Star of Neopia by christinetran |  |
The morning light slowly slipped through the curtains of
my room, awakening me the moment their warmth touched my skin. I slowly got up
and yawned, preparing myself for the day to come. Throwing my legs onto the floor,
I yawned once more and stared angrily at the brightness behind my curtain. Why
couldn't today be cloudy? I asked myself before I suddenly heard a shout from
the next room.
"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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