Holiday Neohome Dreams

The little Acara was wrapped up tightly in a bright pink coat and was being carried by a young woman, around the age of seventeen.

"Darling, I've told you, we can't have a tree because we have no place to put it. You know that," the girl told her as she smiled at her, weaving in and out of the people on the busy paths of Terror Mountain.

"But mommy," the Acara started to argue again.

"She said 'no' Evege. There's nothing we can do about it. Just because someone didn't like our Neohome," the small Silver Cybunny said as he hopped to keep up with the girl.

The little Acara looked at the Cybunny, discouraged that he had taken her side, he wasn't supposed to take Britta's (his owner) side in the argument.

EvilVegetaGirl looked up at the girl and asked again, "But why can't we, Pendrue my rainbow Zafara friend gets to have his own tree, I want my own too."

"I've told you, we can't have our own tree. We are a guest at Jmie5's house and since it's Pendrue's house too, they get their own tree. I'm sorry we can't have our own, but we are doing Christmas at their house by their rules. And besides, you should ask Jmie5 if we can have a tree, it is her house after all," Britta said as she kissed the little Acara on the nose.

She knew that they were disappointed that they couldn't have their own tree, in their own house, and wait for Scorchio Claus in their own beds. All three of them were disappointed. EvilVegetaGirl, or called by her nickname Evege, was the most disappointed. She loved Christmas, she loved snow, she loved hot chocolate and building snowmen, she loved everything about the holidays. This was also ProjectSpartan's first Christmas with a family. The silver Cybunny had never had a Christmas before, he wasn't old enough. He was very anxious and excited about it, he couldn't wait for Scorchio Clause to come, but he wanted nothing more than to have it at his own house. DeLaVampier, the Lab Rat, on the other hand didn't seem to mind as much, he could live with celebrating any holiday. He was just upset he didn't have a home.

"What do you want me to say, it needed to be done," Britta said.

"Destroying our home needed to be done? I do disagree with you in every way possible," DeLaVampier told her. At the moment he was a Darigan Lenny, but he could care less, he was just glad he was a he.

"I'm sorry," she said in a firm tone. "You all know how much I hated it and I would have done anything to get rid of it, and so I did. I destroyed every last room of that place and I'd do it again to a hundred Neohome's just the same."

It was true, she hated her Neohome, she hated every last inch of the wallpaper, of the floors and of the ceilings. She had it built when she was a newbie, only several months old. She was so fascinated with every aspect of Neopia at that time, and she had built the home in the only place she could afford: Neopia Central. But after the months went by, years even, she began to resent it. She hated the location, she hated her street, and she had even grown to hate the numbers of their address. She felt trapped by a choice she had made when she was only a few months old to Neopia.

Now she was over 2 1/2 years old to the world, and she had changed. Her personality had changed, she now loved and hated different things about her life in Neopia and she could change them at will, but not the most important thing. She could not move. She couldn't leave 76795 Main Street, Neopia Central.

She continued to walk against the blowing snow up the streets on Terror Mountain, with Evege wrapped in her arms, ProjectSpartan and DeLaVampier close on her heels. They were on their way to see Taelia and do what they hoped to be an easy Snow Faerie Quest. They rarely made trips up the mountain to see her, but they had other business to attend to as well. A very reliable source had said that an enormous sale would be at the Igloo, and Britta never missed a sale. Ever.

With that sale in mind Britta kept pushing and fighting against the snow. The temperature seemed as if it were dropping a degree every second and Britta could feel Evege begin to shiver despite the large winter coat. She sighed and stopped and looked at ProjectSpartan.

"It's getting too cold for you guys here, DeLaVampier and I will continue on, take Evege back to Jmie5's house and wait for us there, we won't be much longer," she said to ProjectSpartan as she handed him the Baby Acara. "You can stop and get some hot chocolate on the way if you like."

She handed him a few Neopoints and she watched them start on their journey home. She turned back around and continued to walk up the trail hoping that she wouldn't freeze to death.

"You know that they're upset don't you?" DeLaVampier asked as he continued to fight off the snow.

"Of course I know, but there isn't anything we can do about it. I told you, I'm not building a new Neohome until we can move to a new location. I'd rather move here than stay in Neopia Central any longer," Britta replied.

"It wasn't all of your choice, you should have consulted us on our opinions before you decided to do something reckless and ruin out lives," he told her as he pushed harder against the difficult snow.

Britta stopped and looked at him, "I didn't have to ask you about it, and it wasn't your choice. I did what I wanted because it was my choice. You know I'd do anything for you, any of you, why can't you just accept the fact that we won't move into a new home until we can move locations?"

"Because it won't happen. It's not an option. We don't have any choice in moving to a new location. We will never get to move. You're being a silly little girl, he told her angrily frustrated with the cold, "You need to understand that. It's only hurting us. Just like now. You forced us to walk all the way up this forsaken mountain just because you heard there was going to be a sale and to get a quest that would require more moving up and down this mountain. When will you learn that it's not always about you?"

There was a pause.

"I'm going home," DeLaVampier said as he stopped and turned around.

Britta looked at him and continued to walk up the mountain, "You can say what you want but I'm not giving up."

"What are you doing, don't tell me you're still going, this is all pointless, it might all be for nothing. Just come home," he replied in a softer tone, not wanting to hurt her more than he already had. He could tell he had too, he didn't mean to, he just said what needed to be said.

"I'm going to finish my trip up the mountain, if you want to go home, feel free to keep going. I'm not going to give up, on either journey."

It had been several hours since he had left her on the mountain and he was beginning to worry, and DeLaVampier didn't worry. He had already tucked Evege into her crib and had made sure she was safe in her bed. He had made sure ProjectSpartan was safe in his bed too. But he didn't know where Britta was, if she was even safe at all. He always assumed the worst when it came to her whereabouts. She had once told him she was going to take a trip to Krawk Island to try and buy some books, but they had found her two days later stuck in the Symol Hole. She was unpredictable, and a little reckless.

He began to pace the living room of their borrowed home, wondering where she could be. Jmie5 had gone to bed hours ago, so she was no use if Britta was in trouble. She slept like a log, and wouldn't be woken for all the Neopoints in Neopia. He began to regret what he had told her, that she was a silly girl and that it was hopeless. He sat down in the red chair and fell asleep by the fireplace hoping that she would make it home safe.

"Wake up, I brought you home something," Britta said as she woke up DeLaVampier from his resting place in the chair.

It was past midnight, and all DeLaVampier could think of that that he was glad she was home.

"I was right, the Igloo had a ton of things. I got you 3 Orange Jelly Pillows. I also got a White Paving Stone, a Veespa Petpet Bowl, a Coconut Sink and a Cookie Jar. All for our new home," Britta said as she smiled at him.

He looked at her in amazement because it was a big load for her to carry all by herself from Terror Mountain to Jmie5's home in Faerieland. He looked at her smiling face and all he could reply was, "Yes, for our new home."

He had hope now, that it would be possible for them to move. It's the holiday season and anything can happen. Don't give up on your dreams before they have a chance to happen. Things may not always turn out they way you intend, but they always turn out like they were supposed to.

The End

Author's Note: Jmie5 and Pendrue were used with permission. This was also written to help persuade the wonderful people who work for Neopets to make moving your Neohome an option, just in time for the holidays.