The Acara pranced through the field happily, gently gliding
her lime green paw across the tops of the wildflowers. She sat herself down
among the blossoming red and blue wild flowers, spreading out her clean pink
dress amid the grass, tenderly picking the flowers from the ground. She loved
to do this everyday, to come out in the fields behind her home and sit underneath
the peaceful blue sky as she braided the flowers into a crown for herself. The
Acara would place the crown on top of her head and quickly run over to a small
stream nearby, looking into its babbling waters and smiling as she saw her reflection.
"I am Vira," she would whisper to the reflection.
"And I am the most beautiful Acara to ever live!"
Vira glided down the halls of her school on the
fateful afternoon which our story begins. Her long blond hair was neatly braided
with barrettes clipped in her hair. She wore a long flowing dress with elegant
lace sewn on its ends. As she floated down the halls like a princess, everyone
stared with envy at Vira, for she was the most popular and beautiful Acara (if
not neopet) in the entire school.
"Good morning Vira," Vira turned her emerald
green eyes towards an excitable young Acara who stood next to her. It was Tesiva,
her friend, per say. Vira continued to walk towards her class, strutting
proudly, barley looking at the Acara when she gave Tesiva a cold 'hello'.
"I just wanted to ask you if you were going today,"
she inquired happily. Vira continued to walk down the halls, not even looking
at Tesiva.
"Going where?" she asked rather detached, thought
she was intrigued to know what the Acara was talking about.
"Why, the first annual beauty contest! I thought
you would have heard about THAT!"
Vira stopped abruptly and studied Tesiva with
her green eyes.
"Beauty contest?" she asked. Tesiva nodded excitedly
and began to explain.
"Yeah, this week it seems there is a next contest
going on… a 'beauty' contest! You compete to win prizes and the most beautiful
person of all gets a GIANT gold trophy!" Tesiva explained dreamily and she played
with her brown hair. Vira raised a skeptical eyebrow at Tesiva.
"So, will you enter?" Tesiva inquired to Vira.
The lime green Acara stood up straight and began to walk down the hall to her
class.
"Possibly," she called down the hall, not waiting
for Tesiva to catch up. Vira, of course, was sure to enter. After all, who could
possibly beat her?
Vira sat in her luscious field that afternoon,
staring at the clouds. She slowly picked the petals off a daisy as she looked
down at her copy of an entry form for the beauty contest. As soon as school
was over that day, she went over to the contest and signed up.
"Hrmmm, that stupid little Tesiva will never
win next to me," she smirked arrogantly, tossing aside the petal less daisy
in turn for a new one. She closed her eyes and slowly picked off the petals,
mumbling to herself each time she picked off a petal 'I will win the contest'
or 'I won't win the contest'.
"I won't win the contest," she said, opening
she eyes only to see the petals were gone. She twisted her face into race, ripping
apart the gentle daisy and throwing it across the field, still staring in rage
long after it had fallen to the ground.
On the day of the pageant the small hall was
packed with pets for the event. Vira strutted into the hall, tailed by a large
gaggle of her school mates. They all stared at the contestants in awe as the
group filed into the hall. Vira smiled as she viewed them all, they were nothing
compared to her.
That morning she had taken extra long in preparation
for the contest. She picked out her favorite dress; a butter yellow Sunday dress,
embroidered with yellow tulips. Her flowing golden locks were let down, and
she had woven a few wild flowers into her hair. She noticed all the stairs she
received from the fellow contestants, looking at her with envy.
That's right, just stare, she thought
conceitedly, for I am the most beautiful of all.
"Ohh, you're sure to win today, Vira!" a young
Wocky cooed. She nodded to the Wocky.
"Yes, I would thi--,"
"Vira! Oh, you made it!"
The group slowly turned towards the voice as
Tesiva bounced into view. Vira's eyes grew with horror at the Acara she was…
beautiful! Tesiva wore a long dress that complemented her silkily white fur.
Her shoes were polished and on her wrists she wore no less than ten golden bracelets.
Her hair was in a beautify braid with ribbons placed in the wrap. Vira screwed
up her face in rage as she saw Tesiva.
"I have things to do before the contest," Vira
hissed venomously at Tesiva before turning into the opposite direction and heading
backstage.
Vira waited backstage for the results after the
contest had ended. She had said her piece, and now it was time to claim the
recognition she so rightly deserved. She stole a peak at Tesiva, chatting happily
to a pair of pink Lennies. Vira grinded her teeth with rage at Tesiva's happy
face. She kept thinking about Tesiva, how that awful Acara was trying to upstage
her.
"The results are in! Please come to the stage,"
a voice called backstage. Vira strutted towards the door, shooting Tesiva a
look of pure venom as the chipper Acara gave her a positive thumbs up.
"We have tallied your votes, ladies and gentlemen!"
the announcer proclaimed to the crowd as the contestants all stood behind him
nervously. He opened up an envelope and gave a small pause for dramatic effect.
"The third place winner is… Ratrian!" the announcer
yelled excitedly. An elegant Cybunny stepped forward and accepted the trophy
happily, waving with a blue paw to the crowd as she stepped to the side of the
stage. Vira didn't pay any attention to her, she was wondering what she would
say when they cal--…
"Vira!" the Acara perked up as she heard her
name called. She smiled arrogantly as she waltzed forward and accepted her trophy,
her nice silver trophy.
SILVER?!
Vira stared in disbelief at the trophy. It wasn't
gold, but silver! How could that BE, she... she was... was…
If she didn't win then what if that awful…
"And our winner for the first annual Neopian
beauty pageant is… TESIVA!"
Vira stared in absolute horror as the meek Acara
bounced forward, her face shining with tears. The crowd was on their feet, clapping…
for TESIVA. The judge bowed before her, handing Tesiva a bouquet of red roses
and presenting her with the shimmering gold trophy. Vira's rage blinded her,
she couldn't hear anything or notice anyone except… Tesiva.
"Oh Vira!" the white Acara yelled her eyes filled
with tears as she ran towards her. Vira raised her paw and slapped her across
the face. Tesiva fell back in horror as she stared at Vira.
"IT WAS A MISTAKE!" she spat bitterly, howling
like mad. Her once beautiful face was now contorted to a mass of ugly fury.
Before anyone could say anything she bolted out of the hall, howling like a
deranged animal.
Vira stalked her field that night, howling in
anger as she seized the small flowers and tore them in rage. How dare they refuse
HER! She was EASILY the most beautiful Acara ever! She collapsed, panting and
crying as she remembered it all.
"It's not true! It's not true!" she howled to
the cold night sky. She scanned her field helplessly, spotting the silver trophy
glinting in the gold moonlight, proof of her failure. She seized the trophy,
grasping it with her tiny paws and began to smash it against the rocks along
the stream. The clanking sound echoed through the lifeless night as she took
her rage out on the silver trophy. She slowly stopped and threw aside the trophy,
looking into the water. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her green eyes swollen
and red from many tears.
"I am the most beautiful… me," she croaked feebly
to her reflection, as if hoping that it would answer her back.
"I want… I wish, to be the most beautiful Acara
ever," she sobbed into the river.
"Ohhhh, you have a wish?"
Vira screamed and jumped up as she heard a cold
voice near her. She turned to see a shadowed figure standing across the stream,
it's cold, vacant eyes studying her with malice.
"Why are you frightened, dear child?" the voice
asked unemotionally, filled with evil and darkness. The shadow slowly crossed
the stream, not making a sound as it waded through the water and approached
Vira. The Acara slowly stood up and faced the shadowy figure.
"Who... who are you?" she asked timidly. The
shadow gave a mirthless chuckle at the question.
"Me? I am… a wish granter," it answered slyly,
chucking still. The shadow picked up a flower on the ground, causing it to burn
and instantly shrivel up. Vira stood her ground, somehow enchanted by the shadow's
enigmatic words.
"So, you wish for beauty, do you not?" the shadow
casually asked. Vira screwed her face up with rage, and hissed under her breath.
"I am beautiful,"
The shadow gave its mirthless chuckle again,
causing Vira's rage to grow even more.
"If you are so beautiful, then what is the meaning
of that?"
The shadow pointed a warped finger at the battered
trophy lying near the stream. The Acara's face dropped with pain as she relived
her last few hours, a tear emerging from her eyes.
"I am beautiful," she whimpered pathetically,
as she helplessly let herself fall down upon the flowers. The shadow laughed
cold and cruel, swooping down to her level and holding her face towards its
own.
"You may be pretty, but you are not beautiful,"
it whispered, its frosty breath washing all over Vira like a bucket of ice water.
Vira closed her eyes. She knew that, she was nothing…
"Only I can make you beautiful," the voice hissed
menacingly, Vira's eyes opened as she stared into the calculating eyes of the
shadowy figure. The figure roughly let go and reached inside its shadowy folds
to reveal a mirror. The shadow handed it to the Acara, who took it with shaking
paws. It was made from what appeared to be some black stone. It was highly polished
and felt almost weightless in her paws. Though something in her senses was screaming
at her to throw it away, she stared into the mirror with speculation. In it,
she saw herself, but it wasn't how she looked now, she was beautiful, breathtakingly
so! Her hair was long and silky; her eyes were the greenest of green, no longer
red and teary.
"You see?" the shadow hissed in her ear. "I can
do this for you, all for you, my dear; I can make you beautiful."
Vira stared into the mirror, transfixed by the
image. She would be beautiful, she would be perfect.
"You…you made me beautiful," she mumbled transfixed
by the image, she turned towards the shadow a question now appearing in her
mind.
"But, there must be a catch," Vira said.
The shadow chuckled, "Ahhh, a clever Acara you
are, but I have no catch here I only have opportunity!"
The shadow's eyes glinted with wickedness. The
shadow reached into its robes again and pulled out a second mirror, handing
it to Vira. She took the second mirror and looked into its reflection, but saw
nothing.
"However, to become the most beautiful, isn't
there something in your way?" the shadow inquired in a falsely innocent manner.
Vira's eyes burned with hatred as images of the night flashed before her eyes.
In the silver of the mirror Tesiva's face swam into view. The shadow made a
clucking noise with its tongue as it peered into the mirror.
"Lovely young Acara isn't she? Do you know her?"
the shadow asked calmly, its red eyes turned towards Vira. She slowly nodded,
too angry for words, her anger blinding her once again.
"Oh, why is she the one that caused that misfortune?"
the shadow casually waved over towards the mangled trophy. Vira's green fur
stood on end.
"Yes… it's all her fault… I should have won,
me... I am the most beautiful," Vira ranted mindlessly. The shadow swooped over
Vira and pointed at the reflection.
"Revenge, my dear, is another wish I can grant
you," Vira's scowl twisted into a disturbing smirk as she stared at the mirror.
The shadow smiled at Vira.
"Give this to that darling little Acara, and
you will become beautiful forever," the shadow whispered. Vira smiled as she
picked up her mirror again, staring into it with an evil smile.
"Forever…"
***
The sun was shining bright the next morning as the school slowly filled with
students. Tesiva sat in the classroom as, what appeared to be the entire school,
clamored around her, admiring her trophy.
"Tesiva! Let me see!"
"Ohhh, can I hold it?"
"You were so right to win it!"
"Congratulations Tesiva, you earned it!"
Tesiva blushed and the compliments rained down
on her, waving a white paw.
"Nooo, please you are all too kind!" she giggled.
The clamoring died down as Vira approached the crowd. Her hair appeared to be
shorter than it was yesterday, her eyes looks as if they had become a red shade,
her lime green fur slowly looked almost like it was molting to a disgusting
algae green. Normally, she would wear a delicate dress of a pastel shade, but
today she wore a black dress, torn at the hem and looking as if it was sewn
by someone who had never used a needle before. The crowd watched Vira with fear,
remembering what she had done to Tesiva yesterday (as word traveled quickly
around the area).
Tesiva, glanced at Vira with a flicker of fear
in her eyes, her paw immediately covering the place where Vira had slapped her
the previous day. Vira stooped before Tesiva, a devilish grin on her face as
she presented her with a mirror.
"Vira…" Tesiva looked at the mirror and slowly
took it, a smile coming across her face.
She's forgiven me! Tesiva thought gleefully,
looking at the mirror with happiness.
"Thank you Vira," she nodded happily as Vira
turned and walked away, saying nothing, but wearing a smile which made everyone
who saw it cold to their very center. Tesiva looked into the mirror and was
shocked at the reflection. Though it was her, she seemed…different.
Tesiva sat in her room that night, looking into
her mirror. Something about it was enchanting to her.
"Am I really that pretty?" she wondered aloud
as she continued to stare in the handheld mirror, her reflection mimicking her.
"Why, of course I am!" Tesiva replied to her
reflection, giggling to herself. She stopped suddenly, puzzled by her own words.
That didn't sound like her; she wouldn't say something like that…
"What's the matter, Tesiva?" a voice cooed cruelly.
Tesiva's blue eyes widened with fear as she looked around her room widely for
the source of the noise. The voice began to cackle loudly as she turned towards
the mirror in her hand, her reflection laughing cruelly as she stared into it.
"Wh…what is this?" she stammered in fear, transfixed
by the reflection. Tesiva's reflection stared at her with a haughty grin, tossing
its brown hair over its shoulder.
"Tesiva, you silly child, you shouldn't have
done it," the mirror warned in a singsong voice, "but you did, and now you have
to pay…"
Tesiva's began to shake in fear as she stared
into the handheld mirror.
"D--did what? I didn't do anyt--"
"LIAR!" the reflection hissed silencing the white
Acara's stammers. The reflection laughed evilly at Tesiva's horror.
"You were bad Tesiva, you tried to become more
beautiful than I, and I am the most beautiful," the voice sighed evilly. Tesiva
began to cry in fright as the reflection slowly molted from the beautiful white
Acara to an awful creature. Its fur was grey and matted with warts protruding
from underneath the fur, its eyes a bright yellow and horribly disproportional,
and its ears looking like old, dried up fruit.
The mirror began to violently shake in Tesiva's
paw. She quickly dropped the mirror and held on to her face as it began to tingle
and burn. She screamed as the mirror shattered, the laughter instantly gone.
Tesiva opened an eye and rubbed her face gingerly;
she picked up a shard of the mirror and looked into it. She quickly threw the
shard down, horrified at seeing her once beautiful face now reduced to the grotesque
image she had seen in the mirror before.
"You were bad, Tesiva, trying to upstage me,"
The mutated Acara turned around to see a dark
shadow sitting on her window sill. The figure had large bat wings and the tail
of a Korbat. Its fur was a vile shade of green, and its glowing red eyes were
striking fear into the heart of the bewildered Acara.
"Only I can be beautiful," the shadow hissed
venomously at Tesiva, pointing a red claw at her. "But YOU stood in my way!
No matter, you will pay now," the shadow laughed insanely. Tesiva listened to
the voice, it sounded so familiar, almost like… like…
"Vira?" Tesiva whimpered. Vira stepped into a
slit of moonlight in Tesiva's room. No longer was she beautiful and innocent,
but now mutated into a fowl creature of the night. Vira smiled a cold smile
and give another mirthless laugh.
"Have fun, dear friend Tesiva. I heard you entered
the contest next week, oh you will win for sure," Vira added cruelly before
stealing away through the window and flapping her bat like wings as she soared
through the night.
Her valley was silent that night as she strolled
through it. She brushed her hand over the fragile flowers as she looked at them.
The flowers twisted and contorted with the lightest touch from her, growing
thorns and turning into poisonous weeds.
Vira took out her mirror and looked into it with
a smile, admiring her blood red eyes.
"I am now the most beautiful Acara in the world,"
she hissed to the night sky, "and I will be… forever."
The End
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