"Why do you insist on wearing those?" Corbin inquired with a thin smile. "We're in a stony, dimly-lit Neovian abode built 200 years ago." The Ogrin gestured about the building's foyer.

The Wocky shrugged. "They make me look cool." He gave a casual smile.

His brother rolled his eyes, but then waved at an approaching figure -- Markus, the proprietor of this establishment.

The Kyrii breathed a sigh of relief and walked up to the brothers. "Thank the Brain Tree you're here. As surely you know," he started, addressing them both, "the Neovian Museum of the Strange has had a string of... disappearances lately."

"The Gnorbu lady with the long neck," replied Corbin.

"And the talking Feepit that claimed to be under a Meepit's curse," finished Kell.

"Well, those are the ones that have been publicly reported on." Markus lowered his voice. "Furthermore, there have been some... inexplicable sightings as of late. Ghoulish figures."

"Trust us, we deal with this stuff every other day," said Corbin, flashing a grin.

"Every other other day we sit at home, play games, and eat pizza," continued Kell, a dumb grin on his face as well.

"Er, jolly good," affirmed the Kyrii with a touch of hesitancy. "And thank you again. I do hope you can locate our missing freaks -- er, attractions."

"We're on the case!" said the brothers in unison as they headed deeper into the museum to search for clues...

Corbin stopped in his tracks, causing Kell to bump into him.

“What? What’s the matter with you?” Kell began, only to have Corbin reach over and knock Kell’s stupid shades off his face. Before Kell could protest, newly gifted with unimpaired vision, he saw it too - a shining apparition at the far end of the hall, illuminated by a chandelier dangling above. This one was remarkably shaped like an Usul, and the chill they’d felt in the air earlier seemed to intensify now that they were closer to the figure.

“I knew this would come in handy,” Kell whispered, unhooking a large net from the back of his belt. It was the patented Ghost-Grabber 5000, sold to them for a whopping 5000 neopoints by the Tombola Man. Corbin had insisted they were being scammed, but Kell had no reason to believe it was a fake.

“Kell, wait, maybe we should-“ Corbin had no time to finish before Kell took off down the corridor towards the ghost at full speed… and then could only watch in horror as his brother’s foot got caught under the edge of a dusty Neovian rug and Kell tumbled down the hallway.

The ghost raised her arms suddenly and the whole corridor went completely dark.

“Kell? Kell!?”

A few moments later, the lights flickered back on, but the only thing left in the hallway was Kell’s sunglasses sitting on the floor, dimly reflecting the light from the chandelier.

Great. Now Corbin had a ghost to catch AND a brother to rescue.

He immediately felt… more slick. More sly. More suave --

He ripped the shades off. "Corbin, this is not important right now!" he told himself aloud.

He needed to take action. Observing his surroundings, he noticed there were several doorways along the corridor; they seemed a good as place as any to start his search for brother, as well as the missing members of the Museum of the Strange.

Corbin approached the first door, turned the handle, and it didn't budge. Locked.

He crossed the hallway, and tugged at the doorknob. Locked again.

Continuing down the corridor, he attempted several other doors: locked, locked, locked.

Losing motivation, Corbin rotated the doorknob of the last room on the hallway, and he was greeted with a satisfying click. It was unlocked.

Readying himself, he took a deep breath, and opened the door; his eyes widened as he saw…

The Gnorbu didn't seem to notice him at first. Her head was far above, after all. She was peering into the top shelf of a very tall bookcase. Then, slowly, she turned, and fixed her gaze on the Ogrin intruder.

Corbin gulped.

"Why are you here?" the Gnorbu asked.

"I... er... have you seen my brother? He's a brown Wocky, and he usually wears these... shades." Corbin dangled the sunglasses lamely.

"So what if I have?" The Gnorbu turned back to the bookcase, as if bored.

The blue Ogrin took a deep breath. "You see, missus... er..."

"You may call me Samela."

"Miss Samela..."

"Samela."

"Er, Samela, yes." Corbin adjusted his collar, for a moment forgetting what he had meant to say. "Yes, er, you see, my brother and I..."

"You were hired to capture us and take us back," Samela finished for him. "Back to the Museum, where we are treated like exhibits, for regular Neopians to point and laugh at. How do you imagine we feel about that?" Her tone was as steady as a pebble in a still pond.

Corbin scratched his head. He did have some experience with monster-catching, but the barely-visible ghost in the hallway, and now this too-visible Gnorbu, seemed quite beyond his expertise.

"Give me a good reason," Samela continued, "why I shouldn't call upon my ghost buddies to take you hostage, too."

Corbin turned in alarm. He started to back out, but the door had already mysteriously closed behind him. In the shadows, he could see ghostly figures emerging...

“You don’t have to do this,” he said as a semi-translucent ghost lurked towards him. It took every bit of willpower not to reach for the ghost-b-gone spray in his pants pocket.

“Au contraire.” Samela crossed her arms and legs, making the core of her body look full when compared to her ceiling-high head. “Being caught by you means that we lose our freedom once again.” Her gaze pointed downwards. “And we can’t have that now, can we?”

Corbin jumped back, scarcely missing the reach of a ghostly hand that tried to grab his leg.

“But we can help each other.”

Samela scoffed at the notion, although the tiniest bit of interest sparked in her eyes. “You? Help me? Help us? You’re just saying what I want to hear. You just want to escape.”

To avoid the clutches of a tag team of ghosts, Corbin leapt onto a small table, which wobbled as he struggled to stick the landing.

“So glad that worked,” he muttered to himself before turning back to the now standing Gnorbu. “If you help me find my brother, I can help you escape from that Kyrii’s clutches.”

A melancholy laughter filled the room, startling the apparitions from their attack. For a few moments, nobody moved. Not until Samela wiped her hand across her tired face.

“And just why would you do that for a Neopian like me?”

“Because,” Corbin’s voice was even, “I know evil when I see it—trust me, we’ve tangled with some serious baddies in our day—and I don’t see it in you.”

The ghosts all turned towards her as if waiting for a command. She waved them down, causing them to slink back towards the wall.

The Ogrin visibly sighed with relief.

Seeing this, she clicked her tongue, looking rather tempted to say something foul. But instead, she smiled. “Okay then, ghost hun—”

“Corbin.” When her gaze soured from his interruption, he let out a nervous chuckle. “That’s my name, Samela. It’s… Corbin.”

“I know of you. Of the both of you.”

He gulped. “R-right.”

“So,” she rolled up her sleeves as if readying herself for a fight. “Shall we save the other escapees first?”

Corbin’s eyebrow rose. “Save? But I thought you and the ghosts were friends?”

“These ghosts are my friends.” As if to make her point, she swept her hand across the room and the ghosts replied in muttered words of agreement. As the door opened once more, her face darkened. “But there are many others in this place with far more… sinister intentions…”

And just as she said this, a shrill scream echoed through the hallways…

He had never heard his brother scream in that way before, but it was unmistakeably Kell. Terrified, high-pitched - a dreadful sound that made Corbin forget about his nerves and face his ghostly companions with a new resolve.

"You mentioned sinister intentions," he said to Samela, the tremble gone from his voice. "What exactly do you mean? What am I dealing with here? Who has got Kell?"

Samela narrowed her eyes at Corbin, as if considering her next move.

A ghost to her left, a rather portly blue Wocky with spectacles that balanced precariously on the end of his nose, stepped forward.

"Samela, I think we need to be totally honest with this kid," he murmured. He had a gruff quality to him, but he seemed trustworthy. His eyes, despite being long dead, had a sparkle to them that made him seem alive.

Kell screamed again, but this time there was a low rumbling growl in response.

"What...is that?" Corbin asked. "You can tell me whatever is going on on the way! We have to hurry to where Kell is."

"Make it snappy then, Samela," the Wocky said. "I'm Winston, by the way."

The group of ghosts and Corbin hurried down the corridor, then headed down the stairs towards the museum's basement. It was a dark, dank place that saw little light, and water dripped from the pipes.

This was definitely not on the normal tour.

Samela cleared her throat. "Now. This museum has had a long history, even before it became full of attractions like us. A pretty terrible history, I might add."

They reached an old iron door.

"Before we head in," Samela continued, "it's important that you know what happened to this place. And why we're now trying to escape..."

Samela took a deep breath before lowering her face down to meet Corbin's eyes, focusing her gaze on him with an intensity that made him shiver.

"Many years ago, before the Battledome as we know it today was established, this building was the site of a secret underground battle ring. Neopets would compete for glory, fame, and - most importantly - Neopoints. The problem was, in some cases, participation wasn't exactly... voluntary."

A tight knot of dread formed in Corbin's stomach and cold sweat broke out on his forehead as Samela continued.

"One particularly cruel and ambitious Neopian quickly realized that there was an easier way to make money than by putting himself in harm's way in the ring. And so the kidnappings began... He would capture the Petpets of Neopets he thought would stand a good chance in the ring, and used them as leverage to force their owners to fight on his behalf. But that wasn't the worst of it, oh no... Even after collecting his ill-gotten winnings, he wouldn't return the Petpet or free the owner. He would keep sending the owner into battle over and over until... well..."

Samela sadly turned her face toward her entourage of ghostly friends. Their expressions were full of sorrow. Corbin flinched as he noticed for the first time the scars on some of their faces and bodies.

The weary Gnorbu turned back toward the unsettled Ogrin, and concluded her harrowing tale:

"Eventually the battle ring was dissolved as the Battledome was opened, but that cruel captor quickly changed gears and used his leverage in a different way, forcing the more... 'unique' or unusual fighters or Petpets to become exhibits in his new 'Museum of the Strange'. This was the wicked scheme that was passed on to each successor of this establishment. Unfortunately, as generations passed, the history was forgotten by the general public, and nowadays nobody thinks twice about whether us 'attractions' work here voluntarily."

A look of sudden realization flashed in Corbin's eyes.

"So then... that Feepit..." he began slowly.

"Yes," Samela revealed dramatically, "that's my poor Petpet! We were making our escape but got separated, which is why I am still in this wretched place," she finished bitterly.

Samela’s exceedingly long neck, the battle scars all over Winston, the degrees of torment the Neopets had endured, until all that was left was the spirits of each…

“Maybe Kell and I were sent here for a reason,” Corbin murmured. “Ma’am,” the Ogrin donned his professionalism once more, which proved easy to wear in uncertain situations. “I can see that these particular circumstances have left you and your friends in the depths of despair as well as the depths of this edifice. Rest assured, my brother and I will do all that we can to assist you and reunite you with your Feepit.”

It crossed Corbin’s mind that he and his brother were usually hunting monsters rather than helping them, though he thought it unwise to voice this.

“Thank you,” Samela nodded politely, her head bobbing on her uncannily long neck. “There is one reunion we must attend to first. After you, sir.”

Corbin pushed the heavy door forward, which moaned in protest, almost as an echo of the pain of those who had pushed it before.

Inside was indeed Kell, but also a familiar Kyrii, who seemed…not himself. But how, Corbin could not immediately tell.

Samela’s eyes burned with icy fury. “You!”

Kell turned around. “Me?” his eyes went as wide as saucers as he saw, with the long-necked Gnorbu, a Wocky ghost who was much larger and more imposing than himself, his brother. “Corbin! You found my shades!”

“Not you, him.” Samela pointed savagely at the Kyrii. “What have you done with Mr. Floofles?!”

The brothers blinked at the strange name before Corbin realized she was talking about her beloved Feepit. “I’m sorry, who?” Kell asked, looking between the parties. “No, wait…”

The Kyrii sighed and looked back at Kell. “I was afraid this would happen. I did try to warn you, Kell.”

“Right!” the smaller Wocky gripped his brother’s arm. “You’ve got to get away from them, so we can detain the attractions properly!”

Corbin recoiled. “What?!”

“Markus here graciously found me, lost and alone, and took the time to warn me about the dangers of the attractions, if we weren’t prepared with some devices. These ghosts in particular are notorious liars and, if we’re not careful, we could end up fighting for our lives in a Tyrannian-age sort of Battledome!”

“And you believed that?!” Samela shrieked, looking as if she were ready to reenter the ring against Kell himself. “Why I oughta—“

The Ogrin’s jaw fell open. “Wh…”

“I’ve got to get you safe!” Kell protested. “Come on, we’ve got to run until we hatch a plan.”

“You said you’d do everything you could for us!” Winston cried. “Are you really going to go back on your word?!”

Kell let go of his brother for a moment. “Corbin, are you crazy?! They’ve brainwashed you!”

“Don’t listen to them. It would be much wiser to heed your brother,” the proprietor suggested.

For several seconds, the Ogrin was at a complete loss at what to do…

That was all Corbin needed. "Yes, Kell, heed your brother," he said, urgently. "You know what brainwashing looks like and you know that this isn't it. These pets and petpets have been kidnapped and lured here under duress to stay with their owners or petpets while that greedy weasel makes money off their misery!"

Kell hesitated. "Who gave me those sunglasses?" he asked.

Corbin grinned. "Our father did, right after our first successful monster hunt."

Kell nodded and walked over to stand beside his brother.

"It appears that we've been hired under false pretences," the Wocky said.

"I guess we won't be getting our fee then," agreed his brother.

Markus gritted his teeth, then cried, "They're lying to you!"

"They're more believable than you are right now," countered Kell.

Markus howled in fury as he gave up on convincing them.

"You leave me no choice!" he shrieked. He raised his arms...

How will this story end?

"What the-?! Hey! Stop that!" Markus shrieked, waving his arms in a desperate attempt to disperse the spirits that were obscuring his vision, to no avail.

"Quick, now's our chance!" cried Kell, urging his brother and Samela back into the hall outside the room. They quickly raced through the exit and slammed the heavy iron door behind them, only this time the groan of the door sounded like a powerful roar, the slam triumphant. From the other side of the door, they could still hear Markus struggling to fend off the ghosts.

"Now what?" Samela said, breathing heavily. "We still need to find Mr. Floofles and the others!"

"Wait. Others?" inquired Corbin, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Yes, yes, the other hostages! They arrived only recently, and were going to be debuted in next week's show."

"Right, the ones that haven't been publicly reported on yet," Corbin said, remembering Markus's earlier words. "But how are we supposed to find them? A search-and-rescue mission is somewhat outside our area of expertise as ghost-hunters."

"Or IS IT?" his brother said enigmatically, grinning excitedly as he pulled something out of his vest.

"What is that?" said Corbin, squinting to make out the device in the half-lit hallway. "The cold spot detector? How is that supposed to help? It's for finding ghosts!"

"Or IS IT??" Kell repeated theatrically, causing Corbin to roll his eyes at his brother's relentless showmanship, though he was secretly glad to return to their usual dynamic. For a minute there, he had been worried he would never get to be annoyed by his brother again. "Sure, it looks for COLD spots," Kell continued, "but if we can reverse the polarity-"

"-it can search for hot spots instead! Like those created by body heat!" Corbin finished, finally matching his brother's enthusiasm as he caught on to the plan.

"That's genius!" Samela said, looking hopeful for the first time since Corbin had run into her.

"Don't say that yet, we still have to figure out how to engineer this thing to do what we want!" Kell pointed out.

"Give it to me," said Corbin, turning it over in his hands. His two accomplices watched him eagerly.

"Ahem, some privacy please!" he insisted. "I need to focus..."

Once they turned away, Corbin simply flipped a hidden switch on the device. There was a COLD setting and a HOT setting, but his brother didn't need to know that. He had to keep up appearances after all, the clever scholar to his younger brother's scrappy adventurer. He turned back to the pair.

"Well, it was difficult, and I had to re-wire the circuitry and override the CPU by bypassing the mainframe-" Corbin began.

"Awesome!" Kell interrupted, "Let's do this!" He grabbed the hot spot detector and powered it on. Soon, they were running down hallways, taking turns and going through doors based on the device's instructions. It wasn't long until they had found all the captive Neopets and Petpets in various bare, lonely rooms. As the merry group approached the exit of the museum, Mr. Floofles suddenly stopped and turned back.

"But what about Markus?" he asked, looking worried. "He's probably destroying evidence as we speak! How will we bring him to justice?"

Before Corbin could recover from the shock of hearing a Feepit talk, the ghostly form of an Usul appeared by the door. She looked at them and said:

"It's true, without evidence I'm not sure our testimonies will be enough. Looks like Markus will walk free... if he can find the exit, that is. Too bad this building is so large, and I've even heard rumours of doors locking on their own, as if by vengeful spirits..."

She smiled, and the departing group laughed as they waved goodbye and stepped out into the inviting breeze of a warm summer evening.

The End,