Ailemea Smiled: Part Five

No offense to my dear horrible sister, but Mhyme is a bad influence. Ever since they had started moving into the house, I was waking up later and later. Oddly, it was always at the exact moment that Mimi opened her eyes. We would be floating through our dreams and then our eyes would just OPEN and we sit up and look at each other. I believe I am not waking up at 7am NST. I know. I’m so lazy.

      Anyways, we were getting used to waking up at the same time, and it was just the same on the last day of moving in. Jeanie ran into the room screaming with excitement and waving her arms around her head like a fool.

      “WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT!” She began to dance around and jump and leap. Mimi and I watched her blearily before looking at each other and agreeing she had gone insane. Haelee and Suki were in the petpet bed recovering from their attack on Aros the night before. There had been many attacks during the past two weeks, and the wins and losses were rather equal. Last night had been a lose, however, and they nursed their sore limbs tenderly as they tried to ignore Jeanie.

      In case you are wondering, they kicked Teagy back into Shuibee’s room. Teagy and Selia had a faceoff and then to everyone’s utter astonishment – even Shuibee’s – the Angelpuss began to purr and rub around Teagy. The Snoogy was horrified. Then he loosened up slightly. The two are now a large part of Suki and Haelee’s plans to overthrow Aros. The only problem with that, is that Elaine is very protective – the Wadjet has decided the difference in a lot of their little ‘battles’.

      But anyways, I digress.

      “WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID-”

      “Jeanie, unless you plan on telling us what you did I might have to shoot you,” I grumbled irritably.

      “And of course she’ll miss and then I’ll have to do something excessive,” Mimi piped in, her voice as tired and annoyed as mine. I didn’t have the energy to glare at her so I just sort of nodded. Jeanie calmed down a little bit to grin widely.

      “We finished unpacking!” she cheered. “Almost anyways. One more box.”

      “Didn’t that happen about a week ago?” Mimi muttered. Jeanie turned on her.

      “The majority, yes, but we just finished unpacking Kasinnia’s favorite plushies! We’re DONE! The last box is just a few random things.”

      “That’s nice,” I said, and we both crashed back into our pillows. Jeanie sighed.

      “You two are a bad influence on each other – you both at least used to be slightly excited with me. Oh well. I’m going to make breakfast,” she announced. “Aile, dear, you have some fanmail – I put it on your desk.” She left the room and I heard her heading downstairs. After a moment I rolled out of bed and began to crawl towards my office.

      “You’re actually getting up?” Mimi asked with surprise.

      “Only out of loyalty to my fans,” I muttered, wiping the sleep out of my eyes with a paw. Mhyme rolled out of bed and followed me.

      “I’ve never read a fanmail. May I?” she asked. I grunted and passed her one of the mails from the pile. We soon came up with a little – ugh, what’s that stupid word? – I don’t remember. Anyways, we came up with a way of... I don’t know. Mhyme read the letters to me while I answered the last one she had read. Then I answered the letter she had just read while she read a new one. And so on and so forth.

      “That’s weird,” Mimi said with a frown, looking at the front and back of a letter.

      “What?” I asked.

      “This is the fifth neomail that all it says is ‘Your #1 Fan – Dnik.’ And then it stops.” I glanced at the writing and rolled my eyes.

      “Don’t worry about it, it probably came with some flowers.”

      “But it is kind of creepy,” Mhyme insisted, standing up and walking over to the window. She gazed out with a thoughtful look. “It is like someone is watching you.” I glanced at her before shaking my head and continuing to write a reply to Chloe, one of my regular readers.

      I fell out of my chair when Mimi screamed. It was loud. I heard Isaerios and Shuibee crash out of their beds next door. There was also a crash from the game room and Oreh stumbled into my office blearily. He had been zapped yesterday into Split – he must’ve fallen asleep playing Crisis Courier – Jeanie was spoiling him again.

      “Wudappened?” he asked in sleepy voice, rubbing his eyes. Shuibee and Isaerios stumbled into the room behind him. They had decided to be just like their big sisters – as usual – and tried to get along. Pitiful, I know – there wasn’t even a dramatic hug and saying “I love you, bro!” Oh well.

      We all turned to Mimi who was standing against the wall looking horrified. Her eyes kept flickering to the window beside her.

      “What’s wrong?” I asked. She pointed hopelessly at the window. I nodded at Isaerios and he walked over. He glanced outside.

      “Nothing,” he said. I looked at Mimi again.

      “What is it?”

      “There was someone at the window!” she said.

      “Oh please. Do you really expect us to fall for that?” The boys and I laughed and I turned back to my desk. The boys all shuffled out of the room. Mimi sat beside me.

      “But there was someone there! Aile, I think someone’s stalking you.”

      “Don’t be silly. All of my fans can stop by whenever they want; they wouldn’t go scaring my sister through my window!” I laughed right as the doorbell rang downstairs. We froze.

      “Creepy.”

      “Coincidence,” I insisted. Mhyme followed me downstairs. Oreh had already answered the door. A blue Xweetok was standing on the porch.

      “That’s her!” Mhyme shrieked. “She was at the window!” The Xweetok looked up, and when she saw me, her eyes grew wide with admiration.

      “IT’S YOU!” she screamed and began to leap up and down in excitement. “OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH IT’S REALLY YOU (“Sorry for scaring you,” she said quickly to the Skunk Poogle that was about to tackle her.) I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M MEETING YOU!” Suddenly I found myself under a blue ball of fluff. Annoyed, I shoved her off.

      “Who are you?” I demanded.

      “YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN!” she screamed with excitement. She began to hop up and down again.

      “Wait...” Mhyme and I glanced at one another before I returned my gaze back to her. “You aren’t... Dnik?” She screamed again. Jeanie had just entered behind Kasinnia who had Nexy clinging to her back. Shuibee, Isaerios, and Kelesari were close to follow. We were all plugging our ears.

      “OH MY GOSH I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHO I AM!” Dnik shrieked again. I glanced around at my family – they were glaring daggers at me. With a hopeless sigh, Jeanie gestured to Kasinnia and the three (Nexy is on her back, remember? Hello? Someone’s not paying attention!) went upstairs to work up more of their ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes. I heard a splash come from the pool and guessed Kelesari was drowning out the sounds. Oreh mumbled that he was taking a walk and exited the house.

      Soon, Isaerios headed to the backyard and Shuibee went back upstairs. Only Mimi stayed with me.

      “Okay, Dnik, let’s try and use our inside voice,” I said gently.

      Dnik blinked and then squealed with laughter – rather loudly. “You’re so funny, Aile, that is why I love your stories.”

      I was losing patience with this Blue Xweetok. “STOP!” Dnik was cut off. “Dnik, WHAT do you want?” I demanded. I was reigning in annoyance very NOT-easily.

      “I just wanted to meet you, Ailemea, cause I am your NUMBER ONE fan and-”

      I sighed. “Dnik... honey... most number one fans just neomail!”

      “I’ve tried that!” Dnik cried. “But all I ever get back is ‘Thanks keep reading and enjoy’!!!”

      “That is because you never WRITE anything!” Mimi interrupted. Dnik looked at her in surprise, then her eyes widened.

      “Who’s she?” she whispered to me.

      “My sister,” I said shortly.

      “You don’t have a sister.”

      “Yes, I do.”

      “No, you don’t! I know everything about you! I know the fur brush you use, the shampoo! I know when and where you apply blue eyeshadow – you don’t have a sister! This girl is playing you! OH MY GOSH. RUN, AILEMEA, RUN!” Dnik began to scream again and we plugged our ears again. Poor Mimi with her humongous ears. I was waiting for her to settle down again when she tackled Mimi.

      “What the?”

      “RUN, I’LL TAKE CARE OF HER!” Dnik yelled. I blinked. She paused. “Aren’t you going to run?”

      “Maybe once you get off of my sister.”

      “But you don’t have-”

      “I have three sisters.”

      “You do?”

      “Yes, I do.”

      “Prove it.”

      I sighed. “KELESARI! KASINNIA!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, one because Kasinnia was all the way upstairs and two because Kelesari was probably still underwater. I heard a splash and a pounding from upstairs and suddenly my two sisters were rushing into the room.

      “What is it?!” Kasi yelled.

      “What’s wrong?” Kele cried. Their eyes fell on Dnik.

      “She still here then?” Kasi said with a frown.

      “Dnik, these are my sisters!” Dnik rolled off of Mimi and Kele helped the Poogle to her feet. Mhyme glowered.

      “So you DO have sisters?” Dnik confirmed with a frown.

      “Yes.”

      To my surprise Dnik grinned. “That is so awesome! I have a sister, too!”

      I sighed. “That is lovely – now what do you want?” I was losing patience fast.

      “I wanted to meet you!” she repeated rather insistently. I sighed.

      “Look, I-”

      “AILEMIMIKELEBEEBEEISNEXYKASIOREH!” Jeanie’s scream rang through the house, calling all of her pets in one breath. Mhyme glanced at me and then my three sisters ran for the door towards the kitchen where Jeanie had yelled from. I glanced warily at my “number one fan” before waving at her to follow me. She gave a little squeal of excitement.

      In the kitchen Jeanie was standing beside the table with a box. Her chin was held high. “I just wanted everyone to be present when we unpacked the last little piece of junk that we own.” She grinned and reached into the box.

      “OH, LET ME LET ME!” the voice of Dnik shrieked behind me. Jeanie looked at her in surprise.

      “Okay, Aile, though I didn’t think-”

      “I’M AILEMEA!” I yelled, insulted.

      Jeanie blinked and looked between us. “What?”

      I sighed and mouthed the words ‘crazed fan’ at her.

      “Ohh!” she said slowly with realization. “Very well then, go ahead, dear.”

      Dnik dashed forward and plucked a pen out of the box. She frowned.

      “Is this all?” she asked.

      Jeanie glanced into the box and then grinned. “YEP! Hooray!” she cheered and began to dance around. All of us pets yelled unenthusiastically, knowing we’d probably get glared at if we didn’t at the least look excited. Dnik was very put out. Mimi and I began to escort her out the back door.

      “Thanks for stopping by, dear,” I said sweetly.

      “Come again anytime,” Mimi echoed.

      “I don’t understand,” Dnik said. “There was nothing in the box and-” Her words were cut off as we tossed her out the door. We heard her yelling at us from the garden but shrugged as we began to head up back to our bedroom. The rest of the family had dispersed.

      Safely back in our bedroom, I sank onto a bean bag gratefully. Mimi took the one directly opposite me.

      “You know, Aile, I must be honest in saying that you aren’t such a horrible sister,” she announced.

      “Same to you,” I replied.

      “But, also, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you.”

      I replied, whipping my personal deck of Tyranu/Evavu from under my bean bag (I didn’t want the addicted Jeanie to find it), “I don’t think you’re supposed to, Mimi.”

      And Ailemea smiled.

The End