Lucky Me: Part Three

      “Oh, this little thing?” she asked, pointing at the necklace. “I’ve had it since last Christmas actually. My owner’s... I mean previous owner’s friend came over and gave it to me. For some reason my owner never let me take it off because she said that he had spent so many neopoints on it and that it would be an insult to take it off unless I had a good reason! I tried to take it off too, but then she found me and sent me straight to the pound! Strange, though, because ever since I got this something has always seemed to go wrong, but anyway why did you want to know?”

      “I was just curious.” Then a thought hit her. “Say, what was her friend’s name?”

      “I think it was Anthony, why?”

      Aura couldn’t speak at all. Anthony? If he had spent so many neopoints on just one necklace, why would he spend so many more neopoints to get another?

      Then she realized that Sasha was curiously looking at her. “Oh, I was just curious, that’s all. My name's Aura by the way.”

      “Yeah, I know. They told me that I was most likely going to be having a roommate today because someone else was going to be getting rid of a painted Kougra.”

      “So, do they arrange this place by species or something? Or is it if you’re a painted color or not?”

      “Well, I’m not really sure how they set up the system, but I think it depends on if you’re painted, what color you are painted, how strong you are, and then what species. I’m not too sure if that’s all right, but I think that some of it is anyway. So where did you come from Aura?”

      Aura began to tell Sasha everything that had happened to her yesterday and today, but she left out the part about the necklace and Anthony. She didn’t know how Sasha would take it if she knew how much they had in common. “So then she sent me to the pound because of the cookie dough explosion,” she finished.

      “Wow, and I thought that I was unlucky. Well anyway, my turn now to tell my story!” Apparently she had been an only neopet who had lived with an owner named Brittany in the Haunted Woods. She had gotten the necklace last Christmas, and since then she had created a hole in the living room wall while lighting a candle, attracted ten Meepits to her house that ate all of their food, and broken her left paw seven times. “So then I broke a vase, and then she sent me here,” she finished.

      “Man, that must stink. It sounds like it’s all the necklace’s fault.”

      “Yeah I know, and it is too! Ever since I got it I started to have bad luck and I know that it’s cursed too! But when I told that to Brittany she just laughed at me!”

      Wow, her problems sound a lot like mine. Maybe I should tell her about the necklace...

      But before she could say anything a knock came at the door followed by a voice. “Lunch is here! Can you please open the door?”

      Sasha got off the bed and opened the door. A Purple Acara followed her in and set two trays down on the table. “I hope you two will enjoy,” she said and then went out of the room.

      “What is it?” Sasha asked as she eyed her food suspiciously. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!”

      Aura got off the Functional Grey Chair she was sitting in and went over to the table to see what Sasha was complaining about. It was actually a very nice lunch indeed. Each of them had a green apple, a mashed potato with gravy, a slice of ham, and chocolate milk. She looked to what Sasha was pointing at, and saw that she had something extra on her plate.

      Aura burst out laughing.

      “What’s so funny!” Sasha screamed when Aura didn’t stop laughing, “What!”

      “Oh nothing,” Aura answered wiping a tear from her eye that had formed while she was laughing so hard, “it’s just that that’s not a piece of food. It’s a piece of paper!”

      “Oh.....” she said and then unfolded the paper. Aura ate her lunch in between giggles while Sasha read her letter, trying to see any emotional expressions that might cross her face so she could get an idea what she was reading. Aura had just finished her meal, which turned out to be decently good, when Sasha finally put down the paper and went to her food.

      “So what did it say?” she asked as she went to unpack her bag that she had neglected until now. “Good news, I hope.”

      “Well, it’s not so much good or bad news. I don’t even know what it means, to tell you the truth.”

      “Why, what did it say?” Aura tried again while unpacking her plushies.

      “It said that if I got adopted again, and then got sent back to the pound, then I would be spending at least two years in a foster home to see what’s wrong with me.”

      “What do you mean?” Aura asked, now confused. “Why would they put you into a foster home? I mean, this is the first time you’ve been in the pound, right?” When Sasha didn’t respond, she knew that she had been lying to her, but then again so was she. “Alright, something tells me that we both need to tell our stories over. You start first since I went first last time.”

      “Okay,” she sighed and started her story over again. Everything was the same as before, except this wasn’t her first time in the pound, and Brittany wasn’t her last owner. She had been in the pound nine times already in the past year, and the last owner she had got rid of her when she accidentally broke a window. “So now they must think that I’m some horrible little neopet who does nothing but get into trouble. But they’re all wrong! It’s this necklace’s fault; I know that it’s cursed! But they won’t believe me, so now I’m going to have to be stuck in a Neohome that will treat me like some sort of freak!”

      “You aren’t a freak; you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and I know that the necklace is cursed.”

      “You believe me?” she asked hopefully.

      “Yeah, I do because I had one too.” Aura started her story over again and told her everything truthfully. She told her about the necklace, Anthony, and how her owner started to act when she had gotten the necklace. “So then she put the suitcase down on my bed and left. The next day I was here,” she finished.

      “So where do you think your necklace is now?” she asked as she took the last bite out of her apple that she had been eating while Aura was explaining.

      “I don’t know, and I don’t really care that much either. All I know is that I’m glad I got rid of it, because I feel a whole lot better now that it’s gone.”

      “Wow, maybe I’ll do the same thing once I get into my new home, then I won’t have to come back to this stupid pound.”

      “Yeah, that’s a good idea, but I mean really. How could they think that you’re a bad neopet? I mean, you’re so nice!”

      “I know, but sometimes...” A knock at the door stopped her sentence.

      “Your dinner is here, ladies. Please open up.” Neither of them had realized until then how much time had gone by. It was already dark out, and Aura wondered what time it was. Sasha got up and answered the door, again. Once more the Purple Acara came in carrying two trays and set them down on the table. This meal looked almost exactly like the first. There was a slice of ham, a green apple, a carrot, and milk on each of their trays.

      “Alright now, dears, you may stay up as long as you want to, but please don’t be too loud. We still have other neopets who want to sleep during the night, and a letter came for you, Miss Aura.” Then she gave Aura a letter and walked out of the room. Once she was at the door she turned around and said, “Goodnight, you two,” then she shut the door.

      Aura inspected the letter, but no name other than her own was written on the cover, “Come on! Open it up!” Sasha insisted as she nibbled on her carrot.

      “Alright,” Aura said and opened up the letter. She was hoping that it might be from Sage, but she saw that it wasn’t once she read the first line. She gave out a sighed and continued to read the letter.

      Dear Miss Aura,

      I am terribly sorry to hear that you have been sent to the pound, Aura. I hope that you shall forgive Amanda soon, for I do not think that she would be able to live another day if she knew that you still hated her. I know that right now you must be scared in the pound, but fear not, for you shall not be in there for much longer. I have already arranged an appointment with one of the workers there to let me adopt you hopefully by tomorrow, but no later than the end of this week. I shall also be looking for a Kougra named Sasha as well. I’m not sure what color she currently is, but I know that she is also somewhere in the pound with you. I may be able to be there by noon tomorrow, so until then be strong, Aura.

      Sending all of my love with this letter,

      Anthony

To be continued...