Bethie and Taropa

     She stepped out in front of two pets, a faerie Cybunny and a yellow Wocky. The Cybunny glared. "What do you want, earth faerie?" she asked, raising a perfect eyebrow.

     Bethie took a step back. "Umm... Could one of you get me a lime elixir? I really need it. I'd be so grateful if you got it for me. Please?"

     The Cybunny continued to glare as she turned. "Why should I help you? My sister and I are going shopping. Don't you dare bother me anymore, or I'll tell my mother and she'll report you to Fyora." She walked away, dragging her sister along behind her. The Wocky looked over her shoulder and mouthed, "Sorry" right before the pair went around the corner.

     Bethie slouched and moaned. Why was she always so nervous? What was wrong with her? All of the other faeries were brisk and calm when asking for items, but she always stammered or left something out. She tried again with a red Gelert.

     "'Scuse me, sir? I was just wondering if maybe you could-"

     He frowned down at her and snapped, "I'm not doin' any quests, so you can just go bother some other guy. Maybe one will be fool enough to actually get your item for you."

     Bethie felt like crying, but she didn't. Instead, she ran.

     She ran, and she ran, and she ran, not caring that she was bumping into pets and faeries, not caring that they were shouting at her. Not until someone grabbed her shoulders. She tried to struggle out of the grasp, but couldn't.

     "You can put her down now, Lino."

     The blue Grarrl that was holding her immediately let her fall to the ground. He looked familiar. Where had she seen him before? Then a new figure walked up to Bethie.

     "Sorry 'bout that. I just had to make you stop." Bethie looked up. It was the Wocky from earlier. She almost jumped up to start running again, but instead decided to wait and see what the young pet had to say.

     The Wocky leaned down over her. "What's your name? I'm Taropa. Call me Tar. That's what everyone calls me. Well, everyone but the stiff, boring old pets. And Kita."

     Bethie sat up. "I'm Bethie. Why...?"

     "Did I make my bodyguard grab you? I wanted to apologize for what Kita said. She can be a jerk sometimes. So what was it you needed? Lime elixir?"

     Bethie nodded.

     Tar turned to the Grarrl. Bethie realized where she had seen him before. He had been behind the girls when she had first approached them. Tar spoke. "Get her the lime elixir. Here." Reaching out her paw, she placed a bag of neopoints in his hand. Bethie gaped. This child must be rich if she could throw around huge amounts of money like that. Then it hit her. The Johisis, one of Neopia's richest families, was visiting Faerieland. There were two daughters. Kitisia and Taropa! No wonder the girl had a bodyguard.

     "You're Taropa Johisi!" she blurted without thinking.

     The Wocky laughed. "Yep, that's me. But you're supposed to call me Tar, remember?"

     "Umm, right." Bethie was still in awe of this super-rich child. "Uh... Where is- I mean, how did you get away from- What happened to your sister?"

     "She was so busy looking at clothes that I just snuck out the door. Lino followed me, of course."

     "Oh." Bethie looked around. When would the Grarrl be back?

     "Would you like to come to the house I'm staying at? It's really nice. Lino would be able to find us there, I think."

     "Sure," Bethie replied warily. She hoped Kitisia wouldn't be there.

     ***

     Bethie carried Tar through the air, fluttering high above Faerieland. "Yippee!" Tar cried giddily. "You're much more fun than Kita. She'll never give me rides. Oh! Down there!"

     The new friends landed. Bethie's jaw dropped. The house was HUGE. Many faeries had large homes, but this topped almost all of them.

     It was beautiful, with tall arched windows glinting in the sun, shining gold walls, and flowers sprouting up out of the pale pink clouds. "Wow," she managed.

     Tar grinned. "Knew you'd like it. Everyone does."

     A sudden thought bursting into her mind, Bethie turned to the Wocky. "Umm, if you don't mind me asking, uh... Why aren't you painted? Your family is certainly rich enough."

     Tar's grin grew even bigger. "I like being yellow. It's the color of sunlight!" She reached her arms up into the air and jumped, as though she could reach it. "Let's go inside."

     The hall was lovely. Bethie could hear herself gasping for about the hundredth time that day. To think that just a couple of hours earlier she had been looking around for a lime elixir!

     "Taropa! Where have you been? Ugh, and why is that earth faerie here? I thought we had told her to scram, and now she's in our house!"

     Kitisia flew down the stairs, her trademark glare on her face.

     Tar glared right back. "For your information, Kita, she's my friend. You told her to scram, not me. Lino's getting her the elixir."

     Kitisia muttered something as she stalked down the hall.

     Tar looked like she was about to say something, but at that moment Lino walked in and tossed Bethie the elixir.

     "Thanks," the earth faerie muttered as she rewarded them.

     "Don't mention it, Betharoo!" Tar cried. "The pleasure is mine!"

     Lino nodded silently.

     "So, what do you want to do?"

     ***

     It was a strange friendship, that of an earth faerie and a Johisi. But a friendship it was. Tar and Bethie grew together, for Bethie was still quite young for a faerie.

     Tar's parents approved, even though Kitisia did not, for Bethie was a faerie and quite powerful. They knew that she would make their daughter even more famous.

     And it did.

     Bethie and Tar became like pop stars, almost as famous as the members of Yes Boy Ice Cream. Young girls, both pets and faeries, were fond of saying, "We're almost as good of friends as Taropa and Bethie!"

     Tar, energetic and outgoing, also helped Bethie get over her shyness. Though the earth faerie was never bold, she lost her fear of talking to people. Almost everyone was happy to help her with her quests. Sometimes Tar would even get Bethie her items, like she did the day they met.

     One day both girls were sitting in a tree outside Tar's family's manor in Neopia Central. "Truth or dare?" asked Bethie quietly.

     "Dare," replied Tar, as usual.

     "I dare you to go give your sister a biiiiig hug."

     Tar laughed as she climbed down the tree and walked over to a spot where Kitisia sat sipping a slushie.

     "Kita!" She embraced her sister.

     "Ugh, Taropa, get off me!"

     From up in the tree, Bethie giggled.

     "And Bethie, you fluttering faerie! Stop laughing!" Kitisia shook her fist. Then, instead of glaring, she smiled. Actually smiled. "Can I join your game?"

     The two friends nodded. Maybe Kitisia wasn't so horrible after all. Maybe she was just lonely.

     "Last one to the fence is a rotten negg!"

     And so the duo became a trio.

The End