Rosalina and the Way-Weird Beast

     Luke charged at Rosalina, swinging the golf club. Rosalina jumped out of the way and grabbed a book off a shelf. “Don’t make me throw this at you,” she warned.

     “Good idea, Rosie!” Lenny was holding a stack of books, and he threw one at Luke, who quickly dodged it. “Take these pop up books, you lil’ cutie-pie!” Lenny cried, aiming more books at the little Werelupe.

     Luke swung at the books with his club, striking all of them towards Lenny.

     “Ooh, nice shot,” said Lenny after he dodged the final book. “After you guys are done attacking the town, you should seriously consider a career in baseball or Kass bashing.”

     Wendy nodded. “He can definitely go pro.”

     Lenny was preparing to throw another book when Rosalina grabbed his arm. “Don’t do it,” she urged. “He may be an annoying little shrimp with a golf club, but he's still a kid. We can't hurt him.”

     “Yeah, you may be onto something.” Lenny pulled Rosalina out of the shop.

     Perched at the back of Wendy’s tandem bicycle, Rosalina pedalled as hard as she could to match Wendy’s stride. Margo was sitting behind her, holding on for dear life. Lenny somehow found a pair of rollerblades, and he glided in front of the cycling trio.

     Please let us meet Wilbur, thought Rosalina as she and Wendy pedalled through a forested path. I have to stop him! There’s no reason for Wilbur to attack those other Neopians just because I broke a not-so-sacred code.

     Wendy halted. “Oh my. It appears we’ve reached a fork in the road,” she said, pointing forward.

     “Then we better pick it up!” Lenny slapped his knee.

     Two Werelupes‒one dressed as a butler, the other a maid‒appeared on either path. The butler shook his head. “Don’t think you can cross here, youngsters. Those who defy the master must turn back.”

     “But we have to get to Wilbur,” Rosalina insisted. “I need to straighten a few things out with him.”

     The maid clucked her tongue. “Master Wilbur won’t be feeling any better when he’s face-to-face with the only friend he’s ever had his whole life.”

     “What a loser,” Lenny muttered.

     Friend? Rosalina thought Luke was Wilbur’s best friend; he was Wilbur’s brother and the only Neopian Wilbur seemed to care about the most. Why would he want me as a friend anyway? Rosalina wondered. Yes we were getting along swimmingly during my last days of captivity, but I don’t know if we were ever forming a friendship. Then again, maybe he was bored without Luke being around to play with.

     Margo stepped off the bike and approached the fork, eyeing both Werelupes. “If you don’t mind, we have to set things straight with Wilbur. He has no right to attack innocent civilians just because his captive lost track of time while she was nursing me. Rosalina should be forgiven for this mistake and you two beasts better get out of our way!”

     “We wouldn’t leave if you paid us,” snorted the butler.

     “How unruly to demand an apology from our master!” The maid clucked.

     Lenny threw a dirt clod at the maid. “Now’s our chance!” He pushed the puzzled Werelupe as she brushed the dirt off her apron.

     Wendy and Rosalina pedalled quickly, passing the Werelupes. Rosalina sighed, then craned her neck. “Go faster! They're chasing us!” she shrieked

     Margo threw a rock. “If you two can pedal faster, we can increase the distance.”

     “I have a better idea.” Lenny skated to the read end and began throwing twigs and pebbles at the Werelupes.

     Rosalina urged her legs to pump harder to match Wendy’s stride. For somebody who’s quite short, Wendy was a fast cyclist. Her martial-arts training must help with her bicycling, Rosalina assumed.

     When they finally reached the iron gates, Rosalina hopped off and hurried to the open gate. “This must mean Wilbur’s been expecting us,” she called over her shoulder.

     “Hold on! We need to be careful,” Margo urged.

     Wendy pointed to the sky. “Look at those dark clouds. It wasn't this cloudy back in town.”

     “I bet he paid Faeries to give him a few grey clouds to scare us fabulous guests off,” said Lenny. “As long as it doesn't rain, our clothes won’t be ruined.”

     Rosalina didn’t care about getting wet. The dark grey clouds looked as if they were going to grumble loudly or flash lightning bolts to the ground. Yet nothing was happening so far; the clouds barely moved, and not a sound could be heard nearby. The quiet was kind of nice, but mostly unsettling.

     Lenny broke the silence by shouting, “The Werelupes have returned! I bet they want vengeance for some unknown reason!” He clung to Wendy.

     Aiden and Luke approached the group. “Well, look who beat us here,” snarled Aiden. “Must be because of that mangy contraption.”

     “It’s called a bicycle,” Lenny scoffed.

     “Stop humouring me, you annoying Bruce.” Aiden stomped his foot.

     Margo and Rosalina headed to the manor. Rosalina saw Wendy and Lenny were fending off the Werelupes. “Aren't you guys going to come too?” she asked.

     “Leave these ones to us,” Wendy hollered, fending a Werelupe off with a gigantic branch. “You two go in and straighten things out!”

     Lenny cartwheeled to the gate. “Tell Wilbur I said hi!”

     Rosalina and Margo hurried up the flight of stairs. When they reached the second floor, a flying dish nearly hit Margo. Two Werelupes in maid uniforms were throwing dishes at the sisters, Rosalina catching each one.

     “Is that all you got?” Rosalina asked before poorly throwing a plate. Unlike the maids, her plate only made it a few inches in front of Margo.

     “We don’t have time for this.” Margo dragged Rosalina past the maids and hurried down the hallway. When they reached another two flights of stairs, Margo stopped. “Which ones should we take? The stairs leading upstairs, or the stairs going downstairs?”

     “Upstairs. I think Wilbur’s bedroom is on the third floor,” said Rosalina. She tried to sound confident; this was not the time to tell Margo she had no idea where they were going!

     After climbing the stairs, Rosalina blew a sigh of relief. There were only two doors in the seashell-wallpapered hallway, and the door marked ‘Wilbur’s Bedroom’ was a no-brainer. “How’d you know he’d be here, Rosalina?” asked Margo.

     “I didn’t. This was the only part of the house I didn’t get to snoop around,” Rosalina admitted. “Plus, going downstairs would have taken us to the laundry room with the ugliest grey lace curtains known to Neopia.”

     Margo slowly opened the door, then threw it wide open. Standing in front of a blazing fireplace was Wilbur: his hunched back was turned away, and he was clutching his chest.

     Without thinking, Rosalina hurried to Wilbur’s side. “Are you okay?” she asked, grabbing the Werelupe’s arm.

     Wilbur growled and pushed Rosalina aside. “Get away from me.” He gasped suddenly and collapsed to his knees.

     “He needs a doctor right now.” Margo hurried to Wilbur’s side.

     If only there was something I could do, thought Rosalina helplessly. She knew nothing about chest pains, and she was feeling a bit defeated.

     Margo laid a hand on Wilbur's shoulder. Wilbur growled and pushed Margo aside. “Get away from me, runaway,” he hissed. “I'll be even worse off if you stay here for once.”

     “No, Wilbur. You need to accept Margo’s help,” Rosalina insisted. “She’s the only one that can help you. I mean, she’s a college-bound nerd!”

     “I don’t need anybody’s help!” Wilbur stood and swiped a mantel clock off the fireplace. “If there’s one I don’t need are a pair of treacherous captors who’ve decided to visit their ol’ pal just to watch him suffer. It sickens me!”

     Two Werelupes stormed into the room, brandishing bats. Aiden grinned as he entered, followed by Luke. “Those two wackerdoodles have finally fled the premises,” Aiden reported. “Shall we proceed with punishing the traitors?”

     “Punish us how?” Margo demanded. “Jailing us in this place?”

     “Or we can find a steamy-hot lava pit to push you into,” Aiden countered. “Your pick, Xweetok.”

     “We’re only trying to help Wilbur,” said Rosalina.

     Luke hissed. “It’s your fault he’s hurting! He’s been like that since you left with MY Meepit!”

     Aiden clucked his tongue. “First you abandoned Wilbur in his time of need, and then you stole an innocent child’s petpet? For shame.”

     “I didn't-” Rosalina began, but a sudden burst of smoke blinded her. Coughing, she followed a green figure as it led her out of the room and down the hallway.

     Clomping down the stairs, Rosalina blinked and gasped, “Wendy, did you do that?” She noticed the Stealth Uni running beside her.

     “We have to leave before the smoke clears,” said Wendy. “Those monsters will be on our tail in no time!”

     “I wish they would come to understand that ripped jeans are, like, SO three years and seven months ago,” remarked the Uni.

     Rosalina stopped. “Sweet Fyora, Lenny! Did you morph yourself again??”

     Lenny danced. “How do I look? I stole this from Wilbur's secret potion cabinet! It was either this or a pink Lenny one, but I don’t know if I can ever rock feathers.”

     “Who cares. Let’s just get out of here,” urged Margo.

     Rosalina shook her head. “You guys can go, but I’m staying.” She sighed. “I have to.”

      To be continued…