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Chloe was silently munching on her Cheese Sandwich, eyes
gazing at the kitchen window that presented a stunning view of the outdoors. It
was soundless in the small residence; just the way Chloe enjoyed it. However,
the silence broke when her owner, Aiden, abruptly stepped into the diminutive
kitchen.
"Whatcha' doing, Chloe?" the thirteen-year old
boy inquired as he began rummaging around the top cupboard for cup.
The orange Zafara broke her gaze from the crystal
window and cocked her head to the direction where Aiden was standing.
"Nothing much," she replied. "I'm just eating
a sandwich."
Aiden seized a tall glass from the cupboard and
stepped over to the sink, where he then filled it with cool, refreshing water.
"Cool," he remarked. "Anyways, I was thinking
that maybe we could go take a stroll around The High Street. You know, go get
some cool air and do some chatting."
Chloe paused for a moment, wondering if she ought
to stay home or go take the walk with Aiden. She settled on the walk.
"Sure," she told the boy in a simple matter.
Chloe was what you could call an inimitable Zafara.
She was not one to express her emotions by socializing with other pets. She
simply kept to herself and reflected on one single question that she had wanted
to figure out ever since she had first been introduced to the overexcited world
of Neopia: What is the genuine meaning of friendship and love?
However, the older she grew, the harder she found
it to answer the most difficult question of all, which had so stubbornly fastened
itself in her mind and refused to let go until she could solve it.
Aiden hastily unbolted the front door and called
to his pet, "Come on, Chloe! Let's go!"
Chloe slid off her chair and scuttled to the
front door, where her owner was edgily waiting. Aiden was one of the many people
who just had to do everything as quickly as he possibly could. But Chloe was
different; she was calm and never liked to speed things. She constantly told
herself: What is the point of life if you rush all the time that is given
to you and never truly experience a single moment of it?
Aiden and Chloe stepped out into the warm air
that surrounded them, their home and the rest of Neopia Central. The great sun
was languidly hanging on the lively, baby blue sky with the twitters of Pawkeets
echoing throughout Bracknell Road.
Aiden and Chloe stepped on the descending concrete
steps and began walking down the lengthy sidewalk.
"Uh," Aiden spoke aloud hesitantly, "s-something's
been… I-I don't know, upsetting me lately."
This statement startled Chloe. Her owner was
generally never distressed. He was a contented and kind person and this -- how
Chloe always knew it -- was how it was meant to stay.
"Upset?" she questioned wearily. "What do you
mean?"
"Well, it's just that… you seem so lonely and
quiet all the time," he explained delicately. "I'm just afraid that something
is bothering you."
This remark upset the Zafara much more then the
previous one.
"So what if I'm lonely and quiet!" Chloe cried
in an exasperated tone.
Aiden was taken aback by the sudden outburst.
"I-I'm sorry I-if I hurt you." He was stammering,
clearly not knowing what to say.
"YOU DON'T EVEN MEAN IT!" Chloe bellowed, yet
louder.
Aiden gazed at her with a look of astonishment.
Never had he seen his pet react in such a livid way. He blinked and a tear suddenly
glided down his left cheek.
"I do mean it," he whispered softly. He tilted
his head down at the sidewalk and snivelled at full volume.
It suddenly hit Chloe that she had roughly damaged
her owner's feelings.
"Look Aiden," she whispered, "I'm terribly sorry…
and you are right. I am a lonesome Zafara. And it's not because I'm uncanny
or anything of that sort. It's just… I don't like talking to people or pets
in general. Except for you, that is. I don't know why but I just don't."
Aiden nodded. "Of course you don't," he added
in a whispered tone.
He tentatively lifted up his head until he came
face to face with Chloe. His face was streaked in tears and his eyes were puffed
up.
"Let's go back home," Chloe said calmly. Aiden
nodded in concurrence. The Zafara slid her hand into Aiden's hand and the two
began walking back to their dwelling.
****************
It had been two weeks since the episode on the sidewalk and for Chloe; the
memories of the emotional argument had swiftly washed away from her mind. Bad
reminiscences did not usually stay in Chloe's head for long.
On this particular day, Chloe was lying outside
on her backside in the>garden. The grass was a flourishing green with effervescent
flowers hastily sprouting from the soft soil. The pet stared at the vibrant
sky, pondering on the question that she had been thinking about her whole life.
Her thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted when
she perceived the voice of Aiden and a young pet from the entrance of the garden.
Chloe instantly bolted herself up from the ground. The Zafara began suspiciously
creeping towards the entrance of the gate to find out who the voice belonged
to.
The gate abruptly flew open and standing there
was Aiden, with a beam on his face. There was also a young, pink Cybunny, whose
head was poking out from beside Aiden's tall, slim legs.
"Who is this?" Chloe snapped rudely. Chloe did
not enjoy the stopover of unknown strangers; especially one's who cut through
her contemplating.
"This is Seneca," Aiden replied cheerfully, not
noticing the irritated look on Chloe's face. He then contentedly added, "She's
going to be living with us from now on."
A look of astonishment speedily washed over Chloe's
aggravated face. Her eyes grew wide and her ears twitched nervously. She felt
as the whole world had suddenly dropped down on her and had crushed her like
a dead weed. How could her owner have done such a thing? He knew that she had
made a strict remark on not wanting any siblings.
With a sibling running around the house, she
would never be able to solve the question that life had handed her to figure
out. Not knowing what to do, Chloe let out a small cry and raced to the indoors
of her home. She confusingly darted up to her room and leapt on her bed, where
she then began silently weeping.
Six hours had gradually passed by for Chloe.
She did not want to step out of her room for the reason that Seneca was waiting
for her outside.
Stupid little Cybunny… Chloe had told
herself over a dozen times. Thinks she so great!
Nightfall quickly took overtook daytime and Chloe's
room had now become pitch black. All the crying and weeping had made Chloe too
lazy to stand up and switch on the lights. Chloe simply stuffed her head in
her pillow and yelled nasty comments regarding Seneca. However, sleepiness overtook
Chloe as well, and soon the orange Zafara drifted off into a deep, dark slumber.
***************
"BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!" The alarm clock annoyingly tooted and immediately awoke
Chloe from her imaginings. She was wholly tangled in her white sheets, and the
sun, which burst its rays through the windowpane, had drenched her in damp sweat.
Chloe rubbed her eyes softly with her paws and slowly stood up from her cozy
bed. The Zafara leisurely treaded out of her room, not caring that she was in
her cotton pyjamas.
"Chloe!" she heard a small voice pipe from the
guest room. Chloe threw her attention to the entrance of the guest room and
let a gasp escape from her maw. Seneca was innocently standing there, still
wearing her pyjamas as well. The Zafara had forgotten all about the bad memories
that had occurred the day before. The recollections swiftly whacked her like
a pile of bricks.
Chloe felt a sudden urge to scurry back to her
room. However, she simply stood there, gazing at the pink Cybunny who seemed
as if she were weary and anxious at the same time.
"P-please don't l-leave," Seneca stuttered; tears
already welling up in her dark, green eyes."I didn't mean to make you angry.
Aiden choose to adopt me. There was nothing I could do."
Chloe continued staring at Seneca as if she,
herself, was a statue.
Seneca continued, "Look, if you don't want me
here, I can leave and run away."
"NO!" Chloe unexpectedly spurted out. Wait
a minute… she said to herself, why did I just do that?
However, the Zafara did not have time to think
of her previous action for Seneca added another comment, "Y-you don't w-want
me to leave?"
Chloe paused for a moment. Did she really want
this Cybunny to live with her? Seneca looked like a chatty sort of a pet and
Chloe did not want to be bothered for months and years. However, looks were
deceiving and if Chloe told Seneca to run away, the Cybunny would be living
on the streets or would have go back to the pound, where there was the chance
that a dreadful owner could adopt her. Plus, her owner would be furious at her
for doing such a thing. She imagined the look on his face if she ever told him
suck horrifying news. Icy shivers abruptly flew down her spine.
The settlement suddenly sunk in her meditative
and Chloe responded quietly, "No, I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay
here."
A wide grin overtook Seneca's once frightened
face. She let out a yelp of joy, ran to her new sister and gave her the biggest
cuddle anyone could ever ask for. Yet, Chloe was not distressed by the sudden
hug. Instead, she was pleased that she had made Seneca blissful.
"What's going on here?" a voice suddenly inquired.
Chloe let go of Seneca and jerked her head to
the foot of the staircase. Standing there was Aiden, with a surprised expression
plastered onto his face. However, words did not respond to Aiden's query. A
single smile was all it took to illustrate that Chloe wanted Seneca as her sister.
Aiden let a grin escape from his face as well. He ran to his two pets and the
trio all gave each other a long and tight hug. The three were now a family.
*************
"Chloe, can you please pass me the cheese?"
"Sure sis."
Chloe and Seneca were both stationed in the kitchen,
preparing their lunches, for Aiden was gone to the High Street to buy some food
and toys for the two sisters. Chloe tugged the refrigerator door open and seized
the packaged cheese that was lying in the corner. She handed it to Seneca and
paced to the table, where her own lunch was awaiting her. The Zafara slid into
her chair and took a drink of water from her glass whilst gazing at the kitchen
window. Seneca leaped onto the chair beside her and stared at the kitchen window
as well.
Chloe had recently discovered that Seneca and
her had matching personalities. The two enjoyed reflecting on the same question
(Seneca had been wondering it ever since she was a small toddler as well) and
discussing their unique opinions.
"Chloe, I think I figured out what love and friendship
truly mean," Seneca suddenly proclaimed. However, Chloe did not respond to the
comment. She simply turned her attentiveness to Seneca and listened intently.
"They don't mean anything. They're merely words.
The true meanings are the emotions that run through our veins. Love and friendship
is what we have and is what we shall always possess."
Chloe smiled and whispered, "You found the answer,
Seneca." The Zafara then added, "I guess it takes two to answer the most difficult
question that life has posed us."
Seneca nodded and returned her attention to the
kitchen window. Chloe followed Seneca's act. The kitchen was soundless; just
the way Chloe and Seneca enjoyed it. The two sisters commenced munching on their
cheese sandwiches and afterwards, began pondering on a new question that life
would challenge them to solve.
The End
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