Tina's Dream

     "Hello Neos!" Tina greeted the babies enthusiastically, for she had heard that "Neo" was the new way of referring to a neopet. When no one responded she blushed and realized she'd made a fool out of herself. "Well... who are you all?" She glanced at Marmie quickly, making sure the Cybunny noticed her scowl. "Since Marmie invited you without telling me, and I certainly don't know who any of you are!"

     Everyone but Tina suddenly burst into giggles then, as if the human was just some big joke. One of the babies, a Uni, turned to Mar and managed to squeal, "You were right! Your owner's real funny!"

     Tina and Marmie both looked to each other, Mar with a look of shame and Tina with embarassment. "I see," Tina said coldly, and left the room with a quick slam of the door.

     She heard all the little babies resume playing, squealing every now and then, the muffled sound of movement as they toddled around every now and then.

     It wasn't until twenty minutes later that Mar saw all her friends off, hoping they'd have a good time. She then smiled and turned to Tina, who was flipping through a magazine in a way that clearly stated: 'I'm MAD.'

     "Oh really, Tina!" Mar huffed, slicking her ears back to give her the innocent look. "I just told them you were funny! They've never met a funny human before. You're all too busy discussing thwacking each other with asparagus to be funny."

     "Oh and THAT makes me feel better?" Tina turned away from her only Neopet, begging herself to hold in the tears. She couldn't. "Look," she finally told Marmie, "I need to do something to show I'm important to you. You think I'm a joke!"

     Marmie looked saddened. "You're my mom and my owner, and I love you, Tina! I said you were funny, I didn't say you were a joke! You get me good food," Tina thought of the rotten pear, "and we live in a good home," Tina looked around at the dusty mess of a house, "and I've got plenty of toys!" Tina held back a giggle: Mar was telling the truth about the toy part!

     Marmie hopped into her mother's lap and onto her shoulder, where she brushed her nose against Tina's cheek in affection. Tina patted Marmie diligently then set her on the ground, a smile on her face. "You may not think I'm a joke, but all your friends do, and then their owners will think I am. I've got to do something, Marmie. Something that will make everyone notice me."

     "Like what?" Mar looked up in disbelief: what could Tina possibly do?

     Tina looked puzzled for a minute then a sly smile appeared. "Oh, just win a contest."

     ***

     "Aaaarrrrrrrrgh!" Marmie threw her book bag on the new pink carpets. She hopped into the kitchen and reached into the fruit bowl, pulling out a perfectly shaped and aged apple. She bit in and instantly spit it all out. "PLASTIC?!?!!"

     Tina suddenly entered the room, Mar's book bag on her arm. "My new carpets, Mar!! Are you trying to ruin my new carpets?! This goes in the kitchen only, and after the kitchen is remodeled in the Homework Area only!"

     Mar's eyes narrowed. It had only been three days since Tina had decided to enter a contest, and the next day she'd decided Neohome Spotlight was perfect for her. She'd instantly ordered way more furniture then they could afford and had new carpets installed in the Family Room and the bedrooms. Marmie hadn't even had enough money for lunch, hence her crabbiness.

     "Yeah, whatever, Tina," Mar growled, shoving the 'apple' under Tina's nose. "Is this plastic?"

     Tina bit her lower lip. "...Yeah."

     "AAAAAAH!!!!" Marmie threw the apple into the fruit bowl and grabbed her backpack, dragging it to the kitchen table. "Can't I eat anything? All I could afford today was a Fyora Day Muffin, and they were only twelve neopoints since they have to get rid of them." Tina looked quizzically at the Cybunny and Mar explained, "They bought way more then they could sell for the Faerie Festival, so now they're selling them at a discount before they're worthless."

     "Well... are you really hungry?" Tina looked startled that Mar could even THINK of food.

     Marmie's eyes narrowed and she dug her clipped nails into the kitchen table. "Yes, I am starving, now that you seem to care!"

     Tina giggled and picked up the little Cybunny, exiting the neohome and locking the doors behind them. She hailed an Eyrie Taxi and told the driver to get them to Kelp. On the way Tina explained everything to her Neopet. "The judges can't tell plastic from real fruit, and plastic fruit stays longer and looks better. It will cost more to just keep buying real fruit to replace the old junk when it gets moldy and soft, so we'll save from money for that lamp I want-"

     "And how will you pay for my lunch? And for Kelp, how will you pay for that? It's expensive, Tina! I heard it costs sixty thousand neopoints at the LEAST!"

     Tina giggled. "As if we haven't eaten there before, Mari? Oh, and I went out gaming and here," she handed Mar an impressively heavy neopoints bag from her pocket, "is your lunch money for the week."

     "Oh wow! Thank you, Tina!" Mar said enthusiastically, and they had a good meal at Kelp and then when they got home Marmie was only delighted to have Tina help her with her homework.

     ***

     "There we are," Marmie could hear Tina murmur as there was a loud CLANK! Marmie got out of her new bed, which matched her Queen Fyora themed room, and went into the kitchen. The floors were a sparkly marble and the fridge was brand new, clean (Yeah, no more mold! Mar had first thought), and a shiny silver. In the middle of the room Tina was looking around, making sure everything was perfect.

     "Is it done, is it done?" Mar asked eagerly. After all these months, all these long, dreadful months where all she was able to afford at lunch was bread and water (Tina hadn't been able to get money for Mar's lunch, since she had spent all her time moving furniture). Her belly constantly rumbled but she was more eager to see the house done than to eat.

     "I... I...." Tina suddenly screamed, running to Marmie and picking her up, then running in circles as Mar laughed for joy. "We're all done! We're all done!" Owner and neopet chanted, their eyes glowing and their smiles wider then every before.

     There were now fourteen rooms in the neohome, each furnished lavishly with matching sets and with new flooring and wallpaper and paint! Mari ran into one of the new connected rooms: a new addition, the Island Room. "Bamboo" covered the walls and there was a soft, greenish carpet that looked spongy and delicate, like grass itself. She fell onto a nearby couch made of leaves and bamboo and rolled all over it, basking in the fake sun the hundreds of ceiling-lamps created.

     Tina entered the room, a silver tray in her arms. "Do you still think I'm a joke, Mar?"

     Without hesitation Marmie blurted out, "I never thought you were!"

     They both giggled and then Tina stepped closer, so that Marmie could see what was on the tray: piles and piles of the most exotic of fruits; breads dipped in marvelous sauces and buttered and toasted; vegetables raw and steamed; and two Fyora Day Fizzes accompanied by two Glorious Fyora Sundae's and two Ultimate Fyora Day Muffins.

     Marmie was taken aback. How could they afford this feast when they had just finished off a near-million neopoint home? She rubbed her eyes. The food was still on the tray, but Tina was taking it into the connecting Dining Room. "Come on, Marmie," Tina told the Cybunny.

     Mar hopped obediently after her, still befuddled. "This isn't possible," she finally told Tina as they were standing in the noble Dining Room, looking down at the large silver tray on the wooden table.

     "It is," the human assured her Neopet, a smile upon her face. Within seconds both had produced gold-edged plates from the China Cabinet and were filling them up with the food. Mar couldn't stop laughing as she piled Carrot Stuffed Jacket Potatoes onto her plate, drinking up the Fyora Day Fizz so quickly that she felt bubbly. As soon as she had finished one drink or one of the two types of dessert another appeared from the kitchen, and all the while Tina kept asking Mar if there was anything else she wanted.

     "No, nothing, nothing else, Tina!" Mar would chuckle, cramming another slice of Gwontek Melon into her mouth. Their napkins were soon soaked with sauces and splattered black with stains, but they just tossed them into the laundry room.

     Finally, when their bellies were full to bursting, the doorbell rang. Marmie had just finished her sixth Glorious Fyora Sundae and felt uncomfortably full, but still got the door. There sat her four little friends, all looking excited and giggly. "Everyone in the neighborhood is saying your house is done, since we haven't heard anything break for two hours now!"

     Mar frowned. She suddenly felt the shame that her owner had: people figured they had to break at least one thing every two hours?! "Listen, guys, we're real busy. Moving stuff, y'know."

     "But-but-but," all of the babies protested, their lower lips quivering. "Maaaaar!"

     With a quick movement Tina was at the door, looking down at the little babies with smiles. "Marmie, I just cleaned up our dinner, so why don't you let your little friends in?"

     All of them huddled in and went into the only room they knew now: the kitchen. Mar frowned, she didn't think her 'friends' very friendly anymore, twisting her words around and insulting her mom AND herself very easily. "I don't think so, mom. Make them leave, pleeeeease!" begged Mar in a whisper, looking pleadingly up at her owner.

     "Mar, where would we be if they hadn't inspired me to work on the house? I've decided not to enter into the Neohome Spotlight-"

     "MOM, YOU CAN'T!" shrieked Marmie, gasping.

     "Yes, I can. It shouldn't have taken a contest to make this house look better. It's my job. We have the greatest house in the neighborhood now, Marmie, and we've got a lot of money from the Home Budget that we didn't use. We'll let your friends have a quick little look around so that they'll tell their moms how much better our house is," both of them giggled, "and then you can tell them their not very good people, and get new friends."

     It only took a second for Marmie to agree. Looking up at her mom with envious eyes she said, "You know exactly what you're doing, don't you? No, you're not a joke at all, mom."

The End