A Story of Stories

      Kuila suddenly looked up, and smiled. "I'm writing," she said. "I'm gonna get in the Neopian Times!"

      I sighed. That was typical Kuila, setting a goal she could never accomplish. "Oh, really?" I said. "On your first try?"

      "Yep!" she responded and went back to work. I slouched back in my chair. That Kougra was always so adventurous, willing to take things further than they were able to go. I remember when she was absolutely convinced she would win a costume contest just by painting extra stripes on her green coat to look like a leaf. I admit it was impressive, but, of course, there were much better contestants.

      "Aaaaand.... Done!" she shouted in delight. "You really think I can get in, Shayda?"

      "Honestly, very few pets get in on their first try, and usually if they do, they got lucky. I doubt it, Kui, I really do." Kuila looked disappointed. But even that couldn't keep down her hyperactivity. "But come ooooon, Shay, you haven't even read it!"

      "Fine, then. What's it about?"

      "It's called Coming of the Kyrii. It's about this village in the Haunted Woods, and there are legends of a Mutant Kyrii. Then one day, Markuso, he's my main character, finds one of the Kyrii, oh, and he's a red Kyrii, anyway he gets cursed and every night he has to... okay, anyway, in the end he learns true love is inside you all along, and so is hope. Sounds good, right, Shayda? Right? Right? Rightrightright?"

      I sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I'd read it. You could get in." Kuila smiled hugely. "Wow, really???!!!! WOW, THAT WOULD BE SO FANTASTIC OH MY GOSH BYE!" She zoomed out the door to go submit it to the 'Times people. It seemed like she was getting perkier by the second. She must be really confident.

      I flew over to the kitchen. I grabbed a specially cut Shoyru sandwich out of the fridge. Of course, it was cut like a Shoyru because that was exactly what I was, a Shoyru. As a joke, Kuila would fill it with lettuce. "See?" she would say. "It looks just like you!"

      "I don't know," I would say back. The lettuce was supposed to reflect my green scales. But it wasn't green enough. My scales were like grass. Nothing could possibly be greener.

      I made Kuila her favorite- a honey sandwich- just as thanks for the Shoyru sandwiches she made.

      A while later, when I was deep into Scorchio Summer, Kuila came back. "So," I asked. "What did they say?"

      Kuila smiled. "Come on, Shay, you know it takes a while before they respond. Not right away!" A while? I knew Kuila would suffer throughout this "while" waiting for the response. I better make more honey sandwiches, I thought.

***

      "I'm gonna get in! I'm gonna get in!" Kuila's voice echoed through the house the next day. Day two she was still dancing around the house, singing. The next day she went around the neighborhood and showed her story to her friends. They were all impressed. Wow, I thought. She might actually get in.

      The next day she waited at the doorstep, determined to wait for the confirmation neomail. After about four hours, she decided to go inside.

      The next day she flipped through the Neopian Times, looking at good stories she read, hoping they were worse than hers.

      It had been six days since she had submitted her story. A white Weewoo flew up to our doorstep and dropped a new issue of the Neopian Times. Kuila zoomed to the door. "Am I in this week? AmIinamIinamIin?" She flipped wildly through the pages, eyes darting everywhere. Eventually she closed the paper, and one word escaped her lips. "Dang."

      She perked up again. "Oh well! I'll get in next week, I know!" She walked inside the house and munched on a honey sandwich.

      The following week included sitting around, sitting at doorsteps, reading through past Times. But, eventually, after a week, it happened, at around 6:00 in the morning.

      "Shayda! Shayda!"

      I moaned. What time was it? "WHAT?!" I yelled angrily.

      "Shayda! I did it! I got in to the Neopian Times!"

      That got me up. I rushed into the living room. "You WHAT?!"

      Kui opened the paper up. "Look! Coming of the Kyrii! And look—" She got out her letter from TNT. "I got in! I got this shiny trophy! Look!" It was less of a trophy, more of a giant, golden quill. "I'll treasure this trophy and letter foreverandeverandeverandeverandever!"

      I patted her on the back. "Congratulations, Kui!" I said. "You really made an awesome accomplishment."

      Kuila smiled. "I wanna show all my friends!"

      "Wait, Kuila ---" I started to say, but she had run out the door. "They've probably already seen it," I finished. Whatever. I sat down on the couch and read Kui's story.

      It really wasn't bad. I couldn't believe Kui had written it. It was, as I found out, a series. I had just read part one, which had a cool cliffhanger ending.

      Kuila came home and darted around the room. "Yay!" she shouted. "I'm going to start writing right away again!" She ran back to her desk.

      Then a Weewoo fluttered up to me, holding a letter. "Whee-woo!" he said.

      "Hello, little fella!" I said. I picked up the letter. "To Kuila."

      "Mail, Kuila." I walked upstairs to Kuila's desk (she moved it for "good luck" to get into the Neopian Times) and Kuila quickly ran and snatched it.

      "Dear Kuila," she read aloud. "Your story was amazing! I love the ending and can't wait for part two! I love the part where Mark doesn't want to leave Bellian, but has to to find out what happened to Dr. Wogsworth. Anyway, you're an amazing writer!" At the bottom of the letter it was signed "cushy_petjub112".

      I walked downstairs. Fanmail already? I wasn't a writer, but I knew you don't usually get fanmail right away.

      I munched on a Pepperoni Omelette and a Shoyru sandwich. Kuila dashed down. "What are you-"

      "I need inspiration!" she shouted and dashed outside. I sighed. I finished my snack and went to go find out where Kui had gone. I found her standing in the street, talking to a fan. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I know! Thanks!" She shook the pet's hand.

      I approached her. "Kuila," I said. "What was that?"

      Kuila looked up. "Oh!" she shouted. "That was a fan! I love my fans! They love me!"

      "Kuila, I know you're a fantastic writer, but can you not let this get out of hand? I thought you were looking for inspiration, not praise."

      "Okay, sorry, Shayda. I'll go look for inspiration!" she said. She ran forward, and when she thought she was out of sight, she went to go talk to someone reading the Neopian Times.

***

      A few days later I had just gone to the NC Mall and bought a dress and some shirts. When I came back, Kuila had already finished her story. "It's great! It's super!" she shouted.

      "How did you finish so fast?"

      "I dunno," she said. "I guess I'm a great writer." I started to worry. What if being fantastic at this made her full of herself?

      An hour later she had submitted it. "What took you so long?" I asked Kuila. "It should take a couple minutes to get from here to the 'Times HQ."

      "Oh, I ran into some fans on the way there," she told me a little narcissistically.

      "Well," I said, "I'm glad you're so happy because of your writing."

      "Whatever," she said and went back upstairs to her desk. That wasn't like Kuila.

***

      The next day someone knocked at the door. "Who is it?" I asked.

      "Oh my gosh! Kuila just talked to me!!!" I heard an unfamiliar voice.

      "No, it's her sister, Shayda. The new part of Coming of the Kyrii came out, right?"

      "Oh, you're Shayda? Is Kuila in? And, yeah... I guess... the new part is goo-"

      The visitor was interrupted by footsteps running down stairs. The door swung open, and just after that I realized Kuila had run downstairs. "KUILA!" the pets shouted. "Here's some... fanmail! Yay!" The pets walked away.

      "Cool!" Kuila ripped open the fanmail and smiled with self satisfaction.

      "Good job, Kui!"

      "Thanks..." She walked back upstairs. Kuila was acting weird, ever since she came home from all those fans.

      Later we got a confirmation neomail from TNT saying she got in again. Kuila blew up with excitement, but I wasn't all that excited.

***

      The next day there was another knock at the door. Kuila rushed downstairs, shouting, "I'll get it!"

      Two pets stood at the door, a Jetsam and a Kyrii. "Hey, Kuila," they said.

      "Hey, guys," she responded casually.

      "We were thinking of taking you out, maybe turning your series into a Neopian Book, get you really famous."

      "Cool. Thanks, guys."

      I stomped up to the door. "Excuse me," I asked, "Who are you? You can't just come into someone's house without the pet—"

      "Ignore her," Kuila said.

      "Kui..." I stared at her, heartbroken.

      "Sure, come on, let's go," Kuila said and walked outside with the other pets. I stared out the door for a while, not believing what had happened. What happened to Kuila? Crazy, lovable Kuila?

***

      I sat alone, at home, eating the last Shoyru sandwich. It was hours before Kuila came home. She was wearing really fancy clothing. "Where in the world have you been?!" I shouted. "And what are you wearing?!"

      Instead, Kuila just glanced at me like I wasn't her problem and walked upstairs. I would have followed her, but I couldn't move. Kuila was gone.

      When I woke up, I found a note on Kuila's desk. It said, "Dear Shayda, Ew. I don't usually write to insignificant people like you, I write to my awesome fans. Anyway, I went to go hang out with my fans and Kay and Mik. Oh, Kay and Mik are those pets you met before at our doorstep. I'm famous now, I have my own Neopian Book, I'm making lots of neopoints, I probably won't be coming back. So, uh, I guess bye. From, Kuila."

      I clutched the note in between my hands, staring at it for a while. Kuila had left. I ran to my bedroom and started to sob.

      I could survive without Kuila. It just wasn't the same.

***

     One Friday morning I was walking over to the Bank when I saw a big line in front of the bookstore. Curious, I made my way to the front of the line. It was a book signing for Kuila.

      "Name," she said.

      "Umm... umm... I'm Jenive! Um... I like your story!"

      "Good. Thanks, Jenive." She signed on the paper, "Jineave."

      "That's not my—"

      "Kuila!" I shouted angrily.

      "Hmm? Oh, it's you. Can you leave? I'm busy signing people's copies of my third book, so, yeah, I don't have time—"

      "Kuila, listen. Come back. Please. You're my best friend! We're sisters! You can't just leave." Tears were streaming. "Kuila, I miss you! Come back! Why did you have to leave?"

      She sighed. "Because, Shayda, you're just my sister. Look at all these fans! Where I lived, I had what, two friends? Here everyone loves me! Anyway, you don't matter, you're not famous."

      I held back a sob. "Do you really think that?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

      "Of course."

      I stepped back. "Fine," I said. "Then we can't be friends." I ran home.

     I see her name everywhere. She has a talent, sure, but she's starting to annoy me.

     My friends read her books like there'll be no end. They do it for fun.

     I still miss her, by the way.

      According to my friends, her books were better and better. Her newest one, JubJub Skies, was selling like crazy. I couldn't believe it.

      After a while, however, my friends stopped talking about her books. Places for Coming of the Kyrii, JubJub Skies, or more of her books, were replaced with others.

      I was walking in Kiko Lake and saw another one of her book signings. No one had come besides about five pets. I head Kikos mumble things like, "I can't believe she's still selling," "She's gone bad," "She doesn't deserve those piles of neopoints she's been making."

***

      It was the next day when I heard a knock at the door. Strange, I thought. I never get visitors.

      I opened the door. It was Kuila. We stared at each other for a while. I noticed the surprised expression on her face, her expensive makeup, and her beautiful dress. She looked at me, and suddenly her eyes flooded. She started to cry, tears streaming out.

      "I-I-I'm s-so sorry!" she pleaded between sobs. "I-I- please take m-me!"

      "Kuila, what happened?!" I demanded. "Calm down!"

      "O-ohkay," she gasped. "I... got out of hand. I'm SO sorry, Shayda! I was a jerk! I—" She started to cry again.

      "Ssshh, it's okay," I calmed her.

      "I'm sorry! I was a selfish jerk!" she shouted. "Please forgive me!" She was so sad. "Kuila, what happened?! I thought I lost you forever!"

      "I know," she said, and sat on the couch inside. "I was a total poohead." I almost chuckled at that word. "I just—it was hard. I started to get excited about being a good writer! And... and... I got a little selfish. I felt like I mattered m-more than anyone else. I just didn't realize... th-that I wasn't the only one who mattered!" I rubbed her head. "You were wrong about having only two friends. The whole neighborhood loves you, Kuila."

      "I know," she said. "Not anymore. I was such a jerk to them, I don't have any friends. I got so full of myself that I stopped caring about writing, and my books got bad. I couldn't understand why, but now I get it. I-I have no friends!"

      "I'm your friend." I smiled.

      "Yeah, I guess. I... wasn't myself."

      "I forgive you."

      "Really!?" Kuila jumped up. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

      "Kui, you're my sister." I hugged her.

      "Glad to be back."

      We spent the next few days shopping at the NC Mall. We were best friends again.

      "So," I asked Kuila. "What do you want to do now?"

      It was noon, and I'd had Kuila back for a week. "Oh!" she shouted. "I know!" She rushed to her desk, which she'd moved back downstairs again. "I can write!" I sighed. But that was Kuila.

The End