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"Hey, Lena! Come here," Sandy the yellow Aisha called, combing
through a shelf of morphing potions.
Lena, a blue Cybunny, came scurrying over.
Holding up a striped Aisha morphing potion,
Sandy grinned.
"Cool!" Lena remarked. "What's the price?"
Lena and Sandy were in Kauvara's Magic Shop,
one of the most expensive stores in Neopia. Sandy had always wanted to be painted
Striped, and never gave up hope of obtaining a striped paint brush or a morphing
potion.
"Who cares what the price is?" Sandy lowered
her voice to a whisper. "I'm getting them for free."
"What do you mean?" Lena hissed, even though
she knew exactly what Sandy meant.
"I'm stealing them."
Kauvara's Magic Shop had never had a break in.
Thieves had never been known to break into the Magic Shop, because of rumoured
curses and bewitchment.
"Sandy!" Lena shrieked. She waited for the words
of protest to come.
None did.
"I'm not afraid of any curses. It's hard to
believe even the smartest, most intelligent Neopians believe in them," Sandy
said flatly.
She put the morphing potion back onto the shelf
carefully.
"I'll be back tonight," Sandy said.
Lena was lost for words.
* * *
When she got home, Lena immediately retreated to her bedroom.
Sandy had been Lena's best friend for years.
She wasn't a thief! Lena wondered why Sandy had suddenly decided to steal.
Was it something I did? Lena thought.
As she sat on her bedroom floor, panicking and
feeling miserable, the walkie-talkie she had gotten from the Space Station last
year beeped. Realizing she was the only one home, Lena grabbed the Walkie-talkie
on her desk.
"Hello?" she said groggily into the device.
"Lena? It's me, Sandy. Do you have any bobby
pins?"
"What for?"
"Tonight. Breaking into the Magic Shop. I'll
need them as a lock pick."
Lena sighed. Didn't Sandy know that bobby pins
would never get her past Kauvara's security?
"I guess," she replied sulkily. Lena knew that
if she tried to convince Sandy not to go, she'd only lose her best friend.
"Great!" Sandy exclaimed. "Bring them to my
place at seven, and we'll go together."
With that, Sandy put the device down.
* * *
Lena was left sitting on the floor, staring stupidly at the Walkie-talkie.
Sandy had been expecting her to come along.
"I won't do it!" Lena thought to herself determinedly.
She was ready to contact Sandy's matching Walkie-talkie with shaking fingers.
Once Sandy answered, Lena began speaking as
quickly as her tongue would let her.
"I'm - not - coming - with - you - I - don't
- want - to - be - a - thief!" Lena blurted in one breath.
Sandy was silent for a moment.
"But… I thought we were in this together," she
said in a whiny voice.
Before straightening up again, Lena felt guilty
for a few seconds.
"No, you decided you'd steal that potion for
yourself. I don't want to get caught and I don't want to get in trouble!"
"But… you know I can't do this without
you," Sandy pleaded.
Lena surprised herself by feeling tears well
up in her eyes. What was more important - being loyal to a lifelong friend,
or doing what was right?
Even Lena knew the answer to the question. But
Sandy was one of the few friends she had. There was a choice, but Lena didn't
see another option.
"F-fine," she said finally.
"Okay? So you'll come?" Sandy said brightly.
Without waiting for an answer, she continued speaking. "Don't forget those bobby
pins, okay? And remember to come to my house at seven."
Again, Sandy disconnected abruptly. Lena felt
guiltier than she had started out in the first place.
That evening, Lena's heart was skipping a beat
and her nerves were jumbled up inside of her.
"Any plans tonight, Lena?" Ginny, Lena's owner,
asked.
"Uh… yeah," Lena stammered. "I'm g-going somewhere
with S-sandy."
Lena's mom nodded in approval.
When it was five to seven, Lena pulled on a
jacket and went upstairs to find some bobby pins.
For a moment, Lena considered leaving the bobby
pins and pretending to forget. Maybe Sandy would drop the whole idea.
Lena sighed. That would be letting Sandy down
all the same. Besides, the bobby pins were useless whether Lena brought them
or not.
* * *
Sandy answered the door before Lena had even knocked.
Lena noticed Sandy's dark outfit, and then her
own bright-coloured clothes.
"We're going to steal something, it's
not a barn dance," Sandy said, exasperated.
Embarrassed, Lena made up a story about how
her mother would suspect something.
Sandy rolled her eyes. "Come on." She grabbed
Lena's arm and dragged her upstairs.
"You can borrow some of my clothes," Sandy announced,
making her words sound like a command rather than an offer.
Lena, perplexed, merely nodded.
After changing into a stealthier outfit, Lena
and Sandy rode on bikes to their destination.
"Okay, no more delays," Sandy declared glaring
at Lena. "Hand me those bobby pins."
Lena sulkily gave the crooked, twisted bobby
pins to Sandy, who snatched them away.
Sandy jammed the first bobby pin into the odd-shaped
lock, twisting and turning the pin to fit.
"Look, Sandy, I don't think--" Lena began.
Suddenly, a jolt from the lock startled Sandy.
She was forced backwards.
A blazing orange light shot from the tiny keyhole.
The sky turned a deep shade of maroon. Lena watched as a Striped Aisha Morphing
Potion formed in Sandy's hands.
Lena's jaw dropped open in complete surprise.
A deep, thunderous voice cut through the stunned
silence.
"I'll give you what you seek
but there's a price to pay.
Bad fortune will linger with you
Forever forth from this day."
After the last, echoing word, the orange light
faded and the sky turned returned to its normal hue.
The words replayed themselves in Lena's mind.
Was she cursed forever?
"Well, that was easy," Sandy said jovially.
"I didn't even have to get inside the shop." Sandy stood up from the ground
and brushed herself off, smiling smugly.
Lena suddenly felt a wave of rage overcome her.
"Do you have any idea what you've gotten
us into? Did you hear the curse? I haven't even done anything and
now I might be cursed, too!" Lena shrieked at Sandy. "I can't believe
you!"
Sandy stared at Lena. "Relax. You don't really
believe in curses do you? Besides, we're done here. Let's go home."
"No!" Lena screamed. "You're going to stay
here and get Kauvara to reverse the curse!"
"Grow up, Lena. There are no such things as
curses. Kauvara's a big fake. She's only good for making potions, nothing else,"
replied Sandy casually.
"What about Edna in the Haunted Woods? She has
cursed tons of Neopians! She could have came here and done the curse for
Kauvara!" Lena yelled.
"Like I said, there are no such things
as curses!" Sandy screamed back. "You are so immature, Lena! I thought you'd
have enough sense to know that. I wouldn't have brought you along if I knew
you were like this."
Lena felt betrayed and foolish. What if she
had been cursed? She hadn't tried to stop Sandy.
"I'm going home. You can stay here all night
if you want," Sandy snapped. She turned, clutching the morphing potion, and
walked away.
Lena was left alone, feeling abandoned. She
felt hot tears dribble down her face.
"And I thought I was doing a good thing by helping
her," Lena whispered to herself. She, too, began to walk home.
* * *
The next morning, when Lena woke up, the last night's events played in her
head again. She then realized she was possibly cursed with bad fortune.
As she lay in bed, her large, pink eyes gleaming
with tears, Lena hardly noticed when Ginny popped into the room.
"Lena, Sandy's owner just called. Sandy's in
the Neopian Hospital."
Not one bit surprised, Lena sat up and looked
at Ginny.
"It'll be me next."
* * *
Ginny took Lena to the Neopian Hospital.
"Sandy's owner didn't tell me what happened.
She just told me to bring you to the hospital straight away," Ginny said.
Lena nodded absently. Kauvara's curse was already
beginning. Lena wondered what Sandy would say when she saw her. Would she finally
believe in curses and take back what she said? Or would she scream in anger?
Shortly after Ginny and Lena arrived at the
Neopian Hospital, a Gelert doctor led them up to Sandy's room.
Lena hadn't expected Sandy to be in such a bad
state.
Sandy's forehead was wrapped in bandages. Her
tail was limply hanging off the side of the bed. Sandy's left leg was in a cast.
"W-what happened?" Lena whispered.
"She was found lying on the side of the road
like this. We're not exactly sure what happened," the Gelert told Lena. "She'll
be alright, but Sandy may never walk again."
Lena's stomach churned with anxiety.
"We found this," the Gelert held up the Striped
Aisha Morphing Potion, "next to her."
"That's not hers," Lena said quickly.
The Gelert doctor looked at Lena curiously.
"Her arm was outstretched, as if she had been holding it. Are you sure its not
hers?"
"Yes, I'm positive," Lena replied firmly. Her
intuition told her that if she returned the potion unscathed, the curse would
be lifted. "It's mine."
"Very well. I suppose it makes sense," the Gelert
doctor said. He handed the potion to Lena.
Lena brought a chair up next to Sandy.
"Sandy… I told you," Lena said softly.
Ginny quietly slipped out of the room.
When Sandy didn't reply, Lena knew she was asleep
or unconscious. Her eyes were closed.
"Sandy, I know you can hear me. The potion is
going to be returned. You'll be alright," Lena tried her best not to cry.
Lena then got up. She couldn't say any more,
not without breaking down and crying. Instead, Lena quickly uttered a goodbye
and left.
* * *
Lena went to see Kauvara that day. She told her everything, about what Sandy
did and the curse. Lena gave the potion to Kauvara.
"The curse is only lifted if the thief is sincerely
sorry. There is nothing you can do. Your friend must realize how terrible her
act was," Kauvara answered. "Thank you for returning the potion."
Lena nodded in understanding. She'd never make
Sandy realize it by talking and trying to convince her. Instead, she'd just
have to wait. Until then, Kauvara's curse would remain.
The End
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