The Last Question

     "Okay, for a whopping 1 million, all you have to do is answer this last question I'm going to give you. Lily, are you ready?"

     The nervous faerie Bori gulped. Just one more correct trivia answer and she would become a Neomillionaire in the blink of an eye. The audience members eyed her anxiously. She stared at the quizmaster, who was busy flipping through the cards to find a good question, and tried to regain her composure as the tall, swanky Bruce read out the question.

     "When did the famous Plushie Tycoon, Duncan de Gelert, die?" asked the host.

     Lily cocked her head. After tiring her eyes out from reading the almost-complete history of Neopia, after all the items she had answered with almost no effort, she had encountered something she hadn't even come across in her research. So the Bori decided to hazard a guess.

     "Uh…um…the 27th Day of Hunting?" she said, scratching her head and wondering how the date popped into her head.

     At first the quizmaster raised an eyebrow and stared at Lily. A tense pause hung in the air as the audience and the player waited for his verdict. After what felt like forever and a day, the Bruce sighed, adjusting his snazzy bow tie. "Well, that was close, but not right. Oh well, no million for you, but just so you don't feel like a loser, here's five thousand anyway. Thanks for playing, and it was fun having you!"

     The spectators clapped quite a bit as the faerie Bori left the stage, obviously downhearted. Meanwhile, the Bruce shook his head in pity. "Poor dear, she was so close to the jackpot! Well, that's all for today, on 'HIT ME WITH HISTORY'!!! If you wish to challenge yourselves and see if you can win a million in Neopoints, drop me a message at 131313 Bread Street, Neopia Central! You can't miss it!"

***

     Lily barged into her Neohome on Bread Street, which, she realized, was just a short walk over to the quizmaster's domain. She kicked the door open angrily, with a bag of 5,000 NP and called out, "Megan?"

     "Lily?" A faerie Scorchio called out. "How was the Neopian History contest? Did you win? I bet you did!"

     Her sister shot her an exasperated, tired expression and said sarcastically, "Gee, would I be this sad if I won? Would I be clutching such a small bag of cash instead of dragging a huge sack towards you? I didn't win, okay? That last question got me before I could get the prize. Duncan de Gelert…I didn't get the date of his death."

     Megan stared at her.

     "What? You better not be rubbing this into my face. I worked so hard for this and I was so close to getting the jackpot!" Lily narrowed her eyes irritably.

     "But it's not that," said the Scorchio meekly. "Did you say 'Duncan de Gelert'?"

     "Yeah, but so what? Because of him - "

     Her friend waved her arms. "Hello, Neopia to Lily? He's not even dead yet! That really rich and famous Plushie Tycoon is still alive and living on our street! What, is your quizmaster crazy?"

     The faerie Bori gasped. "Hold on, did you say Bread Street? I never knew that he even lived on our lane! What's his address?"

     "131313 Bread Street. Why? He lives with a Bruce named Clarence. He's - "

     "The quizmaster of 'Hit Me With History'!" said Lily. "I bet they set me up just so I won't take 1 million Neopoints away from them! Those little - "

     Megan shook her head. "But what can you do now?" She watched as her sibling thought for a moment and walk into her room. After a few minutes, she saw the Bori come out, clad in all black, and wearing a mask so that only her eyes could be seen.

     "I'll pay them a visit. Tonight," said Lily in a mysterious voice. She packed her trusty Lost Desert Dagger at her belt, along with a bottle of Essence of Everlasting Apple. Waving good-bye at the astonished faerie Scorchio, she dashed out the door and underneath the night sky once again.

     Quickly, the faerie Bori began combing the street for the Neohome at 131313. It was quite easy, as it was only a few steps away from her place. She walked over to the nearest window, making sure she wasn't seen by anyone inside. Thankfully the two figures had their backs to her. Lily tiptoed towards the back, and found her way to the backdoor, which was unlocked. She ducked behind a refrigerator and saw a very familiar Bruce talking to an unfamiliar Gelert.

     "So I used your name. Just like you said," the Bruce was saying. "At least we only lost five thousand Neopoints, and not a million, Duncan."

     "Well, it was a slick scheme, Clarence," answered the fire Gelert. "I can't believe that smart-aleck Bori even got to the last question!"

     "She's a history addict," remarked his comrade. "Thanks for letting me use your name so we can keep the cash. Well, it's been a long day for me; I'm going to bed. 'Night."

     "'Night," said Duncan, standing up from his armchair. "I've got the need for a sundae before I hit the hay." He watched Clarence walked up the stairs, yawning along the way.

     Lily saw the Gelert head towards her hiding place. As he opened the refrigerator, barely batting an eye on the little trespasser, he began muttering to himself. "Little geek…thank goodness I thought of getting him to use my name so we stay rich, famous Neomillionaires!" He laughed, a giddy smile on his face as he rummaged through the food. All of a sudden, Duncan heard someone's footsteps. He looked up and found himself staring at a shadowy figure before him.

     "Are you Duncan de Gelert?" she asked in a low voice.

     "Yes - I mean, no - yes, but - " He shrank back in fright and surprise. "Who are you?"

     "I have come to take you down, Duncan de Gelert," said the disguised faerie Bori. "Your name and your scheme cost me a million Neopoints, and you shall pay for it."

     "Whoa, whoa, let's talk about this, okay? I don't know how you found out, but you're not going to lay your grubby paws on me. Never!" He ran out the kitchen and sprinted for the front door. Lily followed behind. Before Duncan could slam the door in her face, she zoomed out before it closed.

     He looked back, and when he saw the shady stranger still at his heels, the fire Gelert was struck with an idea as he slowed down before hitting a tree. Swinging his feet up onto the first branch, he began to climb as fast as he could, stepping over bough after bough. As the Bori arrived, she just caught sight of a fiery-colored paw disappearing within the leaves. She flew upwards and followed her quarry, who nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of her.

     "How'd you find me?" he gasped in horror. Looking over at his right, Duncan could only see the rooftop of his Neohome. With another terrified glance at the mysterious stranger, he took a deep breath and leapt onto it, grabbing onto the edge with his paws before he could fall off, not knowing that she could fly.

     She did.

     Without another thought, the fire Gelert climbed onto the roof and ran away from the figure pursuing him.

     "Please don't hurt me!" he cried out in desperation, looking at her. "Why must I suffer?"

     "You made me suffer," replied Lily. "You cheated just so you could keep the million Neopoints. But that was very wrong. You deprived me of a chance to shine for once in my life." She hovered nearer the Gelert. "I can't believe you and the game host did this to me."

     "But I swear, I - " Suddenly, before Duncan could say anything else, he felt his feet slip underneath him. He tried to regain his balance, but unfortunately, he fell backwards and slid off the roof, screaming as he plummeted to the ground. The faerie Bori heard a thump as the yells ceased.

     At that exact moment, clocks everywhere struck twelve.

12:00 AM, NEOPIA CENTRAL, 27TH DAY OF HUNTING

The End