The Baking Contest

      Annia laughed at her brother. "Thanks Percy, but if you keep eating that fudge, then I will not have anything to enter in the competition."

      Percy smiled and swallowed the fudge in his mouth. He loved his sister, and he knew how much this competition meant to her. He smiled and said, "I promise I won't eat another bite. It's just that your cooking is so delicious that nobody could resist eating it. It's too good."

      "Are you sure about that?" Annia asked. "Lucette has won the last three competitions, and she comes up with something new each time. What if her entry tastes better than mine? She'll never let me hear the end of it!"

      Percy shook his head. "Annia," he said. "You don't deserve to lose to that jerk. Just because you've had a hard time in the past, but that does not mean that you won't be able to win in the big picture. This baking contest is the big picture."

      "Thanks Perc," Annia said. "I hope that you are right."

      "Oh, Annia, when are you going to learn that I'm always right?" Percy joked. "I mean, look back! Exactly how many times have I been wrong?"

      "Um, like, fifty times out of fifty-one," Annia said with a smile. "The odds are not in your favor, Perc."

      "Don't call me Perc, call me Perky," Percy told Annia. "And are you going to put that fudge in the cupboard, or am I just going to have to finish off the fudge?"

      Annia laughed and shoved the fudge in the cupboard just as the clock struck nine. "Okay Perky," Annia said. "It is nine o'clock. It's bedtime. Get your pajamas and I will be there in just a second. I have to just tell our owner that we are going to sleep now. Oh, do you want your sleep walking alarm on?"

      "Nah, I'm okay Annia," Percy said. "I haven't done any sleep walking in two weeks, so I think that I am safe. Thanks for thinking of it though. I'll see you in our room."

      Percy made his way over to his room while Annia went over to her owner. Percy snuggled down on his bottom bunk. Soon he was fast asleep.

      At exactly twelve o'clock midnight, Percy got out of bed. He didn't intend to have a midnight jog, a midnight snack, or play a late night prank on his sister. In fact, Percy wasn't even awake. For the first time in two weeks, he was sleep walking, and his dreaming self knew very well that he was hungry.

      With silent steps he slipped down the stairs of his neohome and through the hallways. He ended up in the kitchen.

      His dreaming self knew that he didn't really want anything that he could find in the fridge. His dreaming self knew that he wanted the fudge that was in the cupboard. Since his dreaming self didn't know that his sister needed the fudge, he walked over to the cupboard, and opened up the cupboard door.

      There was a huge plate of fudge, he knew that. He reached in to the cupboard, his mouth watering. He reached out a furry Gelert paw, and picked up the biggest piece of fudge. He gobbled it down. He ate more and more and more. Soon he had finished it all. It was then that he woke up.

      Percy looked down at the empty plate and his fudge covered paws. His heart gave a pang. He felt like crying. He had just spoiled the competition for his sister. She had been looking forward to it so much.

      He sat moping for a little, and then a thought struck him. There was a Nimmo named Mrs. McHoot who owned a little candy store only two blocks away from his house. She had the store opened twenty four hours a day, as well.

      Percy reached into his pajama pocket and pulled out some neopoints and something else soft wrapped in foil. He was curious about what it was, but he did not have time to look, so he stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

      Percy grabbed his jacket off of the hook and ran out the door onto the snowy streets. He ran as fast as he could. He slipped twice on the icy pavement, but in a short time, he ended up in front of the candy store door.

     The door was closed, but there was a sign hanging from the door knob that said, "Come in, we're open."

      Percy pulled open the door, and stepped inside. The store was filled with the sweet smell of candy. Percy did not see Mrs. McHoot, so he went to the desk and rang the little silver bell that was on the counter. As soon as he rang it, Mrs. McHoot hurried into the room and smiled at him.

      "Why Percy, it's so nice to see you," she crooned. "What would you like today? We have some delicious toffee creams today! Would you like some of them?"

      Percy shook his head. "Thanks, they sound great, but I would rather have some of that yummy fudge that you make; the ones that are just plain chocolate." Mrs. McHoot smiled at him.

      Percy pulled a big tin of fudge off of the shelf. Percy paid for the fudge and thanked Mrs. McHoot for it. He then ran home.

      When he got into the house, he placed the fudge on the plate in the cupboard. It looked exactly like the fudge Annia had made. He felt satisfied, so he went to bed and went to sleep without any worry.

      The next morning Percy and Annia got up early to prepare for the competition. The two walked over to the bathroom to groom themselves for the day.

      Annia grabbed a comb in her teeth and combed her fur and tail. Percy helped her comb her mane, since she could not reach it. Percy then groomed himself and the two went over to the kitchen to pack up the fudge.

      Annia did not suspect a thing when she saw the fudge. She did not even notice that they were on the wrong side of the cupboard, since she was so nervous. She covered the plate with plastic wrap and hurried out of the door.

      Annia and Percy hopped onto their Super Duper Scooters and rode over to the Bakery where the contest was being held. A green Chia walked over to them.

      "Oh, hi," the Chia said. "You're Annia the pink Uni and Percy the yellow Gelert. You two are at table number twelve. That is next to the white Acara who has enough make-up on to stock up a beauty store. I think that her name is Lucette."

      Annia looked at Lucette. She was wearing magenta eye shadow, blue eyeliner, and fake eyelashes that she had decorated in glittery mauve mascara. Her nail polish matched her mascara exactly. Annia and Percy could barely hold in their giggles.

      The two walked to their table and set up the fudge. Lucette looked at them.

      "Hi Ay-ny-ah," she said, purposely pronouncing Annia's name wrong. "Why did you enter? Do you need the prize money this badly?"

      Annia tried to ignore her, but she felt hot with anger. Lucette was mean. So mean that Annia could never think of a good comeback.

      Annia and Percy waited a while and soon the judges came around. They were all Lupes. One was red, one was glowing, and one was skunk. They looked at Lucette's cake. They tasted it, complimented her, and gave her marks. Annia could see all of the marks. The red Lupe and the glowing Lupe gave her perfect marks. The other one gave her two tens, and one eight and a half. That was almost perfect. Annia felt discouraged.

      The judges went over to Annia's table next. The each took a piece of fudge and tested it. Their eyes lit up and they had a second piece, which was not such a good thing. The glowing Lupe looked inside one of the foil wrappings, and exclaimed, "Why this Uni bought this fudge at the candy store the Mrs. McHoot owns! Do you see her logo inside the foil?"

      Annia looked shocked. "B-but I d-didn't buy it. I m-made it," she stuttered. "It must be a practical joke."

      Percy looked guilty and put his hands in his pockets. Annia glared at him and ran into the bathroom to hide.

      "Disqualify Annia Grotelle," said the red Lupe. "That was a nasty bit of cheating."

      Just as he began to walk away, Percy felt something soft and wrapped in foil in his jacket pocket. He quickly pulled it out. Lo and behold, there was a chunk of home-made fudge. It must have fallen into his pajama pocket, and he had scooped it into his jacket pocket along with the neopoints.

      "Excuse me," he called. "I have a piece of fudge that she made! Come back!"

      The judges turned around and came back. Looking doubtful, the skunk Lupe grabbed the piece of fudge and tore off the foil wrapping. She examined it for a logo, and found none. She split it into three pieces.

      Each judge had a piece. They nodded, marked on their clipboards, and walked away.

     Percy ran to the bathroom and rapped on the door. "Annia, Annia," he yelled. "You're still in this competition! Come out!"

      Annia came out. Her face was tear-stained, but she looked happy. "Am I really in the competition?" she asked.

      Percy nodded. He grabbed her horn and dragged her out into the main room. Everyone was gathering there to see who the winner was.

      The judge first announced who was in third and second place. They came up, got their prizes, and left. The judge smiled, and left for a minute to get the first place trophy.

      Lucette inched her way to Annia. "You might as well go home. The only reason to stay is to see me accept my trophy."

      "Lucette," Annia snapped. "Even if you do win, you will still always be the back-stabbing, over-accessorizing, gossipy, mean, cliquey, bratty, nasty, horrible jerk that you have been since kindergarten."

      Lucette just stared at her. She did not say anything. She just stared. Annia whirled around and looked at the judge.

      "And the winner is, Miss Annia Grotelle!" he announced. "She is the first ever to achieve a perfect score."

      Annia walked up to accept her trophy and money. She felt like she was floating. When the judge gave her prize, she felt very proud.

      While Percy and Annia were walking home, Annia was talking to Percy.

     "I entered the competition to show Lucette that I was better than she thinks I am. I got double of what I wanted. I won and I proved to Lucette that I'm better than she is. You were right all along, Percy."

      "Annia," Percy joked. "When are you going to learn that I'm always right? I mean, look back, how many times have I been wrong?"

      "About fifty out of fifty-two," Annia said. "You're improving."

The End