Judgment: Part One

It was not as if she did not care about her color. In fact, she cared about her color more than any other pet in all of Neopia. That was precisely why she wasn't any color at all. That was precisely why she wasn't anything at all.

      The rain fell, striking the glass windows of Pricilla's Neohome in deep heavy strokes, sending small staccato sound waves throughout the empty room. The shadows formed the tiny droplets snuck through the room silently, running over the stark black and white colors that covered the furniture with relative ease. A Zen bed lay on the eastern wall with various other Zen furniture scattered haphazardly. The west wall was mostly a window, a huge glass pane that offered a panoramic view of most of Neopia Central. Silence and emptiness filled the room, as well as lack of something could. However, the most important things in the room were the spaces in-between the items, like music, a period of silence can be more important then the most beautiful harmony. The rests seemed to stretch on forever here, like a symphony that could be made of silence. Then something stirred, or rather someone. Although it was not visible the slight shift in the atmosphere made it obvious. Everything became tenser, like The Neopian Philharmonic was about to play the first note of an hour long performance. On the Zen desk an old weathered book opened, to the first page. The scrawl was large, clumsy and just barely discernible.

     "Deare Diary

     I am jst lerning too rite ms. LErner sais my speeling is very bad. Todaye was verey BAD…"

      Memory filled the room, if the room had not been so empty, the memories would have been lost in the clamor of everyday life, but because there was so little, even the most transparent of thoughts filled it with vivid pictures. Like from a fantasy story it all faded into the quite time of the past, when the most complicated problems were solved with temper tantrums and a toffee apple from the chocolate shop.

     She was nervous, as any pet would be who was doing something for the first time. The Neoschool towered above the small quaint lawn and sidewalks. From her owners perspective it seemed small and cozy, but not to Pricilla. To her it towered above her like a castle filled with adventure and evil villains. Adventures scared her, so did evil villains. The small blue flotsam's fin was curled tightly around her owner's leg.

      "Mommy, I dun wanna go to school," Pricilla whined. In a soft cajoling voice her owner carefully pried Pricilla's fin off of her leg, picking Pricilla up into her arms. Pricilla at the time was very small, and also very light.

      "But you have to, Purdy Wurd," her owner coaxed. Pricilla gave a pout; she didn't like her mother calling her cute. She didn't want to be cute. Cute was for babies, she was big pet now. For any logically thinking pet this would have made them pull away from their owner, but Pricilla only hugged tighter, the circulation in her owner's arm was beginning to diminish.

     "Darling it will be okay, I promise," her owner gracefully reassured her. Pricilla looked doubtfully up through large indigo eyes at her owner, slowly removing her fin from her arm. Then a grin began to tug at her jaw and soon she was smiling as wide as Jetsam up at her owner. She jumped up from her crouched position, standing up tall, straight and proud.

     "I'll be good mommy," Pricilla whispered, looking to Neoschool fearfully, then bravely setting off to face whatever, villain or adventure lay inside the door. Her fins were slippery however, so she ended up falling flat on her face right before she reached the black double doors that led inside. She looked around apprehensively, and saw a couple of jeering faces, a few laughing at her misfortune.

      A minute rainbow Pteri held out a wing helpfully. Its eyes were wide with worry and it seemed so shiny, so perfect. "Hey why didja fall? I can help you up!" Pricilla turned to the saccharine voice, and found that it belonged to a rainbow Pteri.

     "Thank you. What's your name? My name is Pricilla and I am a very good swimmer," she proclaimed proudly, slapping her fins together. This line was one well loved, and much rehearsed. The Pteri looked about to answer, but any possible conversation was cut short as a loud bell twanged. The lawn grew quieter and quieter as Neopets of all colors and types filed into the doorway. Soon Pricilla was the only one left; the Pteri had gotten swept up in the shuffle. She began to sniffle. That Pteri was mean, just like the others, she didn't tell her her name, didn't even agree that Pricilla's fins were the perfect shape for swimming. Pricilla flopped through the door and into the school, keeping an eye out for the Pteri. She found herself in a corridor.

      A tall skunk Lupe strutted into the small hallway, and quickly ushered the crowds of nervous and excited students into the classroom. Only a few of the pets were beautiful, but they shone like stars, gracefully padding their way to their seats, making Pricilla feel clumsy. The rainbow Pteri was among them. Pricilla glared at the back of the Pteri's perfect head. Then with the other torrents of students she stumbled into her seat.

     "Class, my name is Ms. Lerner," the skunk Lupe teacher began in a high nasal tone. Pricilla looked at the Lupe anxiously, she had heard that big Lupes like this one ate Flotsam her size. Her eyes widened.

     Ms. Lerner waved her hand for any lingering students to sit down. "Today we are going to be learning about spelling." Pricilla was not focused on the teacher however, she could only see the rainbow Pteri talking quietly to another pet about a clumsy flotsam, or at least that's what Pricilla could catch. The way the other pet's mouth moved in a derogatory sneer could only mean one thing, they were talking about her fall. It was thus that Pricilla was caught unprepared when the teacher called on her.

     "Excuse me? Hello!" Ms. Lerner began to wave frantically, sarcastically almost, as if Pricilla was purposefully not paying any attention.

     "Huwh?" Pricilla asked, startled and worried. She looked down at her flippers. They weren't that fat, not good to eat anyways.

     "I would advise you to pay more attention next time, miss…"

     "My name is Pricilla and I like to swim!" Pricilla repeated happily, forgetting that the teacher was still peeved at her.

      "Well Miss Pricilla, when the word swimming pool becomes one of our spelling words, I'm sure you can tell us more, but as of now, class dismissed," the teacher finished jadedly, swiftly gathering her papers together, paying not second more attention to Pricilla. It wasn't clear why she was a teacher in the first place if teaching really wasn't her first concern.

      Tears silently rolled down Pricilla's cheek. Everyone was so mean today, especially that Pteri. She was comforted by the fact that soon she would be out of here and into her owner's warm arms.

      As the students filed out the rainbow Pteri strayed behind, as if she was waiting for Pricilla, but Pricilla knew this could not be true. Why would someone mean do something nice like that? As the Lupe teacher quickly left, probably to get some Borovan from the teachers lounge, it became quite clear what the Pteri was doing. Pricilla turned around, setting one tearful eye on the Pteri. "Gow away, youwe don't like me so go awawy."

     The Pteri hopped recklessly forward, turning over a couple of desks. "I like youwe! My nawmes Solange wanna play. Those other pets were mean, but Iwe liwke you!"

     "But I saw you tawking with them, being meany!" Pricilla firmly insisted. She knew what she saw and this Solange was no good.

     "I would never eber do that, my mommy always says that I should tweat others how they want to be tweated," Solange merely shook her head wildly.

      Pricilla stared up at the now anxiously hovering Solange. Pricilla contemplated the venerability of what the rainbow Pteri was saying for a moment, then quickly decided on accepting her with a flipper to the back. Solange gave an 'Ooof', and came spiraling downwards. "Owps I'm sorry. I won't eber hurt you again! Promise!"

     Solange dusted herself off meticulously, and then grinned lightly at Pricilla. "It's okawy, I know youwe won't! Let's gowe play," Solange crowed happily.

      Pricilla grinned back and followed Solange out into the school yard where both of their owners were waiting, with loving arms and many questions.

     My speeling is awfull but i mad a knew freind.

     - Pricilla

      The book closed quietly, and in between the rain a light sniffling penetrated the silence. That and the smell of memories, faint and just barely discernible, like the memories themselves. No voice was heard though, and the rain continued to pour. Then as quickly as it began the sniffling stopped, and a new fresh crisp page opened, a quill danced across the paper, and in neat brusque handwriting, wrote words, sentences, and most importantly, a story.

To be continued...