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The Dark Before The Dawn: the Beginning


by jambammer

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It all started the day our owner left us. Clay said goodnight to us before logging off. He told us that he loved us. Then he was gone, and he never came back. Everything in our lives went uphill from there. My name is Adrianna, and this is my story.

     I was the oldest of four pets, and people often commented how beautiful I was. Often I was told that my only flaw was my right ear; it was bent. I rather liked it. It set me apart from other Wockies. I was pretty for my age of 15. I was a tall, red Wocky with long brown hair that reached my waist.

      We were never the richest family in Neopia, so we couldn't afford fine clothing. I wore the same outfit almost everyday, a blue T-shirt and a black skirt with a tiny rip on the left side. I didn't care and neither did my siblings. We had each other and we had Clay.

     My younger brother, Halo, was the baby of the family, only about a year old. He was a red Wocky, just like me. He had bright green eyes and a smile that would melt your heart. My younger sisters, Cream and Sugar, were twin Kacheeks aged 10. They were never apart, ever. They were bright yellow and had jet black hair. All three loved Clay as much as I.

     Once Clay was gone, I had to act as the owner. I dropped out of school so Cream and Sugar could stay in. Halo was too young to go to school, so he stayed with me during the day. I tried to work hard for neopoints, but we still remained very poor. No matter how hard I worked, I was never able to get what was needed. Clay had left points in the bank, but I was not allowed to withdraw any because I was just a pet.

     The day finally came where we ran out of food. I knew it was coming; I just didn't want to admit it. The girls were off at school with tiny lunches I had managed to put together for them. Halo was crying because he was hungry. I was tired and frustrated. I decided that we'd have to go to the soup faerie for lunch, as Halo was too little to eat omelette. We had never had to go there before when Clay was here. With him, we somehow always had just enough.

     "Come on, Halo," I said lifting him out of his broken playpen and strapping him into his rusty stroller. "We're going to the Soup Faerie."

     "Fa-ry?" he gurgled, looking up at me with those curious eyes. A small smile flickered across my face as I nodded.

      As we headed out the door, I checked the mailbox just as I did every day. I don't know why I did. Maybe I was hoping to hear from Clay. I was expecting it to be empty as usual, but to my surprise, it was not. Inside was a pale pink envelope. My name was written on the front in fancy cursive. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened it.

     Dear Adrianna,

     I am pleased to inform you that your family has been personally selected by Queen Fyora to attend a private ball. Come to the Palace in Faerieland on the 16th day of Swimming, Y6.

     I stared at the letter in my hands in disbelief. The royal stamp was on the back, so it was legitimate. Queen Fyora selected our family? We were just another family living without an owner. What made us so special? I was excited, flattered and shocked, all at the same time. The queen chose us! Unfortunately, at that moment I realized what the date was. Today was the 15th day of swimming!

     Panic began to set in. None of us were ready! I took Halo to the Soup Faerie, but when we got home, I began to rush around. Clay had bought us all dress outfits, in case we were ever invited to the Chocolate ball. While Halo napped, I searched the house to find them.

     Eventually, in the dusty attic, I finally found what I was looking for. Packed away neatly in a box were our dresses, and Halo's tiny tuxedo. Cream and Sugars were a pale blue, long and puffed out at their waists. Mine was black that used to flow down past my feet. Tiny roses edged it. I say 'used to' because in the few months it had been since we got these, all of us had grown.

     My gown was shorter on me now; my ankles showed. The girls had the same problem. Luckily, Halo still fit into his outfit. That night, we got ourselves ready, and the hours flew by so quickly. Yet, when we went to bed, it seemed like none of us could sleep. We left for Faerie City before daybreak.

     Faerie City was extremely crowded when we arrived. Beautiful Faeries were flying around everywhere. All of us were filled with amazement as we walked down the cloud streets. We were nearly to the palace when a blue Wocky about my age grabbed my arm and lead us away.

     "You don't want to go to the palace," he told me.

     "What? Why? Let me go!" I cried.

     "You're here for the ball, right?" He asked, and I nodded in response. "There is no ball! It was someone's sick idea of a joke. They stole the royal stamp to make people believe it. I know because I was invited as well, but when I got there, pets were being thrown out of the palace."

     "It's true, Dri! Look!" Sugar exclaimed pointing to the Castle. Sure enough, there were security faeries tossing a Hissi and a Kougra out of the doors. My heart sank, yet at the same time, I was grateful to the stranger. We wouldn't have to be humiliated like that.

     "Thank you," I told him, and he smiled. Cream elbowed me in the waist. "I'm Adrianna, and this is Sugar, Cream and Halo," I said while giving Cream a sharp look. She just grinned.

     "I'm Phoenix," he said. "I had better be going. I have to go look for a place to sleep."

     "Don't you have a home?" I asked, and he just shook his head. Cream elbowed me again, but this time, I was already ahead of her. "We have an extra room at our house, you could stay with us," I offered.

     "I wouldn't want to intrude," he replied.

     "You wouldn't," I assured him.

     "Adrianna, I couldn't askā€¦"

     "You're not asking." I grinned. Dawn's first rays were finally beginning to shine, down on us, literally and figuratively. Our life looked a lot better from that moment on. Phoenix has been with us ever since.

      About a week after he moved in, we received an anonymous bag of neopoints on our step. I won't say how much, but let's just say it was enough to get us back on our feet. Deep down, I had a feeling who it was from. Clay always did have a conscience. I also have a feeling as to who played that trick on us. Clay's sense of humour was always a bit odd. I don't know why he did it, and I suppose I might never know. I'm not angry with him; he gave us a lot more than he'll ever know from this, and I'm grateful for that. What they say it true.

     It is always darkest before dawn.

The End

 
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