Inside the Neohome of two Draiks, this summer day was not so serene. The sun rays were dancing across the counter as chaos ensued…

“HURRY! WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE!” Ayramina, the Stealthy Draik, warned in a screech. Her piercing blue eyes shot a deadly glance at her brother, Genjih.

“I AM TRYING, AYRA!” Genjih, the Faerie Draik, responded in the sassiest tone he could muster at a scream-level volume.

The pair were preparing for a vacation that was set to start in T-minus 10 minutes.

“Mom is going to be here in 10 minutes and if we’re not ready, she’ll leave us in Neopia Central!” Ayra said, both to herself and Genjih.

They both frantically packed their bags and cleaned up their Neohome as best as they could.

“Where are we going again? I don’t know what to pack!” Genjih asked in a panic.

“Mystery Island, you babbling Spardel!” Ayra replied through gritted teeth.

“Okay, okay. I was just asking!” her brother said, practically wincing. “Dear Fyora, most of my tropical attire is hideous. We should’ve went shopping…”

At that moment, the door flew open…

"Let's go, kids! We don't want to miss the ferry!" she told them urgently.

"Okay, okay, Genjih moaned." He tossed a pair of swim trunks into his duffle bag and zipped it up, slinging it over his shoulder.

"I don't see why we couldn't just fly," whined Arya.

"It's the month of Relaxing," Brila reminded them, "We are going on this vacation to relax. Now hurry up!"

"This doesn't seem that relaxing to me..." Genjih grumbled under his voice, but his mother didn't hear as she was already heading down the hallway and out the front door. The two children scampered after her.

The family arrived at the docks of Neopia Central. The suffocating heat was unusual for this time of year. Brila had decided if her family was going to suffer through the heat wave, they'd do it on the beaches of Mystery Island.

A large ferry pulled up to the dock and dropped anchor. "All aboard!" roared a familiar voice...

“The Island Mystic?” Genjih exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing out of your hut?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing out of my hut?” The Kyrii replied with a huff. “Ever since the Sneezle epidemic of Year 22, we Islanders have all been doing our part to bring tourists back to our shores…”

“Just board and stop asking so many questions,” snapped Brila, giving her son a shove on the back.

The Faerie Draik clambered across the wooden plank which led onto the ferry, followed closely by his mother and sister. They plopped onto a row of chairs near the front and watched as the ferry began to fill up with the rest of the passengers. Soon enough, the ferry was packed with an assortment of cheerful explorers and vacationers. They departed the Neopia Central jetty and began to set sail for Mystery Island.

Genjih tugged at his sister’s sleeve. “Ayra, let’s go ask the Island Mystic for some fortunes!”

The stealthy Draik rolled her eyes. “You don’t really believe that mumbo jumbo, do you?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” retorted the Faerie Draik as he dragged his sister to her feet. “Something you could badly use.”

Ayra sighed, though she couldn’t help but smile at her brother’s enthusiasm. “Fine, let’s go see what he has to say,” she conceded, allowing herself to be pulled along.

They walked over to Mystic, now sitting on the side of the boat. As they reached him, Genjih said, “Hey Mr. Mystic! Would you grant us three fortunes for our journey to Mystery Island?”

The Kyrii turned his gaze towards them, his eyes narrowing. After a moment of silence, he nodded.

“Very well, young one!” He said to Genjih, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “But beware! For fortunes work in mysterious ways, and the path they reveal may be filled with unexpected twists and challenges.”

“Yes please!” Genjih’s wings flapped excitedly at the sound of the Mystic’s cryptic warning.

“Very well!” The Island Mystic repeated with a chuckle. “For the daughter,” he said, casting a level gaze at Ayra. “In the thick of the jungle, a secret treasure awaits.”

Ayra’s eyes widened, a spark of intrigue igniting within her. She had been skeptical, but who could say no to the prospect of treasure?

“For the mother!” The Mystic continued, now turning his eyes to their mother, who sat watching them apprehensively from her seat. “Beneath the radiant sun, not all that glimmers is gold.”

The two Draiks exchanged wary glances at the sound of his words. Now onto his third and final fortune, the Mystic seemed to shift into a state of heightened excitement, almost a prophetic trance. “And for the son!” He boomed, his voice trembling with what seemed to be an otherworldly resonance. “Against crashing waves and tumultuous tides, let love and unity be your steadfast vessel!”

"That's it?" he asked the Mystic, making a face. "Love and unity? And there's barely even any waves!" He flapped an arm toward the sea, which was content to simply let their ferry pass instead of toying with it.

"Hey, I did say fortunes work in mysterious ways," the Kyrii said, leaning forward to wink at Genjih. "You never know when you'll need love and unity, or when the waves and tides begin to heave."

The Faerie Draik raised one claw to object, but already the Mystic was walking quickly away. Ayra took one look at her brother and couldn't help but snicker.

"You were the one who wanted fortunes in the first place."

"Not this fortune!" Genjih rolled his eyes. "You get a secret treasure! Mom gets - "

"Ooh, souvenirs!"

Brila sat up straight as she watched an island Blumaroo approach her, bearing a box dangling from straps on their shoulders. They smiled; their box was full of many different trinkets and jewelry, set with shiny stones and beads. One, in particular, caught the sun - a large gold pendant with a coconut tree design carved into it.

Ayra wrinkled her snout and squinted; the light was reflected straight into her vision as Brila hefted the pendant.

"Mom, isn't that a little...over the top?"

"I dunno, it looks pretty," Genjih commented.

"Normally it takes so long to find the perfect souvenir, but...this necklace called to me. I had to have it!" The Starry Draik immediately wore the pendant and started counting out Neopoints into the Blumaroo's palm. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," said the Blumaroo, beaming like the sun, their smile gleaming like their glittering trinkets. They sauntered away, no doubt to peddle their wares to other tourists.

Brila hummed in delight as she examined the pendant from all angles, catching the sunlight with it.

"Is it really made of gold, though?" Ayra wondered. "It didn't look like it cost much."

Her mother waved dismissively and sat back down in her chair. "Oh, that doesn't matter. Whether it's real or not, don't you think it looks - "

Ayra and Genjih stared at Brila as her voice trailed off. The Starry Draik's eyes were suddenly distant, as though gazing at something only she could see. As her mouth began to move again, she spoke in a voice that was deep, foreboding, and not her voice at all.

"The storm approaches. The storm approaches to claim what belongs to it!"

"Mom?!" Genjih asked. He and his sister approached slowly, warily, but Brila's eyes closed, and she slumped onto the chair, and said nothing more. He gasped and immediately began shaking her. "Mom? Mom, what's wrong? Are you sleeping? Please say you're sleeping..."

"Genjih, no!" Ayra grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Huh? Wait, don't you want to - "

"The pendant! Look!"

With a trembling finger, Ayra pointed to the gold pendant. It was glowing. Pulsing with a golden light that grew brighter and brighter.

It grew brighter and brighter...as the sky grew darker and darker.

Ayra and Genjih jumped as lightning suddenly forked through the sky, thunder booming not long after, and they braced themselves as the ferry began to sway upon the churning waves...

“Attention, passengers!” the Island Mystic shouted through the heavy rain that had begun to pour. “We are almost at Mystery Island, but we appear to be experiencing some turbulence! Hang on tight, everyone!”

Chaos broke out all at once. Lightning snapped in bursts of bright white light all around the ferry as the passengers began to scream. The ferry tilted dangerously to the left, causing many of the passengers to lose their balance as they slipped and fell to the other side. Everyone clung on to the edge of the ferry for dear life as it began tilting ominously to the other side.

“Mom!” Ayra shouted. The pendant around her mom’s neck grew blindingly bright as the storm raged on. “Mom, wake up!”

Suddenly, the pendant’s light vanished. At the same time, the boat lurched as a booming crash could be heard. Everyone shouted and stumbled, bracing onto the guardrails. They had made it to Mystery Island after all, but not as intended; the ferry had crashed into the shore.

“Everyone, come this way!” The Island Mystic shouted. He hoisted down the emergency ladder over the side of the ferry, draping it onto the beach. “There’s a shelter area in a nearby building. Follow me!”

Genjih’s heart was racing. He grabbed his mother in his arms as he flew down towards the beach, Ayra following quickly after him.

“Genjih-” Ayra shouted.

“Where’s that phony Blumaroo?” Genjih growled through clenched teeth. “We need to find him so he can tell us exactly what he sold her!” He scrambled to look through the crowd, but the Blumaroo was nowhere to be seen amidst the chaos of the heavy rain and the passengers running towards shelter. Panic rose in him as he turned back towards Ayra. She was standing unusually still with a hollow look in her eye.

“Ayra, come on!” he shouted. “Don’t just stand there! We need to follow them!”

“The jungle…” she muttered.

“What!?”

“That’s what the Mystic said.” She murmured again. She pointed towards the jungle behind her. “That’s how we can help mom. In the thick of the jungle, a secret treasure awaits…”

He gaped at her in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, anger simmering. “No, Genjih, I’m not. That’s how we help mom! Let’s go!”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Genjih snapped. “You’re going to believe what that Mystic said? He was probably a scam, just like that peddler selling whatever is was that made mom turn all weird!”

“No he’s not!” Ayra shouted. “He was right about the first fortune! We need to listen to him, we can’t just leave mom like this!”

“This is insane! I’m not going into that forest!” Genjih yelled finally, his voice booming alongside the distant thunder. For a moment, they stared at each other in shock, the rain and wind howling all around them.

Ayra took in a deep, measured breath. “Fine,” she said, her voice unusually calm. “If you’re not coming with me, then I guess I’m going by myself.” “What? No! It’s not safe!”

But it was too late. Ayra had already turned around, stomping angrily as she made her way towards the deep, dark jungle.

“Ayra!” Genjih cried. “Come back!”

Her heart pounded anxiously in her chest, but she was determined. Her brother's protests faded into the storm as she made her way toward the jungle…

"Holy Tombola! Have you ever seen something so blue?" Ayra shouted over the rush of water.

"Slow down, you're being ridiculous." Genjih managed to say, still panting.

Just then the waterfall suddenly stopped, as if the river had run dry in an instant; the massive curtain of water parted revealing an enormous mural depicting a night sky littered with beautiful stars.

"Wow." They exclaimed in unison, stepping through the shallow pool of water to get a closer look.

Ayra gently touched the carving in awe... "This is shaped exactly like.."

"-this old thing?" Genjih interrupted, holding up the golden pendant. "Did you think I was just blindly following you? We had to do this together - you needed me, and somehow I knew we'd need this."

Genjih gently placed the pendant into the carving in the mural and pushed. "Click."

"What about mom?" Ayra asked apprehensively.

"Don't worry, I've asked the Island Mystic to take care of her," Genjih assured her. "C'mon, we better hurry."

Together, they stepped into the spacious dome and scanned their surroundings. It looked like a museum of sorts. Arranged in a huge circle at the center were twelve marble pedestals with golden plaques nailed to the front. Dripping wet, the two Draiks left a trail of water on the marble floor as they flew toward the pedestals.

"Wow, this one's shiny!" Ayra squealed, pointing to a tiara on top of one of the pedestals. She inched closer to get a better look at the label and read aloud, "'The wearer shall be blessed with beauty so divine that not one soul will be able to resist their wishes.' Woah, I want one!"

"Focus, Ayra. We don't have much time," Genjih chided gently. He skimmed through the other plaques. They were all magical artifacts: a ring with the ability to see the future, a vase that could transport any object to any location in Neopia, and a book that cursed any Neopians whose names were written on its pages. He then came across a pair of bracelets and hurriedly beckoned Ayra to come over.

"Look at this!" he pointed to the plaque. "The bracelets can stop any calamity if the two casters who wear it are of one mind."

"It sounds really powerful!" Ayra gasped.

"And fitting for us too," Genjih added. "We have the same goal: to save mom and stop the storm. We just have to find out how to use it."

The two fell into silence for a moment before the Stealthy Draik had an idea. "Why don't we ask the Island Mystic about it? He might know something."

"That's a good idea!" the Faerie Draik agreed. After taking the bracelets, he and his sister exited the dome and headed out into the heavy rain once more...

How will this story end?

As the sibling pair glided through the trees, the wrist that was adorned with the powerful jewelry began to emanate heat.

“Uh… Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” Genjih asked, looking down at his wrist in concern.

“I am. They must be activating. Should we take them off?” Ayra responded through the tree cover.

Before Genjih could answer, there was a sudden dampening of sound in the labyrinth of the jungle. The warble of the Lady Blurgs and the buzzing of the Moquot stopped. All that could be heard was the rushing raindrops through already wet palm fronds.

“Why did everything get quieter?” Genjih prompted, completely forgetting the previous line of questioning.

“It’s the bracelets, Genj. The bracelets can stop any calamity if the two casters who wear it are of one mind,” Ayra said with reassurance.

Then, all at once, the noises of the jungle began again and with a vengeance. The sound was almost unbearable as if it was surrounding them on all sides.

“Okay! Or maybe not!” Ayra shouted, covering her ears. “Let’s hurry!”

The pair made it back to the shelter area that the Neopets on the ferry had taken refuge in to bear the storm.

“Here, would you like a towel?” the Island Mystic offered, handing them resort towels made of rough terrycloth.

“Thank you,” Ayra said, drying off. “Where’s our Mom? How is she?” The Stealthy Draik looked around the room but didn’t see any familiar faces.

“She’s at the medic. Your mother hasn’t woken up yet… She’s still unresponsive,” the Island Kyrii said with a grimace.

“I want to see her!” Ayra cried out, grabbing the mystic’s arm.

“Wait, Ayra. Remember the bracelets!” Genjih said to his sister. “Island Mystic, we went to the jungle just like you said for the treasure. We found a waterfall and unlocked a mosaic wall with Mom’s pendant and there were all these powerful items!” Genjih blurted out.

“Hold on, hold on. You’re going too fast! Start from the beginning,” the Island Mystic requested.

Ayramina retold the series of events and the Mystic stood in silence, nodding his head and staring at her through narrow eyes.

When the story concluded, there was a moment of pause as the Island Mystic looked between Genjih and Ayramina. “Treasure finds those worthy of it, young ones. You have the Sister and Brother Bangles of Gold on your wrist. Alone, they are powerful and chaotic. When used together properly, they bring serenity to any situation.” He turned on his heels. “Follow me.”

However, he was leading them back out of the shelter and into the elements.

“This isn’t the way to the medic!” Genjih shouted after him.

“It’s not meant to be,” the Mystic chided with a smile. Once they were out in the blustery wind and torrential rain, he continued: “The eye of the storm will be here shortly. When the calm settles, you must grab hands wearing the bangles and be of one mind.”

“What does ‘being of one mind’ mean, Island Mystic?” Ayra asked him in desperation.

“Have trust. You will know.” The Kyrii walked back into the shelter, leaving the brother and sister duo alone in the monsoon.

“Do you think we can do it?” Ayra asked her brother.

“We can. For Mom,” Genjih answered.

“For Mom,” Ayra repeated with a nod of encouragement.

As the storm resolved for a moment, the pair held hands and shouted in unison, “Heal the skies and heal our mother!”

The glow of the bracelets encapsulated them in light and incandescence, raising them up off of the ground without a flap of their wings. Beams of brilliant white light shot out from each gemstone of their bangles, tearing through the sky. The ground reverberated with a rumble as the entire island was washed in a wall of light.

Genjih and Ayramina crashed to the ground and the dust began to settle, sending them both into coughing fits. They slowly dragged themselves to a standing position.

“Um, OUCH,” Genjih whined, rubbing his backside. “These bracelets couldn’t have put us down gently?”

“Mom!” Ayramina shouted as she saw the petite frame of her mother, Brila, in the entryway to the shelter.

The siblings rushed to the Starry Draik’s side and scooped her up in a group hug.

“We’re so happy you’re okay!” Genjih said with tears in his eyes.

“Of course I’m okay! Looks like our first day of vacation is going to be beautiful,” their mother said, motioning to the suddenly clear azure skies and shining sun. “But I did have the strangest dream…”

“Yeah, you sure did, Mom,” Ayra said with a chuckle and a wink to her brother.

“Come on, let’s find the resort,” Genjih suggested.

The trio walked across the beach with sand in their toes, ready to start that relaxing vacation that they had planned all along.

The End.