Deception and Lies

     "No you didn't! I got here way before you did!"

     "I so beat you!"

     "You so didn't!"

     Una stepped between her bickering sisters. "Well, it doesn't matter, because I beat you both!"

     Kerrie glared at the older Uni. "No, you didn't!"

     "I've got wings."

     Sanna frowned. "Why didn't I think to use my wings?"

     Kerrie sighed. "Fine, Una, you won. Happy now?"

     Sisters they might have been, but never had Neopia seen anyone as different from each other as Kerrie, Sanna, and Una. Una was the oldest, a red Uni. She wasn't vain, strictly speaking, but she was rather proud. Kerrie_Kaarina was the middle sister, a green Kougra. Being the middle sister, she was afraid of being forgotten and tended to show off to make up for it. Little Sanna_Sapphire, the blue Shoyru, was the baby. Shy and quiet--most of the time--Sanna didn't often stand up to her big sisters and was one of those Neopets who couldn't say "boo" to a Babaa. All the same, her sisters loved her best

     On this particular day, as Una was gloating over her triumph and Kerrie was considering how many good attacks she could get in before Una knew what hit her, the girls' owner, known affectionately among them as Kay, Bre, or Sissy, approached them. "Okay, Una, what did you do now?"

     "I won!" Una trilled happily.

     Bre rolled her eyes. "Again? New rule: no flying when you're racing. Especially not against Kerrie, it's an unfair advantage." Kerrie smirked as Una looked aghast. "Anyway, I came to ask you three a question. How would you feel about another sister?"

     Una's eyes widened. "Another sister?"

     "What kind would she be?" Kerrie wanted to know.

     "Well, that's the thing. I've narrowed it down to three species: a Poogle, a Cybunny, or a Draik. The only trouble is, I went and had a look at the egg farm. There aren't any eggs left, female or male. If we want one of them, we'll have to go to the Neopian Pound."

     Sanna looked up at Bre, her big blue eyes wide. "The N-Neopian Pound? I don't like it there, Sissy. The Techo is scary."

     "Don't be ridiculous, Sanna, that Techo only handles pets being dropped off," Una said impatiently. "I think it sounds like a great idea, Bre. But not a Draik, okay? They're ugly. I hate them."

     "Not a Poogle, either," Kerrie added. "I have enough trouble beating Sanna and Una in foot races."

     "Cybunnies are nice, aren't they, Sissy?" Sanna asked, taking Bre's hand and putting her thumb in her mouth.

     "Of course they are, Sanna," Bre assured her. "Okay, a Cybunny it is. To the pound!"

~~~

Sanna hadn't let go of Bre's hand since they entered the pound, but Una and Kerrie were running up and down the aisles, looking for the perfect Cybunny. Bre was getting a headache. Glancing down at the little Shoyru, she said kindly, "Sanna? Sanna sweetheart, could you go look by yourself? I need to review the adoption procedure..."

     "Okay," Sanna said quietly. She moved away from Bre and started looking.

     "Psst! Hey, you! What's your name?"

     Sanna turned and saw a very sad-looking Cybunny watching her from one of the cells. "M-my name is Sanna_Sapphire," Sanna answered. "But my sisters call me Sanna. What's your name?"

     "I'm Cecilia. Cecilia_Catherine," the Cybunny answered with a smile. "I wish we could be friends, but I don't think I'll ever get out of here anymore."

     Sanna was curious--and very sorry for Cecilia. "Why not?"

     Cecilia looked sad again. "My owner dumped me here when I was only a hatchling because I was a yellow Cybunny instead of a blue Cybunny. I was only a couple of hours old. She stayed just long enough to name me after a couple of characters from books, then left me here. I've been here for a long time now. I'll probably be here forever."

     Sanna felt sad for a minute, then brightened. "My sisters and I are here looking for a Cybunny. I'm sure Bre will adopt you. Let me go ask."

     "Oh, that'd be great!" Cecilia cried. "Go ahead. I'll still be here."

     Sanna ran to get Bre and her sisters. She didn't see the sly smirk on Cecilia's face or hear the low, evil-sounding chuckle.

~~~

Bre had gone to get the adoption papers for Cecilia, and Sanna had brought Una and Kerrie to see Cecilia. She was just finishing up the sad story of her life.

      "…And I've been here ever since," she concluded.

      "How long have you been here?" Una wanted to know.

      Cecilia shook her head sadly. "Six months, maybe up to a year. It's hard to remember."

      Kerrie's eyes widened. "Wow. I can't believe your owner just abandoned you like that."

      "Owners are like that," Cecilia shrugged. "I wasn't up to par."

      "Bre would never abandon us," Una told her. "You won't have to worry about her."

      Cecilia looked surprised. "Never? Sure she would. She's just like all the other owners. I bet she'd abandon you if you did something really bad, like stealing."

      "First of all, we'd never do anything like that," Kerrie said, offended. "And even if we did, Bre wouldn't abandon us. She'd just sit us down and talk to us about why stealing is wrong and to never, never do it again. And we wouldn't, either."

      Cecilia smiled. "Really? I think I'm going to like her."

~~~

"Um, hi," Bre said to the Uni running adoptions. "I'd like to adopt Cecilia_Catherine."

      The Uni looked confused. "Who?"

      Bre blinked in surprise. "Um…the yellow Cybunny in 13-A?"

      "Oh!" The Uni nodded in comprehension. "Sorry, I didn't know she had a name."

      "You didn't?"

      "Nope. She didn't tell us. She was a stray…one of our workers found her wandering outside the fence and brought her in about…oh, a week ago. Don't worry, though…she's been thoroughly checked out and she doesn't have any diseases or anything like that."

      "That's good," Bre smiled. She filled out all the paperwork, then signed her name. And just like that, Cecilia became part of the family.

      She was quite anxious to please and tried doing all of the chores until Una and Kerrie stopped her. "In this family, we share and share alike," they told her. Cecilia quite happily took her turn doing all of the chores.

      Bre promised the girls that she was working on building a new room for Cecilia, but meanwhile she was rooming with Sanna. The two often stayed up late talking. One night, about a week after her adoption, Cecilia told Sanna about her old owner.

      "She wasn't really that mean," she said a little sadly. "I was just a disappointment. She didn't think I'd ever amount to anything. And I was the wrong color." She brightened. "She lives around here, though…I bet we could go and visit her."

      "Really?" Sanna asked eagerly. "I'd like to meet her."

      "We'll go tomorrow," Cecilia told her. "I promise. I bet she'll like you."

~~~

When their chores were finished the next day, Cecilia and Sanna hurried outside. "Hey, Sanna, Cecilia-where are you going?" Kerrie called to them.

      "We're going visiting," Sanna sang back.

      Cecilia giggled at Kerrie and Una's confused faces. "We're going to see my old owner and show her that I'm doing okay-that I did amount to something and there was someone who loved me despite my color."

      "Oh, okay," Kerrie said cheerfully. "Well, have fun!"

      "We will!" Cecilia and Sanna chimed in unison, running off.

      Their Neohome was in the Lost Desert, but soon they had run into the Spooky Forest. Sanna slowed slightly. "I don't like this-it's scary," she said uncertainly.

      "It's okay, Sanna!" chuckled Cecilia. "You're safe as long as you're with me."

      "P-promise?"

      "Of course. You're my sister. I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

      Sanna reached out a tentative paw and clutched Cecilia's. Together, the two moved deeper and deeper into the Spooky Forest. There were fewer and fewer houses in this part of the forest. "C-Cecilia?" Sanna said nervously. "There-there aren't any houses out here…"

      "It's just way farther back than all of these," Cecilia told her with a laugh. "Come on!" She dragged Sanna onwards.

      As they kept advancing, Sanna stopped seeing houses at all. She saw huge trees that seemed to be leaning towards her, stretching their branches out as though to grab her and take her away. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and a tree fell across their path.

      Sanna screamed and started to cry. "Cecilia, Cecilia, I want to go home. Take me home. It's scary out here. I want to go home!"

      Cecilia frowned slightly. "Don't be a baby, Sanna. I won't let anything happen to you. And we're way closer to my old owner's house than we are to our house. When we get there, there will be a clearing…we can just fly home. Come on!"

      At this point she was literally dragging Sanna, who was absolutely petrified with terror. Finally, they emerged at a large clearing. In the middle was a large home that had been carved out of a tree. A face was peering out of a window. After about five minutes, a red Scorchio came running out of the tree. "Cecilia? Cecilia_Catherine, is that you?"

      Cecilia grinned. "Sammy! Samuel_Soloman! I missed you so much!"

      The Scorchio embraced her, then glanced at Sanna. "Cecilia, who's this?"

      "Oh, Sammy, this is Sanna_Sapphire, but everyone calls her Sanna," Cecilia said happily. "Sanna, this is Samuel_Soloman, but we all called him Sammy. In the couple of hours I was here before, he was one of my best friends." She grinned. "Nowhere near you and I, of course, but we didn't have much time to bond."

      Sammy was grinning. "Cecilia, Sanna, come on inside. Rose just set out lunch-you must be hungry after your walk."

      "All the way from the Lost Desert," agreed Cecilia. "Coming, Sanna?"

      "I'm coming!" Sanna said eagerly. She was finding that she liked this place more and more. She didn't see the evil grin that passed between Cecilia and Sammy.

      The Cybunny and the Scorchio led the little blue Shoyru into the house. It was warm and inviting. "Rose had an errand to run," Sammy explained as they took a seat. "But she must've known we'd have guests, because she set seats for you two…my sister and brothers have already eaten."

      Sanna sat down and ate heartily. Sammy and Cecilia were chattering eagerly. Sammy glanced at Sanna suddenly. "Say, Sanna…have you ever wanted to be a different color?"

      Sanna blinked in surprise. "Well…I always wanted to be a Faerie Shoyru. Why?"

      Sammy grinned. "We have every paintbrush here-we even have our own Rainbow Pool. Come on-I'll make you a Faerie Shoyru. Let's go!"

      Sanna followed the other two Neopets to the next room. Sammy handed her a paintbrush that looked like a Faerie paintbrush, anyway. "Jump in, Sanna!"

      Sanna leaped into the pool and felt a weird sensation. She giggled. "It tingles!" The tingle stopped and she jumped out. "How do I look?"

      This time she noticed the evil look on the two Neopets' faces. "What?"

      The two of them closed their eyes and turned three times. Sanna's eyes widened as she saw what they had become.

      "You-y-you're Darigan pets!"

      "Right on the money, sweetheart," cackled Sammy.

      "We've been lying from the start," Cecilia said. "I wasn't really abandoned. And there's no such person as Rose."

      "We were just looking for one more person to join our ranks," Sammy added. "And you fit the bill just right-small, weak, and stupid."

      Sanna looked in a mirror and shrieked. She was a Darigan Shoyru! "Wh-what? I thought that was a Faerie paintbrush!"

      "Well, it was," smirked Cecilia. "Our pool here manipulates all of the paintbrushes to Darigan."

      Sanna started to cry. "I t-told you I wanted to go h-home!"

      Sammy smirked. "Well, your own sisters won't recognize you. You're Darigan now."

      "They will! They always will!"

      "They won't!" Cecilia told her nastily. "Come on. It's time to get ready for the breaking in."

      Sanna struggled and screamed. "No! NO! UNA! KERRIE! BRE! HELP! KERRRRIIIIIIIIIEEEE!!!"

~~~

Bre threw the door open and stood in front of Kerrie and Una, hands on her hips. "Where ARE they?"

      "Who?" Una and Kerrie asked as one.

      "Sanna and Cecilia. WHERE ARE THEY?"

      "Oh, them," Una said, relieved. "They went to visit Cecilia's old owner."

      Bre stared at her. "Ha-ha. Very funny…where did they really go?"

      "To visit Cecilia's old owner. Why don't you believe us?" Una whined.

      "Because Cecilia didn't have any old owners."

      Una and Kerrie stared.

      "What?"

      "She didn't have any old owners. They told me at the pound she was a stray."

      "But…" Kerrie searched for the right words. "But she said that her old owner had dumped her in the pound when she was a hatchling and she'd been there for months-almost a year."

      Bre shook her head. "No, she lied. They brought her in a week before we adopted her and she was a stray. They didn't know her name."

      Kerrie's eyes widened. "Wait…she lied. And she took Sanna to see her old home. But that means…"

      The three of them stared at each other. Suddenly a voice broke in on them. "KERRRRIIIIIIIIIEEEE!!!"

      "Sanna!" all three of them cried at once.

      "It came from the Forest!" Una cried.

      The three of them ran as fast as they could towards the Spooky Forest. We're coming, Sanna. Don't worry! Kerrie thought frantically.

      After what seemed like ages, they reached the same clearing. A Darigan Shoyru sprang out in front of them. Una screamed at the top of her lungs.

      Kerrie roared and pounced on the grotesque thing, snarling. "What did you do with my baby sister?"

      The Neopet looked up at her, and Kerrie was amazed to see that its cold eyes were actually filling with tears. "K-Kerrie? Kerrie, it's me!"

      Kerrie's eyes widened. "Sanna? Is that really you?"

      "Yes!" wailed the Shoyru. "Cecilia tricked me, Kerrie. She wanted me to join them. And now I'm not me anymore and you won't want me!"

      Kerrie's lip curled in a snarl. "How many of them are there?"

      Sanna sniffed. "Just two. Cecilia and a Scorchio she calls Sammy."

      Una and Kerrie ran towards the tree, but it was entirely empty. There was no sign of Cecilia and Sammy at all.

      Bre shook her head and scooped Sanna up. "Come on, you guys. Let's go home. I guess I can learn to love your new Darigan body."

      Sanna blinked up at Bre. "Sissy…wait. In that room there are a whole bunch of paintbrushes…they all work."

      Bre grinned. "Great idea, Sanna! Una, go get a Faerie paintbrush."

      But little Sanna shook her head. "No. I just want to be blue again."

      Una smiled. "Okay."

~~~

One Week Later…

"Girls!" Bre called as she stepped into the Neohome with something in her arms. "Hello! Una! Kerrie! Sanna! Come here!"

      Una, Kerrie, and the once-again blue Sanna came running out to meet her. Bre set the bundle in her arms down, revealing it to be a scared-looking yellow Ixi. "Girls, I'd like you to meet Ivory_Ilana, but we're going to call her Ivory. Ivory, this is Una_Usagi, Kerrie_Kaarina, and Sanna_Sapphire-Una, Kerrie, and Sanna."

      "H-hello," Ivory stammered shyly.

      Sanna smiled and took the Ixi's paw. "Hi, Ivory," she said. "I think we're going to be really great friends!"

THE END