The Quest for Hair

      “If Mom saw you,” commented Sephone, “she’d tell you to wait until after dinner to eat that.”

      “But this is my dinner.” I grinned wryly. “When I tell her that I paid for it, I doubt that she’ll mind.”

      Sephone laughed. “You are so weird.”

      “And pretty soon, you’ll be one of us weird people. It actually worries me that you’re already eight and you’re still not as crazy as Suki. I mean, she’s six and yet she can down five cans of Neocola in ten minutes.”

      “Weeeeird!” Love said, changing the channel to one of her stupid dramas.

      “I know I am, but what are you?”

      Love gave me such a look. I sipped at my marshmallow milkshake. These were my favorite foods; so naturally, I shrugged off the look and went into the kitchen to get more.

      When I came back, sipping at another milkshake, Love asked, “Where’s Mom? She said we could go to the NC Mall and spend that NC she won from the Qasalan Expellibox.”

      I sighed. “You are such a girly-girl for an eight year old. Why can’t you be like Sephone?” Then I amended, “Why can’t any of us fix our spending issues, anyway? ‘Cause there’s Suki and her coffee addiction, you and your love of clothes, and don’t even get me started on Jazz and Lily.”

      I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of our family in the paper—you know, week 432? ‘One Young Xweetok Starts a Huge Fire’? Yep, that’s me.

      We’re a huge family, but right now, Lily, Jazz, Tia and Waffles were off with some professor to see all the secrets of Neopia. I mean, I’d have gone, but Mom didn’t really trust me by myself after that fire...

      So, yeah, it was just a house full of Xweetoks: Me, Bella the faerie Xweetok, Love the snow Xweetok, Sephone the skunk Xweetok and Suki the baby Xweetok. It was really nice not to have a bajillion Neopets coming through.

      I mean, not that I didn’t miss my family. Actually, yeah, that’s exactly it—I didn’t really miss ‘em.

      Well, we were there waiting for Mom and Suki to get back from the park.

      I eventually decided to go restock. “Hey, I’m gonna go see if I can find anything good in the clothes store.” Love’s eyes lit up and she started to say something. “Yes, you can have some clothes.”

      So I zoomed off. The only two reasons that I put up with being a prissy-looking faerie Xweetok were that, first, I was Mom’s dream pet, and second, I got to fly.

      Flying is pretty fun. I’m addicted to that adrenaline rush you get when you fly at the speed of light. I got to Neopia Central in a couple minutes.

      As I touched down on the lush spring green grass, I relished the earthy smell outside. The sun was hidden behind dull gray clouds, and, taking another whiff of the air, I guessed that it had just rained. Too bad I hadn’t been here for the actual storm. I love rain.

      I strolled into the store and immediately saw a Xweetok Popstar Hat.

      “I’d like to buy this for five thousand Neopoints,” I told the owner, holding up the hat.

      The overdressed blue Uni took the money and handed me the receipt. The hat was unbuyable, and I was lucky to have gotten it, but Love was going to force me to give it to her. Well, not force, but think about it: would you either, a) give up the unbuyable hat, or b) be tormented by Love forever?

      So I took it back home to see that Mom and Suki were back.

      “Sorry,” Suki was saying. “I know you wanted to spend it, but look how awesome this crib looks. Well, not awesome, but it makes me look even more innocent.”

      Love laughed and high-fived Suki. “Evil—I like that.”

      I held out the hat to Love. “Look! I got you an unbuyable.”

      Mom gasped. “Um... can you, maybe, when you’re not wearing it... let me... put it in my gallery?” She looked down at Love and made her eyes watery like she was going to cry. “Please?” Her voice was actually strangled with pain—fake pain, I mean.

      Love laughed. “Sure! I mean, I wouldn’t usually do that, but for our kick-butt Xweetok gallery, sure.”

      She settled it on her head and I gasped when I saw it. I clutched my head. “I’m bald!! I just realized that we have stupid manes and not real hair.” I turned to Mom. “I don’t wanna be bald! I’m only twelve!”

     Mom laughed. “Okay. I actually redeemed a Neocash card today.” She took me by the arm. “Let’s go look at some wigs in the mall.”

     Love ran up to us. “Bring me, too!”

     And off we went.

     *

      “No way am I letting you get a Mohawk!” Mom said. “If you’re not going to pick anything sensible, then maybe you should just be happy with your hair—or lack thereof—like Sephone.”

      “Ew!” I faked a grimace. “You sound like... an adult!”

      That sure cracked us all up—even Love.

      “Let me find something,” Love suggested, charging toward the back.

      Love came back with a Tower Princess Wig and a fantastic Braided Wig.

      “But they’re both so girly! Plus, I was thinking more like brunette hair.”

      Love shrugged and went to put the hair back. But then she came back with a Tower Princess Wig and a Daisy Headband Wig.

      “You know, I bet this Tower Princess Wig would look great on Sephone, and this Daisy Headband Wig would be awesome on a Poogle.” She faked a look of shock. “Lily’s a Poogle!”

      Mom grinned. “Sure. We still have 700 NC left, so...”

      “I want this dress, and this dress, and...” Love strolled over to the shop next door and tapped a pair of earrings.

      Mom took the dresses and said, “If you’re going to get the earrings, you can only get one dress.”

      Love sighed. “Okay, then. Just the Prissy Miss Usuki Dress, then. Are you planning to get a mystery capsule?”

      “Duh! There is no life without mystery capsules!”

      “WAIT!” I hollered, picking up an Ocean Warrior helmet. “Not only is this thing awesome, but...” I plopped it onto my head. “It comes with hair!”

      “Um... okay, then. If you really... want it...”

      “Yes, I do! HAIR! I GOTS HAIR!”

      Love tapped my mom and whispered, “I think she had a little too much sugar today.”

      So I wore it to school the next day. Plenty of people snorted and said, “Nice hair.”

      I was not going to be made fun of.

      “Love,” I said that night at dinner, “can I borrow your hat? And maybe you can wear that Tower Princess Wig?” I turned to Sephone. “If you don’t mind. ‘Cause I get tons of funny looks with this helmet.”

      “I guess I’ll trade it for something better,” Mom said dully, retrieving the helmet.

      Love said, “Sure! The other wig beats this hat anytime!”

      Okay. I have pink hair, but it’s hair nonetheless. And plus, it comes with an awesome hat. Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I gotta go eat some more cake.

The End