A Trip to Remember: Part One

     Her best friend Dellayn, a yellow Gelert, nodded eagerly and followed her inside. It wasn’t much warmer. In fact, it felt like the air conditioning was turned on and blowing at full speed.

     “Welcome to the Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop!” greeted the yellow Lenny shopkeeper. He had on a scarf and a goofy hat, and he waved at them with a big, lopsided smile. “Feeling a bit chilled?” he asked, followed by (without waiting for an answer), “Then you should love to feel even colder by eating a frozen treat!”

     Shei and Dellayn glanced at him nervously, starved and chilled to the bone. “No thanks,” Shei murmured. “Do you have anything that’s not frozen?” she added hopefully.

     “Is the air conditioning on?” Dellayn cut in. “It’s freezing in here!”

     “Yup. Gotta keep those popsicles frozen! And nope. Well, we have some snow peppers. They’re hot and cold!” The Lenny started laughing hysterically, as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Shei and Dellayn exchanged glances, turned around, and walked out of the shop without another word.

     “Well, that was a wonderful idea,” Dellayn muttered as they stepped back out into the wind. “I think years of living in the snow and air conditioning has definitely gotten to that guy’s head.”

     “Hey, don’t blame me!” Shei retorted, trying to stifle a sneeze. Her nose was so cold she could hardly manage to move it. “I was just trying to find a place to warm up. You’re the one who wanted to come to Terror Mountain, not me. I’d rather stay in Happy Valley, at least, where there’s normal civilization and hot chocolate. Remind me to buy a hat when we get back down there, too. My ears feel like they’re full of snow.”

     Dellayn rolled her eyes. “We were just there a few hours ago,” she sighed. “Besides, I want to see everything. Chez has never been here, and it’s not worth it if we only go to one little place on the whole mountain!” Chezzanne, Dellayn’s blue Uni sister, was older and got to go on more trips than Dellayn did. Ever since Chez got back from Tyrannia, Dellayn had silently started a stiff competition of who could see all of Neopia before the other.

     The plan went like this: Shei and Dellayn take a six-day trip to travel around Neopia. Their first stop was Terror Mountain. Then they’d move to Mystery Island and finally Meridell, spending about two days in each place. While Chez was unaware of the ‘contest’, she had begun to get suspicious when the sudden traveling took place – especially since she would be left behind, uninvited.

      “Well, then you should be glad she’s still at home, babysitting my little sisters.” Shei sneezed again, rubbing her nose as hard she could in an attempt to warm it up. “Besides, it’s not like you invited her to come. I hope she doesn’t feel left out.” Shei frowned. “Come on, please! Let’s at least go find our hotel and thaw out. We’re here for another whole day, remember? Look! Here’s the caves.”

     The two girls stepped into the huge cave mouth, out of the blizzard, and stood still, awed. “Wow,” Dellayn breathed. “It’s completely iced over!”

     It was an amazing sight. The inside of the cave was all formed of ice. The walls, the ground, and the roof–even the few shops appeared to be igloos! They made their way past the Battledome arena, and with Shei’s constant whining, headed back down to Happy Valley.

     “We’ll pick up a few scratchcards tomorrow,” Shei promised as they passed the kiosk.

     “This is it,” Dellayn announced as they stood in front of a large, wonderfully decorated building with wintery items. The hotel was designed like a giant gingerbread house with multiple stories. The exterior was a light brown with a unique rough texture, almost cookie-like.

     “Wow!” Shei exclaimed, turning into her normal happy-go-lucky, fun-loving self. “It’s lovely! Maybe they give out free candy canes with every room.” She giggled as Dellayn snorted. “Come on, let’s go inside before I fall over frozen, and you’ll have to chip the ice off my fur with a candy cane.”

     Both girls burst into laughter, and Shei held the door while Dellayn walked in first. Inside, they were greeted with a delicious, cozy-warm feeling, as well as a blue Kacheek in a crisp maroon and gold shirt. “Good evening, ladies,” he said with a smile.

     “Good evening,” they replied in unison, the giggles lining their voices. Being warmed up seemed to completely drop the gloom and filled them with an unexplainable, very random happiness. They skipped over to the check-in counter, where a lovely faerie Korbat sat.

     “Hello, there,” the Korbat said calmly when they walked up. “Are you two here to check in?” Her nametag read Eloise, and the name seemed to fit the sweet Neopet perfectly.

     “Yes, we are,” Shei replied cheerfully. “We’re checking in under my owner’s username, Majikel. My name is Tsukushei, and this is my friend Dellayn.”

     “Nice to meet you, girls. My name is Eloise. Here’s your card, and your room number is 209 on the second floor. If you lose your card, just come back here to the counter and we’ll get you another.” Eloise smiled and handed Shei the card. “I hope you girls enjoy your stay here.” Then she turned and started talking to the next Neopet in line.

     “Thanks!” Dellayn called, running after Shei, who was already waiting for the elevator. “What room are we in, again?”

     “209,” the Lupe answered. “Second floor. She just said that. Weren’t you listening?” The elevator opened with a ding! and the girls walked in. Dellayn pressed the Floor 2 button, and Shei gave her an annoyed look. “I wanted to press the button,” she grumbled, receiving nothing but a devious smile from her friend.

     The elevator dinged again, and the doors automatically opened. Dellayn frowned, unable to help but think about her old job as an elevator manager. It had been a fun job – while it lasted. Then she snapped back into the present when she noticed that Shei was rounding the corner at the end of the hallway.

     “Hey!” she shouted. “Wait for me!” She took off running, nearly knocking over a passing red Scorchio. “Oops! Sorry!” she yelled, turning to apologize without stopping.

     She sped around the corner and found Shei sliding the card into the lock just a few doors down. “Thanks for waiting,” Dellayn said breathlessly, panting as she walked up.

     “No problem.” Shei smiled and pushed open the heavy door with her shoulder. “This is our room. I call the bed by the window.”

     The room was adorable, in both Dellayn and Shei’s opinions. There were two twin beds up against the back wall, with matching green and white quilts. There was a small bathroom adjoined to the left, and a little table with some food and cups on it.

     Shei went over and immediately flopped on the bed nearest to the window. “This is really comfy,” she said into the pillows.

     “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Dellayn replied, not hearing her clearly. “Do they have any pencils here? I need to write Pixie.”

     “Oh, right.” Shei sat up and wandered over to her backpack, which had been discarded at the edge of her claimed bed. “I need to write Kela too, but I think she’s in a meeting right now. You know all those obsessive Neopian Times people!”

     Dellayn laughed. “Tell me about it!”

     Kela,

     We’ve arrived safely on Terror Mountain. Guess what? I forgot my hat, and it’s freezing here! Good thing we only have to stay for two days. I can’t wait to get to Mystery Island and warm up! A few days at the beach sounds really good right now. And Dellayn is really looking forward to Meridell. I want to see the castle! I really do like Happy Valley, though, and I don’t mind the snow. How come it doesn’t snow at Kiko Lake? It would be fun to ice-skate on a frozen lake! Don’t you think so?

     See you next week! Say hello to Chez and Alyett and Clea for me. Tell the girls I’ll try and bring them home some cool souvenirs.

     Love, Shei

     Dellayn was still busy scribbling down her letter to her owner when Shei finished writing. “When you finish, I’ll take them down to the office to be mailed,” Shei told the Gelert. “I heard the Kougra who was behind us when we were downstairs asking about Neomails, and Eloise said they mailed them for free.”

     “Great,” Delly murmured, still writing. Her letter was much longer.

     Dear Pixie,

     We’re on Terror Mountain! Can you believe it? The weather is amazingly cold up here, but the scenery is so neat. From the top of the mountain, it felt like we could see the entire world of Neopia! Well, sort of. We really only could see clouds, because there’s been a blizzard the past few days. However, don’t worry – we were safe. Shei made me leave, so we went and saw the Ice Caves. Tomorrow, I’ll purchase a few scratchcards to bring home. Won’t that be fun?

     In two days, we’ll leave for Mystery Island. I can’t wait! It’ll be so much fun to go to the beach and Trading Post. I’m not a very good trader, but we’ll see if we can bring home some island-y things. Shei keeps talking about the food. Have you ever heard of a tangella? Shei says it’s a cross between an orange and a peach! Sounds weird, but Shei says they’re wonderful. She also says that “star fish sandwiches” are one of her favorites, and that it’s very healthy. I wonder what they’re made of... the name sure doesn’t sound appetizing to me. Oh, well. We’ll see. I’ll try to bring home some exotic foods too, if everything works out.

     I’ll Neomail you again tomorrow to keep you updated. I hope you're doing okay with Chez and I both away! I definitely miss you, but I’m having fun.

     Sincerely,

     Dellayn

     “Are you done yet?” Shei asked impatiently, scanning over the long letter.

     “Yes,” Dellayn answered, handing it over. “Here you go. I’m going to bed.”

To be continued...