas of the land right now. She'll be there awhile. Trust me. I've been using our Ditrey to keep track of their movements for weeks,” Foeky reassured him. She moved her meaty little finger through the dust to show her path to Crayans. “Trust me, this will be all worth the joke tomorrow when everyone wakes up. Screamee needs a good laugh.”

     Foeky got up, adjusted her little black overalls and dropped the table cloth back down to hide her plans. She gave Foaky a quick look before shaking her head in dismay. “Stay behind, Foaky. I can do this mission alone. It'll be easier that way,” She said as she moved to the door.

     “If Screamee comes back from her haunt early, I'll send Sir Regi up to you as a warning.” Foaky said. He didn't fight her decision, but he also wasn't happy about being left behind.

     Foeky nodded as she cracked the door open, looking for any ghostly neopians that may wander by. Once she felt like it was all clear, she squeezed her way out. She kept to the shadows as she tried to be as unnoticeable as one can be when you're bright green and headed for the secret staircase right outside their permitted area. All these months of being trapped in the manor made it all the easier to find every secret this place had to offer.

     She moved a book on the bookshelf in the hall, twisted a small statue of King Altador to face northwest, and then placed a single coin one grundo finger width away from the statue. She stepped back as the wall rattled and slowly moved out of the way to reveal the staircase. The staircase was a tight spiral that led to only one place: the attic.

     Foeky climbed the cobweb-covered staircase all the way to the attic that opened to reveal a room that was brightly painted with pink clouds and rainbows on every surface that allowed it. She quietly walked through the room viewing the solemn-faced portraits that Crayans had painted. Foeky recognized a few of them as Neopians who had come across the Manor in the last few months. She wondered what had happened to them… she hoped they were able to leave unlike her.

     The rainbow of pens, paints, and other art supplies lay before her; so many options, not enough hands to carry them. Foeky mulled over the options before settling on a red pen that read PERMANENT, but since she was a baby that didn't know how to read yet, it meant nothing to her. As she was looking at other colors to choose from for her upcoming joke, she heard a noise come crashing in from behind her.

     Foeky turned quickly, ready to explain herself to Crayans for her presence in her room, but instead it was the little blue creature that Foaky and her kept secretly as a pet. “Sir Regi, if you're here…” Foeky trailed off as her little Baby Grundo brain– which is dim-witted since she is of average Grundo intelligence, slowly put the pieces together. “Oh no, Screamee!” She gasped. She moved her little baby legs as quickly as they would take her back down the spiral staircase, taking a backway into their zone of living.

     Foeky slipped into the bathroom, making sure Screamee didn't catch her in the act of hiding her new found contraband. She removed a loose tile from the wall and slipped the bright red marker into her hiding spot. After replacing the tile, Foeky flushed the toilet, waited around a reasonable amount of time, and walked out to see Screamee heading down the hallway towards her. Foeky gave her best Grundo grin as she closed the distance between them; she knew if Screamee had visible eyes, she would definitely be glaring at her right now.

     “Foeky, what are you up to?” Screamee asked. The white sheet that covered her invisible body moved around to look past Foeky's large antennae.

     “Oh, just you know, taking care of business!” Foeky said, pointing over her shoulder at the bathroom. “I'd stay out of there for a bit if I were you.” Foeky made a move to get past Screamee, but was blocked.

     “Your pal, Foaky, gave you up. He's my favorite when he's big and grey. Doesn't take much questioning to find out what you're up to.” The sheet extended out, gesturing to hand over whatever Foeky may have. “Now give up the art supplies. I can't have Goulith think I'm allowing you guys to break the rules.”

     “I'm shocked you think I would disobey such a direct order from you,” Foeky gasped, placing her hand against her chest. “Grundos have a long history of following orders to the letter. You really think I would disobey the rules?”

     “Yes, yes, I do. Now give me the supplies.”

     Foeky padded her pockets, pulling the liner outward where she could. She showed Screamee every opening on her clothing, in her antenna, and in her mouth just to prove she had nothing on her. Foeky blinked her big red eyes innocently. If steam could come out of Screamee's ears, she would have been a teapot right now.

     “Fine… but the moment I catch you doing something you're not supposed to do, you'll be on petpet clean up duty for the foreseeable future.” Screamee growled. Screamee moved off to the side, allowing Foeky to pass. “Now get ready for bed. It's time for the babies to sleep.”

     “Yes, ma'am,” Foeky said while saluting. She skipped past Screamee to grab her pajamas before slipping back into the bathroom where she hid the red marker in her pocket. Now all Foeky had to do was wait until Screamee went to bed and she would be able to execute the ultimate April Fool's prank.

     ****

     Foeky could hear Screamee’s snoring down the hall which was her indicator that Screamee wouldn't notice if she was in the room with her. She slipped out of bed, marker in pocket, and made her way quietly down the hall to Screamee’s room.

     When she entered the room, she caught sight of Screamee’s bed sheet carelessly thrown on the floor, making it all the easier for Foeky on the eve of April Fool's. She quietly made her way to the sheet and gently spread it out on the floor to find the eye holes. Foeky pulled the red marker out of her pocket and removed the cap. She quietly scribbled angry eyebrows and a frown onto the sheet. Foeky accidentally let out a quiet giggle before freezing.

     The snoring had stopped… Foeky felt the color run out of her face as she realized that she had been caught. She looked up to the bed to see the once Aisha-shaped blankets laying flat against the bed. It was time to run for her life since she had no idea where Screamee could be. Foeky quickly capped the pen and got up to make a run for it, but before she could get very far, a paw caught the neckline of her shirt and stopped Foeky's escape.

     “You're kidding right? This was your big plan?” Screamee said, her rage tugging at the edge of her words. “You won't even get to see your prank pan out since I'll just have it washed by the time I see you next. That and the petpets will be punishment enough… this time. Now go back to bed before Goulith hears you and has Crayans paint you.”

     The grip on Foeky's collar relaxed. Foeky quickly made her way back to her room and into her bed, her heart racing with the adrenaline of being caught. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to sleep, but like any child, she was out quickly. Staying up late and the adrenaline running out, was the perfect mix for a quick sleep.

     ****

     Screamee pulled her sheet out of the dryer and placed it over her body, forgetting why she had done a midnight wash in the first place, and made her way out into the hall. In the hall, was a mirror that hung on the wall at just the right height and just the right angle for Screamee to catch a glimpse. She froze in horror as she stared into the mirror and saw the red frowny face staring back at her. Screamee felt the rage from last night boil into her throat, her mind focusing on the culprit of this crime.

     “FOEKY,” Screamee bellowed. The petpetpets that lived within the walls skittered about as they did their best to get out of the way of an enraged Screamee. She stomped to the Foaekys room, only to find the door locked and barricaded. “Let me in you little moon creature.”

     “Screamee, I can't do that if you plan on giving me to the sisters. I don't want to be painted,” Foeky said through the door. “If you promise that you'll come in and not cause us harm, I will let you in.”

     “I promise that I won't give you to the sisters and I won't cause the Foaekys harm,” Screamee grumbled. She listened as the furniture inside scraped across the old wooden floors and then the locks unlatching. Before she could turn the handle, a red marker rolled out from underneath the door.

     “It wasn’t supposed to last forever,” Foeky said before slowly opening the door. “Maybe Crayans can fix it.”

     “We really need to teach you to read,” Screamee muttered as she inspected the large bolded letters that spelled out PERMANENT. “I'm going to be stuck like this forever.”

     A silence fell between them before Foeky tapped her foot a couple of times and looked up to Screamee with a grin. “April Fool’s?” Foeky half giggled, quickly shutting the door to shield herself from Screamee’s annoyance.

     The End.