Shadows in the Night

      “Angie,” began Chelsea, “I-I’m just too old to play Neopets. You’ll go to someone I met on the boards, Lila. You like her, and you’ll have a sister!”

      Angie just nodded, and followed her Mum into the dark gray building. The pound, a tall, gloomy building which gave off the feeling of despair and death. Angie had never been inside, nor had she wanted too. She’d hoped, believed, that her Mum loved her, would keep her forever. But now, this, it was treason!

      “This is the Pound,” she thought, “I’m being put in the pound.”

      “Please, fill out this paperwork,” said a scary looking yellow Techo. His white hair and tired eyes were filled with years of seeing pets like her, pets once loved and cast aside. The bags under his eyes betrayed his emotions, his heart being torn by these careless owners.

      “Thank you,” said Chelsea.

      “Ma’am, you do realize that once the pet is in our custody, anyone may adopt her?”

      “Yes, but she has an adopter, Lila, and she is the only one that knows that she’ll be in the pound.”

      The Techo simply nodded, knowing it was no use to try and explain. Angie had heard horror stories about transfers gone astray. Awful people adopted painted and Limited Edition pets and didn’t care about them at all. All they wanted was a rare pet. Or worse, they adopted you, morphed you into a green Uni, and dumped you back in the pound where no one would adopt you!

      “Mama, please, let me stay on your account. Please!” begged Angie, tears brimming in her bright eyes. Once, so full of hope, and now the pain she felt was clear.

      “Now, darling, I can’t just leave you all alone,” laughed the human, who was about 21 years old.

      “You may as well have,” thought Angie, glumly.

      “Oh, Angie, don’t give me that look. Please. Oh, look! All the paper work has been done! Okay, Angie, time to say goodbye.”

      The Usul, scared and alone for the first time in her comfortable life as the daughter of a rich Neopian, followed the smiling girl to the counter and watched her hand the papers to the grimacing Techo.

      “Thank you, Miss. We will take her now,” he whispered, his voice raspy.

      Suddenly a blonde-haired girl in a blue and pink dress burst through the door. Her blonde hair tied in a loose ponytail, nearly falling out as she whipped her head around, finally looking at the cowering Usul.

      “Aren’t you CUTE!” yelled the stranger, rushing to Angie and pulling her tail.

      “Oh, Miss, are you Lila?” asked Chelsea.

      “No, I’m Monica, who’s Lila? I just wanted to adopt a cute little pet, and this one is LOVELY!” said the girl, squeezing Angie, “C’mon, honey, what’s your name?”

      “A-Angela, Angie,” replied Angie.

      “You’ll do just fine! Hey, I wanna adopt this Usul!” the girl yelled to the pink Uni signing off pets to people.

      “Yes ma’am, that’ll be 1000 neopoints.”

      The girl paid her and pulled Angie toward the door.

      “Mama, Mama,” screamed Angie, afraid.

      “No, Ang, I’m your Mama now.”

      “Goodbye, Mama,” thought Angela silently. Her old mother looked stricken, she whispered a silent ‘I’m sorry’. But, there was nothing Angie or anyone else could do as the girl pulled her out of the pound into a new, scary life.

      ************

      “Kane? Kane, come meet your new sister!” shouted Monica stepping through the door of her neohome.

      “My neohome too,” thought Angie, bitterly. The overpowering scent of flowers reached her nose, causing her to choke slightly. “Who lives like this?” she thought, feeling woozy.

      But she had little time for thought; a shadow Eyrie came toward her. “Hello, I’m Kane.”

      “I-I’m Angie.”

      “Now kids, I’m going out for a bit. Play nice,” said Monica, giggling in a high pitch and rushing out the door.

      “Leave, now,” whispered Kane.

      “Wh-what? Don’t you not want me here?”

      “No, I mean yes, but you have to go before-” He was cut off by the opening of the door.

      “Kane, who’s this,” shrieked a blue Acara in a high voice. “Did Mother drag in another nobody pet?”

      “I’m Angie, I live here now,” stammered Angie, staring at Acara’s glossy nails and make-up caked face.

      “WHAT?!” the Acara said again, then quickly calmed down. “I mean, how lovely. I’m going to sit down; get me a lemonade.”

      “Excuse me?” asked a bewildered Angie.

      “Get me a lemonade, NOW!!”

      “Quickly, come with me,” whispered Kane, dragging her to the kitchen.

      “Who is that?”

      “That’s Mimi. She’s the only pet Monica created herself. You and I, she took from the pound. She hides outside the pound, waiting for people with painted and limited pets to come in. Then she doesn’t feed or take care of us, or anything. Sometimes, she doesn’t talk to us for days at a time. But Mimi is her little princess. She has everything, while we have nothing. If we don’t do what she and Mimi say, she’ll morph us into Green Unis!” explained Kane, grabbing Angela by the shoulders, shaking her slightly to get his point across.

      “What? That’s horrid,” shrieked Angie.

      “But, I’ve been planning. Tonight I planned to run away. Away from this house, away from Mimi and Monica, just... away,” he continued. “Angela, Angie, come with me.”

      Angela nodded. “Yes, wh-where’s your room?”

      “Room,” he asked, turning away from the fridge holding a pitcher. “We share one small room, if you could call it that made of cardboard.” He spat in disgust. “Pack your things, or rather, don’t bother unpacking. We’ll leave at midnight.”

      **********

      That night Angela lay awake, staring at the low, brown ceiling. She was nervous; what if it didn’t work? Would she be morphed? She’d been morphed into an Usul when she was young. It felt like someone tore you apart and put you back together. She was scared; if they were caught, would they be morphed?

      “Angela, come on, we’re going,” whispered Kane.

      “Okay, ready,” said Angie, picking herself up and grabbing her backpack. The feeling of terror gripped her stomach.

      “Okay, we must be quiet. Monica has the best security,” Kane whispered, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward a window, if you could call it that. It was more a hole in the wall.

      “Now, let’s see. Angela, you go first. Meet me beside the big walnut tree in two minutes. There’s something I have to do.”

      Angela nodded and dove through the window with her satchel. She waited behind the tree for an hour, then another, then another. Finally, it became too much; she snuck to the parlor window and saw Kane and Mimi sitting by the fire, laughing and drinking hot chocolate. Mimi was saying something. Angie strained to hear.

      “Thank you for making that awful Usul run away. It’s just dreadful not having the house to ourselves. Those nasty little pets Mother adopts, just because she wants someone that’s painted,” yawned Mimi, taking a sip of her warm drink.

      “I know, Mimi, it’s so much better when it’s just us. But I have such fun tricking them into leaving,” chuckled Kane, smirking viciously.

      Angie gasped, falling away from the frosted window. She’d trusted Kane, and he’d betrayed her. He’d lied and conspired against her from the start. He’d just wanted her gone.

      “I’ll show them,” thought Angie, angrily, “I’ll show them both!”

     With that vow, she ran into the night. She ran and ran, into the woods, then she hit someone, or something.

      “Child, what are you doing here?” asked a dark voice, a voice that drawled and made Angie cringe.

      “Ev-everyone has hurt me, I can trust no one. I’d give anything to get revenge,” she said, hate rising in her. Where terror once was, where love had once resided, all her emotions were replaced with hate and vengeance.

      “Anything? I can give you that power. You can teach them a lesson, you can get revenge. Will you give me what I need to give you this power?” asked the voice.

      “Yes, yes,” she shouted, reaching toward the figure, but her hand hit only shadows. “Y-you’re a shadow?”

      “Yes, and you will be too,” cackled the voice, enveloping her in its tight grasp.

      “No! No! This isn’t what I wanted!!! Nooooooooo!!!!” screamed the Usul, trying to pull away. But the darkness was too strong. This darkness fed on the hatred that had welled inside her. It was too powerful, her hate was too much. Finally, she gave in. When she woke up she saw the thing.

      “Hello, Shadow Usul,” whispered a voice in the darkness.

The End

If you’re reading this, I’ve gotten into the Times again! Yay!! Anyway, this is my version of how the mysterious ‘Shadow Usul” came into Neopia. None of my pets are in this, and any connection to real pets is by accident. Anyway, thanks to my friends, Cocoa, build_a_bear333, and spiritboy804. You guys are AWESOME!! Neomail me with questions or comments that are good or bad. ^_^