The Other Side

     Zalyin knew she wasn’t brave, but she also knew she had to be brave. It did not seem like anyone else was willing to look for Zulyin. She was all on her own. Usually she at least had Zulyin; she had never been alone before.

     After days of dead ends with her map and wits, she hit the library. After weeks of researching, she came up short. There was nothing written anywhere about what had transpired and nothing close to describing what she saw on the other side of the mysterious door Zulyin had fled to.

     Zalyin was at a loss as to where to go next. She figured Zulyin was scared at best and hurt at worst. She knew she had to figure out some way to get to her and bring her back.

     After weeks of hopelessness, moping around while generally feeling defeated she decided she needed to train and get stronger. There were too many unknowns behind that portal and Zulyin may be in trouble; the best thing for her to do was to have a leg up on the opposition. She had no idea what was on the other side of the portal or what she would have to do or who she would have to cross to get her sister back. Her only option was to be prepared.

     The next morning Zalyin gathered up her funds and left without saying goodbye. Her parents never seemed to care that Zulyin was gone and Zalyin reasoned that they probably wouldn’t even notice if she left too. Zalyin was an avid reader and knew how to get anywhere and communicate with anyone. Through her make-believe adventures with Zulyin she knew how to really live. It could not be that hard to explore Neopia on her own. Zulyin was counting on her, and Zalyin was not going to fail her.

     It didn’t take long for Zalyin to get scared after leaving the familiarity of home. She realised she was only ever brave because of her sister. She wondered if she made a mistake in taking on this journey. There were so many unknowns, not just where to go but those who may have meant her harm. She was afraid, and found herself darting between hiding spots. She barely slept or ate, she was just determined to get to her destination in one piece. She did her best to not be seen by anyone, lest they do her harm. She didn’t like being scared all the time, and she hoped she would become stronger in both body and mind.

     Zalyin made her way through many worlds she only read about, occasionally dreamt about. She was not prepared for the wonder of it all, but was even less prepared for scary characters trying to pick her pocket or fight her. The journey was much harder than her games or books made it seem. There was also inclement weather, rude individuals, difficult terrain, and at times minimal shelter. But she was brave and persevered.

     After many treacherous and fearful days she made it to Krawk Island.

     There she met Cap’n Threelegs and he was very… unique.

     “ARRRRRR wee lass, arrrrrr you fixin’ ta get trained?”

     “Hi, um, yes sir. I am. I have Neopoints.”

     “ARRRRRRRR no we do NOT accept POINTS here. Yee need ta get yerself deedabloons!”

     “Get… what?”

     “DEEDABLOONS!!!!!!!!!”

     “Oh, uh, okay. I’ll be back.”

     “Arrrr.”

     Eventually Zalyin figured out he was saying “the Dubloons” and exchanged her Neopoints for Dubloons. With Cap’n satisfied, she was ready to begin training.

     She tried not to get too bogged down by the strangeness of the lands or Cap’n but she was a little afraid of him. He had a strange accent and would yell a lot. Zalyin was unsure if she was just not used to folks in this new land or he had a screw loose, but he had a reputation for training up the weakest pets for cheap and that is all Zalyin needed to keep her head down and study. She didn’t want to get involved in anything else; her mind was occupied by her duty to assist her sister.

     She spent months training at the Swashbuckling Academy until Cap’n could no longer train her. She had trained up to Cap’n’s willingness (or was it ability?) and she found herself sad to have to leave him.

     “Zalyin, my dear. You were an amazing student. You are very smart, and pick things up quickly. I don’t know where you’re going but you will be amazing.”

     Zalyin smiled with tears in her eyes. She realised she had gotten used to his accent that she forgot she was ever afraid of him. She was now anxious to leave him.

     “Thank you, Cap’n.”

     “Arrrrrr.”

     She gave him a hug and left, stronger and more determined than she had ever thought possible.

     She heard about the Techo and Nimmo on Mystery Island but decided to just go back home and get ready for saving Zulyin. Maybe they could train there together after all this was behind them.

     The journey back was much easier than it was on her way. All that training really paid off. She didn’t fear anyone; in fact, others seemed to fear her (or at least her sword she was given upon graduation). Zalyin tried her best to be friendly to show that she didn’t mean anyone any harm, unless they dare cross her. Upon reflection, she wondered how many of those she ran into on the way to the Academy were doing the same. Had she judged others unfairly in her own fear? She vowed to never do that again– unless they were hurting Zulyin of course.

     She made it home in one piece. She was worried what her parents would do or say. She wondered if Zulyin came back, then hoped she did come back so they could swap stories. She practised what she would say to her parents over and over while standing in the front yard. She was much braver and stronger than before, but she still had the good sense to respect her elders and especially respect her parents. None of her practice speeches sounded or felt right. She decided to take what was coming to her and try to explain with honesty.

     She walked through the door like she hadn’t suddenly vanished for months. Her parents were at the table but didn’t even look up when she walked in. They grunted hello at her and sighed.

     Maybe they were taking Zulyin’s loss harder than she thought. Or were they just that cold and indifferent about their children? Who’s to say, they refused to talk to her about it.

     Zalyin went into her room and started making plans. It had been 9 months since Zulyin had left through that door. She was hopeful that even though she failed before she could trigger the portal to come back. She believed her training at the academy would help inspire it to open back up and she was not afraid of what may be there waiting for her.

     She found the map she had made 11 or so months ago. Had it really been about a year that the sisters have been apart? Zalyin was scared again, but only for a moment.

     As she studied the map she had made Zalyin had formulated her game plan for the next day. With her newfound battle skills she surely would be able to find things she had missed while previously looking. Or so she told herself, she didn’t want her training to be nothing but wasted time.

     The next morning she unfolded her map for what felt like the ten billionth time and set out to familiar territory. The problem was it was all too familiar. Nothing looked unusual or changed. Sure the grass was a little taller and the trees were fuller, but for the most part it was like Zalyin had never left.

     She worried that her memory was tricking her and she was missing something. She then worried that she trained for nothing. She then worried she would never see her sister again. She then worried that she worried too much.

     Suddenly there was a loud bang and a flash of light. Zalyin covered her eyes. As she squinted towards the light a shadowy figure began walking out of a very familiar looking portal.

     “Hello, Zalyin.”

     “Zulyin! You’re back! I missed –”

      Zalyin stopped mid-sentence. What grinned back at her sounded like Zulyin, and sort of looked like Zulyin, but it definitely was not her Zulyin.

     “I’ve been waiting for you, dear sister,” Zulyin snarled.

To be continued…