Green Beginnings: Part Three

     “No, no,” the Headmistress said. “It’s ‘ill-oo-sen.”

     “Ill-oo-sen,” Jhudora repeated. It almost sounds like ‘illusion’. Jhudora smiled. What a pretty name. Maybe I can become friends with her.

     “Well, just thought that you might have liked to know the news,” Fortune, the Faerie Teacher, said. “I better go; the other students are waiting.”

     “Thank you for telling me,” Fora lied through her teeth. “I appreciate it.”

     “Bye! Thank you again for the doll!” Jhudora said, waving good-bye. “It looks a lot like you!”

     After they left, Fora sighed. She looked out the window and watched Jhudora and Fortune. Everything was unraveling too quickly. Too quickly...

     ---

     “Okay, everybody!” Fortune clapped loudly. “Time to go in and eat lunch. There will be a new student joining us after lunch.”

     “A new student?” the class buzzed with the news.

     At lunch, everybody crowded around Jhudora. With her Faerie Queen Doll and her ability to fly, Jhudora was as popular as the Neopian Times. Which is, to say, really popular.

     “Her name’s Illusen,” Jhudora said, a little overwhelmed by all the students crowding around her. “Pronounced ‘ill-oo-sen’. The Headmistress told me herself.”

     “Really?”

     “Why did the Headmistress give you the FQD?”

     “Why were you late to class this morning?”

     “Are you from the orphanage?”

     “What pretty lavender eyes!”

     “Can I be your friend?”

     The class heaped a multitude of gifts on Jhudora, in hopes of becoming her friend. They gave her items like Luxury Bell, Pink Blush, Cheese and Salsa Pretzel, and more!

     Jhudora had to admit that she liked the attention. In fact, she basked in it.

     An eighth-year came by and hugged Jhudora.

     She caught Jhudora by surprise and Jhudora flailed at first by realizing whom it was.

     “You’re so adorable!” the eighth-year squealed, fluttering her wings excitedly.

     She then promptly left, but not before all the other first-years through eighth-years stared at her enviously.

     Jhudora blushed with happiness.

     “Wow! An eighth-year has never paid any attention to a first-year before!” Ember said. “Unless they were siblings. That eighth-year wasn’t your sister, right?”

     “Nope,” Jhudora said. “I don’t have any sisters...”

     After what seemed like hours of being bombarded with questions and praise, Jhudora was actually glad when Fortune called out that lunch was over and it was time to go back to class.

     As everybody took their seats, a sweet, shy voice caught the class’ attention. Including Jhudora’s.

     “Hello?” the small faerie asked. “Miss Fortune? I’m Illusen.”

     The class wondered in amazement. Illusen was wearing a very cute green dress and her brown hair had a streak of green in it. A green streak! And she was wearing green lipstick! The class was thrilled! Their parents didn’t let them dye their hair or wear lipstick!

     “Hello,” Fortune greeted her. “You may take a seat wherever you want.”

     Jhudora couldn’t believe it. The Faerie Teacher didn’t even reprimand Illusen for being late, unlike what she did to Jhudora!

     “Come sit by me!”

     “No, me!”

     “MEEEEEEE!”

     The whole class (except Jhudora) waved their arms frantically to try and get Illusen to sit by them.

     When Illusen finally chose a seat next to a faerie named Taelia, the class bombarded her with questions.

     “Your parents let you dye a green streak in your brown hair?!”

     “I love it!”

     “Your lipstick and dress match!”

     Ember turned to Jhudora. “Um, can I have my Luxury Bell back?” Ember asked Jhudora.

     “Uh, sure,” Jhudora said. She gave the bell one last jingle before handing her best friend the Luxury Bell. Ember immediately gave it to Illusen. The rest of the class did the same thing, taking back their gifts and heaping them on Illusen.

     “Thanks!” Illusen said, delighted.

     Everybody ignored Jhudora now, even Ember! Jhudora couldn’t help but feel envious. Some friends, Jhudora thought. She swore that she would dye a streak of green through her purple hair and wear green lipstick too! Maybe then she would be popular again...

     At the end of the day, Jhudora felt horrible. She hadn’t received any attention since lunch. She hated that stupid Illusen, with her frilly dress and her shy, sweet personality. She even had parents! Illusen was everything Jhudora wanted to be.

     Suddenly, there was a bang! and a lot of purple smoke appeared in front of Jhudora. Jhudora saw a figure walking out of the smoke. When the smoke cleared, Jhudora saw who it was. It made her face freeze.

     It was Mis.

     Jhudora looked frantically around. The Headmistress’ office was very close. Jhudora could run for it. Or fly even, since she now knew that she could fly.

     As Jhudora was about to run, Mis’ invisible force stopped her.

     “I told you you’d see me again.” Mis grinned. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. The Headmistress will be coming out soon.”

     As if on cue, Fora came running out.

     “Sister! What are you doing here?” Fora asked, shocked. “You know you are banned from the Faerieland Academy for Beginning Faeries.

     Sister!? Jhudora thought. Fora and Mis are sisters!?

     “Oh, Fyora,” Mis snickered. “My magic has grown. You cannot stop the prophecy from coming true. Jhudora will become a powerful dark faerie and you can’t do anything about it. I’m a great prophet.”

     Fyora!? Jhudora thought. Fora is the Faerie Queen?! Jhudora almost fainted.

     Suddenly, Fortune appeared beside Mis.

     “Fortune?” Fyora, the Faerie Queen, asked. “What are you doing her?”

     “Don’t you see, little sister?” Mis gloated. “I have two personalities. I told you my magic has grown exponentially. Fortune and I are the same person. Have I ever told you my full name?”

     Fyora and Jhudora were both silent.

     “Misfortune.”

     Jhudora couldn’t believe it. This was too much for her to process at once. She looked at Fyora.

     “Don’t worry, Jhudora,” Fyora reassured her, while trying to calm her own shock. “I’ll take care of this.”

     “Fool! I have come to take your throne! Too long have you sat on your high little throne in Faerieland. You don’t deserve it!” Mis said. Mis and Fortune merged together as black smoke covered the hallway.

     “You are no match for me!” Misfortune boomed.

     “Double-check that!” Fyora said, taking out an orb. “Jerdana’s Orb!” she shouted. Light rays of magic shone out of the orb. “I have no choice but to banish you, Sister, for a millennium. Then – I will turn you into a statue and you will sit beneath the Ruins of Maraqua forever. Forever trapped! You must atone for your evil!”

     “You can’t stop me!” Misfortune screamed. “For I bring misfortune wherever I go. Jhudora will be proof of that! I am the Darkest Faerie of all of -!”

     But Misfortune was stopped short as she instantly disappeared from Faerieland, her mouth still wide open.

     “Nooooooooooooooooo!” her cries echoed through the school.

     “What I said will all come true, as I am a great prophet too.” Fyora smiled at Jhudora. “And my powers have also grown exponentially since I became the Faerie Queen.”

     “Fora? Can I ask you a question?”

     “Yes?”

     “How can you be Fyora too?”

     “Oh, there are some secrets I must keep to myself. Faerie magic is a very special thing.” Fyora winked.

     Jhudora laughed. What an eventful first day, she thought.

     Epilogue

     Ember became, yes, the skilled and feisty Gormball fire faerie player you know today. Taelia, the faerie Illusen decided to sit next to on her first day of school, became a snow faerie who regularly gives out quests on the top of Terror Mountain.

     Fyora is still the reigning Faerie Queen of Faerieland with no threat to her throne right now.

     Jhudora did get to dye a green streak in her hair and put on green lipstick. The prophecy came true: Jhudora is now a powerful dark faerie. Jhudora’s eyes darkened from the ‘pretty lavender eyes’ she had when she was a small faerie because of the evil in her heart. All remains of her cute self are gone, but she still does excel in flying. However, she doesn’t like to fly much because it ties her to the past and she prefers to stay on her throne in Jhudora’s Cloud. She can’t help but ask Neopets to bring her gifts while on her throne because it makes her feel special, just like during lunch on her first day of school.

     Illusen also collects gifts by Neopets. She is in a deep rivalry with Jhudora with the amount of gifts they have (which therefore transfers into who is the better, more popular one).

     The Faerieland Academy for Beginning Faeries still teaches young faeries, but Fora retired so that she could focus on ruling Faerieland and keeping an eye on Jhudora.

     Misfortune is still under the depths of the water sea in the Ruins of Maraqua. Why don’t you plan a trip with your Neopet to go visit her?

     Jhudora started to manufacture her own doll; Jhudora the Dark Faerie Doll. There’s a rumor that she sometimes gives out her dolls to promising beginning faeries in hopes that they too will turn into dark faeries. The only faerie Jhudora is afraid of is Misfortune, the Darkest Faerie, who is safely trapped in stone.

     So our story comes to an end as Jhudora and Illusen still circle each other in rivalry, each envious of the other (the green streaks are proof!); Jhudora of Illusen’s charm, and Illusen of Jhudora’s power.

The End

I hope you enjoyed reading this series as much as I enjoyed writing this. =)