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Reyla inhaled deeply-taking in the unique smell of her Neohome,
owner, brother and so much more. She almost wanted to cry, knowing that she'd
never smell any of it again. But the young cloud Ixi stayed strong, and with her
Grundo Backpack draped over one shoulder, she left the home-planning never to
set foot inside of it again.
***********************
Reyla sat silently in the shadows-her lavender eyes surveying the area relentlessly,
her blue ears standing straight up. She was trying to stay concealed from the
rest of Neopia-for the sake of herself as well as her old family.
The chilly autumn air swept throughout the atmosphere,
and Reyla longed for the comfort and warmth of her bed, but she knew wishing
would not bring the item to her. It would just cause her to become even more
grief-stricken and homesick.
"Why did I ever put myself through this misery?"
the Ixi whispered to the cracked concrete below her hooves. It did not answer
her, and it wasn't as if she had expected it to-but it would've been nice if
it had.
The lonesome Neopet shook her head slowly, and
her matted fur whipped from side to side. The Ixi then jadedly slid to her stomach,
gently rested her chin on her hooves, and closed her eyes. Soon, Reyla was astray
in a world of dreams-but they weren't actual dreams… they were nightmares.
***************************
Reyla awoke early the next morning, and the sun was just rising in the cerulean
sky. Miniature icicles were melting from her fur, which was even more matted
than the night prior. Her horns were encased in a thin layer of frost, and her
hooves fell into the same category. The Grundo backpack, which she had taken
from her Neohome, was drenched with remains of what had once been snow.
"Blasted weather," Reyla hissed, her teeth chattering.
Then quieter, she added, "I'm lucky I'm not dead right now."
She sighed, and then batted an icicle from her
cheek. If I were at home, she thought, I'd be drinking Marshmallow Roast Coffee.
And then as quick as the thought entered her mind, it left-stored itself in
a crammed suitcase in the back of Reyla's mind.
"Can't dwell," she whispered. "I can't dwell."
The sun was fully up now, and its light reflected
down upon the Ixi. Reyla decided it was now time to leave the area she had resided
in last night-venture further from her Neohome. So with the drenched backpack
slung around one shoulder, she stood up and promptly walked away from the area.
Unfortunately for Reyla, the streets were packed
today with a mixture of owners and Neopets. And to worsen the situation, more
than once did she see a sign pasted on a lamppost, or store window reading this:
Missing Cloud Ixi
Name: Reyla1449
Please go to 1412579 Market Street,
Neopia Central
If you have any information
And then, glued right below those words was
a picture of Reyla-smile stretched across her face, fur neatly combed. The picture
was recent, but it was still before Reyla had done the thing that caused her
to run away… the thing that had caused her to leave the only life she ever knew.
"Don't dwell-stay hidden," Reyla whispered constantly.
And luckily, nobody took the time to match her to the neopet on the poster.
Reyla had been walking for quite some time when
she grew enormously hungry. There were no shops around to buy anything at, and
even if there had been, they would've been no use, for Reyla had not thought
to bring any Neopoints along with her.
What am I going to do? she screamed to
herself. But despite her best efforts, an answer did not come.
Out of both tiredness, hungriness, and simple sadness, Reyla walked a few
feet off of the earthy path she had been walking on for quite some time now
and plopped down under a large tree. The shade, which the hefty branches and
big leaves produced, replenished Reyla's energy in a way, but it did not increase
her mood, nor did it help her hungriness.
"I wonder where I am," the Ixi said audibly
to the otherwise empty area.
She was beyond surprised when these words answered
her back: "You're in the pretty much deserted part of Neopia Central, 'Lil Missy."
Reyla jerked her head towards the voice, and
tilted her head when she saw a spotted Gelert standing casually on the grass
about a foot from her. "Who are you?" she asked in an almost demanding demeanor.
"I guess I should be asking yourself that, but
since you asked first, I'm Hank… 'least that's what most folks call me." He
shifted his glance towards the ground and chuckled slightly, but then looked
back at Reyla. "And who may you be…?"
"Reyla," she snapped. 'Hank' was giving her
an uneasy feeling.
"Eh, that's a pretty name. You know, there's
a missin' Ixi named Reyla, and she'd cloud. And so are you. You her?"
Reyla flinched, but then stuttered, "N-no I'm
not her."
"Coincidental, eh?" he asked.
She nodded quickly, and then hugging her backpack
tightly against her chest, stood up. "I-I should probably go. M-my owner's p-probably
worried sick. I promised t-to only be out for a few hours."
"You sure? You sound mighty interesting. I thought
maybe I ought to get to know you better."
Reyla gulped, but said, "Yes, I'm sure. I really
have to go."
Then, not letting the subject go any further,
she walked swiftly back onto the path. She didn't look back at 'Hank' at all.
But she should've-because he was following her.
****************************
The path soon faded into a mere tangle of dead plants, age-old litter and
malodorous mud. Reyla's hooves became encased in an assortment of these, and
her fur was not only matted now, but was entwined with branches, leaves and
wilted flower-petals, too.
'Hank' was still following her-walking in her footsteps, getting splattered
by the same mud, being pelted with water from the same dripping tree. He was
exhausted, thirsty, hungry and frustrated-but he had to get Reyla… he'd die
before giving up.
****************************
Reyla was so tired she could barely walk. Her hooves dragged reluctantly along
the 'pathway', and he eyelids drooped so low they were basically closed. She
wasn't at a good place to stop, though-sharp rocks were scattered on the ground,
and a horrid stench lingered in the air.
Her fur was so dirty that you could no longer
see her true pattern-the fluffy white clouds and soft blue color were hidden
beneath layers of pure filth. Reyla looked more like a monster than an Ixi,
but she did not notice. She had more important things to worry about-sleep,
food and water.
Suddenly, Reyla fell to the ground. A rock jabbed
into her front left hoof, but she was so exhausted that the pain did not exist.
And as her eyelids took one last move, the Ixi drifted off into a world of slumber.
*************************************
'Hank' slowly approached Reyla-not sure if she was actually asleep, or faking
it. His lip was quivering, his paws were trembling, and his brain was spinning.
He could not decide if he should actually go through with his plan-take the
poor, defenseless Ixi hostage.
But then he remembered-she wasn't just a 'poor,
defenseless Ixi'… she had killed his sister… his only sister.
Still trembling, 'Hank' seized one of Reyla's
hooves. A bit of mud rubbed off onto his paw, but he did not care.
"Wake up, Missy," he hissed, his voice on edge.
"5 more minutes…" Reyla moaned and rolled over.
"Wake up, Missy." 'Hank's' voice was a bit louder.
"I said five more minutes…"
"Wake up!" His voice was booming, and it echoed
throughout the air.
Reyla jolted up and her eyes grew wide when
she saw 'Hank' hovering over her-his paw gripping her hoof. "What are you doing!?"
she shrieked. Then, using one of her free hooves, she kicked his leg.
The force pushed 'Hank' onto the ground, and
he simply sat there for a few moments-both pain and shock overcoming him.
"Why you little worm," he finally spat, his
eyes dancing with flame. "You burrow into the ground and never come out you
worm. Do you know what grief you've brought my family? D'you know?"
"I didn't do anything to your family!" Reyla's
eyes were filled with newly formed tears, and her body was shaking.
"You didn't, eh!? You call killing Megaley not
doing anything!?" The pain and shock had been replaced with complete rage.
Reyla grew silent-those words seemed to freeze
her body and mind. She did not blink, nor did she breath for 35 full seconds.
"I didn't do it," she whispered finally. Then
a little louder, she said, "I was framed."
"There was proof, Reyla! You cannot deny proof!"
"The proof was set up." Reyla's voice was bold.
"You hear me? SET UP!"
"How do I know this!? How can I believe a criminal?"
"I guess you can't… but I am telling the truth.
I won't deny it… I was THERE during the er… murder. But I didn't commit it."
"Then who did it?"
"Wanna know? You really wanna know??"
"Yes!"
"She's not dead!"
The spotted Gelert's eyes grew wide, and his
breathing grew heavy. "What happened then… if she's not dead?"
"I… don't… know." Reyla had not been prepared
to have to explain the truth, so she of course did not know what to say.
"You're lying then!"
"I'm not… she just well… I guess I should start
from the beginning."
"You mighty well should."
"Well, here is goes…"
************************************
"Me and Megaley were in class together… we were kind of friends… just kind
of. Well our teacher… well she thought that we should be paired up for a project
that we would make up, so she paired us up. Our project was to well… we didn't
think of what could happen with it. We decided to fake a murder… b-but Megaley
made it so dramatic that it looked like it actually happened… and well… uh….
that's the story."
*******************************************
'Hank's' jaw was hanging open, and his eyes were wide. "You 'spect me to believe
that?" he inquired.
Reyla gulped… she really hadn't expected him
to believe it, but there was always that one little chance. "Yes," she fibbed.
"Well, I know well that you're a 'lil liar."
He clenched his teeth and glared at Reyla.
"I am not lying," her voice squeaked.
"You are!" he bellowed. "You really are!"
Anger firing him up, 'Hank' grabbed Reyla's
left hoof-the one with the rock in it.
"Don't hurt me!" Reyla yelled.
"I ain't gonna… yet." No further words said,
he started to drag her away from the area.
****************************
Reyla laid nervously in the cellar of 'Hank's' Neohome. Silver shackles were
locked around her ankles, tethering her to the stone wall. Her fur was still
as messy as it had been earlier that day-maybe even a bit messier.
'Hank' (whom she found out was really named
'Emoal') laid lazily on the Mutant Sofa on the other side of the cellar, staring
at his prisoner-the twinkle in his eyes seeming to taunt her.
Next to Emoal sat his owner-a teenage boy with
coal black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a gray sweat-jacket and torn blue
jeans. From the outside, the boy did not look evil-he looked young and innocent.
But he was not.
Reyla did not speak a word to either of them-what
was she to say? They were the ones who had her bound to a wall… it wasn't the
other way around. She was the one imprisoned in shackles… not them. The only
thing that they could not take away from Reyla was her innocence in the crime
that they accused her of committing.
******************************
Days passed, and Reyla grew used to her new schedule. Each morning she'd get
up, eat a sordid breakfast of Jellied Eyeballs, sit doing nothing until her
putrid dinner of Squishy Brain Wrap, and then do nothing until she fell asleep.
It was an awfully boring day, but the Ixi grew used to it.
And then everything changed one day.
************************************
Reyla awoke to the sound of cheerful squeals upstairs. She wanted to bolt
up and see what was happening, but her shackles prevented her from doing so.
She simply laid there, straining her ears to listen to the conversation. She
managed to take in a few things.
"Megaley! Oh Megaley!" the boy's voice yelled.
"Where have you been?"
"Lots of places!" a girl's voice replied.
"I was worried sick! And so was Emoal!"
"I'm sorry that I worried you… I just was trying
out some new things!" Her voice was happy.
"You tell me the whole story!"
"The whole thing?"
"Yes."
"Okay then…"
*********************************
"The day before I left, me and this girl-Reyla-were planning to go on a big
trip to explore… maybe go to Faerieland or Mystery Island! We said we'd meet
at her house. But when I went, she wasn't there. So I thought that she'd probably
be waiting for me somewhere else, right? But I couldn't find her! So I went
by myself. I really was gonna tell you… but I got all caught up, and before
I knew it, I was in Faerieland! Then I went to Krawk Island! I was really gonna
tell you but I kept forgetting. Then I finally came back 'cause I missed you
and Emoal!"
*********************************
Reyla thought that the boy would scream at Megaley, and she was partially
shocked when he laughed and gave her his approval.
But Megaley being home didn't mean Reyla was
free of her shackles. The key did not magically appear.
So the Ixi was very thankful when Megaley raced
down the cellar stairs, a key in hand, and did in fact unlock the shackles.
Reyla did not bother to say anything else to
any of the three-Emoal, the boy or Megaley. She simply raced out of the house
and towards the part of Neopia Central she knew.
The shops passed by in a whirl of colors, and
soon the Ixi arrived at her own Neohome. She pushed the door open and inhaled
the unique smell of her brother, owner and so much more.
"I'm home!" she yelled, joyous tears flowing
down her face. Then a little quieter, she added, "Forever."
The End
Author's Note: In case you are a little unclear of the events, Reyla ran
away because everybody thought that she murdered Megaley. She didn't want to
be prosecuted, or bring her family misery by herself being prosecuted. She did
not tell the truth to Emoal, because she did not know the truth. She told him
she was there so he would not question that part.
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