Searching For Paradise: Part Two

      Tye had lain in her room all night, angry and upset. She couldn't imagine that anyone could be so greedy. Her own parents thought of strays as someone else's problem. Tye was now positive she couldn't be related to this herd of unsympathetic maniacs. It must have been a mistake. She'd probably been left on their doorstep as a baby.

      As the sky became dark and the streets outside became mysterious and unpredictable, Tye couldn't take it any longer. She had to do something. It was weird, but she felt like she had to do something to make up for her parents' greed. So she'd left the house with a bag containing three hundred Neopoints.

      Tye decided her first stop would be the Late-Nite Neopian Food Shop. She walked in the shadows, crossing the empty plaza toward the only lit window in the area. A dusty, roughly hewn sign reading "Neopian Late-Nite Food Store" was propped in the grimy window. As Tye opened the door, a small bell tinkled dully. The door slammed behind her, and Tye blinked in the sudden light.

      The store was basically a large square, with every side covered by shelves laden with fruit, veggies, desert food, and meats. A blue Quiggle sat glumly on the counter, playing a game of cards with a scruffy Doglefox. As far as Tye could tell, the shopkeeper hadn't noticed her enter.

      Tye went directly to the meat section, looking under "Pre-cooked Poultry, Fish, etc." A large roast turkey took up a large space on the shelf. Tye looked at the price tag. Two hundred Neopoints. Tye frowned. She could haggle, but she had done business with the Quiggle before: he was tough to crack.

      With an effort, Tye shoved the turkey into a basket. Holding the handle in her teeth, she walked to the counter. When she set the basket on the cracked tiles, the Doglefox looked over and sniffed eagerly. He dropped his card hand, and the Quiggle took a quick peak at the cards before turning to Tye.

      "Ah, Tye! How're things on the home front?" he asked with a crooked, yellow grin.

      "Bad," Tye said shortly. "My parents want to send me to boarding school."

      The Quiggle winced sympathetically. "That private school not bad enough?"

      "Guess not," Tye muttered. Then, louder, she said, "Look, I really need to get this turkey paid for."

      "Hmmm…" The Quiggle looked the turkey over. "Well roasted turkey…only one on display." He cleared his throat. "I won't take less than two-hundred Neopoints for this great item."

      Tye sighed. "How about going to one hundred?"

      The Quiggle shook his head. "This item is worth at least one-hundred-ninety Neopoints."

      "You shopkeepers are really annoying. All right, let's say one-fifty. How's that?"

      The Quiggle muttered to himself for a moment, then said. "I accept your offer of one-hundred-fifty Neopoints!"

      "Thanks," Tye told the Quiggle as she passed him the money. The Quiggle nodded and put the money in his cash register.

     "Have a nice night!" he called as Tye left the store, the turkey in the basket.

     A cool night wind blew down the street. Tye shivered. Even though it was spring, the weather was still chilly at night. When she reached her street, she began to look through the alleys, trying to find Allehya. Nothing moved, yet Tye felt like she was being followed. At last, she stopped at the alley she'd kicked the can into. Something moved suddenly, and Tye set the basket down and picked up a nearby stick. Something was definitely in the alleyway, waiting for Tye to make a move.

     "Allehya?" Tye called at last, her voice shaky. The thing moved again, and this time it left the alley and came into the moonlight. Tye breathed a sigh of relief. There was no mistaking the shadow Kougra's gold bands, or her emerald eyes.

     Allehya looked wary and confused. "What's this all about?" she asked.

     Tye suddenly felt foolish. "Well…actually…I…"

     Allehya saw the turkey at Tye's feet. "You didn't buy something for me, did you?" Tye nodded. "Why?" Allehya asked, incredulous. "I don't need pity."

     "It's not about pity," Tye said firmly. "My parents have decided they'd rather spend their money on table cloths than strays."

     Allehya studied the faerie Ixi for a moment. "So you just do stuff your parents don't?"

     "No," Tye replied, her voice steady. "I did it because I realize that if none of the rich adults around here are going to help the strays, then I'll have to do something. Go ahead, eat the turkey, I didn't bring it to resurrect it." Allehya smiled weakly and started eating the turkey.

     "So what's with the table cloth thing?" she asked through a mouthful of bird. Tye explained the dinner argument. By the end, Allehya looked angry.

      "Look," Tye said, "I swear, I'm not related. At least I hope I'm not. They have no sympathy for anyone, and it's sickening. They're an old, rich family, and the old families only think about themselves."

      Allehya gave her a considering look. "Even if you are related to them, your blood means nothing. I mean, look at you: you're concerned about us strays; you're the first non-stray I've told my name to. And the rest of your family are-" She paused, mid sentence, a guilty look on her feline face.

      "Go on," Tye said grimly, "Say it: they're snot rags, I know."

      Allehya nodded, still looking abashed. "At least you've got family."

      Tye sat down next to Allehya. "I'm assuming you don't?"

      Allehya nodded, turning her jade eyes on Tye. "I know nothing about my family. I never really lived with them, not that I can remember. Most of my life, I've been a stray. Nobody looks after me but myself."

      "Have you ever considered the Humans? I heard they live across the market place, they take in strays all the time…" Tye faltered at the sudden anger and defiance that appeared in Allehya's eyes.

      "Never," the Kougra said with a quiet force, "will I live with a human again." She turned to the basket the turkey had been in. "Thanks for the bird," she added.

      Tye nodded. "Anytime. Look, is there somewhere we can meet at night? I can get stuff from my kitchen."

      "Umm…no offense, but aren't Ixis vegetarians?"

      "Yeah, but there's stuff like bread and fruits I can bring. You eat that, right?" she asked quickly. "Sorry, but my parents'll notice if I take one-hundred-fifty Neopoints every night to buy turkey."

      Allehya nodded. "I understand. If you want to meet up, I suppose this would be as good a spot as any. I'll wait on the roof."

      Tye nodded, picking up the basket. As she turned toward her home, Allehya called hesitantly, "Tye…thanks."

      "Don't mention it. See you tomorrow night." And Allehya turned and left for her crate, and Tye headed toward her front door. Slipping a key from beneath a fake rock, she opened the door.

      The hallways, as she'd expected, were dark. Tye crept stealthily through the house, heading for the kitchen, ears perked for the sound of someone upstairs. She needed a ladder, so she could climb back through the window. Tye was so busy listening that she didn't notice that the kitchen light was on, something that never happened. She opened the swinging door, and froze.

      Tye's parents were sitting at the kitchen table, wearing their fiercest expressions. Her father was on his back hooves, front hooves trembling in anger on the tabletop. Tye's mother stood up abruptly, and glared at her daughter.

      "You have some explaining to do, Tirana," the snow colored Ixi said through gritted teeth.

      Tye didn't say a word. Her father removed his hooves from the counter and paced the floor, a characteristic sign of an angry Ixi.

      "What on Neopia were you doing out there at this time of night?" he roared, stopping mid-stride and pointing at the oak grandfather clock. It was past the III. Tye winced, but didn't reply.

      "Do you have any idea how worried we were?" her mother hissed, her voice an angry whisper.

      "EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" Her father had obviously reached his limit. He actually reared up and pawed the air as he spoke, something he hadn't done since the time Tye had tried to find out whether Double Fudge Vanilla pudding would stick to the ceiling (and found out that it didn't).

      Tye glared at him, but didn't say a word. If her parents found out about Allehya, they would set the police on her. She was not going to get the only friend she had arrested.

      "I SAID EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!" The purple Ixi's sides were heaving as he fought his temper.

      "It's none of your business!" Tye spat. She gritted her teeth. Why had she said that?

      "Of course it's our business if you're out at three in the morning!" Tye's mother now joined the argument, her shrill voice hitting Tye's ears like a brick.

      Her father opened his mouth to shout something, but stopped at the sound of hooves in the hallway. A second later, the door opened a crack, revealing a brown eye. The door instantly closed, but Tye's parents had already seen the tiny motion of the opening and closing door.

      "Jeralyn! Ellen! Get in here! NOW!" At their father's command, the two Ixis opened the door, and crept into the room. Jeralyn was wearing the small, ruby locket she wore even to bed, as well as a long, thin, silky blue sleeping robe, an odd thing for an Ixi to wear. Ellen was clothed similarly to Jeralyn, except that she had a thin leather bracelet the color of honey on her front right leg, and wore a thicker robe in a bright shade of green.

      "What are you two doing up?" Tye's mother sounded surprised. Tye rolled her eyes. They had obviously, hearing their father's shouts, come down to hear Tye get yelled at. Her sisters disliked Tye as much as Tye hated them.

      "We heard shouting," Ellen said pathetically. Even at age 17, she still had the ability to draw pity from others. "We wanted to know if you were arguing with each other."

      Jeralyn nodded in agreement, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. When their parents turned to Ellen, the nineteen-year-old Ixi turned to her youngest sister, and gave her a malevolent grin. Tye reared up, her temper already to the breaking point. A shout of, "TIRANA!" and a loud CRASH brought the faerie Ixi back to all fours. Ellen and her mother screamed in unison.

     Tye turned to see her father, trembling with rage. By the looks of it, he had reared up too. A vase and fancy syrup jar were lying in pieces on the floor. Thick brown syrup oozed over the red and white glass flowers, as well as the shiny wood floor. A bit stuck to the purple Ixi's hooves, but either he didn't notice, or was too angry to care.

     "Get…to…your…room," he snarled, inhaling deeply between each word. "Ricki!" he bellowed.

     A green Bori, her eyes cloudy with sleep, stumbled into the room. Ricki was one of her parent's servants. The green Bori lived in a small cottage attached to the house. Her two children had lived there before growing up and getting other jobs. Like the other servants, Ricki spent the days taking orders from Tye's parents and sisters. Tye had always refused the servants help. She hated to think about someone doing something she could do herself.

     "Yes, sir?" Ricki said, blinking in the kitchen light.

     "I want you to stay in the room with Tirana. Don't let her out of your sight for a second. Do I make myself clear?"

To be continued...