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The Spardel Who Came to Be: Part One


by puppy_girl252

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Part One: Perfect Beautiful Little Pink Faellie

Skylar walked, her eyes bright with determination, into the Neopia Central Petpet Shop. She looked at every petpet there, searching frantically for the perfect one. Every day she came, just hoping and dreaming that one day she would have a petpet of her own.

     The first cage held a Snorkle. He squealed at the sight of her, happy that maybe he'd be getting adopted today. Skylar studied it and moved on. "Too dirty," she stated, scrunching up her pink Xweetok nose. She didn't want anything that would make lots of messes that she would have to clean up. Skylar hated messes. She was always the kind of girl where everything of hers had its place and in its place it would always be.

     The cage after that held a Doglefox, its fur a dusty orange and a snowy white stripe running in the middle of its head between its two beady black eyes. It looked at Skylar with curiosity and made her sad to look at it. Doglefoxes always made her think of her terrible and lonely life in the pound, and before that even. Skylar had once loved Doglefoxes, but ever since the day she lost her beloved Doglefox plushie, well, Skylar couldn't bear to think of them. She passed it with a heavy heart of sorrow.

     The next cage held a Spardel; its big, bulgy eyes stared blankly at her.

     "Ew, definitely no. Too creepy," she said right away with a sigh, "and ugly. I'd never ever ever want a Spardel."

     Would she ever find her perfect petpet?

     Suddenly, something pink and fluffy caught her attention. She rushed over to the cage that held a dainty looking pink Faellie. It scratched its head with its paw and then looked wonderingly at Skylar. Its bright brown eyes made Skylar's heart melt. The way its wings delicately fluttered; the way its tail swayed back and forth like a bushel of pink cotton candy. It was all so perfect to Skylar.

     "Yes," Skylar breathed in awe. "You're the one. The perfect petpet." She glanced around, making sure no one else had their eye on this beautiful pink Faellie. "I'll be back," she whispered, pressing her brown paw against the cage. The Faellie sniffed it carefully, then looked at Skylar with sad eyes that seemed to say, "Take me with you. Don't leave me here."

     "Don't worry," Skylar assured kindly, probably the kindest she had ever spoken to anyone in her life. "I'll be back. Just wait for me. Wait for me, perfect beautiful little pink Faellie...."

     ***

     Skylar burst clumsily through the door of her small, ancient Neopian apartment with excitement, not even bothering to shut it.

     "Hey, close the door! You'll let the cold air in," Nancy, her bossy, as Skylar thought, older Bori sister yelled from their bedroom. "We just got this place warm and here comes the nuisance," she muttered under her breath. "And where have you been? Geesh, you've been gone for hours..."

     "Blah. Blah. Blah," Skylar mumbled, rolling her eyes. She scowled and closed the front door, unwillingly. She was too excited to stand around closing doors and listen to her bossy sister's complaints! She rushed to the living room to find her owner Casey sitting on a old green juice-stained chair reading one of her favorite books.

     "Casey, can I have a petpet?"

     Casey looked up from the book she was reading, her thin eye brows creased with concern and she sighed. Every day she heard that question. Her Xweetok Skylar just wouldn't take no for an answer.

     "Please?" Skylar tried again. "Please? Please may I have a petpet? I want one really bad!" Skylar whined, lashing her tail back and forth in frustration.

     "Skylar, you know we can't afford a petpet right now." Casey looked back to her book, obviously not wanting to get started in this conversation right now knowing Skylar never gave up until she got what she wanted. "And besides, what kind of petpet were you thinking about? They have nice Ghotis, only about 20 NP."

     "No!" screamed Skylar. "I don't wanna Ghoti! I want....." Skylar stopped. She couldn't tell Casey she wanted a petpet as expensive as a pink Faellie! She just couldn't.

     "What do you want, Skylar?"

     "A PETPET!"

     Casey sighed. "Skylar, honey, I'm sorry. But petpets are expensive and you know we don't have much money."

     "You always say that. It's not fair!" Skylar shrieked, crossing her arms and looking at her owner Casey with a look of hatred in her pure blue eyes.

     "I say that because it's true," Casey said, ignoring Skylar's unnecessary behavior. "All you have to do is look around you."

     Skylar glanced at the ancient looking wallpaper on the wall with fainted pink and purple flowers printed on it. She looked at the book Casey was reading, its pages torn and its spine practically falling apart.

     "That's no excuse," Skylar grumbled.

     "Well, if that isn't, what is?" Casey said, her hazel eyes filling with compassion. She could feel Skylar's hope and sorrow. Every neopet wanted a petpet, didn't they? A best friend? Someone they could run around and play with? She sighed, knowing they could probably never afford one; at least one that Skylar would like. They could hardly afford this apartment.

     Casey wasn't exactly the type of owner to spend countless days and nights at the arcade until her eyes became red and droopy and glued to the screen. And besides, she wasn't very good at games anyway. She'd rather wait until she got lucky at the Money Tree, savaging any item worth a few or few thousand neopoints. That was her way of getting money. "Sky, if I could afford to buy you a petpet, I would."

     Skylar just grunted. "Why can't you then? Why can't you buy me one? Why can't you buy me something besides a Ghoti? They can't even go on land!" Skylar felt tears forming in her eyes. She was so frustrated; she really wanted a petpet.

     Casey sighed. She was getting tired of Skylar's temper. "Because, Skylar, don't you understand? We can't afford a petpet right now. Money is tight these days."

     "Well, maybe if you'd play games like a normal owner, we wouldn't be in this fix," Skylar mumbled quietly to herself. So quietly, Casey didn't even hear her.

     She just closed her book and got up, heading towards the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Sky. So what do you want for dinner?" she asked casually, as if the subject of petpets was never brought up.

     Skylar's face went red with anger and she balled her tiny paws in a fist. "You think I'm giving up that easily?" she yelled disbelievingly. "Do you think you can just say 'What do you want for dinner?' and I'll just forget about my precious Fae- petpet? Do you think I'll just let the conversation go without a cause?"

     "Skylar, just let it go," Nancy said, coming into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at her obnoxious little sister. "We can't afford a petpet. Don't you understand anything?"

     "No! I'll never let it go! Never ever EVER! You're not fair!" Skylar screamed. She ran all the way to her room, slamming the paint-chipped white door behind her.

     Then she went to her bed, got under the covers, and cried.

     "Never..." She sobbed into her pillow. When she finally fell fast asleep, all her dreamed about was her and the perfect pink Faellie.

     ***

     She woke up the next morning with the sun streaming through the worn-out curtains of her small bedroom and into her eyes. She yawned and sat up, still drowsy. What had happened the night before was a blur to her, but she remembered how she had yelled at and mistreated Casey. Casey was her beloved owner and friend, the only person who had ever really wanted Skylar. How could Skylar treat her like that and not be punished properly? Casey wasn't really the type of owner to punish, even though Skylar thought that's what she needed the most right now... maybe even more than she needed a petpet.

     "Skylar, breakfast!" Her little sister Kimmy yelled from the kitchen.

     Skylar sighed, then went to eat.

     At the breakfast table everyone was silent. No one brought up the subject of what had happened the day before and Skylar was glad. She didn't want to talk about it. She prodded at her breakfast; pancakes and too-sugary-too-runny-syrup. The sticky syrup dripped in an oozy glop from her fork onto her plate. She wasn't very hungry. All she could think about was the perfect beautiful little pink Faellie and how someone could be buying her right now. She sighed sadly. Nancy gave her a 'What's the matter with you?' look.

     Kimmy was busy stuffing her little Aisha face with those, as Skylar thought them as, too-sugary-too-runny-syrup and pancakes. She was young and learned to appreciate what she had, unlike Skylar, who hated being poor. No one liked poor people, and Casey always wondered why she didn't have any friends. Nobody wanted to be seen with a person who couldn't even afford the cheapest of stuff. Skylar had never had real friends. Everyone taunted her for being scraggly and unpainted, and dull. They said she was boring and tempered. Skylar didn't care, though, or tried not to, at least. Those mean words like that stung her as badly as needles. But she knew they were only finding ways to make themselves feel bigger and better and she tried to ignore them with all her might.

     "What's the matter, Sky?" Kimmy asked in her small voice, greedily licking sticky syrup from her lips. "Thinking you won't get what you want for your birthday?"

     Skylar suddenly brightened, a little candle of hope flickering inside of her. There just might be a chance, a small chance maybe, but still a chance! Maybe Casey had gotten her a petpet for her birthday!

     "No, I'm okay now," Skylar said. She could hardly hold her excitement, and even took a huge bite of those too-sugary-too-runny-syrup and pancakes, nearly choking her death with their sickening-sweet syrup.

     She had to start planning. What should she name it? Where should it sleep? Would Casey let it sleep with her? Would it like too-sugary-too-runny-syrup and pancakes? Would it mind being poor? Would it mind living in an old, worn-down apartment? Would it like her? Would it like Nancy and Kimmy? What about Casey? Would it like her too? How do you even care for a petpet?

     Skylar shoved those thoughts aside. How hard could it be? she thought.

     ***

     The whole day Skylar dreamed of nothing but having a petpet of her own. She drew pictures of her and her new perfect beautiful little pink Faellie, which she decided she would call Rosie.

     "She would be like a million beautiful fields of roses! Pinks and reds and whites, all the the beautiful and perfectness and good-smelliness of roses in a little Faellie!" Skylar declared, using all the of imagination in her head, which wasn't much.

     "Rosie," she murmured dreamily. Skylar loved that name. She used to have a pink plushie Doglefox she had called Rosie. That was back in her childhood and she hated thinking about it. Skylar remembered the day Rosie was thrown into the creek by the owner she once had, the owner who never really wanted her. The owner who abandoned her. Ever since, Skylar couldn't stand seeing a Doglefox, for it reminded her so much of her old Rosie plushie which was her best friend as a young neopet. Skylar remembered that day with tears in her eyes. It was the second worst day of her life; the worst day of her life being the day she was abandoned, but Skylar didn't want to go down that road right now. She was getting her very own petpet!

     She prepared a nice little sleeping place for Rosie by her pillow. She gathered all the scraps of felt and old blankets she could find. "Perfect," she breathed, looking at the little sleeping spot. "Rosie will love it." But she knew she was still missing something. "I know! She'll need some entertainment." So Skylar searched her room, trying to find stuff that would occupy a Faellie. She found an old blue ball under her bed and an old rag plushie on Nancy's side of the room. She knew going on Nancy's side of the room was forbidden, but she didn't care. She even went into Kimmy's room and found a piece of silk she thought Rosie would have fun playing with. She gathered all the precious little things and placed them in a box. Rosie's Things she scribbled on the side. She couldn't wait until Rosie got there.

     She was so anxious and happy, she couldn't sleep that night; for dreams of Rosie kept coming into her head.

     "Rosie... Rosie... Rosie..." she murmured in her sleep.

     The only image she saw in her dreams was the perfect, beautiful, little pink face of the perfect, beautiful, little pink Faellie.

     In her dream, Skylar was running through the fields. There were hundreds of thousands of beautiful flowers of all different kinds and colors around her.

     "Rosie, where are you?" she yelled, searching for the Faellie.

     The little pink Faellie then flew in front of her, squeaking happily. She was smiling at Skylar, handing her handfuls of pretty red roses.

     "Oh, Rosie. I love you," Skylar said, collapsing with the Faellie, the flowers making a cotton-soft landing.

     Rosie cuddled up to Sky, nuzzling against her furry cheek with her soft, warm body. Skylar couldn't remember a more happier moment.

     She was awoken suddenly of the shrill Aisha cry of Kimmy, jumping up and down on her bed.

     "Wake up, Sky! Presents! Presents! Better come get them before Nancy does!" She jumped off the bed with a thud and ran to the living room.

     Skylar followed with the over-exhausting excitement pounding in her ears.

     "Please don't let this be the third worst day of my life!" She crossed her fingers. The dream she had had last night must've meant something. Perhaps Rosie was waiting for her downstairs right now!

     When she walked in the living room, Casey, Nancy and Kimmy jumped out from behind the couch yelling "Happy Birthday Sky!", only Nancy did it less enthusiastically.

     Skylar looked around. No Faellie yet. She sighed.

     But maybe she's saving her for last! she thought with a sense of delight.

     Skylar reached for the tiny present Kimmy was shoving in her face. It was a small white and sparkly package.

     "Open it, Skylar! Open it, Sky! Open it! Don't waste a second!" Kimmy screamed with glee as Skylar looked at it, wondering what it could be.

     She opened it and found a small blue bracelet. It was pretty, but it wasn't a petpet.

     "Thanks, Kimmy," she said so she wouldn't hurt her little sister's feelings. "I love it."

     Kimmy gleamed with pleasure. "I just knew you'd like it, Sky. You love the color blue. It matches your eyes, too. It's very pretty, isn't it, Sky?"

     "Sure is," she grumbled.

     Next came Nancy's, which was a small key chain with a Doglefox stitched on it.

     "Thanks, Nancy. I love it, too." It was nice also. Maybe a sad reminder of her past, but still nice. Even so, it wasn't a petpet.

     "You're welcome, Sky. I knew you loved Doglefoxes," Nancy said, but Skylar didn't hear because then came Casey's present, which was a huge box she recognized as one of the boxes at the Petpet Shop you get when you buy a petpet.

     Skylar could hardly believe it. Her heart skipped a beat. Her very own petpet! Her very own Rosie. Could this be true? Could this really be happening? Was she dreaming? She quivered with excitement and surprise that this moment had finally come.

     Rosie! Here I come, Rosie! she cried in her head.

     Casey could see the excitement bubbling out of Skylar, like a volcano ready to blow. "Well, aren't you going to open it, sweetie?" she asked, pushing the box towards Skylar.

     Kimmy's green eyes were wide with excitement, for this would be the very first petpet in this apartment. Even Nancy looked interested. Her plain brown eyes were fixed on the box. "Well, open it," she pressed. None of the children knew what it was, for Casey had bought it in secret.

     Skylar hesitated and the room filled suddenly with a excitingly-nervous silence. Skylar then carefully pulled off the lid and started saying, "Oh Casey, I just love-"

     Her heart nearly stopped with disappointment. Instead of the gentle eyes of the perfect beautiful little pink Faellie starring at her, she saw the big bulgy eyes of a creepy faced Spardel.

To be continued...

 
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