Star of Neopia

by christinetran

     "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" a cheerful voice rang out and echoed into my room, resonating in my ear at an incredible volume. "It's time to get up! Genee! Hopper! Bloo! Up, up, up, up!"

     I sat in my bed, listening intently as I heard the cries of distress as the other sleeping forms that resided within this Neohome were awakened. In moments, I soon heard the pounding sound of paws rush down the hallway and into my room, jumping right through my slightly open door. With a cry, I fell back as three bodies rocketed into mine and pushed me against the soft cushions of my bed, knocking the air out of my lungs and nearly making me faint.

     "Up and Adam, CT!" Tiger cried with glee, his large, spotted paws nearly suffocating me. Tiger was a Spotted Eyrie, who, like the others, was too energetic for his own good. His eyes were a golden yellow that held an icy stare in them, but his smile was warm and touching. The feathers upon his wings ruffled slightly as he shifted his weight from one paw to the other, making me wince once more before I pushed his paws off my chest.

     "Soon, you're going to be larger than the Turmaculus," I said jokingly and ruffled the fur on top of his head.

     "If that ever happens, then maybe he could eat the Turmaculus as an act of revenge for eating Hoppy number one!" Hopper, a Faerie Kacheek, shouted as she delicately jumped off of me and flapped her semitransparent wings in the morning sunlight. Hoppy (number one) was the Sproing petpet that Hopper used to own before it's unfortunate demise at the jaws of the Turmaculus; now, she refuses to take her Hopper (number two) to Meridell out of the fear of losing her second petpet.

     "Oh, don't be silly, Hopper dear," Bloo, a Christmas Grundo, said back in a sophisticated tone as he pulled his Christmas jacket about him tighter. "Tiger can't even finish a slice of bread." His red eyes gleamed devilishly as Tiger jumped angrily him with a cry of anger.

     I laughed delightedly as my Eyrie and Grundo started pinching each other on the floor, my eyes gleaming enthusiastically at their energy. "All right, guys, break it up," I chirped and threw a pretty pink pillow at them, nearly missing Bloo's large, red eyes. Just as the pillow landed on the floor, I heard the sound of oncoming footsteps and stared into the adjoined room. Sitting there, staring silently at the commotion, was my dear Skunk Lupe, Genee.

     His eyes were a delicate shade of yellow that glowed brighter than the gorgeous, morning light. His fur was pure dark except for the splashes of white upon his fur. His head was slightly tilted, and a goofy smile played upon his face as he stared at his family. With a flick of his furry tail, he said happily, "Good morning guys."

     "G'morning Genee," we all echoed back at him, and I saw his smile become larger. Genee sat up and walked towards us, carefully avoiding contact with either Tiger or Bloo. With a smooth, agile jump, he leaped onto the other end of my bed and once again stared at me, his soft, almond eyes simply filled with adoration and fire. With a quick sweep of his eyes, he glanced at all of us. He stared at Hopper and I, my hand placed lovingly upon her yellow head. He gazed at Tiger's front legs placed threateningly around Bloo's neck, and a small chuckle escaped his lips as he watched Bloo tried to escape Tiger's tight hold. Finally, he glanced down at his paws forlornly, and the flames that once danced in his eyes disappeared and soon were filled with a deep sadness.

     "Beau...beautiful morning, huh?" Genee said while stuttering before he leapt off the bed and started walking towards the door, not even waiting for an answer to his question. "I'm going to get breakfast, okay, CT?" he said more boldly this time, but a hint of distress was still able to slip through. I gave out a sigh as I looked at his dejected form disappear from sight, and I reluctantly withdrew my hand from atop Hopper's head.

     "I'll...I'll go downstairs as well," Hopper said and flew off after her youngest brother, her wings flapping energetically as she disappeared around the corner. Tiger and Bloo untangled themselves and followed suit, but I just sat there on the bed, my eyes cast downward as I breathed out a heavy sigh.

     Genee wasn't exactly different...just, not the same as everyone else. When I first created Genee, the moment my hands laid themselves upon his soft fur, a flicker of electricity shocked me. I soon discovered that Genee was born with an odd case of shock-a-lots...quite an odd case indeed. He couldn't be cured; no matter how much ultra rubber gloves I used, the static that resided in his fur just couldn't go away. Because of this, nobody could touch him...well, they could, but they would risk a chance of being electrocuted.

     As a pup, I would buy him hundreds of plushies just so that he's allowed the chance to hug something warm and soft. Of course, all of his plushies usually caught fire the first time he hugged them, but the look of happiness upon his face whenever he hugs a toy simply touched my heart. All his life, he watched in the shadows as his three older siblings played tag and wrestle together, while he simply stood in the back, surrounded by his ruined toys. Every cold night of winter, he would sit on the other side of the sofa as his family slept on the opposite end, a book lying open upon their blankets. He had no friends; to be more precise, he did have friends, he just couldn't play with them. His entire life was lonely.

     This was quite an unfortunate event, especially considering the fact that Genee was quite a lovable pet. A smile was always on his face no matter what, and his eyes were just drenched with love and adoration for the people he cares about the most. He would spend all his Neopoints on presents for his friends, and he was the most intent listener you could meet in Neopia. Despite the fact that he had never had the opportunity to hug or place a reassuring paw upon someone's shoulder, his joy is like a star that shall never dim in the night sky.

     I gave out a heaving sigh and reluctantly got up; I knew that I've been dwelling and dreaming for too long, so with another yawn and stretch, I walked out of my room and into the hallway. I turned to the right and was just about to descend the stairs before I heard a sniffle coming from down the hallway.

     "Hopper? Is that you?" I asked uncertainly, for I knew that Hopper, being the girl of the family, was the one most likely to cry. I waited a few seconds for an answer, but no reply came. Biting my bottom lip, I traversed the hallway towards the origin of the sound, and I soon found myself standing in the doorway of Genee's room.

     A tropical scent reached my nose as I walked into Genee's room. Everything in the bedroom was filled with tropical furniture; bamboo beds, chairs, lamps, etc. It was one of the most peaceful places in the house, and I usually come here when I need a break from reality. Another sniffle resonated out of a corner; when I glanced there, I was surprised to see the despairing form of Genee. Worried lines appeared on my face as I quickly crossed the room to his side.

     "Dearest, what's wrong?" I asked and was about to place a comforting hand on his back before he snapped quickly at it. "Oh, sorry, Genee..." I said apologetically and withdrew my hand.

     "No, it's okay, I don't blame you, CT," he said and looked at me with a smile on his lips. His eyes were still bright, but teardrops clung to his eyelids and his face. He sniffled once more before he placed his head upon his paws and gave out a heaving sigh. "I look so normal...so like a Skunk Lupe, I can't blame you for forgetting about my condition..."

     "Genee, don't say that, deary," I said softly, remembering to not place my hand on him this time. "You're still perfect...everyone has their flaws."

     "I know, CT, and I can accept this flaw of mine. It's just that...when I saw you with Tiger, Bloo, and Hopper this morning...so happy, so glad..." Genee blinked once more and a tear slid down his cheek. "You know that I love you and the others, right, CT?"

     "Of course I do, and the others know as well."

     "But I can't help but feel different whenever I'm with you guys," Genee whispered back in a quick tone. "Do you remember my tenth birthday?" he asked and glanced at me with his saddened eyes.

     I nodded in response.

     "Well, on that day, everyone was so happy. Aunt Spuddie was there, and so were my cousins...I was happy at first, too...that is, until we started playing games. I knew that most of the games involved contact, so I withdrew to the shadows, for I didn't want anyone to get hurt. But...sitting there, seeing everyone so happy, I felt so disappointed. It was then that I realized how different I was, and I cried for the first time. It was my birthday, and I was crying, but no one noticed because everyone else was too busy having fun..."

     My eyes watered slightly, but I quickly brushed them away with a flick of my hand. "Genee, that's not true, we do care about y-"

     "But it doesn't seem like it..." Genee whispered back at me. He breathed in shakily, his paws shaking slightly. He looked at me yearningly, his eyes innocent and pure, yet filled with a deep hatred that I've never seen in him before. "It never seems like it..." he whispered, his voice shaking. "Every night you and the other three would sit in front of the fire and read the Neopian Times while I sit back and listen. I see you ruffle Tiger's hair, pinch Hoppers cheek, and hug Bloo closer to you, and I get jealous! I want to get hugged or poked or have my hair ruffled, but I can't just because I'm different! CT...I care about you and my family so much, but I can't help but feel a bit of despite. A simple hug, a pat on the back, these are the unrealized joys that Neopians everywhere have that I can't have."

     I sat there, speechless and eyes filled with tears. I looked at my usually peaceful and happy Lupe, lying there, his face completely torn with distress, his eyes yearning for the thing that he cannot obtain. "I'm...I'm sorry, Genee..."

     Genee glanced at me with his fiery eyes, and in seconds, the fire within slowly died down. He stepped towards me awkwardly before he stepped back once more, his head pointed towards the ground. "No, I'm sorry, CT. I know that my condition is hard on you, too," he whispered, his voice slowly dying down with each syllable. With another smile, he looked up at me and said, "Remember every night, you come into our rooms and tuck us in, thinking we're asleep?" I nodded in response. "Well, I can't go to sleep because the sound my static makes always keeps me up, but I pretend that I'm asleep. Because of that, I'm able see you come into my room and stand there, staring at me, your eyes filled with tears, and I just want to get up and hug you and tell you that everything's going to be all right...but I can't do that. Instead, I just lay there, pretending that I'm asleep while the person who cares about me the most looks at me, crying, because she cares about me, too, and doesn't know how to make me happy."

     I bit my lip and breathed in, surprised at this sudden news. Another flood of tears flew down my face and I gave out another sigh as I shifted my weight from one knee to the other. "You know that if I could, I would cure your disease in a second, Genee."

     A smile once again put itself upon Genee's face as he chuckled slightly. "And if I could give just one hug to anybody in Neopia, I would give that hug to you, CT..." with a despairing glance, he looked out the window and at the brightness outside. "Did you ever wonder about how sad stars are..." he whispered quietly. "So full of joy and life and brightness...something that helps illuminate the world although everything else is drenched in darkness. Yet, stars are as lonely as I am, for no matter how much they move, they can never touch another star...when people look up, they see the stars surrounded by so many others, but they never see a star joined with another one..."

     Genee turned away from the window and looked at me, his eyes lingering for a moment on the tears upon my face before they glanced down. "Funny, isn't it? How something so full of life...so beautiful, so divine, so perfect...lives in such a dark, cold place, doomed to live in shadows and loneliness until they disappear from the grief of solitude..."

     I looked adoringly at Genee, taking in his words carefully, more tears sliding down my cheeks. His eyes lingered upon me for a few seconds before they turned away and stared outside once more. A look of longing was in his eyes, mingled with the ever constant sadness that reigned within him. His entire body was rigid, almost as if he was frozen within, and the only movements that I could see upon him was the occasional light dancing off his yellow eyes and into the window which he stared at. He seemed so cold, and yet so warm at the same time; I knew that Genee was perfect in his own ways.

     In a strange way, I knew that Genee was a star that lived on Neopia. Alone and forgotten, yet he was still able to shine a light upon all he knew and loved every day.

The End

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