Faeries: Before the Fame - Part Four

     “Celeste, I’m worried about Zoë,” she stated gravely.

     “Yeah, me too,” lied Celeste who felt guilty for not thinking about her friend.

     “I think we should go look for her,” decided Baelia firmly, “I didn’t go sooner because Fyora seemed so worried, but I want to go now.”

     “Are you sure?” asked Celeste tentatively.

     “Zoë is our friend and we obviously weren’t there for her enough,” declared Baelia. “We need to show her that we still care for her. Think of it as one of your missions.”

     This got Celeste’s attention; she was always willing to go out on a journey.

     “Alright,” she agreed.

     The two faeries carefully but quickly walked through the large school until they arrived at the hole in the wall. One after another they stepped out of the safe school and into the dark outside. It was cloudy tonight and Baelia had trouble seeing anything around her. Once her eyes adjusted, they moved a little faster.

     “What are we looking for?” asked Celeste.

     “I’m not sure,” answered Baelia. “But I don’t think Zoë would have gone far.”

     The two began to progress into Faerieland when Baelia suddenly stopped and observed, “Look, I think I see someone.”

     Celeste turned to where she was pointing and could just make out some figures. The two walked cautiously towards the silhouettes. Once they got closer, they found that it was actually someone on top of the school. Baelia reached out and found a ladder placed against the wall. It didn’t occur to her that Zoë would not need a ladder when she had wings. With Celeste just below her, she climbed the ladder and peered onto the roof.

     Jon and Jennumara stood beside a large cauldron. Inside it contained a sticky grey goo. Jennumara waved her hand and the contents began to bubble faster.

     “Perfect,” said Jon smugly. “It wasn’t easy getting this cauldron up here, but now with the night’s power and your magic, our potion will be complete. Then I can claim it as my happiness elixir and sell to every idiotic faerie on this planet. Little do they know that it will rid them of all their powers! Mwa, ha ha!”

     Baelia gasped at this, causing Jennumara to spin around rapidly. Her brisk motion knocked over the cauldron spilling the contents everywhere, including on Baelia. As soon as the few splashes hit her face, Baelia looked burned. Suddenly the Light Faerie lost all the remaining colour in her face. Her eyes lost their sparkle, her wings shrivelled up, and her hair turned to grey. As her eyes closed, she tumbled over the edge.

     “Look what you’ve done, you oaf!” shrieked Jon. “You’ve spilt all the potion that took months to make.”

     “Stop blaming me,” argued Jennumara calmly but with a threatening edge. “It’s your fault for voicing your entire plan.”

     “You monsters, what have you done to her?” cried Celeste who had just reached the top.

     “I’ll let you deal with her,” decided Jennumara with a smirk. “After all, this was your plan.”

     With that, the Dark Faerie took to the sky, leaving Celeste and Jon alone on the roof.

     “Who are you?” spat Celeste in rage. “It’s obvious that you’re no faerie.”

     Jon chuckled deviously as he tore off his wings and mask. “I am the great Dr. Sloth. All this time I have been perfecting my plan to destroy the faeries.”

     “Well, that plan failed so you’re going to be locked up forever,” snarled Celeste as she grabbed Dr. Sloth by his shirt.

     “I don’t think so,” exclaimed Sloth suavely. “This is just one of many plans. You have not heard the last of Dr. Sloth or the Happiness Faerie.”

     With those final words, he pressed a button on his wrist and disappeared in a flash. Celeste stomped her foot in rage for letting him escape. Then she remembered Baelia. She quickly flew down to the ground where Baelia had fallen. She scanned the clouds frantically for her injured friend.

     “Baelia, where are you?” she shouted at the air.

     Then she made a promise. “Mark my words, Sloth, I will not let you bring any more harm to innocents like Baelia. I will protect all of Neopia from your evil schemes; even if I have to take to the stars. No one else will have to suffer will I guard the space. I will be the sentry of the space, the Space Faerie!”

     Then she flapped her wings furiously as she headed off into space to prepare her lifelong battle with Dr. Sloth.

      ***

     Baelia’s vision was blurred. The potion had confused her mind for the time; the only thing that she could remember was that she had to find Zoë. She paid no attention to her torn dress or colourless hair. She wandered the clouds calling her friend’s name.

     “Zoë! Zoë! Where are you?” she called desperately. “I need to talk to you.”

     Unfortunately, she had caught the attention of someone else, Jennumara. The Dark Faerie wanted to make sure that Baelia did not reveal her to anyone. When she was ready, she would let herself be known, but first she had to plan her rise to power. Her first step would be to get rid of her first victim. A cold hand was placed on Baelia’s shoulder.

     The former Light Faerie inquired, “Zoë?”

     “No,” answered the voice, “Jennumara.”

     Then everything came rushing back to Baelia, but it was too late. Tears rolled down her eyes as she realized that she had no power, was a prisoner to Jennumara, and had failed to help her friend in need.

      ***

     The events of that night was the topic on everyone’s mind over the next few days. Rumours spread about what had happened to he four missing students. Only four remained now. Classes had been few as Fyora tried to learn more information about the mysteries that had occurred. Soon more information reached the people, which went to Fyora, which then went to the students.

     One morning, Illusen, Casandia, and Bella were meeting before Jhudora had awaken.

     “We can’t trust Jhudora,” declared Casandia strongly. “We all saw what happened to Zoë and people say that on that night Jennumara put a terrible curse on Baelia. That’s two Dark Faeries; who knows when Jhudora will be next?”

     Illusen looked hesitant; she didn’t know what to believe. All her life people had told her that Dark Faeries were not be trusted, but she had always felt otherwise. Even now when it was apparent that there was malice in two Dark Faeries, she couldn’t break herself to think of Jhudora like that.

     “Face it, you were a fool to even think that Jhudora might have been good,” sneered Casandia. “Like I said earlier, they’re all evil, even Jhudora. She’s just biding her time, waiting to hurt you. I mean, how could she not after the way you’ve treated her.”

     It all made so much sense, but it felt wrong. Illusen looked at Bella, who only gave her a pleading stare. It was signifying that she was with Casandia. Illusen realized that if she stuck with Jhudora, she would have the whole world against her, just as she hard always feared. So she did what she did all her life, tried to convince herself that she was wrong to feel sympathy for Dark Faeries.

     “Hey, guys, why didn’t you wake me?” asked Jhudora who had woken up and was approaching them.

     Illusen looked at her two friends then turn menacingly at Jhudora before she turned and walked away from her.

     “What’s going on?” asked the confused Jhudora. “I thought we were friends.”

     Illusen winced as she heard Jhudora’s soft pleading voice.

     “Get away from me, you freak,” she snarled at the Dark Faerie.

     It pained her to do it, but it was the only way to get rid of her. Then she realized that she shouldn’t be feeling remorse; she should be feeling relief that she had gotten rid of that awful Dark Faerie.

     As Jhudora was left behind, she felt tears sting her eyes.

     “Maybe all I’m supposed to be is a Dark Faerie,” she concluded sombrely.

      ***

     By the end of the year, the four remaining Faeries graduated and went on with their lives. Both Illusen and Jhudora studied quests, while Casandia went into transportation, and Bella used her beauty techniques to paint willing pets.

     Celeste grew in strength and was continually at war with the evil Dr. Sloth. A Happiness Faerie also reappeared, but no one can be certain if it was the same one. Jennumara rose to power as a malevolent Dark Faerie, most famous for creating the Grey Faerie, Baelia. Baelia had been locked up in an enchanted cage by Jennumara to keep her from talking. The captor didn’t know why she didn’t just kill the girl; perhaps to keep as a trophy, or to prove what happened when people crossed Jennumara. As for Zoë, she tried many times to get her revenge on Neopia, each time becoming more twisted and evil than before.

     Illusen wished to be away from all the evil Dark Faeries in Faerieland, so as to not face another dilemma. She moved to Meridell where she started giving quests. Jhudora also started giving quests, but she stayed in Faerieland. She had learned that the only way she could be happy was if she did what people expected. So she put on the façade of a cold-hearted Dark Faerie. As for Bella, she didn’t talk much, due to having others normally express for her. Because of this, she merely became known as the Rainbow Fountain Faerie.

     In Fyora’s less busy hours, she would sometimes remember the most curious class she ever had. Some had grown up to be happy, so not, and some had gone on to the life of evil. Whether it was fate or their own doing, she knew not. But she did know that none of them would be who they are if they had not all been in that class.

The End