Rosalina and the Way-Weird Beast

     Rosalina gaped at the scratched wooden door in front of her. Slightly ajar, the door opened and closed ever-so-softly in the gentle breeze. Despite a growing desire to flee from the premises and retreat back to the apothecary shop, Rosalina stood her ground and, shaking a bit, knocked three times on the door. Any moment now, she thought, anxious for a response that wouldn't end up with her running away screaming and Margo left behind by accident.

     “GO ROSIE!” Lenny cried from behind.

     Wendy shushed him and waved.

     Rosalina turned back to the door as it slowly creaked open. A starry Meepit looked up at her before scurrying back into the house. Oh my gosh, what a cutie-pie! Rosalina hurried inside, only turning back again when the door slammed shut.

     The entryway was near pitch-black, except for slivers of dull light that shone in through dirty windows located above a grand staircase carpeted in burgundy. Black and white tiles decorated the floor, and reminded Rosalina of a boring old chessboard. She looked around for the Meepit and barely missed it as it ran into a nearby room. Wanting to pinch it’s little cheeks, she followed it into a cobweb-infested room she assumed must have been some kind of parlour. The velvet settee looked as fancy as the stone fireplace, though both were heavily coated with dust.

     “Geez, looks like nobody’s cleaned here since before Faerieland fell from the sky,” Rosalina remarked, scanning the room.

     Above the fireplace was a portrait of a haughty-looking royal Lupe with a long grey beard. The painting was impressive, but Rosalina knew she couldn’t dawdle at it for long. Forgetting about the Meepit, she left the parlour and, after looking around for any lurking eyes, trudged carefully up the stairs. The brass railing looked too grimy to touch, and Rosalina made a mental note to keep her eyes peeled as she cautiously stepped upward, landing on a second floor decked out with the same black and white tile pattern. Besides the faded-pink wallpaper lined walls, there was nothing particularly interesting about this second-floor hallway. Yawning, Rosalina walked down the empty hall, past the closed doors, side tables with the occasional vase or sculpture displayed on it ...a low, growling sound pierced the tranquil air.

     Heavens to Brucey B, what was that? Rosalina jerked her head back, expecting a ferocious creature of some type to be standing there, ready to attack.

     There was nothing. Sighing with relief, Rosalina faced forward, passing the sound off as something she imagined or the wind whirling outside. Just as she was content with the returning silence—and was halfway down the hallway—the sound returned, a bit louder this time.

     “Wow, that Meepit must be really hungry!” Rosalina remarked aloud. Hearing no growls as a response, she continued her trek until she reached the end of the hallway. There were three choices now: head down the hallway to her left, head down the hallway to her right, or go on ahead up a flight of stairs. Sighing, Rosalina chose the third option and climbed up the stairs, which were stone with every third or fourth step being a tad loose. This staircase seemed like a winding trail initially, but all too soon had she imagined walking up these steps forever, Rosalina found herself at a stone-floor landing housing three iron-bar prisons. And in one of them, a familiar figure was hunched in the corner, wrapped in a grey blanket.

     The figure turned slightly and, with a gasp, shrieked, “ROSALINA! WHAT IN NEOPIA ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

     “Margo? What are you doing in there?” Rosalina gasped as her sister rushed to the bars. “Wow, did you prescribe the wrong kind of medicine for your patients?”

     “Listen Rose, you have to get out of here! NOW!” Margo urged. “Leave before that m-m-monster comes back!”

     A loud roar erupted right behind Rosalina before she could reply. Though she was tempted to pass this off as a random odd-sounding burst of wind, she forced herself to turn around instead and found the ‘monster’ her sister was trying to warn her of.

     Standing behind her was a Werelupe a few inches taller than her, his face set in a ferocious scowl. He was wearing a white shirt and a dark blue jacket with matching pants. The small tuft of brown hair on his head was slicked back, and Roslaina couldn’t help but find his black bowtie adorable. “Love the get-up. Dinner party?” she asked, trying to suppress her growing anxiety.

     The Werelupe snorted. “What are YOU doing here, stranger?” he growled in a deep voice.

     “Uhhhhhhh….” Rosalina pointed to Margo’s cage. “Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh.”

     “She’s not going anywhere!” The Werelupe stomped his foot two times.

     Rosalina sighed. “Okay, okay. Don’t be such a nut bar and calm your hairy-self down.”

     The Werelupe stomped again.

     Margo leaned over and hissed, “Rose, get out of here before he explodes! Hurry!”

     “I’m not going anywhere without you,” Rosalina insisted. She was beginning to feel more relaxed around the strange Werelupe, and this was something she marvelled at. “In fact,” she added boldly, “I can wait all day for your release. Even when the Kaus come home and are let out the next morning!”

     “What in the name of Hanso are you blabbering about, girl,” the Werelupe snarled. “Get your puny lil’ self outta here before you see my full wrath!”

     Rosalina placed her hands on her hips. “I’ve seen gamers three times smaller than you spread their wrath over lost games, so nothing you can do can ever scare the daylights out of this Xweetok.”

     The Werelupe facepalmed. “Look, lady. I only need one of you medical-sisters around here,’kay? And since I have your big sis locked up, you, lil’ sis, can vamoose.”

     “Ha! Like I even know the meaning of ‘vamoose’,” Rosalina declared, knowing the hairy Lupe just wanted her to leave and never come back. “Besides, a certain big sis was supposed to come home last night and open the shop this morning, so therefore I need her more than you and I win this argument. Do hurry up with the opening of the dungeon-room thingy and we'll be on our way—”

     “NNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!” The Werelupe’s shriek was so loud, Rosalina was certain both her eardrums had ruptured.

     By some miracle, her hearing was just fine, but her legs were shaking now and her mouth had suddenly gone dry. Well, I guess he won this round ...for now, that is, Rosalina thought glumly.

     “Rose, hurry! Before he explodes again,” Margo hissed.

     “SILENCE!” The Werelupe banged a hand on the iron bars. Margo shank back, terrified. “AS FOR YOU,” the Werelupe directed towards Rosalina, “either you leave or I MAKE YOU LEAVE! UNDERSTAND?”

     Rosalina smiled awkwardly. “Actually, I don’t. But it's okay, I'll ...uh ...” She looked back at Margo, who was hunched over and trembling.

     Her own body still trembling from the random explosion, Rosalina looked up into the Werelupe’s dark eyes. He was still glaring at her, waiting to be rid of her so he could keep Margo in his dungeon-thing, for reasons she couldn’t understand. But she knew one thing for certain: if there was anybody who was allowed to scare the senses out of Margo, it was going to be her and on Halloween!

     Already feeling a wave of majorly-bad regret, Rosalina stood up a little straighter, took a deep breath, eyed the creepy Werelupe and said in her most forced-confident voice, “Alright mister, I’ll have to accept. Take thy will and set thy, or thee, sister free-tih!”

     The Werelupe stared at her.

     Groaning, Rosalina shut her eyes and blurted out, “Alright already, stop the cross-exam! If you don't want to let Margo go for whatever twisted reason you have, then take me instead! I’ll take her place!”

     Margo scrambled to the bars. “Rosalina, what are you thinking?? You can't take my place!”

     “But I have to. If it’s to let you go,” Rosalina pleaded.

     “What do you know about medicine??” Margo pressed. “Nothing!”

     Rosalina scoffed. “Yeha, thanks for rubbing in your super college degree during a moment of crisis! I get it, you’re an egghead, but does the Werelupe need to know?”

     Scowling, the Werelupe looked at Margo and then back at Rosalina. After a few minutes of awkward silence—Rosalina assumed it was because the hairy creep was taking his time thinking—the Werelupe rubbed his chin and nodded slightly. “Alright, it’s decided. If the brunette wants to stay behind, then she may. I have no objections.”

     “But I do!” Margo countered.

     “SILENCE!” The Werelupe banged a fist on the bars. “The girl made an offer, and I’m going to be a generous host and allow her to stay. All's fair.”

     “You can’t be serious,” gasped Margo.

     Rosalina sighed. “I'm afraid he has a point, Sis. I made the wager and...um, I suppose I’ll be having to fulfill it.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, anyways. After all, it’s not like I’m getting my Wingoball trophy anytime soon, so what’s there to lose?”

     “Then we’re all in agreement,” declared the Werelupe. “Excellent.”

     Hoorah, Rosalina thought with dread.

     To be continued…