The Move

Acaberry was uneasily sleeping on the moving boat that was taking them to Mystery Island. Her dreams were unpleasant, filled with memories of Neopia Central, of the summer she should be having with her best friends, Aranda and Lidi, of the neoschool she should be going back to for third grade in a couple of months, and of the old neohome she had loved.

     Now everything was changing. Her owner Chestnut had decided to move the family to Mystery Island. Streakly and Slevende loved the idea. Acaberry hated it. She woke with a start when the boat reached Mystery Island. The boat was called a moving boat because families moving to islands purchased trips that only they and their stuff went on. Most of their stuff was already moved into the house and some of it spread out, their owner's doing, because she had decided that it was better to have their stuff mostly there when they arrived. Acaberry had suitcases and duffel bags all around her containing her many clothes. She loved clothes and customizing herself. She also liked dancing and art, but at this moment, she wasn't thinking about any of those things. She was missing Neopia Central too hard.

     Chestnut gathered her things up and they all walked off the ship. Acaberry stared down the section of the beach. They had landed in Tourist Central, the part of Mystery Island that was meant to rip off tourists. The sand was covered in litter and a collection of bright shops selling dinky, overpriced junk were crowded with tourists wearing shorts, faded once-bright flip-flops, and plastic leis. Acaberry frowned. She wasn't coming as a tourist.

     Chestnut guided them past the tourists and they reached the grassy part of the island. It was lush and tropical. Acaberry would have normally enjoyed it, but now she did not. She frowned when she saw pets playing volleyball and eating ice cream in the hot summer sun. She grimaced when a Kyrii girl about her age did a cartwheel and landed nearby.

     It was a rather long walk, but they reached the house in time. Acaberry stared up at it. A long gravel lane led to a house made of thin boards and leaves with a large enclosed porch and a large yard. She should have liked it, but she made herself not like it by remembering their apartment in Neopia Central. It had been small, but familiar to her. She lightened up a little when she saw the pool around back, but she quickly remembered going to her friend Lidi's pool in Neopia Central and frowned again. Inside it was pretty nice: a big, spacious house that had not had time to get clutter built up in it at all. She and Slevende didn't have to share a room anymore, and their rooms had large windows looking out at the island. Acaberry set right to work decorating her room. She enjoyed the walk-in closet with the nice, big mirror and the many shelves, hangers and other things to organize her clothes in spite of herself. Her desk, chair, bed, and rug had already been set out. She looked around, remembering Neopia Central, and suddenly she lay down on her bed and had a good cry.

     Acaberry fell asleep crying. When she woke up, her face was sticky and hot from crying with her face pressed into her pillow, and she felt terrible. Her tan dress, which had been nice and crisp before, was rumpled and wrinkly. She changed into a skirt and shirt and walked downstairs after splashing water on her face. Slevende and Streakly were, of course, already in the pool. Acaberry groaned.

      "What's up?" Chestnut asked, looking up from arranging the utensils in the kitchen.

     Instead of responding, Acaberry dragged herself back upstairs and pulled on her bathing suit. Grabbing a towel, she went downstairs, outside, and she grudgingly jumped in the pool. Acaberry loved the water, and in that instant underneath the pool, she decided to forget about her troubles for a while. But when she resurfaced, all her troubles hit her right in the face again. What about Lidi and Aranda? How could she forget them? And what about her walks in Neopia Central? What about snow in the winter? What about going the Rainbow Pool and looking at colors just for fun? What about the Money Tree and the Wishing Well and Pizzaroo? Did the people on Mystery Island even eat pizza? Acaberry groaned at the prospect of living where so much was different and flipped over onto her back, floating on the surface of the pool.

      "Aca," said Slevende, using her pet name for her younger sister, "Aca, what's got you down? I mean, we're on Mystery Island and we have our own swimming pool! Come on, what's up?"

      "Yeah, what's up?" Streakly asked.

     Acaberry flipped frontward so she could actually look at them.

      "What do you THINK is up?" she asked, annoyed. "We left the place where I've lived my whole life! I don't want to be here! I want to live in Neopia Central! I want to live where everything is familiar and nice and I have friends and I know where things are! Does this place even have a place where you can get food? Or are we supposed to scavenge in the woods or something?" she finished, snapping the last words out angrily.

     Slevende and Streakly stared at each other, then at her.

      "Aca," Slevende said gently, "there are plenty of places to get food here. I mean, think about it--the Trading Post is here! You can get anything there. And Aca, I know you don't like this move, and I know you miss your friends, but I think you should just try to cope with it. And think about it. You've always wanted to come here for a vacation. Think, every neoschool vacation we can swim all day long, and there's even a whole jungle to explore! Think how fun that will be!"

      Acaberry just got up from the water, grabbed her towel, and ran back inside, tears ready to fall from her eyes. She ran straight into her owner. Chestnut hugged her, and Acaberry sniffled and cried.

      "I know you don't like this move, Aca," Chestnut said after a moment. "I know it's hard for you, and it's hard to get used to something as new as this. I think what you need is to get settled here--have some fun, make some friends, get it so your surrounding are familiar--and then you'll realize that it's not so bad after all. I tell you what. Tomorrow we'll spend a day at the beach. You can meet some pets and have some fun. Let yourself get used to this, and I can guarantee it won't be so bad after all."

     Acaberry nodded. Maybe her owner was right.

     They went to the beach late the next morning. It was very crowded, but they managed to find a spot, and then they all ran to the water. Acaberry dove in, and as she resurfaced, she found herself looking at an island Kougra girl her age.

      "I'm Acaberry!" she said, wiping her dripping yellow fur back from her eyes so she could see better. The Kougra was very pretty, and had a comfortable, kind expression on her face.

     "I'm Kikia," the Kougra responded, smiling. "Are you here on vacation?"

      "No, we just moved here yesterday," Acaberry said. "Do you live here?"

      "Yep!" Kikia replied happily. "I have my whole life."

      The two were fast friends. Kikia loved fashion as much as Acaberry, and she was an amazing swimmer. They had similar tastes, and yet they weren't exactly the same, so they got along well and found each other very interesting. Acaberry went home that day thinking that, though she still missed Neopia Central a little, this move might not be such a bad thing after all.

The End