Part I – The Beginning
Shaina and Amity laughed as Shaina sipped from her container
of Rainborific Slushie.
Shaina’s colourful fur matched the drink very
well, and it was her favourite food of all. It was nice and cool to relax herself,
and it wasn’t bad for her health either. She drank it almost everyday, even
in the winter.
“This is some cool party, huh, Shaina?” commented
Amity, as she put down her glass of apple juice. “I love the music in the background,
the song of the Jazzmosis is so awesome and soothing, just like your slushie
there, Shaina.”
Shaina nodded. The two Aishas looked around,
as the CD that was playing switched to playing M*YNCI songs. As they did this,
Amity sighed.
“I love holidays, but they’re just too short.
We’ll have to go back to being detectives again, and it’s so tedious, most of
the time. Neopia hasn’t had a major crime since Dr. Sloth came, and Agent Magnolia
takes care of all the other ones.”
“Mag is a crime fighter, not a crime detective,
so we detect, she takes care of it,” replied Shaina, shrugging slightly.
“Ugh,” growled Amity, pointing to a piece of
gum stuck on her paw. “Stupid gum-spitters! Now I know why they banned it in
Neopian Schools! Uck! Let’s go home, Shaina.”
Shaina finished off her drink, tossed it in the
garbage, and hurried alongside Amity.
Amity and Shaina had been best friends since
they were a few weeks old, and they always went out together to parties whenever
possible. They even had the same jobs, and always told each other their secrets.
Shaina and Amity walked through the dark streets
of Neopia. The wind had made the weather cold, and it brushed against their
thick coats and made their hats fly around everywhere. They needed to put a
paw on top of the hats until they reached home.
“I’LL go buy some groceries, and you can head
home,” informed Shaina, as they approached their small, wooden NeoHome.
“Right,” replied Amity, nodded slightly, and
heading up the steps of their house. “It’s windy, so watch out!”
Shaina walked briskly through the dim streets,
as shiny bicycles rode by, heading homeward. At night-time, many criminals and
thieves struck, but Shaina never carried anything valuable with her, only a
few Neopoints and possibly some Rainborific Slushie.
As she was walking, Shaina had not noticed a
dark shadow lurking behind her. She was walking toward the store when the shadow
grabbed her and took her to a small, abandoned alley.
Shaina squeaked quietly, as the object released
her. Then she realized that the thing that grabbed her was a neopet in a large
cloak, and looked much like a detective himself.
“W—who are you?” staggered Shaina, as she backed
up against a wall.
“Chancellor, and Sir Chancellor to you,”
replied the Neopet, taking off his black hat and bowing.
Sir Chancellor revealed himself as a fire Lupe,
and put his hat back on. “You are perfect for the job, Shaina,” he said, his
eyes serious and still.
As Shaina wondered how he knew her name and what
type of job it was, he continued. “You’re the perfect size, and you walk through
the road like you are nothing but a black shadow. You hardly make any noise
at all. Yes, even when I caught you.”
“What do you want me to do?” asked Shaina finally,
as she began to feel calm and at ease again, knowing that she was not in grave
danger.
Sir Chancellor handed her an odd devise. “You
will find out. Meet me here” — he handed her his card — “when you have decided.”
With that, the mysterious, and old, Lupe disappeared
instantly, and somehow Shaina felt it was all a dream. She knew it wasn’t though,
because she could feel the wind blowing behind her, her fur standing on end,
and the texture of the devise in her palm.
***
Aisha Dark Shadow moved silently through the night, her dark fur blending with
the sky and objects around her. Nobody could spot her, because she was so brilliantly
camouflaged that nobody would even have a feeling that she was racing down the
street.
She was about to enter a large building, preparing
to take out her important equipment. She took out a rope with a hook attached,
and threw it in the air. It landed on the edge of the roof, and she checked
the make sure it was safe enough to climb.
The Aisha climbed swiftly up the rope, it too
camouflaging against the mansion’s walls.
When Aisha Dark Shadow reached the roof, she
took the rope and put it back in her pack, and walked silently across the flat
ground. She then scanned the roof for an entrance, and not long after, she had
found one.
It was a skylight, big enough for her to go through.
It was so simple, as if they were expecting her. Just in case they were, she
hid against the wall and tiptoed inside without making a sound.
The mansion’s floors were wood and neatly polished.
It was made from real oak, and was patterned nicely on the ground, while the
walls were smooth and had a glint of gold in them. The ceiling was unlike any
other. It looked as though there wasn’t a ceiling at all, for it was navy blue,
and stars glittered.
There were beautiful winding stairs leading upward,
but that was not where Aisha Dark Shadow was about to go. She crept through
the silent house swiftly, and finally, she found it.
***
The next day, Shaina and Amity went to work. They met in a large laboratory
near Poogle Mountain. It was very tiring to walk so far, but they somehow seemed
to manage.
“What’s the case, sir?” joked Amity, as she walked
into the meeting room.
The president of the Detective HQ sighed and
shook his head. They could have sworn they heard him mutter, “Kids these days,”
but remained quiet.
“Amity,” said the President, who was an Eyrie.
“You know we haven’t had a case in twelve months.”
“A year, sir,” smirked Amity. “But I’ve always
wondered, why isn’t there many things for us to do? It’s so tedious and boring.”
“Well, we always have the usual work,” pointed
out the President. “Sorting, sorting, sorting,” he said with a chuckle.
Amity sighed and sat in her office. Shaina giggled
and scanned through all the data, until she reached a paper.
“Wow!” she exclaimed, as she flipped through
the file. “A rich Neopian showing off his special artifact — today! — at 2888
Cairn Close… sounds like a neat party. Hey, Amity!”
***
Shaina and Amity entered the steps of the mansion. They were stone and wonderfully
carved, and were very colourful.
Inside the large house were polished oak tiles,
stretching all the way through the great hall, the room they were currently
in. Many people had arrived before them, and were crowding around the room,
eating, drinking, and talking.
Not long after they arrived, the host had come.
He was a Chia, very short and plump, wearing a green suit with a pair of Rowzez
in the pocket. He stepped forward to a display, and uncovered the object.
“This is the Sword of the Air Faerie, ladies
and gentlemen! It was created by the very first Air Faerie in Neopia.
Take a closer look at the magnificently shiny blade, and the winding handle
of the sword. And the wings! It must be the best part of it…”
The Chia went on, and Amity glanced at the sword
warily. “Where could he have gotten that, anyway? ‘From the first Air Faerie’.
He could be a thief! We are detectives, so let’s check it out.”
Shaina doubted it, but she listened to the chubby
Chia speak. “Of course, this is a valuable item from the Hidden Tower, owned
by the Faerie Queen. You would need seven million Neopoints to get your hands
on this thing, and obviously, that’s nothing considering I’m one of the richest
Neopians in all of Neopia!!!”
Amity snorted angrily but also listened to the
jabber. “Now, I bet you all know where the Hidden Tower is, but just in case
you didn’t know…”
The Chia told everyone where it was, and a group
of female Kyriis giggled beside him. They spoke to each other, until Amity backed
off and stared at Shaina.
“Excuse me while I puke!” yelled Amity, sticking
out her tongue at them. “Let’s go home, Shaina.”
As they left, voices rang in Shaina’s ear. The
voice of Sir Chancellor, “You will find out. Meet me here when you have decided”
and of a new voice, gentle, but solemn. “Stolen…”
To be continued...
Author's Note: Agent Magnolia’s name was used with permission from Peachifruit! |