The inside scoop on Jelly W-argh! *choke* Circulation: 174,678,845 Issue: 383 | 13th day of Running, Y11
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Handed in for an English Homework: Part Three


by ralph89170

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October 1st

Gave Fyora her present and almost cried.

     “It’s so beautiful! Did you really draw this yourself?”

     I nodded.

     “It’s amazing! You must be one of the best artists in Neopia! I’ll keep it forever!”

     Proudly she placed it on the table. I’m looking at it right now.

     It is a picture, drawn in black pen, of me and Fyora flying through the sky, with the faeries watching us, smiling. It doesn’t sound that special, but the detail is amazing. Practically the whole pound has come to look at it, and they all agree with Fyora. When I get out of here, I’ll draw pictures and put them in the Art Gallery, so everyone can see that pets in here can be talented, if you give them a chance to be.

     October 3rd

     There’s a Halloween themed competition going on! Everyone’s so excited! We all get pumpkins (unfortunately non-edible ones) and get to carve them however we want! The best pumpkins from each land- Neopia Central in our case- will get to have them displayed at the Haunted Woods festival! We’re doing it in pairs, by dormitory, and Fyora and I have spent all day brainstorming ideas. Apparently she’s good with a knife, so with my art skills, we should be the perfect team!

     October 4th

     Fyora came up with an idea and it's amazing! It’s top secret, though, so secret I’m not even going to write it here! One thing's for sure, though; Fyora and I are going to have a very busy October!

     October 10th

     The prizes for winning the competition have been revealed! Four tickets to go to the Haunted Woods Halloween festival! So, your team, a pound assistant, and one other friend get to leave the pound! So now the whole pound is filled with pets working like crazy. The main hall is practically empty! In fact, it’s become so crazy that they’re making us stop for at least half an hour a day to take a break! Imagine that!

     October 26th

     The deadline for the pumpkin competition was today. Everybody gasped as we took ours to be judged. And, I must say, I think it’s the best thing that I will ever make.

     It was like the picture I drew for Fyora’s birthday, except instead of faerie wings we have Halloween ones, and are surrounded by ghosts instead of faeries. And as I’ve had so much time to work on it, it’s possibly even better than Fyora’s present.

     “I think it’s fairly clear which one will be sent off to be judged.” The pink Uni smiled at me. “This is amazing. You’ve made us proud.” Even Dr. Death visited and said it was good!

     I’m going to be in total suspense until tomorrow, when they announce the winners! And guess what? Pixie and I get to go to where it’s being judged! It’s just up the street, but still! Freedom!

     October 27th

     For the first time in six years, I left the pound. I was so nervous when I saw the other entries; they were all really good!

     “Ours is better, don’t worry,” Fyora told me, but it didn’t stop the feeling.

     A short green Shoyru stood up on stage.

     “It has been a wonderful competition, with plenty of promising entries. There have been so many fantastic entries; it was hard to choose a winner. But before that, I would like to thank the following people for making it possible...” The speech continued after that, but I got bored and stopped listening.

     “And now, I am proud to announce the winners of this competition, who are...”

     A drum roll started and I woke up from my daydreaming with a start.

     He read out the names. I wasn’t one of them.

     Yeah, maybe I’d said that I thought the other entries were good, and I’d had doubts, but I still thought, secretly, that we would win. I was close to tears.

     But then, Fyora hugged me.

     “We won!” she yelled.

     “What?” I was confused. “But they said some pet called fluffy won!”

     “That’s you, you idiot!” Fyora was laughing now.

     Of course! Still, it took a minute to sink in.

     “We won!” I screamed. “We’re going to the Haunted Woods!”

     “I know!” Fyora was grinning madly.

     “Everyone’s going to see our work!”

     “I know!”

     And we continued, even when we had to leave.

     “We can take a friend!”

     “I know!”

     “And we...”

     “I know!”

     “I know you know!”

     When we got back, one of the assistants had brought in a CATFB speaker, and we had a massive party. Then, all the pets started telling us why they should be the one to go, and nobody else. We’re having an official judging session tomorrow, where all the pets are going to present their argument, and we decide who goes. Threats are not tolerated, but bribery is perfectly fine. After all, who could say no to a can of neocola or a green apple after six years of hunger?

     October 28th

     The pets came and went. All of them, telling us their stories, how they had to get out before the turned crazy. So many, and yet we could only pick one.

     And in the end it was the blue Grundo who waited until last that we picked.

     October 29th

     It is decided. Fyora, Fuzz and I will go to the Halloween festival.

     Fyora and I will return.

     October 30th

     We finalised the escape plan today. It’s so simple, I don’t know if it will even work. It’s pretty much that when they reveal the winners, Fuzz slips away unnoticed. Then she’s meeting up with some old friends. I can only hope she’s not going back to Sloth.

     October 31st

     I think today must have been the best day ever.

     Fuzz smiled so much when we left.

     “Walking out these doors for the last time ever,” she whispered to me.

     As we left, she yelled, loudly, “Goodbye, pound!”

     I flinched slightly, but she shook her head.

     “It’s called the pound, Pixie. I’m tired of people pretending it’s not, that they never had owners, never got abandoned. From now on, I want people to be able to call it the pound. You’ll do that for me, won’t you?”

     I nodded. “Yes. I’ll do that.”

     “You know, you could still come. I know some friends; they’ve got a good neohome, plenty of food. We could have fun. You could be happy, for once.”

     I smiled. “I’m happy right now, Fuzz. The pound doesn’t make it impossible for you to be happy, only hard.”

     She smiled back. “You’re crazy, you know that? I spent my whole time in the pound trying to get out- even betraying my friend, because the populars might know something, and here you are refusing a solid plan to get you out!”

     For the rest of the journey we laughed and talked, like normal. And when we got there, they had so much food we were too busy stuffing ourselves to talk, other than:

     “Pass the jellied eyeballs!”

     “Is that deviled steak nice?”

     “Can I have one of your pumpkin cookies?”

     However, soon the festival started. They were just about to reveal our pumpkins.

     The curtain began to rise and the crowd gasped and pushed forward. Fuzz and I exchanged one last smile, before she disappeared. Fyora and I were then called up to light our pumpkin. Everybody gasped and clapped when they saw it. Nobody even noticed the vanishing blue speck except me. I grinned. Fuzz had escaped, people loved our pumpkin, and I knew that in the pound, Fyora would always be my best friend. I could get through it, since Fyora was there.

     Until the pound re-opens and she gets adopted.

     But I did not think that then. Instead, I was only happy. And even when the assistant worked out Fuzz had escaped, I felt only triumph, no worry.

     Word of Fuzz’s escape spread fast. She is now the hero of the pound. I hope she comes back, so she can see that for herself.

     November 10th

     Crazy Chris visited today.

     “I should have been the one to escape,” he said.

     He looked at me. I tried to show no emotion.

     “My owner is very rich. He would have paid you a lot to return me to him.”

     “Your owner isn’t your owner anymore,” I reminded him. “He would have come to get you if he wanted you back.” It was harsh, but it was the truth.

     “My owner is far too rich and important to set foot here!” he replied. Crazy Chris is always telling us about his owner- how he has enough to buy all the paint brushes in Neopia, how he is the most powerful and feared person in his land. His owner probably has 1,000 neopoints and no power at all.

     “Look, Chris, I’m sorry we didn’t take you with us, but there were a lot of pets to choose from. Now, I’m busy here, so if you would kindly leave...”

     “You’ll pay for this, Pixie! You and Fyora! Just you wait and see!”

     I wasn’t bothered. Crazy Chris was unlikely to carry out such a threat.

     Just then, Ayla popped her head in the dormitory.

     “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment, Pixie. It’s very important.”

     I sighed.

     “Okay then.” We walked down the corridor into her dormitory.

     “I see Chris has already talked to you.”

     “Yes, he has. Why does it matter to you?” Chris and Ayla were not enemies, but they were hardly friends.

     “Well, you see, you’ve been causing a few problems for Chris and me. The two are easily solved. Chris wishes to escape, and I know Fyora could arrange that easily. Mine is even simpler. You and Fyora are getting quite popular. In fact, people want to be your friend more than they want to be mine. So, therefore, I am asking you to be my friend.” She waited for a response.

     “Just one question before that. Why are you helping Chris?”

     “Don’t you know? His father is rather rich. Well? Are we friends or not?”

     I took a deep breath.

     “How can we be friends when you don’t even know what one is? The only pets you claim to be friends with are because it will help you! You’re the most selfish and mean neopet I know! No wonder your owner abandoned you! No, I won’t help Chris escape and know I won’t be your friend!”

     She should have been angry. She should have yelled back.

     “I see,” she replied. “Well then, you better watch your back from now on. You may leave now.”

To be continued...

 
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Other Episodes


» Handed in for an English Homework: Part One
» Handed in for an English Homework: Part Two
» Handed in for an English Homework: Part Four
» Handed in for an English Homework: Part Five
» Handed in for an English Homework: Part Six
» Handed in for an English Homework: Part Seven



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