Off To The Races

      In Neoschool, every young neopet is taught that they can be anything they want to be when they are grown up. This is true, however some dreams are take a lot more hard work and dedication to achieve. All neopets are taught to never give up, no matter how impossible something may seem. This is the story of Tessa, the Uni who wouldn’t let anything get in the way of her dreams.

      It was a bright and Sunny Monday morning in Neopia. For most neopets, it was just a typical Monday, but for best friends Tessa and Lily, it was the day they had been waiting for. It was the girls first day of high school, and in Neopia, high school is a very exciting time. You get to choose whatever courses you want, and these courses will prepare you for your future in a successful neo-career.

      “I can't believe it is our first day of high school!” Said Lily the red Poogle as she ran up to her friend Tessa.

      “I know, it's so exciting!” Replied Tessa as she walked into the school's auditorium. “I can't wait until we get to make our course selections!”

      As Lily was about to respond to Tessa, a tall, well dressed Ixi walked onto the stage. “Good morning Students,” she said. “My name is Mrs. Fisher and I am your principal. Today is course selection day. Make sure you think long and hard before making your selections. Remember, your choices today will affect your path for the rest of your life, so let's make some dreams come true!”

      The auditorium erupted into a sea of cheers as the excited students got up to begin walking around and signing up for their selected courses. “I will meet you outside in an hour,” screamed Tessa to Lily as she got up and ran in the direction of the selection booths.

      Tessa went straight over to the track and field booth, this was an easy decision for her. All of her life Tessa dreamed of being a world famous Poogle racer and winning championships all over the world. “This is it!” She thought to herself as she neared the track and field booth. “All you have to do is go over there and write down your name and then you are on your way to getting what you have always wanted.”

      “Hi there!” Said a chipper looking Poogle at the booth. “How can I help you?”

      “Hi! I'm Tessa, and I am going to be the world's first Uni who competes at Poogle racing!” Replied Tessa.

      “Wow,” said the Poogle. “That sounds like quite a challenge, I wish you the best of luck, sign your name and you are registered.”

      “Thank you!” Said Tessa, signing her name on the form and taking the information papers with her.

      With a huge smile on her face Tessa went outside to meet up with Lily. “I did it! I signed up for Poogle racing!” Exclaimed Tessa proudly .

      “That’s awesome, “ said Lily. “I signed up for cooking, I am going to be a Chief someday!”

      The girls proudly walked home, today had been a good day and they were excited to see what was in store for them in the future.

      Racing turned out to be a lot harder than Tessa had originally thought. Practices started at 6am daily and there were races every weekend. It was hard work, but it was meant to properly prepare the racers for the end of year race.

      The end of year race was a Neoschool tradition that went back centuries. It is what all Poogle racers spent endless hours training for. Every June, a huge Poogle race took place. It was a race that determined if neopets had what it took to become a professional Poogle racer. Whichever neopet won The End Of Year Race won a spot on Neopia's Official Poogle Race Team. This was a huge deal, as only neopets on Neopia's Official Poogle Race Team had a shot at becoming world famous Poogle racers.

      It was Tessa’s dream to win The End Of Year Race. She wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything in her entire life. The odds were stacked against her, but she had the determination to do whatever it took to win. Every year a Poogle always won, no other neopet had ever won, Tessa planned on being the first non-Poogle to win.

      For the next ten months Tessa's entire life was consumed with track practice and running laps. It was a lot of work being on the team, but she loved every minute of it. The more she practiced, the better she got, and the more her odds increased in having a chance at winning The End Of Year Race.

      Finally, the day she had been waiting for all year had arrived. It was the day of the end of year race. Tessa woke up bright and early, she was too excited to sleep in. The sky was bright blue, the sun was shining and the birds were singing, it was a perfect day.

      Lily arrived at Tessa’s house at 7am “Today is your big day!” She said, “ how are you feeling?”

      “I am excited but super nervous,” replied Tessa. “Let's go!”

      The girls walked over to the track and it was like nothing they could have ever imagined. The stands were full of screaming fans and TV cameras were everywhere. The End Of Year Race is a really big deal!

      “This is it girly,” said Lily. “This is what you’ve been waiting for, I know you can do this, you have worked so hard. Good luck!”

      “Thank you!” replied Tessa with a huge sigh, “Here goes.”

      The girls split up and Lily went to the stands to watch the race. Tessa made her way down to the track. There were 25 racers, and they were all Poogles except for Tessa. “Okay you can do this, you've spend countless hours training for this.” Said Tessa to herself as she took her place in the starting lineup.

      “Racers Get ready!” Said the announcer “and 3…2…1… go!!!!!!!!!!!!”

      With that the race had begun. Tessa and all of the Poogles took off running. Tessa's plan was to start off being in the middle of the pack, then on the final lap she planned to give it her all and try to pass everyone.

      The crowd was screaming, Tessa and the other racers finished their first lap. “Lap one is done! “ Said the announcer.

      This track was bigger than the practice track, but Tessa didn’t even think about that. She wasn’t even aware of the crowd and the cameras all around. Tessa was in the zone and focused on nothing but running.

      “All of the racers are now on lap three,” said the announcer. “Who is going to be the winner and take home the prize?”

      As she ran across the starting point of lap three Tessa began to get really nervous. “Okay this is it, “ she thought to herself. “Your final lap, you can do this, this is your dream!” With a huge push Tessa passed 3 Poogles! Now there were only two racers in front of her.

      The finish line was in sight and the crowd was going wild. Tessa gave one final push and passed one of the Poogles ahead of her.

      “This is it folks!” Said the announcer, “it all comes down to this, Tessa the Uni and Ricky the Poogle are neck in neck. This could be anybody's race!”

      Tessa could see that she was right beside another Poogle, this was it, one of them was going to win. All of a sudden Tessa got a burst of energy that gave her the final push she needed. At the very last second Tessa passed the Poogle and crossed the finish line moments before him.

      “We have a winner!” said the announcer. “History has been made folks, for the first time ever a neopet that is not a Poogle has won The End Of Year Race. Congratulations to Tessa the Uni, she has won! This means that Tessa has earned herself a spot on Neopia's Official Poogle Race Team, which no neopet other than a Poogle has ever done. What a day this has been!”

      “I won!! I won!!” screamed Tessa in excitement. “I can't believe this!!!”

      Tessa stood on the track smiling from ear to ear. She had won The End Of Year Race, this meant everything to her. She couldn’t have been happier, dreams really do come true.

      Tessa’s story just goes to show everyone that if you want something bad enough and work hard enough at it, you can achieve it. Even if it is something crazy that has never been done before such as a Uni becoming a member of Neopia's Official Poogle Race Team.

      The End.