Potion 319: Part Three

     "I think you should all come to my cloud, perhaps we can settle things out from there," Jhudora suggested, and the three agreed, trailing her closely, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible.

     As they arrived at the stairway to the cloud, they saw a dark castle with green smoke fuming out of the walls or clouds, it was hard to tell. The castle was about five times smaller than Fyora's cloud, but it was still huge compared to anything in Neopia Central.

     As they entered the mansion, they noticed it was very similar to the Magic Shop. There were potions brewing by themselves, and strange combinations walking around the hallways, looking like a mix of a JubJub and a Bearog. The walls were constructed of stone, and the interior lighting was incredibly dark, and Isaiah kept stumbling over things, only to be scolded by Jhudora to watch his step. They finally arrived inside a damp room, but had four chairs arranged in a circular shape. As Isaiah sat, he noticed the window had a great view of Meridell.

     "How can you see me?" Isaiah asked.

     "I'm a Faerie. We see all magical happenings." Jhudora cackled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

     "So, explain your predicament," Jhudora began, taking a small tea cup and took a sip. Isaiah didn't think it was tea, though (the tea cup was moving by itself.)

     "It all started yesterday. I was looking around the Magic Shop in Neopia Central for... reasons, and I found a potion spilled across the floor. I took it up in a vial, and headed downstairs," Isaiah began, only to be interrupted by Jhudora.

     "Kauvara has a basement in her shop?" Jhudora burst out, looking shocked, and at the same time angered.

     "Yes, there is a staircase in the far left corner of her shop leading downwards," Isaiah explained. Jhudora whisked a piece of paper out of midair, and scribbled something down.

     "Please continue," Jhudora muttered, still looking quite angered.

     "Then downstairs I got thirsty, so I took a sip of the liquid in the vial, and I got the effects of that gruesome potion, quickly finding the antidote. I then realized that the antidote had a side effect, causing me to turn invisible and mute to the open eye," Isaiah finished, glancing at Kelli and Aly.

     "I presume these are your side effects then?" Jhudora asked, glancing at the Kau and Poogle.

     "Yes, and they can't leave until all effects of the potion are gone," Isaiah said.

     "Then why is that Poogle still here? Clearly your first potion is gone, because you drank the antidote," Jhudora said, causing Aly to look around, as if nothing had been said.

     "She's right, Aly, why are you just lurking around even if your effects are gone?" Kelli began, standing from her chair. Aly followed suit, and stood up too.

     "I only came because there was nobody else who drank the potion! I had to ruin somebody's life," Aly began, but Isaiah interrupted.

     "I thought Grayson still had the effects; he's in the Mystery Island hospital right now," Isaiah said.

     "He didn't drink my potion, though," Aly said, confused.

     "What do you mean? He drank Boiled Limbnitious like I did," Isaiah explained. "Which is why I drank that antidote."

     "Oh, it all makes sense now!" Aly interjected. "You must have drunk some other potion. Did you find the potion you drank in a vial?"

     "No," Isaiah said, remembering."I found it spilled on the floor in the Magic Shop."

     "You must have drunk my potion then. Yes, it is very similar to the Boiled Limbnotious, but our limbs grow in different places," Aly explained.

     "That must be why you're still here then! I haven't drunk the correct antidote yet! My effects haven't gone away yet," Isaiah gasped.

     "That also must be why you turned invisible. If you drink the wrong antidote, you get the nasty effects. Didn't it give you a warning about drinking the wrong antidote on the vial?" Kelli asked.

     "Yeah, it did! But at the time I was desperate," Isaiah stammered.

     "That's why I am still here too; you got the wrong antidote, and my effects stay with you too," Kelli said.

     Isaiah began to take all this in. How could he be so foolish as to take an antidote he wasn't sure about in the first place?

     "I think that settles things. Jhudora, do you know where we can find the antidote to the potion I drank? What was the name of it, Aly?" Isaiah asked.

     "It's called Limbnite Stanzalia," Aly pronounced, causing Jhudora to look even more angered, as though her worst fears had been determined. Apparently they had.

     "What is it, Jhudora?" Isaiah asked again.

     "Do you know?" Kelli said gently.

     "Of course I know! That was my potion in the first place!" Jhudora yelled, pounding her fist on the table, causing the whole room to shake.

     "You mean Kauvara stole it from you?" Kelli gasped.

     "Yes! That's probably why she wasn't trusting you when you had to inspect her shop. That was the day I realized she stole her potion. She must have thought you were detectives for my case instead of the Neopian Times," Jhudora muttered, pacing up and down the room, glaring out the window down at what was now Neopia Central. How that window position changed, Isaiah never figured out.

     "Is that why our potions are so much alike? Kauvara made a knock off brand of it?" Aly asked, looking thoughtfully at Jhudora.

     "Probably so. I imagine if you found it splattered across the floor, she must have thrown it. Most likely when she saw you at the door. I bet the fool threw it against the wall to make sure you would think it was just a spill from the other potions," Jhudora spat.

     The four sat in silence, watching Jhudora think. She inhaled a large breath of air, and began to speak again.

     "You," Jhudora murmured, pointing at Isaiah.

     "Me?"

     "Yes! It's perfect! You sneak in, find my potion Limbnite Stanzalia, and sneak it away before Kauvara notices! If I walked in, she would board up the shop right away, or hide the potion from me," the Dark Faerie instructed.

     "But what about my antidote?"

     "If you get my potion, I can whip up your antidote," Jhudora offered.

     "I accept. Now how are we getting there? Flying?" Isaiah asked.

     "No, that's the mortal way of doing it. Take my hand," Jhudora said. Isaiah placed his hand into hers, and he immediately felt himself jump into darkness for a few seconds, and stepped out into a deserted shop in Neopia Central.

     Jhudora pointed down the road. "The Magic Shop is right there. Walk in, grab the potion, and walk right out."

     Isaiah did as he was told, and began to walk slowly towards the shop. He avoided all of the pets and owners walking down the road. Finally, he reached the doorstep of the shop, and took a big gulp. He opened the door as silently as he could, and closed it once more. Unfortunately, Kauvara wasn't reading a magazine this time. She was actually sealing the basement staircase so that nobody could enter it. She was obviously getting worried.

     Isaiah almost yelped, as he forgot Kelli and Aly were directly at his side.

     "We're your side effects, remember? We have to follow you," Kelli said with a smile. After Kauvara was finished with her task, they all ran to glare at the sealed door. Isaiah looked upset, but Kelli was smiling happily.

     "Why are you happy? She sealed it!" Isaiah said angrily, but Kelli just waved her hand, and the trapdoor released its sealed hinges as though it wasn't sealed at all.

     "Kelli... how?"

     "I'm an antidote effect. Always here to help," she said, grinning widely. Aly looked at her in disgust.

     They walked quietly down into the basement, and skimmed the rows and rows of boiling and bubbling potions. Almost instantly, Isaiah saw the label that read:

     Limbnite Stanzalia
     Potion 999
     'Made from the darkest mind,
     in all of mankind.
     Do not drink this ever,
     or you will be stuck with the effects forever.
     There is no antidote made for this,
     so do not drink unless you wish.'

     Isaiah clutched the potion, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "I got it! We have it, guys! We're free!"

     Kelli looked absolutely excited, but Aly just looked plain relieved.

     They ran from the shop, not caring if Kauvara saw the door burst open, or slammed shut. They only cared that they had the potion, and things were just bound to get better. This all changed very quickly, and occurred right when Isaiah handed Jhudora the potion.

     "Thank you very much! Well, I'd better be off," Jhudora said darkly, turning to leave into her portal, but Isaiah stopped her.

     "Wait! My antidote!"

     Jhudora grinned. "Oh please! I don't have an antidote! Nobody does! Didn't you read the label? Foolish boy," she said, laughing evilly as she entered the portal, which sealed itself instantly.

     Isaiah slumped down in a chair, glancing out the window. At all the people he could see, but he couldn't. Life wasn't going to change as he though it would. He was stuck like this forever.

     Right at that second, however, he saw himself turn from invisible to translucent, then to opaque. He was finally cured! But how?

     He turned to see Kelli, her arm was raised high.

     "You did this? Thank you!" Isaiah said. "But how?"

     "I'm an antidote effect. Always here to help," she said softly, smiling a small smile.

     "But this wasn't your potion; how did you cure it?"

     "Kauvara didn't change the recipe at all. It was just a different potion name. I am the antidote to both, just nobody ever knew it," Kelli said happily.

     "Doesn't this mean I can't see you anymore?" asked Isaiah.

     "Yes, it does. But it was all worth it," she said, and through the shimmering sunlight, she vanished, along with Aly.

     ***

     Later that night, when he was glancing up at the stars, he noticed a very oddly shaped pattern that looked exactly like a Kau. Isaiah knew that he would never be alone.

     And that he could see.

The End