Summer's Stories: My First Mystery - Part One

Species: Aisha

Gender: Female

Color: Darigan

Date of Abandonment: 14th day of the Month of Relaxing, Year 10

I stared at the document that hung on my wall, rereading it over and over again. There was nothing else to do in this dark, dank room, except jump on the bed, but I already got in trouble for that.

      My name is Summer, and I am a Darigan Aisha.

      I know, I know. A Darigan Aisha named Summer? It’s awfully weird (and sort of ironic). I was born in the summer season, and originally painted Yellow, hence the name.

      My old owner, Sarah, used to be my best friend. We would do everything together: play games, go shopping, and draw. She even painted me Darigan, much to my delight. Then, one day, Sarah’s friend traded with her, leaving Sarah with a Baby Kau Morphing Potion. I remember Sarah was really happy, and was fully ready to unleash the cuteness of the potion unto me. I was horrified at the thought of being Baby, much less a Kau! So, I suggested that, instead of traumatizing me, she should adopt another pet and use the potion on them. Boy, was that a bad idea. Sarah spent every waking moment with the new Baby Kau, who was previously a Blue Kau she had adopted from the Pound. The last time Sarah truly noticed me was when she abandoned me, but, even then, she had to make sure her precious Kau would not see into the scary depths of the Pound where the Neopet had once lived.

      Enraged, I had tried to get revenge on Sarah by being unruly. As a consequence, I now resided in the deepest, darkest part of the Pound, where all the misbehaved pets went, the pets that broke the rules or were very violent. Hardly any owners came by, and the ones who did quickly regretted doing so.

      I had gotten bored of being mischievous all the time. I now focused on trying to figure out the time and day, and scrutinizing the potential owners that walked the Pound’s halls.

      A noise made my four ears perk up. It was the sound of a door being opened. I crept out from the shadows and sat behind the caged entrance to my room.

      “Are you sure you want to go down this particular hall?” It was the voice of the Pink Uni who worked the adoption service. She sounded hesitant. “Some of the pets here are a bit... disorderly.”

      “I’m sure,” a girl’s voice said. The Pink Uni led a girl with red hair and three other Neopets down the hallway, stopping at each room to explain a bit about the pet inside. I studied the Neopets with the girl. One of them was a Pink Ogrin. She seemed to scoff in distaste as she walked to the caged-in pets. Another pet was a Baby Acara. She smiled and waved to all of the pets, brightening some of them up. The last pet was a Fire Ruki. His eyes were cast toward the floor, frozen in fear. I could tell from the look on his face that he had once been in the Pound.

      Finally, the group arrived at my room. I gave a small smile, which the Acara returned. The Ruki continued to look at the floor, and the Ogrin just rolled her eyes. The owner took one look at me and squealed.

      “An Aisha!” she shouted. “And a Darigan one, at that! Oh, she is perfect!”

      The Pink Uni looked shocked. “Are you sure you want this Aisha? She can be a bit... troublesome at times.”

      I pretended to look sad. “Well, if you feel that way I suppose you could just move on,” I said, faking a pout and lurking back into the shadows.

      “No, no! I’m sure she won’t be a problem,” the girl cheerfully said.

      “Alright, then,” the Uni sighed, unlocking my door and taking down the document that had been posted on my wall. I happily raced out of the room. I was finally free! Before I knew what I was doing, I hugged the girl that wanted to adopt me. She smiled as I cheered.

      ***

      After the adoption had been taken care of, the owner (who introduced herself as Lauren) took us all back to her Neohome. As soon as we came within viewing sight, I gasped. It was enormous! I could hardly believe an estate so large could fit in the growing area of Neopia Central.

      Lauren led us into the house, where she took the time to have all her pets greet me.

      The Pink Ogrin was forced to introduce herself first. “Hi, I’m Millie,” she said, sounding utterly bored. She looked me over and sighed. “I can see we’ll have a Pound pet for Aaron to play with.”

      The Ruki blushed and stepped forward. “Yeah, I’m Aaron,” he mumbled, almost incoherently. He gave me a weak smile and pushed the Baby Acara forward.

      “Hi, hi! I’m Elise, and you seem really fun!” she shouted, jumping up and down. It seemed like someone had put a whole bag of sugar in her Strawberries and Cream Baby Food.

      Millie and Aaron walked away, leaving me with an ecstatic owner that was leading me somewhere, and a hyperactive baby that was tagging along.

      We walked inside a room that was obviously meant to be mine. It was decorated with Darigan furniture. I stood on a plush Darigan Rug, looking out over the vast sea of purple-and-black items. The door of a Darigan Wardrobe was ajar, revealing tons of Darigan Rules T-Shirts, and even a Lord Kass Halloween Costume! Darigan Chairs were creatively placed around the room, giving somewhat of a comfy atmosphere, despite the dark colors. Darigan toys sat in a huge heap in one corner. A Darigan Aisha Action Figure was propped up on the top of the pile. The Darigan Mirror on the wall reflected Lauren’s wide smile. She was obviously proud of her collection of Darigan items. My gaze drifted to the bed.

      Lauren must have noticed me staring at the bed, as a look of discomfort came onto her face. “You see, there are no Darigan beds available,” she explained. “So, I got the next best thing: a Dark Faerie Canopy Bed.” She glanced nervously at me, waiting for an answer.

      I smiled at her. “No, the bed is perfect,” I said. That was the truth. My previous owner, Sarah, had me sleep in a Brightly Coloured Cot she had won in a contest. Once she got her Baby Kau, she put the Kau in the cot, forcing me to sleep on a Snow Chair. It’s hard trying to doze off on a seat made of freezing ice and melted snow. I would probably feel like a queen in this new bed.

      Suddenly, Elise started to jump up and down, yelling, “Let’s play a board game! Let’s play a board game!” Taking hold of my paw, she dragged me into Aaron’s room. Whoa, I thought. This kid has obviously been going to the Training School.

      Aaron looked up from the book he had been reading and sighed. He set the novel down and attempted to dislodge Elise’s paw from mine. This just made her hold tighter and shout “BOARD GAME!” louder. It was one of those moments where I ask myself, Why must I have four ears?

      Trying not to focus on the screaming and tugging, I glanced at Aaron’s book. It was Where the Elephantes Roam. I recognized it almost immediately because they had read it to us quite a few times in the Pound. Aaron was a previously pounded pet, so he must have remembered the readings, too.

      Finally, Elise took her paw off my arm. She raced into Millie’s room, motioning for us to follow her. I looked at Aaron, who glared at me and ran after her. What’s his problem? I thought to myself, following the Fire Ruki and the Baby Acara.

      Millie’s room was disgustingly pink. It was as if the Uni from the Pound had decided to become a Neohome decorator. A framed poster of Yes Boy Ice Cream hung on the wall, showing off all of the band members’ signatures. Faerie Vases were in every corner of the room, each one holding a sickeningly sweet-smelling bouquet of Pink Poppies. Pink Rugs adorned the floor, on which sat Pink Tables and Pretty Covered Tables. The Pink Vanity Desk was covered with makeup of all kinds. A Full Length Mirror leaned against the wall, right next to a Fancy Perfume Shelf, stocked with every kind of smelly substance imaginable, from Sunshine Perfume to Cooler Than You Perfume. If they bottled all the stuff on that shelf, it would make one big, putrid liquid: Eau De Ew. Millie, the Pink Princess, sat on her Beauty Bed, propped up by Pretty Pink Pillows. She was holding up a Sparkling Promenade Gown. She examined it closely, then set it down on the bed, picking up a Sweetheart Ball Gown. The expression on her face was one of indecisiveness. Looking up, she saw us and screamed. No, let me rephrase that. She saw us and exploded.

      “Get out of my room!” she screeched. She picked up a Pink Sparkly Brush, preparing to fling it in my direction. I raced back to my room and locked the door. I could hear the others do the same.

      I plopped down on my cushy new bed, fully prepared to relax for the rest of the day. I closed my eyes and rested for a half hour or so.

      I was just about to try to fall asleep when I heard a crash, the shattering of glass, and someone screaming. The screaming wasn’t too unusual (I had heard a lot of it today), but the crashes and smashes were not exactly average. I unlocked the door and stepped into the hall, expecting everyone to be there. Let’s just say that I felt pretty stupid standing alone in the middle of the hallway.

      If I’m here, where’s everyone else? I thought.

      It wasn’t too long before that question was answered.

To be continued...