A Need for Change

     “Hush now, Xweeyona! Why are you crying? Would you like your bottle?” Syratia cooed at Xweeyona, trying to silence the screaming baby neopet that was piercing everyone’s ears and giving them severe headaches. “Or, would you like your, um, petpet?” Syratia glanced quickly at the black pile of soot in a small cardboard box in the corner of their Neohome, which was the remains of Xweeyona’s beloved Mallard, Mr. Squeakers.

     “Stupid Petpet lab ray, I should have known it would have taken away the only friend who ever understood me,” Xweeyona thought with fury, as her innocent, wide eyes followed Syratia’s glance towards Mr. Squeakers.

     “WAAA!” Xweeyona tried again, nudging her paws at the barricade that stopped her from frolicking in the multi-colored leaves that covered the perimeters of their yard. Why would Syratia think she wanted her bottle? She was just fed thirty minutes ago! Goodness, it was like Xweeyona didn’t even matter to her older siblings, that she was just known as the “runt”.

     Sighing, Syratia caught the glimpse of Xweeyona’s nudging paws and lowered the crib’s gate. Xweeyona bounded from the pen, flying straight towards the open bedroom door, until...

     “Hah, oh, Xweeyona, you know you can’t leave this room without being held! What if something happened to you? Here, let me get Raiyent to come get you, so that I am able to get ready for this week’s beauty pageant.” With that, the bedroom door closed followed by the "click" of the lock, and Xweeyona was left stranded again.

     Xweeyona didn’t know who to blame. She was tired of the same old routine, where she would be left to rot in this dungeon of a room, where she was unable to experience freedom in the outdoors. She always dreamt of her past years, where she lived as the beautiful and majestic Faerie Xweetok. Xweeyona sighed in remembrance of the days where she could fly to any location in Neopia, without being under the watchful eyes of others caring for her. Xweeyona immediately thought of who to blame, as she remembered the exact time and day she lost her freedom, but most importantly, how. It all came down to that evil, deceiving, manipulative machine: The Laboratory Ray.

     “Ah!” Xweeyona shuddered in further remembrance of the terror and fear she experienced. The Lab Ray was not something that Neopets enjoyed, but rather, owners think of it as a way to improve their “looks”. Well, there is always a backfire to that hopeful wish, and Xweeyona is the example. Instead of being the majestic and beautiful member of their family, she was now the needy one. To make matters worse, her siblings couldn’t even understand her slight attempts to communicate with them.

     However, Xweeyona knew exactly how to fix this. Xweeyona glanced quickly at the door to make sure Raiyent wasn’t coming yet, and ran over to the small drawer at the bottom of her dresser, the one the rest of the siblings never bothered to check. Inside the stuffy interior, she retrieved her stash of Neopoints, which happened to be just enough for a Faerie Paint Brush. Xweeyona smiled in thought of how she earned such an extraordinary amount by herself, just by frequent visits to the Game Room after lights were out for everyone in their Neohome. After a quick recount of her stash, she shoved the Neopoints into a small knapsack, and hurriedly climbed out her first story window.

     Despite the fact that now being a baby neopet made the jump to the ground even farther, she was determined to escape. With a slight spring in her step, she bounced from her window and landed successfully on the fresh green grass, only hurting her paw slightly. Xweeyona took a moment to inhale the scent that she had missed for so long, and snagged a wild dandelion from the ground before sprinting off into the forest towards Neopia Central, the one place that held the only hope for a change in her present fate: The Rainbow Pool.

     It took a day’s journey to reach the crowded city, filled with owners and Neopets alike, looking for their daily bargains. Xweeyona looked helpless carrying only her small knapsack compared to the proud Unis, Wockies and Chias amidst their wealthy owners. It was far worse when she passed an exotic pet, such as a Draik or a Poogle.

     “Like my sister,” Xweeyona thought with jealousy as a Royalgirl Poogle passed her, who very much reminded Xweeyona of Syratia.

     Xweeyona didn’t let herself linger on thoughts of jealousy for too long, though, for she had a job to do. She ran up and down the streets of Neopia Central, desperately trying to find the Rainbow Pool. She asked numerous Grundos, Buzzes, and Scorchios to point her in the right direction, but it was nowhere to be found.

     “Where IS it?” Xweeyona muttered in helplessness as she slowly trotted around the streets again and again. Finally, Xweeyona happened to glance up, and noticed the gorgeous masterpiece that was spitting water out from the top.

     “Oh!” Xweeyona astonished, “The fountain in the center of Neopia Central IS the Rainbow Pool! Haha!” She giggled to herself as she pounced over to the fountain to change her future forever.

     Upon arriving, though, she realized she didn’t have the paint brush needed to make the change.

     “Wh-Wh-What am I going to DO?” Xweeyona cried out, realizing that her whole journey had been pointless, because she had no Faerie Paint Brush, despite the fact that she had enough Neopoints. Where did she even get one? She heard a rumor about a Hidden Tower belonging to the Faerie Queen... but she knew that was just a rumor. Seriously, an invisible tower? The thought made Xweeyona usually want to burst out in giggles, but today sadly, it seemed like the only reasonable answer.

     Xweeyona knew, however, that she would never be able to make the journey to Faerieland. Neopia Central was an adventure long enough, and their Neohome wasn’t even that far away! She grabbed her knapsack, and slowly stepped away from her only hope for a change, and then sprinted off in the direction of her Neohome.

     Standing with frustration below her bedroom window, Xweeyona knew there was no way she could ever make the climb.

     “If only I had wings, and could fly,” she thought angrily, before realizing that her only entrance was through the front door, in front of her whole family. Gulp.

     As Xweeyona cautiously pawed the front door open, she was bombarded with a roomful of hugs.

     “Xweeyona! We missed you!! Where did you go?”

     “Xweeyona! We’re so glad you’re home!”

     “Xweeyona! I love you so much!”

     Xweeyona’s eyes widened in confusion as she listened to all the remarks from her family because of her return. They actually... cared? Th-Th-They... loved her? Tears of happiness fell from Xweeyona’s eyes as she snuggled closer to her entire family. Even if she was still a baby, and not a majestic and independent faerie, she was overwhelmed with joy to be home, where she belonged.

     “And, Xweeyona, guess what? We raked up a HUGE pile of leaves for you to play in; because we knew you loved them so much! Let’s go!” Syratia exclaimed with a giant grin.

     Yes, it was very nice to be home at last.

The End