The Divergence of Krawk Island

     "Gracie, what's up with you and that cereal?" May laughed, cutting a grapefruit into quarters. "Every time the box goes empty, you freak out! You know, there are other things to eat besides that."

     "I love this cereal," she responded. Her voice was slightly muffled by all the 'Chias' crammed in her cheeks. "For Pete's sake, May, I'm a Lupe. These look like Chias. Lupes love Chias. Duhhhh."

     Tim chose that moment to walk into the kitchen and grin. "Hey, girls. The weather's not very nice today, so how about we skip the beach?" He chuckled as his Neopets groaned in disappointment. "But I'll make it up to you," he added, "Why don't we go spend all those Altador Cup points?"

     "Ooh, let's go get a Team Moltara mug!" May gushed, jumping up and down with enthusiasm.

     Gracie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "No!" she argued, "You just think Aldric Beign is 'dreamy'. We're getting one with the Krawk Island logo on it! That's who we supported in the first place!"

     "What? No!"

     "Yes! For the love of doughnuts, May, we live in Krawk island! How could you not support this team? Aw, crud, my cereal's getting soggy." She shoveled the rest of her breakfast into her mouth and pushed the bowl to the side, but a look from Tim made her get up and put it in the sink. "So when are we going to get the mug for KRAWK ISLAND and not Moltara?" she asked her owner, shooting a cold glance at May, who stuck her tongue out in return.

     Tim shrugged. "Well, for one, when you two get dressed, and then I think we can--"

     Bang! Bang! Crash!

     "What the... ?" Gracie said, startled. She rushed over to the door, which had been pounded upon mercilessly, and opened it. A very jumpy Lucas was standing there, trying to scoot the remains of what used to be a flowerpot off the staircase. "Luke! What are you doing here?"

     The strawberry Gelert ran inside the house, brushing by his friend. "Mister... uh... Gracie's owner, sir?" he panted, recovering from the fast sprint he had to do to get over there. "Tim?"

     "Yes, Lucas? By the way, I know you broke something, so don't try to hide it," he laughed.

     "Can I borrow Gracie for a couple minutes? I need to show her something. Like, NOW."

     The boy retrieved the broom and headed for the staircase. Lucas was sure that Tim was going to bash him over the head for breaking the flowerpot, but instead he began to sweep up the shattered pieces. "Yeah, go ahead. Just be sure to bring her back in no later than an hour."

     "THANK YOU, MISTER GRACIE'S OWNER SIR TIM!" Lucas said frantically, grasping Gracie's wrist and pulling her away from the house. His feet dashed across the rocky sand much faster than hers, partially due to the fact that she was still in her pajamas and was running in her bare paws.

     "Ouch!" the Lupe growled, having stepped on a particularly sharp rock jutting from the dirt. "Luke, what in Neopia is so important that you couldn't even wait till I was dressed?"

     "It's so weird! I was just walking on the beach and then I saw this weird... thing. I can't explain it, just run faster! Hurry, it might not be there anymore because you're going so slow!!"

     They finally reached the beach's soft white sands, looking at the waves rolling onto the shore. Lucas looked around for a second, then pointed to their left. "There! There it is!"

     The two sprinted over to the mysterious object, and Gracie nearly fainted in surprise. On the water's edge was a pinkish, slimy and dotted... well, they weren't sure what it was. But as they drew closer, they could see that the dots were suction cups, and it was HUGE.

     Gracie pretended to swallow her fear, then asked, "What is it?"

     Lucas picked up a piece of driftwood and began to prod it. "I don't know," he admitted, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was scared, "But it sure is freaky, huh?"

     The girl bit her lip and walked over to it, examining it closely. "It looks like a tentacle," she declared. "But it's too big to belong to even a Giant Squid. If it's attached to something, then the whole animal would be as enormous as the island itself."

     Suddenly, the tentacle writhed a little, and Gracie let out a shrill scream, stumbling backwards and getting damp sand on the seat of her striped pajama pants. "It's alive," she exclaimed. "Which means... " She seemed too panicked to finish.

     "That the squid is as big as Krawk Island," Lucas quietly ended the sentence for her, "and it's right here, too."

     Silence stretched for a moment, broken only by the soothing sound of the waves lapping at their feet and sending foam to cling onto the tentacle. Lucas helped his friend up and was surprised to see the amount of terror in her eyes. He always thought that she was afraid of nothing anymore, but apparently he was wrong. "It's okay," he lied. "It's probably just a sea monster passing by. There's nothing to worry about."

     "You can't promise that," Gracie said, her eyes fixed on the tentacle, "because what you're saying is soooo false."

     "I know," he sighed in defeat. "I won't deny that." He looked out on the horizon, where the sky met the ocean. There, a storm was gathering, a dark veil of grey clouds. "We should go home and tell Tim. I told my family, and we've already made plans to leave today at six this afternoon."

     The trip back to Gracie's house was much faster than the trip from it, because now they were ignoring the rocks beneath their feet as they scurried across the ground so swiftly that they looked like blurs, one with shoes and one without. Panting, they arrived at the doorstep, where May was strapping on her rollerblades with the apparent wish to ride along the sidewalks. The two frantically jumped over her bent form and rushed around the house, trying to find Tim. Gracie did so by rounding a corner, seeing the back of her owner, and making a wild, flying tackle that brought him down to the carpet.

     "GAH!" he yelped as his face hit the rug. "GET OFF OF ME!"

     "TIMWEHAVESOMETHINGTOTELLYOU," she said, her words a bit too jumbled for her liking.

     He lifted his head from the floor, looked around, and stared at her from over his shoulder. "Are you two getting married or something?"

     Lucas, who had already been walking down the hall, pretended to gag. "Gross," he stated, "And not even close. Actually, we found something at the beach." He dragged his friend off of the human and brought them both to their feet. "It's this weird tentacle."

     "Tentacle?" Tim repeated, unfazed. "Well, there are some squids out here. Maybe one decided to take a rest."

     Gracie made a move to tackle him again, but Lucas grabbed the back of her shirt to keep her rooted to the spot. "No," she disagreed, shaking her furry brown head, "It's probably ten times bigger than a giant squid." Finally seeing alarm on her owner's face, she sighed in relief; he wasn't completely crazy after all. "And the whole thing is probably as huge as the island. What do you think we should do?"

     In response, he headed for the front door. "We're making reservations for the next boat ride to the Haunted Woods," he replied grimly, "We're not staying here more than another day. I'll go to the port and see if anyone has some room to spare." He said a hasty goodbye and went out of the house, leaving Gracie and Lucas to sit around and worry.

     "What are we going to do?" the Lupe wailed. "I don't want to leave home! What if it gets crushed or sunken or something?"

     In a pitiful effort to calm her down, Lucas put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, you've always wanted to go back to the Haunted Woods, right?"

     She rolled her eyes at him. "The second I set foot near the Brain Tree, I'm sure he'll start trying to impale me with his branches."

     "Well, then you can visit Edna."

     "I accidentally sneaked up on her when she was mixing a potion. The resulting explosion wasn't pretty."

     "How about the Crumpetmonger?"

     "Started a food fight there."

     "Sidney?"

     "Mocked his speech impediment. Hey, he started it by saying that I talked abnormally."

     Lucas threw his arms up into the air. "ELIV THADE???"

     "Eh nsode't elki em rhieet," Gracie sighed, flopping on the couch. "I think I'd be better off just staying here than over at the Haunted Woods."

     Lucas wrinkled his nose in disagreement and meandered over to the kitchen cupboard to search for cookies. "And get crushed, drowned, or lost at sea? Grace, you're my best friend, and I don't want anything to happen to you. Even if we get eaten by the Esophagor, at least I'd know what had gone on."

      Gracie smiled and rolled her eyes at the same time and said, "Well, I'm not sure whether to thank you for your loyalty as a friend, or scold you for that horrible image of me getting chomped by that turquoise blob. But there's no way of getting out of it anyway; once Tim has made his mind up, it's made up for good. Unless you can get him to give way under the crushing force of puppy-dog eyes."

     May entered the room, looking excited and jumpy at the same time, her rollerblades tucked neatly under her arm. "Guess what, guys!" she exclaimed, "You'll never believe what I saw on the beach!"

     "We know," Gracie snapped. "Why do you think we look so depressed?"

     She took a seat by her sister. "What are we going to do?"

     His voice muffled by cookies, Lucas said, "My family's already booked a ship to take us later, and so has Tim. Hopefully we get the same boat."

     "Hopefully we don't have another unhappy ending," Gracie corrected him glumly. "The last crazy adventure we got turned into Slorgs (Jhuidah is my new favorite faerie because she lifted the curse); what if the ship sinks or we get separated from our owners? Then we might never see each other again, and we could get stuck on deserted islands covered in cannibalistic natives and have to swim back to land... " She was clearly having a bit of a panic attack. May flung her arms around the Lupe in a sweet attempt to console her. Gracie looked terror-struck at not only the idea of her getting trapped on a deserted island, but also because of the fact she was being hugged.

     Suddenly, Lucas's stomach gave a huge lurch; or was it the ground beneath his feet? Either way, he was knocked straight on his bum, his arms flailing wildly to grasp onto something.

     "Earthquake!" May yelled in panic. She dove under the table.

     Gracie stood unsteadily up to her feet, groping the wall for support. Her brown fur was now hiding a deathly pale face. "It's not an earthquake," she argued, visibly shaken, "It's... something much worse." She tried to coax May out from under the table, but the earth swayed once more and she flung herself into the wall for stability. "What are we supposed to do?!"

     Lucas had smashed into the window, and his eye caught something strange; the ground was being pulled apart, as if the island was being... separated. He instantly knew what they going to have to do. "Run for it!"

     May seemed perfectly fine with that idea. She sprang up and headed for the door slowly, waiting for the others. She didn't have to, however, as they both sprinted out of the door, heading for who-knows-where.

     Thunder cracked overhead as soon as the trio left the house. The storm had arrived, and with a vengeance; globs of frigid water poured down in impenetrable curtains. May was the only one remotely dry, as she had grabbed a raincoat at the last second. The Poogle was trying her hardest to see through the rain for something – anything – that could serve as their refuge.

     "GAH!" Lucas yelped, slipping on a wet rock and falling on his back. His head plunged into icy water where the sand was parting as the island split. He couldn't really do much, seeing as he didn't have enough to hold his breath, so he opened his eyes and looked around before anyone could pull him out. Well, if he had been scared before, he was absolutely petrified now; a number of large eyes were staring right back at him.

     They were menacing, slimy things that greatly resembled a giant squid, and they were holding onto something; some were clasping it in their beaked jaws and other were wrapping their tentacles around it. He didn't know what they were grappling on to, but at that instant his breath ran out.

     Lucas felt the girls' paws wrap around his ankles and gradually pull him back up to land. Before his head could be brought out of the water, though, he felt something brush one of his long ears. It felt almost like... rope.

     He gasped for air as he crashed back onto the sand. Gracie was already pulling him up, frantically screaming, "Come on, you can't just sit there, Luke!"

     May flung one of his arms around her shoulder and began to drag him. Gracie did the same with the other arm, constantly muttering under her breath, "We're almost there... we're almost there... "

     "Almost where?" Lucas demanded, out of breath.

     Gracie wailed, "I don't know!"

     They arrived at the shore of the ocean, which was tossing this way and that as if distressed. That was the end of their run; they didn't know where else to go. They just stood there, with the waves crashing at their feet, scared, cold, and wet. And eventually, one by one, they all collapsed from exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep that even the thunder couldn't disturb.

      ~*~*~*~

     "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

     Gracie jolted awake, sitting up immediately. The scream was shrill and feminine, so in all honesty it was probably Lucas. Opening her eyes, she saw May clutching at her ears, her eyes bulging and wide. "What happened, May?" she mumbled. She was glad that it was her sister who had screamed and not the boy.

     The Poogle glared at her. "WHAT HAPPENED?" she shrieked. "Look all around you, Gracie!"

     The brown Lupe lifted her head and peered at her surroundings. She wished she hadn't, for once she did, she felt like screaming as well. They were alone on a little chunk of island, floating in the middle of the ocean, with not a familiar thing in sight. Fear clutched at her and tears sprung to her eyes, but she brushed them impatiently away. "B-but where's... " Nausea washed over her like the waves rolling onto the sand at her feet.

     "Our home?" May finished for her. "Most likely crushed into oblivion. I can't believe this is happening!" She picked up a rock and hurled it as hard as she could into the ocean. It sank beneath the surface of the water with a tiny splash.

     Lucas gave a small groan as he woke up, rubbing his eyes and looking at the girls. Then he gasped and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as if he would faint. Gracie dumped water on his head until he recovered. He hugged his knees to his chest. "How did we get here?" he asked stupidly. He couldn't think; he was too shocked to.

     "This tiny chunk of island broke off from the rest," May sighed. "We're deserted."

     Their stomachs were growling and they felt groggy from their long nap; they had been sleeping for half a day, and now the sun was setting over the horizon. There was not a storm cloud in sight. If Gracie had had her notepad and a set of art pencils, she would have drawn a detailed and pretty picture of the view.

     For a few minutes, they made castles in the sand, then watched as the waves hungrily devoured them. It made May sick to look at that, as it reminded her of Krawk Island.

     Eventually, though, Lucas spotted something, a silhouette against the dying light of the sun. "What's that?" he said, squinting.

     "No clue," Gracie groaned. Of course she couldn't see anything. She was nearsighted.

     Something in May's brain clicked. "It's a ship!" she murmured gratefully. "We're rescued!"

     "What if they're pirates?" Lucas whispered, wincing.

     "WHO CARES?" the Lupe howled. "OVER HERE! COME ON, TURN THIS WAY!" She waved her hands wildly in the air as she yelled at the top of her lungs. May joined in, and eventually, Lucas had no choice but to do the same. After much effort and a lot of screaming, the ship began to turn their way. Lucas saw no black flag adorned with a skull, so he started to call to the boat even louder. Gracie saw no point in waiting for the boat to catch up to them, so she dove into the water and began to paddle.

     May moaned and shook her head. "Gracie! You can get yourself – there's a monster – ugh!" But she followed her sister anyway. Not wanting to be left out, Lucas was again the last to follow the group.

     However, he was also the first to arrive at the ship. His wet clothes stuck easily to the ship's damp wood. He banged on the side of the boat and called up for someone to help them up.

     A girl with fiery red locks and large black spectacles peered over the edge. Her weary face lit with happiness. "LUCAS!"

     Lucas almost lost his grasp on the boat in his excitement. "Helena! I'm so glad you're here! Drop a rope, will you?"

     "Yes, yes, of course!!!" She disappeared and he heard voices going back and forth.

     Gracie and May finally arrived. The sun was almost completely over the horizon, and the little light it still provided stained the sky a deep raspberry colour. Gracie looked incredulously at the rails on the side of the deck. "Did I just hear Helena?" she said, sighing in relief. For once in the past day, she looked relaxed. May was having trouble staying afloat and was constantly grabbing onto Gracie for support.

     Something thwacked May hard on the head; it was a rope. One by one, they climbed their way up onto the deck, where they collapsed in their anxiety.

     "Gracie! May!"

     The Lupe sprang up. "Tim!" she cried giddily. She looked around for her owner, and finally seeing him, ran to tackle him in a giant hug. The poor boy was smothered under his two Neopets, who formed an adoring, wet (and in Gracie's case, pajama-clad) dog-pile on top of him. Helena held Lucas close to her as if she hadn't seen him for years.

     Once everyone broke apart, Lucas took the time to examine everybody. There wasn't a single person who didn't look tired. Some peoples' hands were torn with rope burn, and a few Neopets were dragging their feet along. Even a well-dressed green Kougra, who he assumed was the captain of the ship, was panting like he'd just run a marathon.

     After everything had settled down and the crew of the Scandalous Snarhook had gone back to work, the kids sat down on crates and a tall girl with short dark hair brought them a ration of brittle crackers, peanut butter, and Scurvy-B-Gone. A pink Eyrie and a green Peophin were following, staggering across the deck in their fatigue.

     "Thanks," Lucas muttered, taking the tray.

     The girl shrugged. "No problem. Are you guys okay? You look as if you went through a lot of trouble to get here."

     "Well... yeah." Lucas shifted uncomfortably. "You guys aren't pirates by any chance, right?"

     She laughed. "Of course not," she exclaimed. "I would make a horrible pirate; I brush my teeth much too often to be one. We're looking for Krawk Island. But sweet Fyora, the sea over here is so choppy!"

     "Krawk Island is brok--" Gracie began.

     Someone yelled out, "Katie, we need your help over here!" The girl rolled her eyes sighed. "I'll see you later," she said, "Just call if you need me!" With that, she skipped off to the source of the voice, her Neopets smiling shyly at them and following their owner. Lucas wondered who she was.

     It wasn't long before the Kougra came over to them. After making sure that everyone was fine, he said, "Ye know, once ye recover, I'd really appreciate your help running t' ship. We be looking fer Krawk Island, mates."

     "It's been broken into pieces," Gracie stated. "You'll have to find the little bits."

     The captain stared at her in disbelief. His mouth was open to say something, but no words would come out. Finally, he shook his head. "Well, t'at's certainly somet'ing I have never 'eard of before. Anyway, me name is Buckleboots Jim."

     "Gracie."

     "Lucas."

     "May."

     "Nice t' meet ye." Buckleboots Jim grinned, showing off a few teeth missing from years of hard weather and sailing. "Well, I t'ink good jobs for the t'ree of ye would be to climb t' masts as a lookout." Seeing the curious looks on the young Neopets' faces, he added worriedly, "Or would ye like another job?"

     Before anyone else could say anything, Lucas stammered, "No, it's fine. We can manage."

     "Alright, t'en. I'll see ye in the morning." Buckleboots Jim stalked off to help his crew.

     A few moments of silence lapsed, during which the food from the tray was taken. Breaking the stillness, Gracie quietly mused as she stared at her cracker, "You're right."

     Startled, Lucas turned to her, taking a bite of his food; it was dry and flavorless. "About what?" he asked.

     "Of course we can manage it. We got this far, right?"

     "We stick together," May agreed, "because when we do, we're like a thunderstorm. Unstoppable."

     Lucas grinned. "Unstoppable," he said slowly, testing the word out on his tongue. "I like the sound of that."

     He took another nibble of his cracker and found it tasted much better.

The End