A Visit to Avista

      “I have a message for you,” Mr. Elliott, the headquarters secretary, informed me.

      I frowned, instantly concerned. The only one that left messages for me was my younger sister, Katelyn. We kept in regular communication through letters so anything that couldn’t wait alerted me that something was wrong.

      “Your younger sister, Katelyn, called headquarters to inform you that her school has been evacuated to Avista.”

      “What?” I asked sharply, with both concern and confusion. “Evacuated where?”

      Mr. Elliott’s dull red eyes sparked with irritation, and I bristled in response. Before we could escalate anything, my mentor broke in.

      “I’ve heard of Avista. It’s a kingdom on the other side of the mountains from here,” Quinn said.

      “But why were they evacuated at all?” I asked. “Her school is in Faerieland. What could possibly get them to leave one of the safest places in Neopia?”

      “All of the faeries in Neopia have been petrified. We already have agents investigating the matter,” Mr. Elliott informed us both.

      I exchanged a grim look with Quinn.

      “Thank you, Mr. Elliott. Is there anything else we need to know?” Quinn checked.

      “Not presently but I know where to find you if that changes,” Mr. Elliott said crisply.

      “You always do,” Quinn responded with a nod. “Then we will take our leave.”

      We exited the brownstone building that served as Ward headquarters, pausing in front of the entrance.

      Quinn looked over at me. “So, what would you like to do?”

      “I’d like to speak with Katelyn to check in with her and get updated contact information. What is Avista like?” I asked.

      “I’ve only been there once, years ago but it seemed like a real fancy place on par with Faerieland and modern like Neopia Central.”

      I absorbed this for a moment, relaxing marginally. “Then it sounds like she’ll do just fine there but I still want to hear it from her.”

      Quinn nodded and then tipped his head back towards the door. “Let’s get back inside, then.” He paused, placing a hand on my elbow. “Every Ward treats Mr. Elliott with the utmost respect. He is a vital part of the organization.”

      I clenched my jaw for an instant but gave a terse nod, taking the hint. Quinn had yet to steer me wrong. I needed to learn how to control my feelings rather than let them control me. Far easier said than done, given my hair trigger, especially where my sister was concerned.

      We headed back inside headquarters and walked up to the reception desk.

      “How may I help you, gentlemen?” Mr. Elliott asked in his formal way.

      “Did my sister leave a call back number?” I asked.

      “Yes, I have it here.” Mr. Elliott wrote the number down on a piece of paper in his neat script and handed it to me. “There is an available phone around the corner.”

      Set to move off, my wings fluttered in frustration as I remembered Quinn’s advice. I looked back at the secretary. “Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Elliott."

      “You’re welcome, Kylleon,” Mr. Elliott said with a nod.

      Formality out of the way, I headed around the corner. Quinn stayed behind to give me privacy. I entered one of the two phone booths and quickly dialed the number. It rang three times before someone picked up.

      “Faerieland Finishing School. This is Miss Sweet speaking. How may I assist you?” a refined voice answered.

      “My name is Kylleon Kane. I’m calling to speak with my sister, Katelyn Kane, who is a student there,” I explained.

      “Please hold while I direct your call.”

      “Very well.”

      A second later, I heard the dulcet thrumming of a harp that served as the finishing school’s hold music. I sat in the booth, fingers drumming the table as I waited. Several minutes passed before the harp abruptly ended to be replaced with a much sweeter sound.

      “Kylleon!” my sister exclaimed.

      I immediately relaxed and felt the smile appear on my face; a rare gesture for me. “I got your message. Are you alright?”

      “I’m fine, Kylleon. With what happened to the faeries, the headmaster decided to relocate the school out of an abundance of caution.”

      “How do you like it there?”

      “Well, we just got here but it’s really nice. The school is located in Lune, the port city of Avista. It’s as sophisticated as Faerieland without the magic and has all the modern amenities of a big city.”

      “I’m glad to hear that.”

      “And, how are you?”

      “I’m doing well. Quinn is pleased with my progress and says I can expect to become a full Ward within the next year.”

      “That’s great, Kylleon!” I could hear Katelyn’s smile over the phone. “I’m so happy that you’re so close to achieving your goal. I want you to know how proud I am of you because I know how hard you’ve worked for this.”

      I felt the warmth in my chest from my sister’s words. It meant a lot and I hadn’t realized just how much I needed to hear them. “Thanks, sis,” I said, my voice suddenly gruff(er) with emotion.

      “I miss you,” she admitted softly.

      “I miss you, too.”

      “One day we’ll both be adults and nothing will get in the way of us seeing each other as much as we want!” Katelyn forced cheer into her voice. “So, letters and phone calls will just have to do until then.”

      “Until then,” I echoed, not wanting to say goodbye but knowing I had to.

      Katelyn quickly gave me her updated contact information and I committed it to memory.

      “I love you, Kylleon,” Katelyn said.

      “I love you too, Kate,” I said before hanging up.

      I stepped out of the booth feeling like a weight had been lifted off me. That phone call had done me a world of good. Hearing my sister’s voice and assured that she was doing well allowed me to focus on my own work once more.

      “Ready to work?” Quinn asked as I rejoined him at the reception desk.

      “Yeah,” I said with a nod.

      “Good. We’ve got a new assignment.”

      To Neopia’s shock, the situation in Faerieland escalated until the unthinkable happened and Faerieland crash-landed on Neopia’s surface. The faeries were restored but they were returned to the loss of their home. Yet, they refused to give in to defeat. Instead, they rolled up their proverbial sleeves and set about rebuilding Faerieland from the ground up (literally). The rest of Neopia rallied around them to help these efforts.

      As for the Wards, our purview was the Haunted Woods though we worked beyond it if our expertise demanded it. Many of us had actively worked through the Faerieland situation, doing what we could behind the scenes while the officially sanctioned group sent by various Neopian dignitaries took the reins. After the Fall, we increased patrols at the Woods’ border, making sure our more infamous denizens didn’t take advantage of the chaos or that wraiths didn’t slip unseen into the Woods. And we couldn’t just drop our regular workload either. We worked as hard as, if not harder than, anybody else, pulling double duty.

      It was a long, hard year.

      During that time, I quietly became a full Ward which allowed me the freedom to work independently. For the first time, I was able to manage my own life and interests without having to report back to anyone else. We were stretched to our limits and I wasn’t about to take advantage of my new status. My plans would have to wait.

          Y14

      The new year finally brought relief.

      Faerieland was no longer in crisis mode. They still had a ways to go to get anywhere near their former splendor. But, they had the stability now as they hadn’t had since before the awful Faerie Festival in Y12. The land had been restored, the natural flora returned to normal, if not better than before thanks to the influence of earth faerie magic. Most importantly of all, no more wraiths roamed the countryside and the land was safe from them once more.

      It meant that the Wards could ease up our vigilance. Finally freed from the burden of the past year, we could resume our normal duties. As for myself, I was now in a position to take on Ward responsibilities as I saw fit. I had waited a long time for this. But, there was something I wanted to do first before jumping into my new job.

      I was taking a vacation.

     The Haunted Woods could be miserable in the winter but that wasn’t the reason I was taking time off. Nor was it because I desperately needed a break. While both were true what I wanted most was to see my sister. I hadn’t seen her since before the Fall. We had called and wrote letters but that only gave so much. There was nothing stopping me from seeing my sister.

      I made the arrangements and was on my way.

To be continued…