Potion 319: Part Two

     Isaiah ran all the way back into Neopia Central, trying to avoid running into people. How weird would it have been to run into something you couldn't see?

     Arriving at the shop, he saw Kauvara sitting behind a counter, reading Potions Weekly on a chair. She seemed very into the magazine, so Isaiah creeped inside the door, desperate to not be seen (from what she would understand at least).

     She turned the page, not noticing the door had opened a few feet then closed again. Isaiah walked silently over to the corner of the shop, where he knew the spiral staircase was. He stepped onto the first... second step. Then he remembered, the second step had a creak in it.

     Kauvara glanced upwards. "Who's there?"

     Isaiah replied, "Oh, it's just me." He knew Kauvara couldn't hear him, he might as well have some fun with it.

     Kauvara passed it on, and continued reading her article about brewing a perfect potion that would cause your eyes to turn purple.

     The biggest shock that day was not the fact that he turned invisible, but the two figures waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. At first, Isaiah didn't think they could see him, but the way their eyes were following him automatically made him realize they could see him.

     "Good morning, Isaiah!" said one of the figures, which happened to be a Kau. The other figure was a Poogle, who was also glaring up at Isaiah.

     "Can you actually see me?"

     "Of course we can! We're your side effects, duh!" said the Poogle, with a huge grin on her face.

     "Did you say you were my side effects? For what?"

     "The two potions you drank! We are your side effects," the Kau explained, as though this was all obvious.

     "Well... side effects... could you please introduce yourselves?" Isaiah asked.

     "I'm Kelli, and this is Aly," said the Kau, nudging the Poogle next to her.

     "Ok, Kelli, can you tell me what you side effects actually do?"

     "Of course! I am your antidote, so I am supposed to help you with your quest to completely rid your nasty result, and side effects don't leave until the real problem is resolved," Kelli explained as Isaiah desperately tried to grasp the whole thing.

     "Then what do you do, Aly?"

     "I am your other side effect from the nasty potion; however, it is my duty to ensure you that you still sprout boils from time to time," Aly said, a wicked grin across her face.

     Kelli looked at her nastily. "Did I also say it is my job to ensure she doesn't do that?"

     Aly looked insulted. "Might I remind you that it is my duty? And what can you do to stop me?"

     "Oh, I think you know! Your powers are weak compared to mine! I was made to destroy you," Kelli spat.

     The two went on and on for a while. Isaiah thought side effects were supposed to fight if they came from different sides, but this just got annoying. He almost missed not being seen by anybody because of them.

     "Alright! So are you two visible to other people as well?"

     "No, we can only be seen by you," Kelli said brightly.

     "Hopefully you can't be heard either," Isaiah muttered. "So what do you think we should do first?"

     "You're supposed to decide, but I would recommend the book shop. Look up how to cure invisibility," Kelli suggested, who seemed to be distracted by two similar potions spitting out random goo.

     The three of them climbed the stairs, and walked out of the Magic Shop (Kauvara was now reading upon a recipe on how to petrify your enemies. Isaiah thought he saw his name down to be petrified.)

     The trio glided through the slight bustle of Neopia Central. Most of the residents were now working, or in all of the unique stores. They waited at the Book Shop door until somebody else walked in ahead of them. People seeing a door swing open out of nowhere would find it a very odd sight.

     Finally, an old Lenny walked in, and the three sprinted in after him. It was semi-crowded, with people browsing selections such as How to Tame Your Chokato Garden and From Seed to Fruit: The Revolution of Brightvale. Isaiah was looking for the magic area, and found a whole row of selections on potions. Not one book seemed to have a remedy for curing invisibility.

     Kelli saw one that was labeled Do You Feel Invisible? but Isaiah didn't just feel invisible, he was, which he constantly had to remind Kelli; she could see him.

     Aly was tempting him into reading a book called The Many Cures of Dark Magic, which seemed to actually appeal to Isaiah, until he found out later that just reading the book made your eyes turn green. ("I truly didn't know!" defended Aly.)

     Clearly, they weren't going to find anything out, and they couldn't ask the manager of the place.

     "It's not fun being invisible," Isaiah muttered to himself, but Kelli heard him, and went over to comfort him, slightly.

     "Oh, don't think of it that way. Just think you can't do anything wrong if you aren't there. And hey, you can find a new job if they fire you for being absent all day," Kelli said happily as Isaiah returned a weak smile.

     "I suppose we should just give up now," Isaiah suggested.

     "Great idea!" Aly burst out, as Kelli passed a dirty look to her.

     "Why don't we try the Faerieland Book Shop? They have all kind of magic up there!" Kelli said, looking very proud of herself.

     "That's a great idea, but there is just one very small problem with that," Isaiah replied.

     "What?" Kelli asked, her spirits dampening.

     "How are we supposed to get all the way up to Faerieland if we can't get a ride? Fly up there or something?"

     "Well, yes..." Kelli said, looking at Isaiah oddly.

     "Wait, we can fly?" Isaiah asked excitedly; Aly rolled her eyes.

     "Of course! You're already invisible, so your mass has already loosened a little. All you have to do is hold your breath and you will feel yourself lift gently into the air. Regular pets could do it too if they weren't so dense. If they were translucent, they might be able to," Kelli thought aloud, but Isaiah jumped right out of the chair; and just in time too. A Kyrii was about to sit down, a book propped in his hands.

     "Let's get to it! We don't have any time to waste," the Mynci rambled excitedly.

     They fled out of the Book Shop, and glanced upwards towards the sky. In the faint distance of the sparkling sun, they could see the glimmering pink castle of Faerieland, perched on top of a glittery cloud.

     "Ready?" asked Kelli, glancing over at Isaiah, ignoring Aly completely. Before Isaiah could reply, he had the horrible feeling he had yesterday. Greenish boils began to sprout across his arms and legs, and when he looked over at Kelli, she was gone. Panicking, he soon noticed that she was scolding Aly, who was snickering loudly.

     "I told you not to pull stuff like this!"

     "Oh come on, it's my..."

     "Don't you dare say it's your duty!"

     "But it is!"

     "I swear you always do this!"

     "I'm a side effect!"

     Isaiah watched bemused as the two bickered as bad as they had in the Magic Shop, perhaps even worse then last time. Then he realized he needed help, as the extra limbs had began to sprout once more.

     "Umm... Kelli?"

     "WHAT?" she burst out, soon realizing she wasn't talking to Aly anymore, then quickly realized he was coated in boils and awkward limbs. She waved her hand, and the pain had vanished. The boils deflated, and the limbs faded away.

     "Well, I think we should be ready now. Let's be on our way then," Kelli said breathlessly from screaming at Aly. Isaiah thought it was kind of funny, watching them scream; the passersby not giving them a glance. The sight was simply odd.

     The next second, Isaiah held his breath. The moment he did, he felt all the gravity release from himself, and before he knew it, his feet had left the ground.

     The three were all now at least ten feet into the air, none of them looking as excited as Isaiah. The feeling was absolutely tremendous. It was as though he had no problems now, and was worry free. Isaiah began to feel nervous as he saw the Money Tree grow smaller and smaller, until finally it looked as though the trunk was simply a tiny mud puddle.

     Glancing upwards, he saw the castle of Faerieland grow huge. He had never been to Faerieland, and the sight of it alone was breathtaking, let alone the residents. He saw the rushing waters of the Healing Springs. He also noticed the intriguing Rainbow Fountain, gushing all the colors of the rainbow. As they landed, they released their breath, feeling gravity pull on them once more.

     "Well, well, well, we have visitors here in Faerieland. Looks like you, sir, are in a magical situation," said a voice from behind them, followed by an evil laugh.

     "Jhudora..."

To be continued...