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Eyes blurred with tears, Lin ran throughout the streets
of Neopia; dodging Neopets and owners and Petpets and more. Her large black claws
dug into the earthy path, and her grayish-green fur blew in the chilly wind. Lin
was tired, wheezing and nauseous -- all at the same time -- but she continued
on.
After what seemed like forever, the Mutant Kougra
skidded to a stop in front of a seven-room Neohome. She sprinted up to the door
and started banging on it hysterically.
Soon, a blue Gelert swung the door open and
grinned when he saw Lin.
"Oooh!" he squealed, the smile growing. "It's
a real live mutant! How COOL!"
"Yeah, yeah, Nightcrawler," Lin snapped, glaring
at her friend's brother. "Just give me Jean, alright!?"
Nightcrawler's jaw dropped. "Is that you, Lin!?"
he asked.
"Yes, it is! My extremely magnificent mother,"
the Kougra rolled her eyes, and then continued, "purchased the rest of the lab
map, and then rushed me over to the lab as soon as she could! And this is what
happened! Now just get Jean!"
Nightcrawler nodded slowly, and then scampered
off to retrieve his sister.
A few moments later, Jean appeared. The Christmas
Kyrii gasped when she saw her friend's new appearance.
"Oh-my-gosh!" she cried, pulling Lin into a
hug. "I knew you shouldn't have gone to the Lab Ray! Not even the best beauty
products can cure this!"
Lin nodded in agreement, and then gulped. She
had always been the gorgeous Fire Kyrii…marveled at by the world. But now she
was this repugnant Mutant Kougra…and she knew quite that not a soul would marvel
at her anymore.
Drowned in self-pity, Lin slid out of Jean's
reassuring hold and to the concrete porch.
"This isn't fair," she moaned.
"I know, I know. But you'll change soon, Lin.
Maybe back into a Kyrii even."
Lin shook her head slowly. "No Jean… I'll probably
stay like this forever. I'll never look good again."
"Your owner won't leave you to look like this.
She'll make you look better."
"You try being a hideous Mutant Kougra and then
say that, Jean! You don't understand! You're some pretty-will-never-be-anything-but-pretty-won't-be-caught-dead-something-else
pet!" Lin sprang to her paws and bolted from Jean's Neohome.
The Christmas Kyrii just stood there, letting
the words Lin had spoken settle in. They were upsetting, but the Neopet couldn't
blame her. A mutant Kougra was pretty bad.
Feeling sorry for her friend, Jean stepped inside
of the house and closed the front door. She had to do something to make her
friend feel better…
************************
Lin sat on the nova sofa, a purple blanket draped over her complete body.
She wanted to stay like that forever… concealed.
"It's not fair," she repetitively whispered.
And perhaps it wasn't fair, or right, or meant
to be, but it had happened, and that was that. Lin would just have to wait to
go back to the lab tomorrow... to see if it would change her again.
Suddenly, somebody threw the blanket off of
the mutant Kougra, and she looked up to see her younger sister -- a purple Tonu
-- standing there. She was wearing a sheepish grin on her face, and her eyes
were full of guiltiness.
"I'm sorry for taking your blanket off." She
was apologizing, but Lin could tell she did not mean it. The Tonu -- Carridell
-- had meant to remove the blanket… just to get a glimpse of her older sister.
"You're not sorry, so don't say sorry," Lin
growled. She then grabbed the blanket and buried herself under it again.
"Don't be so miserable, Lin! It's not as terrible
as you think!" Carridell giggled.
As much as Lin wanted to retort, she held her
tongue. She knew ignoring her sister was the only way to get her to leave her
alone.
The action worked, because only a matter of
seconds later, the Tonu skipped off. Lin was alone again.
Boredom soon overtook the Kougra, and when you're
bored and under a comfortable blanket, you grow tired. Despite trying to stay
awake, Lin soon drifted off into slumber. And she stayed that way 'till the
morning.
********************
Lin was awakened by the sound of her older brother, Marr, dropping a vase
on the kitchen-floor, and then screaming for their owner -- Chocolate -- to
help him clean it up.
As much as she wanted to stay huddled under
that protective blanket, the Kougra thrust it off. She yawned, and then glanced
around the living room.
Her little sister, Sareona -- a strawberry Tuskaninny
-- was playing with red Flotsam plushie, Marr (who happened to be a sketch Moehog)
was still screaming for Chocolate from the kitchen, and Carridell was shoving
a piece of lined paper into her green backpack.
"Look who's up!" Carridell piped, waving sweetly
at her sister.
Sareona immediately then looked towards Lin,
and gasped when she saw her horrid appearance. "It really is that bad!" she
shrieked.
"Yeah, yeah," Lin grumbled.
"And you actually have to go to Neoschool like
that! And you have to today!" The Tonu sniggered as she zipped the backpack
shut.
Lin raised her brow. "I do?" she inquired.
"Yup! Ask Mom!"
And then, as if on cue, Chocolate started walking
towards the room, headed for the kitchen.
"Mom!" Lin screamed, stopping the owner dead
in her tracks.
"What?" The brown-haired girl glanced towards
her fuming pet.
"Do I really truly have to go to school!?"
"Why wouldn't you?" She narrowed her eyes. "It's
not like you're sick."
"But look at me!" The Kougra sprang to her paws
and spun around once, as if to show off her ghastly look.
"Oh yeah…I'll bring you to the lab after school.
Okay? But for now I have to go help Marr clean up." Chocolate glimpsed towards
the kitchen, where she saw her Moehog staring at the remains of the vase.
"No!" Lin burst into tears. "I-I'm not g-going!"
she sobbed.
"Yes, you are." And with that, Chocolate walked
away.
**************************
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad, Lin!" Marr exclaimed as the four pets walked
along the concrete path to their school.
"Sure it isn't," Lin mumbled.
Carridell grinned. "At least it's picture day!"
"No time for your jokes." The Kougra glared
at her younger sister.
"This isn't a joke! Lookie here!" She stopped,
unzipped her backpack, and pulled out a piece of line paper.
It's pickture day
"I saw you writing on that, Carridell. And 'picture'
is spelled wrong!" Lin hissed.
"Oooh…" She quickly shoved it back in the backpack.
The four pets walked the rest of the distance
to school in silence.
********************
Lin picked a seat in the back of her classroom. She wouldn't dare sit with
the popular pets -- as she had so many times before -- but instead with the
less popular, less-beautiful, and lesser-liked ones.
Next to her sat a shadow Grarrl. His teeth were
decaying, and he smelled as if he had never had a shower or bath in his whole
life. It was no wonder he was not very well liked.
Next to him sat a yellow Techo. The pet seemed
okay, and though Lin did not know much about it, she could sense it wasn't particularly
snotty or shy or nice or mean.
And then sitting next to the left wall (Lin
was sitting next to the right) was a Mutant Usul. Its trio of bright yellow
eyes were dizzying, and before, they would've disgusted the Kougra to the bone.
But that was when she was a Fire Kyrii, and that was no longer.
Quietly, Lin stood up and walked over to the
pet. Once there, the gently tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hi." She forced a weak grin.
"Hey… are you a new student?" the Usul inquired.
"No… I was labbed and well, I'm here now," Lin chuckled timidly. "Ooh, so now
that you're a mutant as well, you decide to socialize?" The Neopet snorted and
rolled all of her eyes.
"Umm… I'm sorry I just kinda wanted a friend."
The Usul ignored her comment. "Let's guess which
one of those popular ones you were. Hmm…Jamie, Ellis, Sasha, Jean, Rachel or
Lin?"
Lin flinched when she said the last one.
"Oh, so I'm right?" she continued on. "I say
Ellis or Lin."
She flinched again.
"Right again, aren't I? Let's see… you're Lin!"
Lin nodded slowly, and stared guiltily down.
"I'm sorry that I ignored you before --"
"Don't be sorry. Just wait 'till you get zapped
into something spiffy again and get your friends back. I don't want to talk
to you… now go."
Ashamed, the Kougra walked back over to her
chair at sat down.
********************
Lin stared at the lab ray, and then at herself. She hoped she'd change….
Suddenly, a jolt of electricity hit the Kougra
and shuddered for a moment. She hadn't been expecting to be zapped yet. But
now that she had been, the pet looked down at herself, and gasped at what she
saw.
Below here were not feet of grayish-green, but
those of black. And there were orange-yellow stripes across some parts of her
body.
"I'm a fire Kougra!" Lin yelled, excitement
filling her body.
**********************
At Neoschool the next day, the Kougra walked up to the Mutant Usul.
"Remember me?" she asked.
"Lin?" the Usul muttered.
"Yes, it's Lin."
"Why are you talking to me? You're a cool color
again. Go sit with your cool friends."
"I don't want to. I want to talk to you." Lin
plopped down in the seat beside her.
The Usul smiled. "Really?"
Lin nodded. "Everybody needs a friend -- mutant
or not. Anyway, what's your name?"
"Shylo."
"Well then, Shylo, I'm your friend Lin."
The End
A/N: I know it's not my best story, but I wanted to write a story with
my friend Lily's pets in it (Nightcrawler and Jean). Please note, I have Lily's
permission to use Nightcrawler and Jean, though I will not post her screenname
--nods- Anyway, this hasn't happened to Lin (Franklin is her full name), and
if I write more stories about her, this won't be used as anything really. Right
now she's a Fire Kyrii, but if this gets into the NT, and you read this, she
could be something else. She currently is labbed. Anyway, thanks for reading!
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