Purple Pebble: Part Three

     I'm not a sister anymore, no, no, no, no, no! Not a sister anymore! Not a not a sister anymore! Her name was Ollie she wasn't very jolly she wasn't a dolly but she was mean. I'm not a sister anymore, no, no!

     The song ended and everyone clapped their hands and screamed themselves hoarse for two minutes straight. Confetti was erupting from the stage from jets. Feri and the Poogle and Shoyru had their arms up in the air, hands clenched in fists, screaming along with the crowd. Ollie felt her cheeks grow hot.

     Finally everything ended and Feri came up to the microphone again. "My second and last song I'll be singing tonight, folks. This one's called Desert Doom." Feri smiled, nodded, and clapped her hands twice before stepping back a little to sing. The crowd was quiet.

     The song started with five taps on the drum and then the Shoyru playing the guitar very loudly. Then it quieted down and Feri began to sing.

     I was in the desert just a minding my own business; I was all alone, all alone. It was boring, it was hot. Tree on the horizon just a dot. I ran, I ran, to that tree, then sat down, no one else, just me! Oh, oh, oh, Neopets, oh, oh, oh, Lost Desert, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, OH! I found a shiny rock, purple and it gleams. What it could it be? Not as it seems...

     Ollie grew bored as the song went on an on. The songs were horribly written, of course, and the Shoyru wasn't very good at guitar; the Poogle was OKAY at drums. But Ollie had never known her sister could sing so wonderfully. In fact, she'd never even HEARD her sister sing. That was sad. Maybe they weren't as close as she had once thought. She finally pulled her head out of the clouds and realized their bond was broken. They'd never had a bond. And whatever they did have was growing worse.

     At last, after more cheering, Ollie poked a Wocky that was beside her. The Wocky wore a black shirt that said "Feri 'n' Friends" on it. Wow. What a name. (Sarcasm).

     "What is it? I'm trying to scream and cheer here for the BEST BAND IN THE WORLD!" the Wocky cried.

     "Um, sir, could you tell me the names of the Poogle and the Shoyru, please? And could you tell me how to set up an appointment with the Chomby?" Ollie asked hopefully.

     "I AM A GIRL!" the Wocky said indignantly.

     Ollie suspiciously eyed the short, dark hair that was spiked all over the Wocky's head. She noticed the stocky manly features. Maybe it was a girl. It could be a girl.

     "Okay. Sorry. But, um..." Ollie stammered.

     "The Poogle's name is Carla and the Shoyru's is Fidele. They are siblings, ironically. But Carla is the boy, ironically. Anyways. GOOFBALL. Feri is the most famous person in the Concert Hall EVER. She would never have an appointment with you, someone she doesn't know! And my name is Tara. What's yours?"

     "Ollie. But um. How do you know she doesn't know me?" Ollie asked.

     "I do, obviously, or else you'd be backstage. Anyways. How do you know her, then, Ollie?" Tara asked.

     "She's my, um..." Ollie hesitated. Would anyone believe her? "My sister."

     "SHE DOESN'T HAVE A SISTER. Haven't you noticed that? Their songs? Not a sister? All by myself? Listen, I'm Feri's biggest fan. If anyone met her, it would be me. And I'd know if she has a sister. I always know things like that," Tara argued.

     "Don't be stubborn. I am her sister!! She just is holding a grudge against me, or something. She doesn't like me anymore. And I've ALREADY met her. I used to LIVE with her, at our old neohome," Ollie argued right back.

     "I'm not stubborn, I'm sensible. If she doesn't like you, it's obvious why not. You're a very dislikable person. And sure you did," Tara said.

     "But I'm not - " Ollie sighed as she watched Tara stomp away. Why couldn't anyone believe her? She was telling the truth.

     Ollie decided to do something daring. She climbed on top of the Concert Hall, and looked around for where the Backstage area was, since there was no roof. Ollie found it, and took a daring jump into the room. The guard never saw her sneak in the door, because she didn't! Ollie's feet throbbed from the jump.

     "Oh my gosh! Intruder! Intruder!" Feri screeched, pointing a Chomby foot at Ollie.

     "Please, Feri. I need to talk to you. I really do," Ollie begged, almost on the verge of tears. She had so much to ask, so much to prove.

     "Guards, it's okay. Just stand close," Feri advised the Tonus and Grarrls that were charging into the room. They stood three feet away.

     "Why aren't you my sister? Why don't you like me?" Ollie asked.

     "That's obvious. I've been here for eight months! I made my band six months ago. I waited for you to at least try and come for me, to figure it out about the rock - hopefully you did by now. But you never came," Feri sobbed.

     "WHAT?! I got here less than an hour after you did," Ollie complained.

     "That's an impossible lie, Ollie," Feri said, shaking her head sadly.

     "I'm not fibbing," Ollie protested. Then she snapped her fingers. "The rock! When it transports you, I bet it changes the time! Time stayed normal where I was, but it got a lot faster here - but you didn't notice. It seemed like eight months. But... Wow, time must be fast. If I got here in one minute, you'd still have been here for a couple weeks!" Ollie said.

     "Oh. I guess you could be right. Hey, Ollie, I am sorry," Feri said.

     "You are a good singer," Ollie said.

     "Thanks," Feri replied with a blush in her cheeks. "And I shouldn't have made all those mean songs about you. I was worried, angry - sad and afraid. I missed you, but I was in denial. I pretended I never had you, so I had nothing to lose," Feri admitted.

     "Let's go home. I have my rock right here," Ollie said, patting her pocket in her jacket.

     "I can't just go - Tyrannia will... Well, I can't leave them all. These fans," Feri said.

     "I hope time isn't messed up like this if we go home. Tragedies that would be! Actually, if all of Neopia was like that, it would be the same, I guess. But... You stay here. I'll go home and get Tay, our owner. Ask her to abandon our old neohome and move into one here. You can pay for it?" Ollie asked.

     "I already have a thirty room mansion of a neohome, of course. I get three million a week. Carla and Fidele do, too. We live together," Feri said.

     "I'll go fetch Tay, then, little rich Chomby. I'm sorry for everything," Ollie said.

     "Me too," Feri said, nodding in agreement. "Really sorry. I'm going to stop further production of Feri 'n' Friends CDs so those horrible songs won't be made anymore. Unfortunately, that CD has been out for about two weeks and they're selling like hot cakes. But I'll stop it soon - don't worry. Carla, Fidele, and I will get to work on new songs. I can't wait for you to meet them," Feri said.

     "Thanks. I'll hurry and get out of here. Be back in a day or two!" Ollie said, smiling. She waved, then pick her pebble out of her pocket, rubbed it, and said, "Neohome!"

     Ollie felt herself swirling. She grew very dizzy. Purple lights erupted all around her. But soon it stopped. She opened her eyes and was in her old neohome, in the kitchen, sitting at the table. There was Tay, sitting across from her in another chair. They each had a plate in front of them, full of Tchea Fruit Pasty.

     "I made a good breakfast, honey. Could you go wake up your sister? I think she's still in bed - that sleepy duckling!" Tay exclaimed.

     "Y-yes. I... I g-guess so. I guess s-so," Ollie stammered.

     "Are you okay?" Tay asked cheerfully.

     "Y-yeah," Ollie replied, rushing to the bedroom she and her sister shared. Of course, Feri wasn't there.

     Ollie threw herself down on Feri's bed. Was time whacked here, too?

     Ollie went back to the kitchen without Feri. "Haven't you noticed? We've been gone for a long time!" Ollie said.

     "No... You were just outside getting the mail. It took you two minutes, but... I haven't really been that worried since then. Where have you been?" Tay asked, raising her eyebrows.

     "I have a long story to tell you," Ollie confessed.

     "Good news?" Tay asked.

     "Pretty much," Ollie said. She sat back down in her seat and began telling the wonderful story, from the very beginning.

To be continued...