Who Needs A Family?: Part Three

     I drifted off to sleep with these thoughts swirling around my head along with one other: Zee’s voice saying ‘I’m glad. We were all so excited about you coming’. I couldn’t stop myself from hoping she meant it.

     ~ * ~

     I drifted awake frowning. I could tell it was later than I usually woke up and I couldn’t figure out why. The klaxon was usually so loud it would wake me from the deepest slumber. Then yesterday’s events came flooding back and I cracked open an eye, half afraid that I would be back in the Pound and it was all a dream.

     Nope. I was lying in a gloriously soft bed in my very own bedroom. I leapt out of bed, remembering my promise of a bath.

     I started the water and poured in some of the bubble bath that was sitting on a shelf above the tub. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a proper bath. I bounced impatiently as I waited for the tub to fill, thinking that perhaps some of Zee’s enthusiasm had leaked into me in the short time I’d known her.

     Finally it was ready and I climbed in, whimpering in delight. I lay back and reflected on the previous day’s events. It was still baffling to me how easily I’d been accepting by this family and I couldn’t stop myself from distrusting it.

     Just sit back and enjoy it while it lasts, I told myself. Lex seemed really nice, but I knew that other owners would question her decision to adopt me and eventually she’d listen. I didn’t blame her; she’d been a lot kinder to me than many of my previous temporary owners. Just enjoy spending time with this family.

     I splashed around in my bath until the water cooled and I had to climb out. I dried off with a towel and headed back into my room, only to stop short with a little shriek. Zee was lounging in one of the bean bag chairs as Mimi rolled around on the rug.

     “Sorry!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “I did knock, but you didn’t answer, so I peeked in to make sure you were okay. When I saw the bathroom door shut, I decided to wait here for you.” She looked so nervous! Like I was going to yell at her.

     “It’s okay, you just gave me a fright,” I assured her, feeling a little embarrassed at my reaction.

     “Sorry,” she mumbled again, looking abashed. Then she brightened. “Do you want to come down for breakfast with me? The others have probably already eaten, but we’ll be able to find something.”

     I smiled. “Sure,” I said enthusiastically. Mimi chirped happily. She liked the idea of breakfast too!

     Zee led the way out of my room and down to the kitchen. Alice was the only one there. She was stood at a counter with an assortment of cooking equipment and ingredients spread out around her. She was frowning at a book that lay open in front of her, but she looked up as we came in and smiled.

     “Morning!” she sang cheerfully.

     Zee smiled at her as she made a beeline for a cupboard next to the fridge. I smiled as I quietly replied, “Good morning.”

     Zee looked back at me. “Do you like waffles?”

     I nodded eagerly. I hadn’t had waffles in ages. She nodded and started to assemble her own pile of ingredients. I moved to help her, but she waved me off towards the table where I took a seat feeling guilty. I felt like I should be helping her. Mimi leapt into the seat beside me and stared at me until I reached out to pet her tentatively. Zee just shook her head. “She knows she shouldn’t be on the chairs, but she knows I can’t say no to her,” she said, smiling softly.

     “Do you want me to make them?” Alice asked as Zee threw ingredients into a bowl and stirred.

     “No, you know I like to cook almost as much as you do,” Zee replied in a teasing tone. “Particularly if it involves sugar.”

     Alice grinned and shrugged. She got out plates and cutlery and set them down on the table. “In that case, could you make me some?” she asked.

     Zee nodded and added more ingredients to her bowl. Alice got some juice from the fridge and located glasses, then she brought those to the table as well and poured some juice for the three of us. I took a sip for something to do.

     After a short pause, my curiosity got the better of me. “Where is everyone?” I asked, looking at Alice.

     “Lex left right after breakfast, said she was going to play some games and check her stocks,” Alice explained. “Everyone else is in the garden. Last I checked, they were playing hide and seek.”

     “You didn’t want to join them?” I asked, thinking of the trouble they could get into without someone sensible there.

     Alice shook her head. “I can only handle so much chaos,” she said wryly. “Besides, I wanted to try a few things out while they’re distracted.”

     Zee snickered. “Yeah, Fyora knows you don’t get much peace at the Hollow.”

     “The Hollow?” I repeated.

     “That’s what Lex calls our house in the Haunted Woods,” Alice said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t ask me why, I haven’t got a clue why she felt the need to name a house.”

     “Has this place got a name?” I asked. I couldn’t seem to stop asking questions today.

     Alice looked at Zee, who flushed slightly and seemed to suddenly find the waffle she was plating up particularly fascinating. Alice sniggered.

     “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. What is it?”

     Zee carried over two plates of steaming waffles and slid them in front of us before turning back for her own and the bottle of syrup standing on the counter. She plopped the bottle down in the middle of the table and sank into her own seat. Alice and I were staring at her, waiting for her answer.

     “Paradise Lodge,” she muttered quietly, still focusing on her plate. I glanced at Alice to see if she understood Zee's reluctance.

     “I don’t see why that’s so embarrassing,” she said to Zee. I nodded in agreement.

     “You don’t think it sounds a little hokey?” she asked, looking at us sceptically.

     Alice shrugged. “Looks like a paradise to me,” I said, not daring to meet her eyes.

     “Besides, you can always just call it ‘the Lodge’,” Alice said reasonably. Zee smiled at her.

     “Thank you,” I said. They looked at me curiously and I felt myself flush. “For the waffles,” I explained, gesturing to my half-finished plate.

     Zee grinned. “No problem,” she said, as she held out a piece of waffle to Mimi, who immediately scarfed it down and chirped what was probably a ‘thank you’. “Do you like to cook?”

     “I don’t know, I’ve never tried,” I replied honestly before taking another bite of deliciousness.

     “We’ll have to remedy that sometime,” Zee said.

     I nodded and continued eating. I’d soon finished and sat back, savouring the contented feeling of a full stomach.

     “Right, I’ll just do the dishes and we can go find something to do,” Zee said to me. I got up and followed her to the sink, plucking a dishtowel from a hook. Zee looked at me and smiled. We washed and dried the dishes as Alice went back to her book-frowning.

     Once the last fork was put away, Zee turned to me. “So what do you want to do?” she asked me.

     “I don’t know. Why don’t we go find the others?” I suggested. I felt it was a good idea to make sure they hadn’t destroyed anything.

     Zee shrugged. “Sure. I said I’d show you the garden anyway, didn’t I? This way.” She led the way out of the kitchen and to the back door. Mimi padded along behind us.

     We stepped into the garden and I took a moment to stare in awe. This place was truly beautiful. There were trees and bushes scattered about with ponds and fountains dotted in between them. Several paths wound their way through the foliage and flowers had been placed wherever there was space.

     Zee beckoned me to follow her as she trotted off down one of the paths. She seemed pretty sure she knew where she was going, so I jogged after her, trying to look at everything at once.

     “This is really, really beautiful,” I told her as she led me over a bridge and deeper into the garden.

     “Thanks,” she replied, slowing her pace slightly as the sound of voices and laughter drifted to our ears. “Lex spent sooooo much time on it when we first moved here. It didn’t look right to me then, but she said it would grow to look perfect and she was right. Again.”

     We rounded a final corner and the others came into sight. I had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. There was a yellow and green blur rolling around in the middle of a clearing while the others stood around and laughed. I now knew the yellow and green blur to be Dex and Bex and that this behaviour was perfectly normal. At least, for them it was perfectly normal.

     Jojo caught sight of us, bounced over and threw himself at Zee, who promptly caught him and swung him round to make him squeal with delight. Nix and Zook ambled over, carefully avoiding Dex and Bex.

     “What was it this time?” Zee asked, sounding exasperated. Nix just shrugged and smiled at me while Zook snickered.

     “Dex thinks Bex was cheating,” he said.

     “Cheating?” I asked, eying the yellow and green ball steadily making its way towards us.

     “He thinks Bex flicked a stone at him, causing him to yelp and give away his hiding place,” Nix explained.

     “Did she?”

     Zook snickered again. “Maybe.” I had the distinct impression that he, in fact, was the culprit but didn’t say anything.

     We all scattered out of the way when Dex and Bex barrelled through our group. We watched for a few more minutes until Zook perked his ears up. Everyone looked at him. Even Dex and Bex stopped their wrestling match.

     “Lex is on her way down the street,” he said, before running off towards the front of the house, presumably to greet her.

     “How does he know that?” I asked as the others moved to follow him.

     “Don’t question the Zookster’s ears,” Dex advised me. “It’s kinda freaky, but he’s never wrong.”

     We arrived in the front garden to find Lex just arriving at the gate and Zook bouncing in place by the gatepost.

     Lex shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it,” she said to Zook, smiling fondly.

     “Hey, Alexa!” came a shout from the other side of the street. A girl was trotting towards us and I heard Lex sigh softly. The girl had long curly blond hair and was wearing a bright red dress. Three pets trailed after her, a Faerie Draik, a Robot Poogle and a Halloween Uni. All three looked completely bored, something they’d apparently picked up from their owner, who was doing her best to appear indifferent even though she was the one who’d shouted to Lex.

     “Hi, Laurie, what’s up?” Lex said as the girl approached. I found myself being herded into a huddle behind Lex by the others. I looked questioningly at Zee but she shook her head slightly.

     “Nothing much, I just wondered if you wanted to grab a coffee some time or something?” Laurie replied. As she was talking her gaze swept across our group, a covetous glint in her eyes. Her eyes stopped at me and she frowned. “When did you get the Usul?”

     Lex’s expression cooled further. “I adopted Molly yesterday,” she said curtly, emphasising my name.

     “Why?” Laurie asked, clearly not hearing the warning tone in Lex’s voice. “I mean it’s just a plain Usul, you couldn’t even trade it with a name like that. I mean I’m sure ‘Molly’ isn’t its full name, is it?”

     “No, it isn’t,” Lex all but snapped. “And I adopted her because I liked her.”

     “Whatever,” Laurie replied with a shrug, looking at Lex as if she were weird. “I still think it doesn’t fit with the rest of them. So, coffee?”

     “I can’t, I’m busy,” Lex replied, before turning on her heel and stalking away. The others immediately scrambled after her, dragging me with them.

     We didn’t stop until we were all inside and Alice had slammed the door shut. We all stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other.

     “I really, really don’t like that girl,” Nix muttered. There were murmurs of agreement from the others before everyone shuffled off in various directions.

     Zee took my paw. “Come on, let’s go upstairs.” She towed me up the stairs and into her room. I didn’t notice Alice trailing along behind us with Mimi in her arms until I turned to close the door and found her already doing it.

     “Don’t pay any attention to Laurie,” Alice said before we’d even flopped down into chairs.

     I looked at her in surprise. Had they really expected any other reaction? “But she’s right,” I replied. “I am just a plain Usul and you’re all so rare.”

     Zee rolled her eyes. “What did I tell you yesterday?” she chided me. “We really don’t care about that. You’re a fantastic person and a great sister.”

     “I was a Bruce when Lex adopted me. She morphed and painted me herself, and she’ll do the same for you if you want it,” Alice said. “She adopted you because she thought you would be perfect for our family and you are, so there.”

     “You really think she’ll morph or paint me?” I asked, trying to imagine why she’d bother; surely she could find a better pet to do those things with?

     “Duh!” Zee said. “She wants us to be happy. And Laurie is an image conscious idiot.”

     Alice muttered a reprehensive, “Zee!” Though even I could hear the lack of true conviction behind it.

     “Well, she is!” Zee exclaimed, getting to her paws and stalking around the room, clearly working herself up to a rant. “She calls all pets ‘it’, like we’re not people! And did you see her pets? She traded for them, you know. Now, I don’t mind trading if it’s a permanent thing, but I know she doesn’t care as long as she looks good.”

     “I’m not sure I agree with all of that,” Alice cut in, “but did you see the way she looked at us? She’s tried to get Lex to trade one of us more than once.”

     “I remember when you were first painted Maractite, she didn’t leave Lex alone for two days,” Zee chipped in.

     Alice nodded. “So the point is, Laurie’s opinion doesn’t count to anyone in this house. You are our sister and we love you. If you are morphed into a Draik and painted Pirate, then fine. If you stay just as you are, you’ll always be perfect to us.”

     I really didn’t know what I could say to that. No one had ever said something like that to me and I found myself on the verge of tears.

     Zee noticed immediately. “Don’t cry! You have to believe us!” She sounded panicky but I couldn’t find my voice to reassure her.

     Alice understood, though. “They’re happy tears, right?” I nodded mutely and she smiled gently.

     “Right, now on to happier things!” Zee exclaimed, scampering out the door. I looked at Alice, who shook her head and settled back into her bean bag. Apparently we were waiting here for her.

     Minutes later, Zee bounced back into the room carrying a book, which she thumped down on her pink vanity desk. She waved me over.

     “You need to pick out a petpet,” she said, opening what I could now see was a petpet guide.

     I stared at her. “Surely Lex will pick out a petpet?”

     “You’ll be the one looking after it, so it’s only fair that you choose it,” Lex said from the doorway. I jumped in surprise and turned to look at her. “Just read the descriptions and look at the available colours. Whatever you want will be fine with me, as long as no one’s allergic or anything to what you choose.”

     She held out another book to Zee. “You guys may as well browse through this as well; it may help your decision.” She smiled at us and left.

     “Do you have a petpet?” I asked Alice.

     “Sure!” she replied enthusiastically. “Hop’s around here somewhere.” She made a low sort of whistling sound and waited.

     Hop? What sort of name is Hop? I wondered as I looked at her. After a moment a Snowbunny hopped into the room. I grinned. “Ah, good name,” I said to her as the Snowbunny bounced right into its owner’s arms.

     “It’s a little obvious, but I like it,” Alice replied with a grin of her own. Mimi chirped at her and she set Hop down on the floor. Mimi instantly pounced and the two rolled around on the rug like a mini version of Dex and Bex.

     “Okay, so have a flick through and tell me if anything catches your eye,” Zee said, thrusting the petpet book at me.

     “It’s best to make a list of three or four so you can make the final decision once you’ve actually seen them,” Alice advised me.

     “What’s the other book?” I asked, gesturing to the book Lex and handed to Zee.

     “A Rainbow Pool guide,” she told me. “So you could pick out a paint brush colour if you wanted.”

     “You don’t have to,” Alice hastened to add. “It’s just that sometimes pets like to match their petpet to their paint brush colour.”

     “She lets you pick out your own paint brushes?” I asked incredulously. “Why?”

     “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, she wants us to be happy,” Zee said, sounding exasperated that I hadn’t grasped this yet.

     I thought about that while I thumbed through the petpet catalogue. I saw an adorable Babaa and looked up for some paper to write my ‘shortlist’ on.

     Zee was already sitting beside me, pen poised over a notebook. She looked at me expectantly.

     “Tyrannian Babaa?” I said tentatively. She nodded and scribbled it down. Alice smiled.

     “I was thinking of painting Hop Tyrannian,” she said, looking at her Snowbunny fondly.

     I flicked to the Tyrannian Snowbunny page and smiled back at her. They were cute! I continued looking through the tome.

     Eventually I came up with five alternatives: a Tyrannian Babaa, a Christmas Eizzil, a Christmas Weewoo, a Pink Wreathy (and not just to appease Zee), and a Pirate Gangee.

     “Do you want to look through this today?” Zee asked, holding up the Rainbow Pool guide.

     I shook my head vigorously. I’d had enough trouble picking out a petpet. Trying to decide which overly expensive colour I wanted to be painted sounded like a huge headache to me.

     Zee shrugged and put the book down. “You’ve got plenty of time. She’s still saving up for Dex and Bex,” she said, unperturbed by my lack of enthusiasm.

     “What did they decide on?” I asked curiously.

     “Bex wants to be pink,” Alice said, smirking at Zee. I could understand why; surely Zee would have picked pink?

     Zee shrugged. “I liked the dress, and besides I wasn’t such a pinkoholic back then.”

     I let it go. “And Dex?”

     “Dex wants to be Desert,” Alice replied. “Though Lex is thinking of cross-painting him if she can talk him into it.”

     “It shouldn’t be that hard,” Zee mumbled under her breath. I grinned.

     “Let’s go show Lex your list,” Alice said, slithering towards the door. Zee and I followed her.

     We found Lex at one of the tables in the Library. She was frowning at what looked like floorplans that were spread out in front of her. She looked up as we walked in. “Hey, guys,” she said. “How do you feel about a games room slash indoor swimming pool?”

     I know I, for one, looked confused. Alice looked unsure, but Zee looked sceptical.

     “You’d have to have some sort of partition in there; otherwise, you’d forever be falling in the pool if you were playing catch or something,” she said in a reasonable tone. Lex nodded thoughtfully, frowning at her papers again. “Is this for Mystery Island?”

     Lex nodded again and I became more confused, but Alice suddenly looked like she got it.

     “Why do you need an indoor swimming pool on Mystery Island?” she asked. “Put it in the garden and have the whole room as a games room.”

     Lex looked at her appreciatively. “Good idea,” she said. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” She made a note on her papers and then looked at us.

     “Molly wants a petpet,” Zee said, and I opened my mouth to protest.

     “Molly chose some petpets that she might like,” Alice corrected carefully, Lex smiled and held out her hand. Zee handed over the list and I began to feel self-conscious, but Zee was steaming ahead.

     “I thought, we could get the basic petpet now, and then Molly and I could earn the petpet paintbrush ourselves,” Zee explained in a rush.

     Lex frowned. “You guys don’t have to do that,” she said, shooting me a worried glance. “I’d be happy to give you the points for both.”

     Zee looked at me. “I’d be happy to earn the points for both,” I said quietly. “I don’t want you to spend points that you need for other things.”

     Lex shook her head. “I have a whole pot of Neopoints set aside for you to help you settle in,” she explained. “The things I’m saving for are long-term goals, not things we need immediately.”

     “Yeah,” Alice chipped in. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be planning the holiday house on Mystery Island.” I gawked at them. Holiday house on Mystery Island? These guys are nuts!

     Zee was getting impatient. “Okay then, a compromise. Lex can get the petpet and we’ll earn the paint brush. It’ll give us something to do,” she said. I nodded in agreement and Lex relented.

     Lex got up and left the room, I looked at Zee who beamed at me. She walked back in moments later with a bulging bag of Neopoints, which she handed to me.

     “That should be enough for the Eyrie there and back and the petpet. Although if you decide you want the Weewoo, you’ll have to come back and tell me,” she said. I must have looked puzzled. “You won’t find it on the Shop Wizard. I’ll have to trade for it,” she added in explanation, although it didn’t really explain anything to me. I nodded anyway and allowed Zee to pull me from the room.

     “Thank you!” I called over my shoulder and was rewarded with a laugh from Lex.

     “We’re going to Neopia Central,” Zee announced to the others who were all lounging around in the living room. “Does anybody want anything?”

     “Could you get me a lemon sprinkle doughnut?” Zook asked hopefully.

      Zee nodded. “Anything else?” Everyone shook their heads but Nix got to his paws.

     “Mind if I tag along? I wouldn’t mind having a look in the Battle Magic shop,” he said.

     Again Zee nodded. “We should have enough for two Eyries. Alice, are you coming?”

     Alice shook her head. “I thought I’d go work on a new pie recipe,” she said, already heading towards the kitchen with Jojo trailing after her.

     “What did she mean, she’ll have to trade for the Weewoo?” I asked Zee as she dragged me out the front door and down the garden path, with Nix trotting along on my other side.

     She slowed down then and looked at me. “The Shop Wizard only lists things that cost under one hundred thousand Neopoints. If something costs over that you have to look in the Auction House or the Trading Post,” she explained.

     Over a hundred thousand points?! I was already mentally crossing off the Weewoo from my list.

     “Don’t,” Nix said. I looked at him. “Don’t discount something because you think it’s expensive. If it’ll make you truly happy, Lex would gladly spend ten million Neopoints on it.”

     Zee nodded in agreement. “Besides, you’ve already volunteered to earn your own petpet paint brush, and that’s more than most of us did.”

     I looked at her curiously.

     “I used to help her earn points when it was just me and her,” Zee explained proudly. “You know, when she was new here? I helped her earn the Paint Brush to paint me and Mimi and our first house and everything.”

     I looked at her in awe. “You don’t mind having to share everything with us now, though?”

     Zee rolled her eyes. “Of course not. It’s nice to have brothers and sisters for when Lex isn’t around.”

     “Yeah, it’s nice to have someone else to blame for the smashed vase or dirty paw prints all over the house,” Nix added, grinning.

     Zee snickered and grinned back at him. We turned a corner and stopped in front of a small hut. Zee walked in while Nix waited outside with me.

     “She’s just getting us a cab,” he explained to me. “You okay after that thing with Laurie this morning?” He seemed genuinely concerned.

     I nodded. “Zee and Alice talked to me. She didn’t seem very nice,” I added quietly. I knew I shouldn’t speak ill of someone like that, but I couldn’t help it.

     Nix snorted. “That has got to be the understatement of the decade,” he said. “I think I made my feelings about her perfectly clear?” I nodded. “The whole family feels pretty much the same, although they won’t say it.”

     Zee returned at that moment. “What won’t we say?” she asked, looking from Nix to me and back again.

     “That Laurie is a pretentious moron who we’d be better off not knowing,” Nix replied offhandedly. He’s really not afraid to speak his mind, is he? I thought to myself, although I found his unconcerned approach refreshing.

     Zee nodded at him. “Not sure I’d put it quite like that, but I can’t say I disagree,” she said as two Eyries landed gracefully in front of us. This time I clambered up behind Zee without a moment’s hesitation. Nix leapt onto the other and we were off.

     We arrived in Neopia Central just under an hour later (apparently we had a tail wind behind us – I’ve a feeling if you don’t fly you don’t truly understand that). I actually managed to plant both paws firmly on the ground as I slid off the Eyrie and not stagger around like a dazed Spardel. Everyone stood looking at me expectantly until I realised I was the one with the Neopoints. I blushed and fumbled in the bag for our fare. Once I’d paid the Eyries, Zee bounced off through the crowd.

     “Right,” she started. “Molly and I will go to the Wizard to have a look at the petpets while you go to Battle Magic and then we can get a smoothie while Molly decides which one she wants.”

     Nix nodded in agreement and trotted off, presumably in the direction of the Battle Magic shop. Zee led me through the crowd towards the Shop Wizard.

     We spent the next half an hour looking through all sorts of shops at the petpets they stocked. We even found a Weewoo at the Auction House. After seeing all the petpet on my list, I still didn’t know which one I wanted as Zee steered me towards the Fresh Smoothie shop.

     Nix was already there, slurping a Chocolate Smoothie while he waited for us. Zee told me she was getting an Ice Creamy Jelly Smoothie and I said I’d have the same - I really couldn’t fault her taste in food. I joined Nix at his table, smiling shyly.

     “Did you see anything you liked at the Battle Magic shop?” I asked, trying to look interested. I had no idea what the Battle Magic shop actually sold and he seemed to know it.

     He smiled at me and simply shook his head. “Did you decide on your petpet?”

     I shook my head, embarrassed. “They’re all so cute, I can’t choose between them,” I said.

     “That’s why we came here,” Zee said as she arrived with our drinks. She handed me my smoothie, which I immediately took a sip of. It was as delicious as everything else Zee liked. I smiled at her. “We can sit here and debate the pros and cons of each.”

     “What are the options?” Nix asked, clearly amused.

     “Babaa, Weewoo, Wreathy, Gangee and Eizzil,” Zee reeled off before taking a gulp of her drink.

     Nix tilted his head as he thought. “Not to sound like a complete killjoy, but the Wreathy might be rather prickly, especially with Jojo around,” he said carefully.

     I thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. It seemed sensible and besides, it helped to cut down the list!

     “You could say the same for the Eizzil, though,” Zee argued. Nix looked at her curiously.

     “An Eizzil? They’re not particularly prickly as far as I remember,” he said, looking at Zee like she was weird.

     “But the Christmas ones have holly on their tail,” Zee reasoned, not the least bit abashed.

     “True,” I murmured.

     “Ok-ay,” Nix said slowly. “What colours do you want the other three?”

     I took a breath to answer, but Zee beat me to it. “Tyrannian for the Babaa, Christmas for the Weewoo and Pirate for the Gangee,” she said.

     “Let the poor girl get a word in,” Nix chided her and she blushed.

     “Sorry,” she mumbled to me.

     I smiled at her. “It’s okay,” I reassured her. “You’re just excited.”

     “She’s always excited,” Nix said, but I could tell he was teasing. Zee could as well, because she stuck her tongue out at him before taking another sip of her smoothie.

     He wrinkled his nose at her before turning back to me. “Which do you like best?” he asked patiently.

     “I don’t know,” I replied. “I like them all for different reasons.” Nix waved his paw at me to get me to go on. “The Christmas Weewoo is really, really cute; the Tyrannian Babaa is cute in a more rough, shaggy way and the Pirate Gangee is just really cool.”

     He nodded again thoughtfully. “Okay, which would you like least?” I frowned at him and he continued, “I know you like them all, but how would you rank them?”

     “Probably the Weewoo,” I said, without really thinking about it.

     Zee looked at me. “Why?” she asked suspiciously.

     “Because it’s really expensive and I know you said it doesn’t matter, but I don’t want to feel guilty about buying some super-expensive petpet when Lex could spend the points on something we can all enjoy,” I said, cutting off her protest.

     She still opened her mouth to argue but Nix cut in, “She’s right, Zee. If she’d feel guilty about it, then it wouldn’t make her happy.”

     I nodded and hunkered down with my smoothie, weighing up the two that were left. By the time I’d finished my drink I’d made up my mind.

     “The Babaa it is,” I declared. The other two looked at me in surprise and I shrugged. “It’s fluffier and cute and I think it’d be fun to groom.”

     Nix snickered but Zee beamed.

     “Besides, the pirate Gangee has that hook if we’re looking for pointy things that might be a danger to Jojo,” I added self-consciously.

     “Right,” said Zee as she finished her own smoothie. “Off to the marketplace then.”

     “We can pick up some doughnuts on the way home,” Nix added as we pushed through the door.

     Zee led the way back to the shop we’d seen the Babaas in. I peered into the cage at the three balls of cuteness; they looked back at me with big blue eyes.

     “Which one?” Zee asked, peeking over my shoulder.

     I didn’t even have to think about it. I reached in and picked up the smallest of the three. He squealed and wiggled in my grasp, reaching round to lick my paw. I smiled and held him up for Zee’s approval.

     She grinned and nodded and we went to pay. I handed over the Neopoints while the Babaa trotted in little circles on the shop counter. Once we were done, I scooped him off the counter and walked out of the shop, feeling elated. I have my very own petpet! I had to stop myself from dancing down the street.

     “Right, we’ll just stop by here,” Zee said, pointing to the bakery. “And then we’ll find a cab.”

     We piled into the bakery and my stomach rumbled at the scent that permeated the air. Zee made a beeline for the doughnut counter, and after a second of awe-inspired staring, I followed her.

     Zee had already picked out a dozen doughnuts by the time I got to her. Even Nix was looking a little dumbstruck as the Mynci serving her scrambled to keep up.

     “Right, that’ll do for the others. What do you guys want?” she said, glancing at Nix and then me.

     We looked at each other. “I bow to your consummate knowledge in this area,” Nix told her solemnly. I snickered and Nix grinned at me. Zee glared at us.

     “Um... I’ll have one of those rainbow ones,” I said, pointing. They looked pretty.

     “Okay, what else?” Zee asked, apparently deciding to ignore Nix’s comment. I looked at her, unsure what she meant. “Come on, you can’t just get one,” she added, seeing my confusion.

     “Ok-ay,” I said slowly, glancing back over the display. “I’ll have a purple one as well.” I hesitated. “And maybe one of those twisty things?” I asked, glancing nervously at Zee.

     She grinned. “Good choice,” she complemented. She added several more to the order for herself and Nix, bringing our total up to two dozen doughnuts. Zee handed over some Neopoints. I didn’t catch the exact total. I probably would have felt guilty if I had.

     Zee took the boxes and led us out of the shop and back towards the cab station. It took some bickering, but eventually Zee was convinced to relinquish the doughnut boxes to Nix, who carried them on his Eyrie, while Zee and I took the other, with me holding my Babaa.

     It took longer to get home; the Eyries had to fight the head winds for half the journey. We finally landed outside our house and I paid the Eyries, tipping them generously for their effort. Zee nodded approvingly before reclaiming the doughnuts and turning towards the house. Nix rolled his eyes and ushered me up the path before him.

     Once we were inside, I put my Babaa down and he leaned into my leg while he looked around, wide-eyed. Zee bounced off into the living room.

     “We’d better follow her if we want to actually eat any of those doughnuts,” Nix told me. I smiled and trailed after him as he headed for the same door Zee had disappeared through.

     He was right; by the time we entered the room, everyone was already bickering over the boxes. While they were focused on each other, I snuck up to the table and snagged two rainbow doughnuts. I crept back to the sofa where Nix was sitting and handed him one.

     “Thanks,” he said, smiling at me before taking a bite. I smiled back as I took a bite of my own treat.

     The others had stopped arguing and were looking at the boxes in puzzlement. They then looked at Nix and me. Lex snickered as she reached for her own doughnut.

     Dex frowned. “How did you do that?” he asked us.

     I shrugged. “I wanted a doughnut before they ended up all over the floor,” I said, breaking off a chunk and holding it out to my Babaa. He sniffed it for a moment before taking it from me and chewing enthusiastically.

     Alice sniggered and Jojo giggled. “Who’s this little guy?” Alice asked, gesturing to the Babaa who was now looking hopefully around the room, looking for another sugary offering.

     “She hasn’t named him yet,” Zee said through a mouthful of pastry. Lex looked at her in mild disapproval for a moment before turning to me.

     “Any thoughts on a name?” she asked me, I shook my head. She shrugged. “Take your time; it gets confusing for the critter if you keep changing his name.”

     I nodded and chewed my doughnut as I thought. As I finished my rainbow doughnut, Zee handed me a purple one. I smiled my thanks and took a bite. It was just as delicious as the last one. I looked at the Babaa and held out a chunk of the purple doughnut. He ate it as quickly as he’d eaten the rainbow.

     I smiled down at him. “I think I’ll call him Jellybean,” I said, not taking my gaze off him. He really was adorable!

     “Why?” Zook asked, sounding like he was trying not to laugh.

     I looked up then and glanced around the room. Everyone was looking at me and I blushed. “Because he’s small and sweet and seems to like sugary things,” I said quietly, looking at Zee for back-up.

     She grinned. “I like it,” she said. “It suits him.”

     “Just try not to eat him,” Dex teased. Bex snickered at Zee’s offended look. Lex cleared her throat.

     “Jellybean it is then,” she said, bending down to pat him on the head. He licked her hand and she smiled.

     “Come on,” Zee said, handing me a twisty doughnut before pulling me to my feet. “Let’s go introduce him to Mimi.”

     I scooped Jellybean up with one arm and followed her from the room, munching on the doughnut as I walked. Jellybean wriggled and mewled at me.

     “In a minute,” I told him as I followed Zee upstairs.

     Zee opened her bedroom door and just like yesterday Mimi squealed and threw herself into the Zafara’s arms. Zee giggled and hugged the Alkenore close. Then she walked into the room and set Mimi down on the rug, gesturing for me to do the same with Jellybean.

     “Mimi, this is Jellybean, Molly’s Babaa,” Zee said to her petpet. Mimi chirped, apparently in understanding, and went to sniff Jellybean. Jellybean watched her apprehensively until she rubbed her face against his fur, purring quietly. He followed suit until I whistled softly, holding out a chunk of my doughnut. He immediately trotted over to me and snarfed it down, licking my paw clean in the process. I giggled and scratched his ears.

     “So, you made the right decision?” Zee asked, watching me fuss him.

     I nodded, grinning like an idiot. I knew it would have been impossible for me to deny that I was smitten with him. She grinned back at me.

     “Good, I’m glad. So I guess we’ve got some saving up to do?” she said, holding out some of her own doughnut to Mimi, who ate it a lot more daintily than Jellybean had.

     I nodded. “I have no idea how much it’ll be, though,” I said, suddenly worried. I didn’t want Zee to have to spend her free time earning something I wanted.

     “Probably around the hundred thousand mark, maybe a little more,” she guessed with a nonchalant shrug.

     I gaped at her. A hundred thousand Neopoints?!! How are we ever going to earn that? I was already shaking my head, but I couldn’t get a word of protest out before Zee cut me off.

     “Don’t worry about it,” Zee assured me. “I like to play games and besides, there’s no rush, is there? We can take our time and have fun.”

     I considered. She was right. It’s not like it was something we desperately needed and if she got bored and didn’t want to carry on that was fine, as long as she’d shown me what to do. I nodded slowly, smiling at her.

     “See? It’ll be great!” she said enthusiastically. ”It’s been ages since I’ve had a goal like this!”

     It suddenly dawned on me exactly what I was thinking. I was planning on saving up for a petpet paint brush. That may not sound remarkable to you, but I knew it would take a while and I was actually convinced I would have the time here. With this family. With my family.

     “DINNER!” Lex’s voice floated up the stairs.

     We both got to our feet. “Jellybean can stay here with Mimi,” Zee said, glancing at the two petpets bouncing around on the rug as she headed to the door. I followed her down the stairs and into the dining room.

     “Isn’t it a little early for dinner?” I whispered to Zee as we took our seats.

     “It’s so the others will have plenty of time to get home to the Woods before dark,” Zee explained.

     They're leaving? I thought to myself, saddened. Of course they’re leaving! They don’t actually live here! I tried to shake myself out of my sudden dejection.

     “Don’t worry,” Zee said, clearly reading my disappointment. “It’s Alice’s birthday in three weeks; we’ll probably go to their house for a party.”

     I smiled, already looking forward to seeing their house in the Haunted Woods. And again I was struck with a realisation. I was planning to still be around for Alice’s birthday.

     I glanced around the table as everyone seated themselves and Lex placed huge platters of tacos in the centre of the table. They were indeed my family and they had accepted me as one of their own without question or argument.

     I smiled to myself as I loaded my plate with spiciness. Who needs a family? Well, I do. And I’ve finally found one.

The End