Playing The Part: Part Three

     "Angel!" she called loudly, in order to be heard over the squeals and exclamations of other pets. "Angel! Glitter! There you guys are!"

     "Guess who's Queen Allison?" said Glitter, quivering with gladness. "GUESS?"

     "Uh…you?" said the white Aisha monotonously.

     The faerie Acara soared, did a little flip in midair and alighted back onto the floor before anyone could take her spot next to the bulletin board. "I'm the STAR! You will all see my name in lights, my pictures in the Neopian Times, my beautiful - "

     "Yeah, good for you, but what about me?" replied an irritated, furious voice from somewhere. A striped Kacheek came into view, scowling horribly and stomping from the bulletin board,

     Glitter went over to Sweet. "Come on, it can't be that bad, can it?"

     "I wasn't chosen, okay?" said her brother indignantly. "Some stupid Jetsam called Alvin got the part. IT WASN'T FAIR!!!" Sweet buried his face in his striped paws.

     Angel sighed. "It won't be the same…but that's all right! They cast you on the lights committee!" he answered.

     Sweet glowered at his brother. "I was meant to play the part…it was mine…"

     "Sorry chump, it's MINE now!" crowed an arrogant voice from behind them. An immaculately groomed white Jetsam came out of a group of elite, popular pets. "I'm 'stupid' Alvin, who will now be playing the male lead!" He sneered at Angel's eldest sibling.

     "Whatever," said the striped Kacheek, glaring at him. "Come on, let's go to lunch."

     However, lunch wasn't as comforting as Sweet had hoped. As he helped himself to the chocolate cake they were serving on that day, a male Royal Cybunny shoved him aside and said, "Make way for Alvin, reject!" so loudly that nearly everyone in the cafeteria began to laugh, especially as Sweet's rival came sauntering in, wearing a snooty smile. The Jetsam immediately speared the Kacheek's slice of cake and put it in his own tray, which made the crowd howl with mirth even more.

     Seething, he forgot about the chocolate cake, stomped off to his siblings' table and buried his face in his paws, listening to the laughter slowly die down.

     "And you said this wouldn't be so bad!" he yelled at Glitter's direction.

     She perked up suddenly from her meal. "What has gotten into you, anyway?"

     "Haven't you heard the laughter? How about the horrible voices? THE FACT THAT ALVIN GOT THE PART AND NOT ME?"

     "Look, I don't blame you for being a sore loser, Sweet," said the faerie Acara casually. "But - "

     "Don't you 'but' me, sis," he said angrily. "YOU got the part, and you have nothing to worry about."

     Just then one of Glitter's friends, a rainbow Uni, walked by. "Hey there!"

     "Hi!" Sweet's sister turned to wave. "Looking good today, Alisa!"

     "Well, being the friend of Queen Alison is one thing! Well, see you!"

     "You too!" As soon as Alisa had vamoosed, the faerie Acara went back to her jacket potato, much to the annoyance of Sweet.

     He abruptly stood up on the bench. "SEE?"

     "You're SUCH a LOSER, SWEET!" replied Glitter irritably. "Can't you let the matter drop?"

     "Easy for you to say, Queen Alison," growled the Kacheek, putting sarcastic emphasis on the last two words.

     "Why, I ought to - "

     "Bring it on - "

     Fluffy rose and held her older brother back. Meanwhile Angel clutched Glitter's shoulders to keep her from jumping on Sweet.

     "Let's not start a fight, okay?" said the white Aisha tersely. "Sweet, can you just get over you not getting the part? And Glitter, don't intimidate your brother more, because his broken spirit's recovering."

     "I DON'T HAVE A BROKEN SPIRIT!" yelled the Kacheek so loudly that the whole cafeteria fell silent, so silent that the squelchy drop of a banana peel could be heard.

     ***

     "Only geeks stay on the lights committee," moaned Sweet. "I don't want to be a geek."

     "Not really! Alisa's on the lights committee and she's NOT a geek!" retorted Glitter. "And you better shut up or I'll throw my mashed eye potato at you!"

     As the striped Kacheek stuck his tongue out, the faerie Acara shoved her spoon into her food and lobbed a chunk into his face. He immediately grabbed a bit of his roast chicken and aimed for her head as retaliation. Angel covered his head with his paws as the food sailed through the air and landed on Glitter's head.

     As for Fluffy, she barely paid any attention to the food fight and her little brother trying to shield himself. She ate her dinner faster than usual, wiped her mouth, and left the dining room before Kat could see what was going on at the table - all in silence.

     "KAT!" shouted the Poogle, ducking under the table. Instantly, the girl (who was preoccupied with the dessert and oblivious to her pets) whipped around and saw a Kacheek and an Acara covered in food debris and frozen in mid-throw.

     Their owner walked up to them, clutching the tray of chocolate faerie cakes. She wasn't smiling at all.

     "Explain," she asked firmly, eyes narrowed at Sweet and Glitter, who slunk back to their seats, ashamed. Then, after a five and a half second pause, both launched into their story.

     "Sweet wasn't picked - "

     "SHE WAS!"

     "He's a sore loser - "

     "I wasn't chosen! You know - "

     "HE CALLED ALISA A GEEK!"

     "SHE CALLED ME A SORE LOSER!"

     "Well, you are!"

     "ORDER!"

     The striped Kacheek and faerie Acara bit their lips and turned to Kat, who had halted their quarrels and sighed with relief.

     "Angel…" she began, "Go to bed. I will deal with your brother and sister. Have you seen Fluffy?"

     The jelly Poogle shrugged. "Bedroom. 'Night, folks." He traipsed off to his room, singing, "I'm an extra knight…I'm an extra knight…" as he went, and did a little dance to go with it. All of a sudden, he tripped over Morpheus, his little Anubis. Angel picked him up and went off to his domain.

     Back at the dining room, Kat gave her two remaining pets a couple of towels to clean themselves up.

     "Okay, before you guys sleep, take a bath, otherwise when you wake up you'll find your petpets licking you in the morning." She gathered up the dirty dishes and utensils, and put them all beside the sink. After which the girl turned to two guilty faces staring at her.

     Kat stared back at them, a glare that clearly said, "This is serious business." Sweet and Glitter kept silent.

     "This is serious business," their owner began in an equally serious voice. "What in the name of Fyora were you doing? Obviously neither of you is deserving to act in a play of royalty with that ruffian behavior."

     The two siblings continued to say nothing, but listened to every word Kat was saying.

     "Look, it doesn't matter who gets in and who doesn't. Sweet, there are more plays to be in, and more presentations to be the star of. Glitter, you don't have to rub it into your brother's face the fact that you get to play the lead and he gets rejected for the part he wants. In fact, you can't sacrifice your friendship for a little play."

     "But it isn't just a little play," said Sweet. "According to Miss Ford, lots of Neopians will come and watch."

     "That's not the point - " Kat interrupted.

     "But Sweet is a sore loser!" Glitter interrupted.

     "She won't stop yelling all her 'Look I'm Queen Alison' bits in my face!"

     "Make HIM say sorry, because I have to practice my lines and he has to get used to it!"

     "WHY CAN'T SHE JUST STOP IT?"

     "YOU STOP IT!"

     "AGH! ORDER!" shouted the girl in a tone that silenced the dueling pair. "Look, I've said what I wanted to say. Glitter, you just can't expect your brother to take it easily. You get the part and he doesn't get his, so don't brag your head off. Sweet, forget the past and move on. Maybe being on the lights committee won't be as bad as you think. Now…go to bed, you've all got school tomorrow."

     After shooting each other terrible glares, the Acara and Kacheek stomped off to their rooms, avoiding eye contact along the way.

     ***

     The next morning, the four siblings were back in Neoschool. Sweet and Glitter weren't speaking to each other at all, and Fluffy and Angel gave up getting them to forgive each other since breakfast. They were all silent, especially when Alvin showed up and yelled, "Well, if it isn't the reject! I heard you can still be in the play…as the Meridell rubbish dump!" Everyone else in the corridor began to laugh, and the Poogle and Aisha shot reproachful looks at the Jetsam as they made sure Sweet didn't jump up on his rival and caused trouble.

     "I just hope both of them can get through this play alive," whispered Angel. "Everyone's betting that one of them will eat the other up. Not literally, of course."

     Fluffy nodded, and added under her breath, "I wish I could get through this play alive too."

To be continued...