The Charlie Chronicles: The Moving News

The 5th of Swimming- 12:01 AM

I HATE Kayla! I can't believe she is doing this to me. In a little over a month, my owner is leaving for Lost Desert University (LDU) and I have to move in with my evil Aunt RCG. I was supposed to attend LDU, too but I didn't pass last year before I enter the college level. I'm going to have to go to a brand new school to repeat my senior year of high school. Even though, I got not so great marks in some of my classes, I got an A in Art. I was planning on going to school on an art scholarship and majoring in Art. Shouldn't that top mark in Art be all that matter? But no, the scholarship people actually care about the dull subjects like Math and Science. Does pouring chemicals into a test tube really compare to the feeling of creating your own world? Does solving for X really compare the feeling of pouring your heart out to a piece of canvas? I don't think so. Someone should write that snobby scholarship group and tell them to lighten up.

I begged Kayla to let me stay at home on Mystery Island while she is gone at LDU. I can take care of myself. I am old enough and mature. Being a Yurble, everyone knows we are the most mature species but Kayla wouldn't go for it. She didn't want me living by myself. She decided without my consent or discussion, to ship me off to Neopian Central to Aunt Roxycaligirl101 (RCG). Now, it is bad enough I have to leave the beaches and my home behind but I have to move in with her. No offense to my Aunt RCG but she is weird and I mean, she is totally crazy. She is a writer and spends her days locked in an office clanking away at a typewriter. What does she write? I don't know! She'd never show me any of her work. I bet it is pretty awful though. Then, at night, Aunt RCG goes crazy throwing her world famous parties or jetting off to a club to go dancing with some fellow writers. She writes all day and plays all night. My question is when does she sleep? Something tells me she passes out in front of that typewriter more often than she'll ever admit she does. I know what you're thinking, Aunt RCG doesn't sound that bad but she is evil. Every time we go there, she and Kayla always get into a big fight. Kayla always tells me the fights starts because RCG is an uncultured nitwit and art hater, who wouldn't know art if it nipped her in the bum. If that doesn't describe someone who belongs in the Gallery of Evil, I don't know what does. Don't even get me started on her pets. She has four of them: Kudio, the reporter and wizard of doom; Roxy, RCG's real name is Roxy. Who seriously names a pet after themselves? Well, Roxy (the pet, not my Aunt) is obsessed with pointless fashion and advice columnist (for the clueless) in the Neopian Times. Then, there is Queenie, the perfect Faerie Kougra, the pet everyone wants to be (but me); and Oke, a spoiled and loud White Kougra. I'd rather go live with Vira than Aunt RCG and crew! I wonder if Vira is looking for a room-mate…

The 5th of Swimming- 10:00 AM

I tried to swing the Vira idea to Kayla but it didn't work. I picked the perfect time, too. Kayla was busy working on a new painting. Her hands, pants and face were covered in splotches of different colored paint. When Kayla has paint on her it is always a good sign, she is usually in a good mood. Well, it didn't work but she did alert me that my "favorite" cousin, Queenie was coming over later that night for dinner. After, she is done surfing and her Battledome classes for the day. I really don't like my cousin at all. She is one of my vile aunt's pets and I can't stand little Miss Perfect or her best friend, Rikku. Rikku is a Spotted Kougra who has a major attitude problem and always is tagging along with Queenie to our house. Kayla actually likes them but I can't stand them for a second. I can't believe I am going to be moving in with Queenie soon. She is just the beginning of the annoying group of room mates I'll soon possess.

The 5th of Swimming- 12:53 PM

I made a lunch of ham sandwiches today and I had to practically drag Kayla away from her work to eat lunch and talk. I began to reason with her about how Yurbles prefer to be alone rather than move in with weird room mates but Kayla quickly declared that there'd be no more discussion about it. That I was moving in with Aunt RCG and that was that. Then, Kayla has alerted me that Oke is coming to dinner, too. Oh joy, another bundle of joy that can annoy the dung out of me. I haven't seen Oke since Thanksgiving of last year and I was enjoying the long break we had from each other. KingKaroke is a spoiled little White Kougra. He is the baby of the family. By baby, I mean youngest and sure acts like it, too. Oke is actually a bit older than me but I sure act why older than him. This is going to be one long dinner…

The 5th of Swimming- 6:09 PM

Well, I finally dragged Kayla away from painting for the day to help me cook dinner for our guests. I made my world famous fruit salad made of Scabus, Juppies, and Funnydew Melons. Kayla made Crab Burgers; one of the few things Kayla can cook. There is one thing I know about the Cali women, none of them can cook. So, basically, Kayla and I live off of simple foods and store bought. Queenie and Oke wouldn't be used to anything different but as always, Rikku would complain at dinner. Rikku's owner is a chef, a pretty good one, too. While everyone human in the Cali family struggles in the process of making toast. Kayla changed into something that wasn't covered in paint and instructed me to do the same. I simply changed into a black t-shirt, nothing special because I saw nothing special about this dinner at all. Kayla wearing a yellow sundress tried to convince me to change into something fancier but I refused. I slammed my journal down on the outside patio table and began to scribble away. Kayla groaned and raced off back into the kitchen to check on the Crab Burgers. I don't know why she bothers checking on them, she'll find one way or another to burn them, it is the inevitable.

The 5th of Swimming- 10:45 PM

Well, I had an interesting dinner. It started out pretty bad. Queenie and Rikku arrived together and I lead them into the living room. Queenie grabbed me and pulled me into suffocating hug that I could've lived without. Queenie wore a beautiful navy blouse with hoop earring while Rikku wore a dark forest green polo shirt. Then, they sat down and started chatting about how awesome the swell was and blah blah. I don't know too much about surfing nor do I want to so I just smile and nod while they chatter away. Kayla came in and instantly dove into the conversation about blah blah and pointless banter.

Another knock on the door came and I leaped at the chance to answer it, I raced over to the door and opened. In front of my stood a spooky looking Kougra wearing a shell necklace and black button down shirt with a white shirt underneath; I screamed and slammed the door. I was shaking so much with the sight of the claws and the teeth on that dark Kougra. Suddenly, I heard my cousin, Oke's voice calling to me while he rapped on the door. I slowly opened the door and realized that the scary Kougra on the other side was my cousin. I felt really bad for slamming the door in his face and screaming. I must've apologized a million times but he didn't let it bother him one bit. He just brushed it off his shoulder like it happened to him every day.

Well, Oke has changed and not just his fur color. He is really different. He is no longer the bouncy cub I used to know. Now, my cousin is very mature and serious. Oke used to ramble on for hours but now, he sits very shyly and quietly in the corner. He used to have tons of friends but now, he only has one. I asked Oke what happened that caused the total personality transformation happened because of a simple Halloween Paint Brush. See, he wanted wings like his older sister, Queenie and he just had to have them. Being painted Faerie wasn't his style and he didn't want to morph into another species so the Halloween Paint Brush seemed like the perfect option. It ended up not being the perfect option; he lost all his friends and became rejected from society. The rejection caused him to grow colder, serious and quiet. Now, that I look at him, I really don't think my cousin is that scary. I actually like the new mysterious, shadowy him. He isn't as annoying as before.

Oke and I retreated to the patio while Queenie, Rikku and Kayla chatted. He and I listened to the ocean waves while we talked, mostly about art. Can you believe Oke is into art? I didn't think any of Aunt RCG's pets would be into art. You see Oke likes the art galleries and museums because artsy folks are very laid back. When a mutant or a Halloween pet walk in, they don't freak out and call the Defenders of Neopia but just treat them like equals. The art folk of Neopian see past the scary exterior and I'm glad there are cool people like that were I'm moving. I'm also thrilled that I can talk about art with someone besides, Kayla. Oke and I really clicked and chatted about books, coffee, skimboarding (Oke's favorite sport), soccer (my favorite sport), life in Neopian Central and writing. Oke wants to become a writer but he is very scared to do so. Almost more than half his family writes for the Times: Aunt RCG (not really, she claims she does though), Kudio, Roxy and even Roxy's feisty petpet, Troxy. He is afraid of getting stuck in their shadows and overlooked. I told Oke not to worry about it and to go for it. I don't think he will though, he is still unsure of his work and himself. It'll take awhile for Oke to get over the damage done to him by ignorant pets for judging him by the outside. I still feel bad for slamming the door in his face and jumping to conclusion by appearance. I promise from now on that I'll never slam the door in a pet's face because they look scary. I don't want to make any pet feel rejected from society based on their looks. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that I could've done it before. I'll have to be more careful on how I treat others.

I really like Oke and I don't think I'll mind leaving in the same house with him. Maybe living in Neopian Central with Aunt RCG won't be so bad after all. Well, I better go to bed; I have to wake up early tomorrow to go shopping. Besides, I am so tired from staying up late plotting ways to get out of going to Aunt RCG's. I guess, I don't have to do that anymore.

Until tomorrow,

Charlie