A Broken Bond

     "What's the matter, Illusen?" asked Suzy. She looked at Illusen with questioning eyes.

     "Nothing," said Illusen. "Thanks for the pizza." She turned around and put the pizza on her table. Suzy was just about to leave but Illusen called her back. "Suzy? I couldn't help but noticing that you have a Jhudora's Brush in your purse. Have you been doing quests for her, too?"

     "Well, yeah," said Suzy. She looked ashamed. "I need the money, but I keep a few things if I really like them."

     "Oh," said Illusen. "Well, goodbye then! See you tomorrow."

     "Bye!" said Suzy, and she ran from the glade.

     Illusen wasn't mad at Suzy, but she couldn't see how Suzy could stand Jhudora. Illusen had a flashback from many years ago...

          * * *

     "Jhudora, hurry up, we're going to be late for school!" shouted an exasperated 10-year-old Illusen. "Jhudora!" And older sisters were supposed to be good role models, even if they were only older by five minutes.

     "Geez, Illusen," Jhudora shouted back as she sauntered through the cloud house. "I don't know why you like Faerie School so much!"

     Illusen sighed. They had the same conversation every day, and they had missed the Faerie School Cloud Racer every day that week. All because of Jhudora.

     "I've had enough!" Illusen cried. "I'm leaving without you!" Illusen jumped on the Cloud Racer and it drove away.

     "Wait!" Jhudora ran out of the house, but it was too late. "Stupid Illusen!" she muttered to herself. But a smile was forming on her lips. "She deserves what she's going to get!"

     At school, Illusen turned red with embarrassment when Mrs. Gelert gave her a lecture about speeding her sister up in front of the entire class.

     "I try, Mrs. G.," she whispered. "But I can't do anything. Please don't blame me."

     Jhudora walked in right at that minute, and Mrs. Gelert sent her to detention. But this suited Jhudora just fine. Now she could work on her master plan. She met her best friends, the Dark Faerie sisters, in detention. They told Jhudora that they had been sent there for stealing Mrs. Gelert's agenda and switching all of her dates around.

     "Girls," Jhudora said to them, "I have a plan that will make Illusen look like the biggest fool in all of Faerieland!"

          * * *

     Later that day in the cafeteria, Jhudora and the sisters snuck in five minutes late with smirks on their faces and their hands behind their backs.

     "I feel sympathy for you," Taelia told Illusen as they sat down and opened their lunch boxes. "If I'd had a sister like that, I would run away from home! Not that you should do that, though," she added quickly.

     "Yeah," said Valeane. "No offense, Illusen, but I don't like Jhudora very much."

     "She's such a troublemaker!" said Baelia.

     "She's just trying to make you look bad!" proclaimed Spacey.

     Just then, Jhudora and the Sisters came and sat down at the table. Illusen and Taelia exchanged a startled look. The foursome never sat at their table!

     "Carry on," said Jhudora as she began to eat her sandwich. She had an evil gleam in her eye. Illusen and her friends continued talking, but were asking each other about the weather forecast.

     "Oops," said Illusen, "I forgot to get my milk." She was just coming back from the lunch line when Jhudora got up as well and announced that she had to go to the washroom.

     She passed by Illusen's chair and bent for a moment before continuing on. When Illusen sat down, there was a loud, rude sound like a raspberry being blown!

     Illusen turned red for the second time that day as she picked up a Meerca Whoopee Cushion from her seat.

     Jhudora was rolling around on the floor, laughing, as were many of the others in the cafeteria. "Illusen farted!" Jhudora managed to gasp through peals of laughter.

     Illusen had tears of anger and embarrassment running down her cheeks, but she managed to get up from her seat. She walked over to where Jhudora was laying on the floor and hauled her sister to her feet.

     "Look everyone!" Illusen shouted to the school. Then she took hold of her sister's collar and pulled as hard as she could. There was a loud RRRRRRIP! as Jhudora's dress tore and fell to her feet, leaving her standing there in her underwear!

     Jhudora looked at Illusen with horror. "That's for everything," whispered Illusen. "For the rudeness, for the cloud racer, for the whoopee cushion, for the embarrassment!"

     Jhudora ran to the bathroom, tears streaming down her face. The Dark Faerie sisters followed quickly. Illusen sighed and turned around to face everyone...

     ...to find that they were applauding! All of her friends were whistling and cheering, and the rest of the school gave her compliments as she sat down.

     For the next few days, everyone came looking for her in the hallway just to see the girl who had given Jhudora her just rewards. Jhudora dropped out of school in the next few weeks, retreating to her dark inside. Everyone gave her a hard time about the incident, and the Dark Faerie Sisters never spoke to her again, overcome by her unpopularity. Jhudora ran away from home and no one saw her for a long time.

     Meanwhile, Illusen was the most loved faerie in Faerieland. But no one guessed what would happen next.

     * * *

      Fifteen years later, nothing had changed much. Faerieland was the same as ever, but Fyora was the new queen. Illusen had moved into her mom's old cloud house, and she was in the middle of renovating.

     Illusen hummed to herself as she set out some plants that a Kacheek had brought her the day before in exchange for some of her homemade Rainwater Shampoo.

     "I like this quest idea," she told herself. "That way, Neopians can get what they would like and I get what I would like." She had just finished repotting one of the plants when there was a loud rap at the door.

     Illusen smiled to herself. "It's probably that Kacheek again," she thought. But when she opened the door, she was too frightened even to gasp.

     Jhudora, all grown up and dressed in a brand new green and purple outfit, stood in the doorway.

     "Hello, sister," she murmured menacingly as she advanced into the house. "I see that you like my new dress so much that you're lost for words! See," she said, twirling around. "No rips!"

     All of a sudden, Illusen's face burst into a wide smile. "Jhudora!" she shouted happily, giving her sister a giant hug. "You came back! I thought you had died out there!"

     But Jhudora pushed her twin away. "Get off of me, scum," she growled. "You work for good, and support that Fyora. I work for evil and think that Fyora's just as much scum as you are. We're enemies now."

     Illusen's hurt face could have made even the toughest Neopet cry. But not Jhudora.

     "There isn't room for both of us here," said Jhudora. "Get out!"

     "Why should I?" retorted Illusen. "Mom gave me this house because you ran away!"

     "But she isn't here now, is she?" Jhudora said through a grin. "In fact," she sneered, "I think I'll start redecorating right now!" And with that, Jhudora began to rip off all of the floral wallpaper and throwing Illusen's plants all over the floor. Within minutes, all of Illusen's possessions were ruined.

     "Jhudora," Illusen whispered. "It was thirty seconds of embarrassment, fifteen years ago."

     "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?!?!?" shouted Jhudora. "I SAID GET OUT!" She drew a wand from her dress pocket and zapped Illusen with a powerful spell.

     "Ouch!" Illusen ran from the house and down the driveway. But Jhudora didn't give up the chase. Jhudora chased Illusen all the way to the edge of Faerieland.

     "Jump," whispered Jhudora. "Jump, and never come back." Illusen knew that Fyora would take care of the situation. She jumped. She jumped and she fell, all the way down to Meridell.

     After telling the locals her story, she was welcomed with open arms and they even gave her the glade as a 'Welcome to Meridell!" present.

          * * *

     Illusen, who was still daydreaming in her glade, was startled out of her reverie by a voice in the doorway.

     "Illusen?" it spoke. A figure clad in a brown traveling robe walked into the glade and sighed.

     "Could it be?" Illusen muttered to herself. And what she was thinking was right.

     The figure let their robe drop to the floor. And standing there was Jhudora. "Don't speak," Jhudora said. "It's not what you're thinking."

     The sisters stepped forward and embraced each other.

     "I'm so sorry," they said at the same time. And that was more that enough.

The End