Most pets have a first memory; at least most pets have
a happy first memory. I'm not one of them. I read all these stories of pets
remembering times when they were with their true parents, or snuggling next
to there owner, brothers, and, sisters in front of a warm fire. I think why
couldn't my memories be this wonderful. Why am I the one who has no idea who
she is or where she's from? The first thing I remember was a hot place, staring
up into the sky, while sand swirled all around me. And while some pets have
dreams that before they were adopted or brought from the Create a Pet Centre,
that they were royalty or some sort, but deep down they know they are as normal
as can be. Yes, I admit I did have these dreams. Well, at least my dream came
true.
***
"Michelle! Come here."
"What?!" I looked up to see a tall girl
with her dark brown hair pulled up into a messy bun. She was drying her hands
on a dishtowel. "You know I'd appreciate it if you helped me with the dishes.
I could go back to serving you omelette."
"Okay, Okay. I just need to ask you this question.
What's this?" I held up my left forepaw. On the bottom was a marking. A lost
desert eye. "Is it noticeable?"
"I don't know what it is and you look great.
I've got to go pick up Crystal from ballet. You'll be fine here by yourself,
right?"
"Yea, Yea, I'll be fine." I looked back down
at the marking on my paw; I can't remember a time when I didn't have it.
I walked upstairs to my new cloud room. I stopped
at my mirror, cocked my head sideways and looked at myself. Did I really look
great?
"Ashleigh!!!" I ran over to my window. Cleopetree,
my best friend, waited outside.
"We're going to Sakhmet, wanna come?"
"Yea! I'll be down in a second."
I loved going to the Lost Desert. When I was
there I felt like I was home. I walked out my front door. Cleo (a blue Peophin),
Alinamua (a white Kougra), and _Chessiris_ (a spotted Kougra) waited for me
outside.
A few months ago this would have been a dream.
I used to be the geek at our school. I was different, I wasn't any of the paintbrush
colours, I was tan. And to the pets at Mystery Island Academy, I was more of
a freak show than the mutant pets. Well, now you could call me one of the most
popular. One day I was tan and the next I come walking in painted desert. Every
one thought we were dirt poor, to be truthful I did to. It was a huge surprise
when Michelle surprised me one morning with a Lost Desert Paintbrush. When I
came to school the next day no one thought that the Lost Desert Aisha was me.
"Are you a new student?" everyone asked me at
once. It was a huge surprise when they found out I was me, Ashleigh392. Missy_dreams,
a very popular fire Wocky, almost fainted when she heard the news.
"So do you think you'll get lucky and win one
million Neopoints?" Cleo asked.
"That'll be the day," I said as we bordered
Shuttle Plane 2551.
"Well, well, well look who we have here." I
turned around to see Missy_dreams herself.
"What do you want Missy?" said Ali.
"Oh nothing. I'm just not looking forward to
having to sit near such low lives," she said as she walked to the back.
"Ugh, I can't stand her!!!" I said.
"Don't get mad, that's what she wants you to
do. She has hated you ever since you became more popular than her. So her only
comfort is to see you not happy. Plus you shouldn't listen to the cruel stuff
she says, you're not as low as she is." Ali always had the best things to say.
"ALL OF FOR FAERIELAND!! ALL OF FOR FAERIELAND!!"
A green Nimmo at the front of the plane hollered. We watched as row-by-row pets
and owners got off. About half an hour later the plane landed at The Lost Desert
Interworld Plane Station.
"Where to first?" Cleo asked.
"Shopping!" we said in unison. Later, with our
purse pounds lighter and shopping bags tons heavier, we all gathered at the
lake examining our purchases. It was late; the desert sun was projecting a colourful
display on the evening sky as it set. We all gathered our items to head for
the plane station. The Lost Desert, by now, had already cleared out. People
where either at there homes or at the station.
"Whoa, who are they?" Chessy pointed to three
tough looking desert Grarrls standing outside of an elegant tent. "I wonder
what they're guarding?"
"Who knows," replied Ali. I looked at the tent
once more. A tingle went down my spine.
"Let's go guys, we don't want to miss the plane,"
I said. That was the first sign of my past.
It was dark by the time we got to the plane station.
I stopped at the front desk to by our tickets when:
"Hey Ash, look," Chessy pointed out the big
glass window. Outside was the last plane closing its doors. We grabbed our tickets
and ran out into the runway.
"Wait, wait!" we all screamed while waving our
hands. The plane turned and took of.
"What are we going to do? We can't stay here
all night." Cleo looked like she was about to cry. She had never spent the night
away from Amber except when sleeping over at my place.
"I guess we'll have to," I replied. Slowly and
carefully we strolled through the empty market place. I kept hearing a strange
noise almost like a snore. "Do you guys here that?" I asked.
"Yes, I do," Ali said.
"Me too," Chessy agreed. Using my acute hearing
I was able to follow the sound to an alley. Slowly we walked down it.
"Ouch!" I hollered as I tripped over a large
object in the middle of the alley. "What was that?" I felt what was now behind
me, it was furry. Why was a big ball of fur doing in the middle of an alley
at 10 o'clock PM?
"Are you okay?" Ali asked.
"I-I'm fiiiaaahhh!" I suddenly saw a pair of
eyes looking at me. The others must have seen it, and it must have seen us,
because we all screamed simultaneously. Seconds later we were all yards away
from the alley.
"Ash?" A snarling voice said to me. The owner
of the voice was Missy_dreams.
"Missy? Was that you in the alley?" Missy stared
at her feet.
"Yes," she said in an innocent baby Lupe voice.
Ali and Chessy sniggered behind their paws. I shot them a cut it out look.
"I'm not even going to ask," I said as
turned around. That's when I realised it. "Where's Cleo?"
"I haven't seen her since we entered the alley,"
Ali replied. I glanced around, hoping to see the shape of a Peophin Instead
I saw a shiver lump underneath a market place display table.
"Cleo it's fine, it's only Missy," I told her.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm sure," I assured her. Slowly she crawled
form underneath the table.
"Well let be on our way. Do we know anyone who
lives in the Lost Desert?" she said trying to sound alert. But no one new anybody.
So we just walked. Looking for a nice place to sleep. Then around 11, we saw
the first light. It was coming from a small, but lavish house on the outside
of Sakhmet Palace. There was a beautiful garden in front of it, surrounded by
a very elegant gate. Carefully and quietly we walked into the small courtyard.
"Be very quiet," I told them.
"No I think I will be as loud as possible and
get us caught" Chessy said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at her. Then suddenly...
CRACK! Missy had stepped on a stick and I cracked in half so loud that
you could have heard it on Mystery Island.
"Missy!" we all yelled at her.
"What?" She replied. Then the front door swung
open. The two of the three Grarrls we saw earlier ran right outside the door.
"Who's there?" The biggest one said in gruff
voice. "Mortono, go search the garden." The one who was Mortono ran out into
the garden with a huge sword.
"Someone's here I can smell them. Two Kougras,
a Peophin, a Wocky, and an Aisha." He walked over to my hiding spot a raised
his sword.
"Wait don't hurt me," I stood up suddenly. "Please
don't hurt us." Gradually, all the other stood up with there arms high in the
air. The Grarrl sized us all one by one.
"They're harmless, I'll let Her Highness deal
with them." He led us into the house. Inside was gorgeous. Marble floors, chandeliers,
pretty much, the works. He led us into a small parlour room. In each corner
were two chairs, a table and a lamp. The rest of the room was bookshelves. At
the far end of the room was a beautiful Aisha. She was so absorbed in a book
that she didn't even know we entered the room.
"Ahem..." Mortono let out little cough to get
the Aisha's attention, she looked up the Grarrl. He bowed, "These five were
trespassing on your property" The Aisha peered over the pair of reading glasses
the she was wearing.
"Leave us," She commanded the Grarrl. Her voice
was strict but soothing. Something about it calmed me; it gave me a feeling
of pleasure. She seemed familiar to me but I couldn't put the face and the name
together. "Come..." She patted the chair next to her. "Come tell me, who are?"
I cautiously moved to the chair. The others followed. The Aisha put down her
book and took of her glasses. "Now why are five nice pets trespassing on other
peoples property?" We all started to answer at once. "Wait, wait one person
at a time."
"Well it started like this." And I told the
story of what happened that day, from landing in the desert to tripping over
Missy in the alley to stumbling upon the house.
"Please, please don't hurt us!" Cleo wailed
as I finished the story. The Aisha chuckled.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not that mean."
She looked up at the clock, "Oooh it's getting late, and we need to you guys
to sleep. Mortono, Drelsant!" The two Grarrls stepped into the room. Drelsant,
the other Grarrl bowed, "Yes Princess? What may we do for you."
"Please prepare the guest rooms. They will be
spending the night here." I looked over at the Aisha. Princess? Then I realised
who she was. I had seen her picture before, actually a couple of times.
"Wait a second!" I exclaimed, "You're Princess
Sankara."
The Aisha looked down at her paws. "Yes, I am Princess
Sankara. I try not to be to open to people about who I am. When people think you've
murdered the king people don't want to be around you, even if you are royalty.
So I try to stay on my property most of the time. But ever once in a while a pesky
Neopian Times reporter will try to get the 'Inside Scoop on the Death of King
Coltzan'. I used to talk with them. Tell them what really happened, but when the
Neopian Times comes out its always the same. "Princess kills King so she can claim
Throne'." We all looked at her in awe.
"Well then, if you didn't kill the king who
did?" Ali spoke up.
"I never said I didn't kill the king. But yes
it is because of me that he is dead. When I came to Sakhmet, Coltzan accepted
me with open arms. I loved him like he was my father. He was always kind to
me and to everybody and I never heard him speak a harsh word to anybody, accept
when he was in a dispute a council meeting. Then one day I was on my to the
banquet hall. Coltzan was throwing a feast for Princess Vyassa's birthday. Well
I was passing the kitchen when I heard someone talking. I was only able to catch
a few words but the ones that stood out were poison, king, and die. Of course
I couldn't let anyone kill the king so I went to catch the little varmints.
I caught them all right and took a vile that they had with them. I knew it was
the poison. I was just about to turn them in when they tried to escape. They
knocked me down and the vile broke. Spilling most of its contents on to the
king's plate, which had been on the table next to me. No one would believe that
I was actually trying to save the kings life." As she ended the story a tear
strolled down her cheek. "Well of to bed all of you, we will talk more in the
morning." Jadedly, we gradually headed up the stairs to the bedrooms. I turned
to look at the princess; she sorrowfully looked out the window with despair.
Then it struck me. The princess didn't stay here at her will. She was in exile.
***
It was a hot day. The sun beat down on a beautiful Aisha, as she made her way
through the Sunken Desert, the desert between Sakhmet and the Fourth Dynasty.
A baby started to whine. The Aisha looked down into a small bundle in her arms.
"Shhh, that's it, shhh. She looked up into the deep unknown of what stood before
her. "Well be in Sakhmet soon, don't worry." A cloud of dust appeared.
Advancing in the distance was King-eyed Kyrii and his band of murderers. The
Aisha looked up to the dust cloud. "Oh no" She started to run, but not fast
enough, the band of murderers approached her. "I have nothing go away," she
said to them.
"What's in the bundle" A tall richly dresses
Kyrii said.
"Nothing of importance to you" the Aisha said.
The Kyrii smiled.
"It's probably jewels and spices, give it here
if you value you're life."
"Never!" The Aisha pulled the bundle closer
to her.
"Give us the bundle now!" roared the Kyrii.
Two Blumaroos approached the Aisha. They had blades in their hand.
"Nooo!" The Aisha started to run again, but
the Blumaroos caught up with her. One knocked her down, she struggled, but they
ripped the bundle out her arms. They gave it to the Kyrii and the band moved
on. Suddenly he heard a cry, a baby's cry. He looked inside the bundle. A baby?
He handed it to a Blumaroo.
"Leave it to die." The Blumaroo took the baby
and went a few yards off into the distance, and left her to die. As the band
left, the wind started to pick up. It got dark, things started to crowd around
the baby. Ashleigh, Ashleigh, Aaaasssshhh!! The voices called, they were up
close, but they were distant. "Ash, Ash"
"Go away!" I screamed, "Go away, leave me alone!"
"Ash, wake up, wake up." I sat up suddenly.
Everyone, including Sankara, was surrounding my bed. "Ashleigh392, are you OK?"
Princess Sankara felt my fore head. "You're not sick"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, really I am, it was just
a bad dream."
"Oooh tell us..." Ali said. So I told them about
it. How there was an Aisha and a baby. And how the band of murderers attacked
them and left the baby to die.
"The weird part was in the beginning," I said,
"I was like a spectator then by the end it was like I had actually become the
baby." I dropped my paws in my lap, "I don't know, I just don't know." Sankara
looked down at my paws.
"Ashleigh, how long have you had that mark on
your paw." She pointed the lost desert eye on my left forepaw.
"I don't know, for as long as I can remember,"
I replied. "Why?"
"Well, it's a mark, a mark of a certain family.
Only those of that family have it." She held out her left forepaw on it was
the same lost desert eye as I had.
Everyone stood at her wide-eyed. There eyes switching
from my paw to hers. Missy was the first to speak up.
"Does this mean you two are sisters?"
"I had a sister, her name was Ashlenaka. She
was born right before I fled. Half way through the Sunken Desert, I was attacked.
You, Ashleigh, were mistaken for a bundle of jewels. I thought she had died.
If you are her, and I think you are, then your dream was a memory. You must
have been rescued after you were abandoned," Sankara replied.
"Well, if Ash's your sister then, how come in
the Neopedia, it says you're the only heir to the throne?" asked Cleo.
"When the Neopets creators interviewed me, I
left her out. I didn't want to complicate things. Plus I didn't want to bring
back the memory of what happened." Sankara got up and went to the window; she
pulled the shutters open to let in a stream of light. "Come let's have breakfast."
We all got up and went to the kitchen.
"I can't believe you're a Princess," Chessy
said. I looked over at Missy; I knew that she would hate me even more now.
"Yea, I can't believe it too," I replied dimly.
This was a humongous shock to me, actually It would probably be a humongous
shock to anybody in my position.
"Ash!" I saw Michelle come running up to me.
"Michelle, what are you doing here?" I said
as she gave me a great big hug. I was surprised to see her, and how did she
know I was here?
"A little birdie told me where you were." I
looked over shoulder, Princess Sankara smiled, I mouthed back, "Thank you."
Amber, Ana, Sarah, and Mandy were there too. Amber was Cleo owner, Ana was Chessy's,
Sarah was Ali's, and Missy belonged to Mandy.
"Let's go home," I said as we all headed out
the door.
"We have to stop by Terror Mountain first. I
have to return some items for the Snow Faerie." Michelle was digging in her
blue bag. She carried EVERYTHING in that bag.
"Okay..." I turned back to the house. Sankara
was standing outside. "Bye!" I called to her.
"Bye, Princess Ashleigh, I will see you soon."
She turned back into the house.
"Princess Ashleigh, I like that." Cleo bumped
shoulders with me.
"Hey maybe I will find my Mother really a queen.
And I will be Her Royal Highness of Terror Mountain, Princess Alinamua," Ali
said dramatically.
We all looked at her like she was crazy.
"Yeah, that'll be the day," I said.
The End
Author's Note: Missy_dreams is a made up character. If you have a pet named
Missy_dreams I was not talking about her. Also the characters Mandy and Sarah
were made up, although Alinamua is a real character. She is a pet on my other
account, misslioness786. Also to find out more about Ali's mother visit her
pet page. | 
