When I Grow Up...

When you hear the name Psellia here on Neopets, what is the first thing you think of? Let me take a shot in the dark here, and say that you automatically think that she is the Air Faerie. Well, of course she is. She lives high in the clouds with the rest of the faeries, taking good care of the wind, and controlling how strong it will be. Do you think that that's the only thing she does? Look again, buddy, old pal. Ever been to the Gallery of Heroes? If you haven't heard, she's been saving the lives of some of the strongest warriors in Neopia (warriors that are on the good side, of course).

      Psellia has to be my most favourite faerie on Neopets. She's kind, generous, and gives us a nice breeze once in a while when we're feeling a little warm. It's a lot of kindness, compared to the kindness she was given when she was young by her so-called friends. This is the story of Psellia, and how she became the Air Faerie. No, it's not some silly biography on her that you think you'll get bored of in the next five minutes, but it's a story. A story which she probably wouldn't want people to hear, but, here goes nothing...

      When Psellia was a little young, she was teased and made fun of. She wasn't exactly the most popular faerie around. There was probably a few faeries that gave her an occasional "hello", or wave of the hand, and most of the faeries that did that are the ones that she works with now - Fuhnah, Fyora, Illusen, etc. Besides those few faeries, though, there was nobody. Nobody was nice to her, and because of that, she mostly spent her time alone, by herself.

      That all changed until one day at school, when the teacher asked her and everyone else in her class what they wanted to be when they grew up. The room filled with noise and excited children spoke about what they wanted to be when they grew up. The silliest answers came from their mouths, and the teacher was quite amused. She'd heard from everyone, and she was very happy to see how much the children in her class cooperated.

      But then she noticed Psellia, in the corner, just doodling in her notebook. Quietly, so as not to scare her, the teacher that went by the name Ms. Fulsom walked up to her, and began to speak to her from behind. "Psellia, what do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked, with a sweet smile plastered onto her face. She only meant to be kind, but Psellia looked up at her, kind of scared and uncertain.

      Psellia looked into Ms. Fulsom's eyes with her blue beady ones. Just like her mother, lots of people compared it to the ocean, because they were so blue, and deep, and peaceful. Her classmates obviously didn't seem to think so.

      Not wanting to use her voice, Psellia just shrugged, even though she knew full well what she wanted to be. She'd kept what she wanted to be when she grew up a secret, and intended to keep it a secret. She didn't want anyone to know, at least not now. She would keep her mouth shut, and not tell anyone, not even the teacher, because she knew she would only be criticized about it.

      Ms. Fulsom kept her hands on her knees as she bent down low to be at the same height as Psellia. She wouldn't let her get away that easily. Psellia had to be the shyest person she knew, and even if it meant pressing on, asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up and making her uncomfortable, she would crack her tiny shell, just so she could come out of and make some friends.

      "Oh, that can't be true," she said, coaxingly, "What do you want to be?"

      Psellia shook her head.

      "Class!" the teacher chimed, clapping her hands. The children grew quiet, and she continued to talk when she had their full attention, "Psellia here wants to tell us what she wants to be when she's older! Come on, Psellia. Don't be shy,".

      Psellia's cheeks flamed. They grew to a tomato looking colour, and the whole class began to laugh. Not only because her cheeks looked like they were on fire, but because the teacher wanted them to actually listen to Psellia! None of them did that. She didn't really expect them to, did she? Because they weren't going to.

      "Now, class! Stop laughing. You're going to listen to Psellia!" she said. Now they had no choice. They were practically ordered to listen to Psellia!

      When they finally stopped laughing, Psellia stood up, but only because she was told to do so. She kept her arms firmly at her side, and kept her gaze on her feet, looking at nothing else except that. Slowly, she moved her mouth, and words began to form, "I...I want to be an Air Faerie," she finally said, her gaze finally ripping away from her feet and to the many seated children in the classroom.

      She waited intently for a response. No one made a sound, until one girl that she really disliked (her mother told her never to use the word hate because it was too strong), began laughing her purple and green streaked head off.

      "You can't be an Air Faerie!" Jhudora cackled, pointing a long green painted fingernail at her. "You're so tiny, and you're not strong enough! Why would you want to be an Air Faerie, anyway? I mean, all they ever do is make the wind become strong or not strong! What's the whole point of that?" she asked rudely. Psellia's feelings had never been more hurt.

      "Now, now," Ms. Fulsom began, putting on a stern look, "Jhudora, you are not supposed to laugh at other people's ideas! Say you're sorry," she ordered.

      Jhudora mumbled an apology and went back to drawing on her piece of paper. "Now, Psellia," Ms. Fulsom continued, "Tell us why you would like to become an Air Faerie," she asked.

      It took a while for Psellia to answer. Why did she want to be an Air Faerie when she grew up? This was a no-brainer for her, but, what would the people in her class think? They'd probably just laugh at her, but she'd take her chances. She thought that once they'd heard her reasons, they wouldn't be so mean to her anymore.

      She took a deep breath, and said, "I want to be an Air Faerie because they're all really nice. They can control the wind, which is basically the weather, and can blow the clouds away so the sun can shine! They all live high up in the air, lying down on clouds, and everyone knows that clouds are the softest beds around! They get the most sunshine because they live so high up, and...and..." she stuttered.

      "What is it?" Ms. Fulsom asked.

      Psellia took another deep breath. "And they treat everyone equally - unlike some of the people I know," she finally finished, and gave a nasty glare towards Jhudora. She took her seat, and continued to draw once more, as if she'd never spoken anything.

      Later that day, kids came up to her at recess, congratulating her on her braveness. No one had ever stood up in front of the class to tell everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up. Everyone in her class seemed to idolize her. It was for a pretty dumb reason, but at least she wasn't being treated badly, right?

      Who knew later on in her life she would actually become an Air Faerie, the greatest of them all, saving lives and controlling the wind. Her face would be plastered onto a Neopets Collectables Card and a TCG Card. People all over Meridell would be thanking her for saving the life of Jeran, their most beloved warrior.

      So, now that you know Psellia just a little bit more than you used to, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear her name? Is it Air Faerie? Is it wind? Is it helpless-little-girl-that's-made-fun-of-all-her-classmates-but-not-anymore? It could be lots of things, but whenever a slight breeze ruffles your hair, know that it was Psellia the Air Faerie. Always doing kind deeds, like saving you from a hot summer's day.

The End