The Adventures of Kilia: The One in the Window

     "Look, it's the Uni Beauty Magazine for Stylish Girls!" Moonlight, the Royal Uni gasped. Charlotte, Moonlight's Cloud Dua, sighed and said impatiently,

     "Don't you ever get bored of lip gloss and makeup and beauty and all that stuff you really don't need?"

     "I experiment," the Uni replied intelligently. Of course, that's always what Moonlight said when Charlotte asked that kind of question.

     Meanwhile, Prosper, the Darigan Ixi, and his brother, Prospex, another Darigan Ixi, were shopping for turkey, cranberry sauce, cake ingredients, bread, sugar, flour, wheat-the Ixi loved to cook. Though the looked like they were evil, the brothers were warm hearted and fun to have around. They also each had the same petpet-Miamouse --and the same colour of petpet-Plushie. The Miamice' names were Frospex and Frosper.

     Kilia herself was a Baby Lupe. She was the youngest and actually, the smartest. She adored petpets, but ironically, she herself did not have one.

     The pets left, with full hands. Except of course, for the little pet, Kilia. Instead Kilia led the way to the gift store. After the pets paid for the packages, the cold, damp quartet, petpets on shoulders, left for home. That is, until Kilia stopped and smeared herself against the petpet store's window. Sitting unhappily, with a little white bowl of soup in its wonderful, cute little paws, sat a Faellie in a cage. Kilia's siblings stopped to glance at the terrific little petpet for a moment. Kilia rapidly grew fond of the Faellie, and after a moment, was feeling the weary pet was her destiny. But instead, her siblings hustled her along, leaving the Faellie gawking miserably through its cage doors.

     "Wasn't that Faellie the most splendid, marvelous, smashing little petpet there?"

     "It was cute, now wasn't it?" Prosper mentioned slowly. "I wouldn't mind a Faellie in the house, would you, Kili?"

     "If there was one in the house, it'd be mine," Kilia replied, as they tramped down the snow and trotted down the road, "for sure it would be mine."

     "What's a Faellie?" Moonlight inquired. "It wasn't that ugly thing in the window, was it?"

     "Ugly?" Kilia gasped. "UGLY? Why, that petpet was so… super that I could have a million and still want more!"

     "You don't even have one," Moonlight snickered, "and for that matter, you don't even have a petpet!"

     Kilia ignored her sister as the snow started to fall and soak into her coat. The family turned onto their street and sped into their house, joyful to be warm again.

     ***

     "Mum! Mummy! I found this awesome petpet at the petpet store! And it was only 200 Neopoints!"

     Fox turned from the oven, a welcoming smile on her face.

     "My little one, you can't have a petpet yet! You're still a baby! Besides, the petpet was 200 thousand, not just two hundred," Fox answered warmly. "Don't you think you should grow a little more if you are going to take care of such an costly petpet?"

     "No," the Baby Lupe answered innocently, "not at all!"

     "Sweetheart, Christmas is the day after tomorrow. Have a good night's sleep. And can I ask what the petpet's name was?"

     "Well, if I could name it… maybe I would name it Princess… nah, that sounds to much like Moonligh-"

     "No, no, I meant the species name."

     Kilia cocked her head.

     "I mean," Fox explained, "like… okay, you know how Frosper and Frospex are Miamice? Do you happen to know what this petpet's species name is?"

     "I still don't know-OOOHHH!! Oh, oh! You mean… no, no, the petpet's name is Faellie!"

     "Ah…!" Fox stood with her apron on, thinking hard. "Well, have a good sleep. Some shut eye. I'll see you in the morning."

     And slightly drooped did Kilia walk to her room, heaving a big sigh.

     ***

     "Kilia! Wake up!"

     The Lupe groaned at clawed at her pillow, ignoring the sharp talons of one of her identical brothers poking her.

     "Kili! We have to wrap and make cards and stuff! What are you waiting for?"

     "More sleep," moaned Kilia, and she folded her head into a pillow sandwich.

     "I've been up since 6:30, though!"

     Kilia groggily opened one eye and asked Prosper,

     "What time is it now?"

     "It's 2:00 in the AFTERNOON!"

     Kilia bolted up in her bed, banged her head on the roof of the first bed of she and Moonlight's bunk bed, and fell straight down again.

     "2:00? Why, that's a new record!" Kilia giggled, then her face began solemn. "Don't lie."

     "I'm not!" cried her brother. "Check my watch!"

     ***

     "Bedtime!" Fox called, bringing the sounds of ribbon-curling and the scratching sound of of wearing-out markers to a stop. "Poogle Claus won't come if you stay up late!"

     "Aww, Fox!"Charlotte whined, "we're having soo much fun!"

     "I know, but I have to make a big Faerie Turkey in the morning, along with pies, and cakes, cookies and good food like that bright and early after unwrapping."

     "Oka-a-a-ay." The pets slumped, tired but joyful, up the stairs, falling asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

     "Hey, Kili," came a familiar voice, "like my dress?"

     Kilia opened her eyes and looked as Moonlight pranced around in a fresh, ironed dress with flares and poofs and puffs.

     "Fantastic," Kilia replied, jumping out of bed, grabbing her necklace with silver letters across it that read I(heart)Me, and sped down the laundry chute. With a clack, the Baby Lupe tumbled down and landed straight in the living room, on a pile of pillows.

     After some unwrapping and gasping of presents, Kilia raised a big box from under the good-smelling tree that was addressed to her. She carefully peeled off the wrapping paper and slowly lifted the lid off. And out popped the same Faellie she'd seen in the store!

     ***

     Epilogue: Four Months Later

     ***

     "Star? Star? Where are you?"

     The Faellie was named Starlight after Kilia received him. Star was full of imagination, and Kilia was proud she could take care of a petpet so early in her life. She and her Faellie were a wonderful act together, and perfectly inseparable together. But Star and Kilia weren't going to stop their adventures there. Nuh-uh. Star also got along beautifully with Frosper, Frospex and Charlotte.

     "Oh there you are... going down the laundry chute?!"

     "Yeah... you've been down there, eh? To think I was crammed in there...!"

The End

Hopefully more stories about the impractical family of Kilia and Star are to come! Keep your eyes out for: The Adventures of Kilia: Petpet School, The Adventures of Kilia: Three Wishes, and also The Adventures of Kilia: Eating Socks?