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The heavy doors automatically swung open and TigerWing and
Cali stepped inside. A stone statue of an Eyrie with water flowing off its wings
was in the center of the room. The walls were lined with famous Neopets that had
stayed there before and a glass chandelier hung down from the vast ceiling above.
Vines were creeping up the walls like Spyders, reaching the top of the marble
staircase. There were rooms to the left and right that appeared to be recreational
and a large pool was visible through the sliding doors.
So this was the Neolodge.
Cali, the fire Wocky, turned to her sister, the
purple Pteri named TigerWing, and whispered, "Wow, have you ever seen anything
so grand?"
TigerWing shook her head and was about to reply
when a green Aisha behind the desk asked, "May I help you?"
"Yes ma'am," said TigerWing, "we reserved a
room here." The Neopets told her their names and the Aisha searched in her drawers
for their booking form.
"Yes, you mailed this to us a week ago…" the
Aisha smiled. "Your room is on the third floor, 3-A. The Royal Neopian?" TigerWing
and Cali nodded. The Aisha pointed to the staircase, handing them their room
key, "Enjoy your stay."
Cali took the key and TigerWing thanked her
as they started towards the stairs, dragging their bags. To the left was a dining
hall and to the right looked like a recreational room. There were some poker
tables set up and a fitness room next to that. Four people sat in the corner
at a table that had dim light. Cali wanted to know what those Neopets were playing,
but TigerWing urged her along. As the sisters were about to climb the staircase,
they gasped in amazement and went outside to see the beautiful pool. The water
was blue and sparkling and a big waterfall flowed down from a mountain of rocks.
A hot tub was on one side and some tables and umbrellas on the other.
TigerWing quickly spotted her brothers, Tweetie
and Wiseguy.
"Hey!" she called, running over to them. "You
just couldn't wait for us?"
Wiseguy, the glowing Wocky laughed, "Couldn't
resist."
Tweetie, the youngest sibling, a starry Pteri,
swam over to the steps and climbed out of the pool. He preened his feathers
and said, "I think we'll enjoy it here."
"It looks like there's a lot to do," Cali agreed.
"We're going to find our room, we'll catch up with you later." So the two girls
exited the pool deck and made their way up the marble staircase.
"Three-A," TigerWing said to herself, checking
a door as she got to the third floor.
"Here it is!" Cali shouted. "You just missed
it." TigerWing laughed and she unlocked the door. Inside was the prettiest room
they had ever seen. There were two beds; each had blue satin covers with lace
pillows and curtains to match. In the corner of the room was a fine carved wooden
table with some chairs.
"Tweetie was right…" Cali said, "we are going
to enjoy it here." She set her luggage by the table and flopped onto one of
the beds. It felt as if she were lying on a cloud.
"Hey, Cali, look at this!" TigerWing stepped
inside the en-suite bathroom. It was spacious, complete with a large bathtub
and gold decorations around the mirror. The rugs were pearly white and fluffy
and the sinks were marble. It was like living in a castle.
"Do you want to go catch up with Tweetie and
Wiseguy now?" TigerWing asked.
"Sure," Cali agreed and they exited, locking
the door behind them. They fled down the stairs giggling and when they reached
the ground floor Cali pushed open the door eagerly with her paws. The pool had
become more crowded but Wiseguy was easy to see because of his glow. Tweetie
was next to him, swimming on his back. Wiseguy waved them over and Cali jumped
in making a huge splash. Though she and Wiseguy were Wockies, and TigerWing
and Tweetie were Pteris they all loved to swim. The water was so refreshing
and cool that it made the sun seem less hot. They swam to the giant waterfall
to play under it. Wiseguy and Tweetie splashed, and Cali and TigerWing chatted.
They played in the pool until the sun went down. This was going to be a good
vacation after all.
Their owner named Sam (playmobil_is_my_life)
was meeting her friend at Mystery Island and this seemed like the best place
to leave her Neopets for a week. She promised to bring them back some souvenirs
from the Tombola game.
When it began to get dark, the pool closed and
the four siblings climbed out and dried off with the towels provided. After
drying they headed to the recreation room where Neopets were playing cards,
relaxing and chatting. A small group was separate from the others. Four Neopets
were sitting at a dimly lit area playing a card game. They were the same Neopets
that were playing when Cali and TigerWing arrived.
"Look over there," said Wiseguy nodding in the
direction of the group, "They're playing Cheat. And that's Spectre." He gestured
toward a red Jetsam wearing a black jacket and a set expression. "He wins most
of his games…" At those very words, Spectre smiled a very nasty smile and watched
his acquaintance collect the cards. He must have won the round.
"Mom's played Spectre before," Tweetie remembered,
"and she won a trophy one time!"
"Yeah, but she said it was hard…" Wiseguy said,
ruffling the feathers on Tweetie's starry head.
"Let's call it a day," TigerWing said, "it's
getting late and all of that swimming made me tired." She and Cali disappeared
to the third floor, saying goodnight to Wiseguy and Tweetie, who had to climb
the staircase to the fourth floor. As TigerWing was about to open their room,
number 3B opened and a blue Eyrie emerged. He was dressed professionally and
carrying a briefcase. He locked his door before turning to the girls.
"Hi," he said, "I'm Jack Kenton."
Cali and TigerWing introduced themselves.
"Are you here vacationing?" Jack asked.
"Kind of," said TigerWing. "We were born in
Neopia Central, but we live in Meridell. Our owner is at Mystery Island right
now, meeting a friend. What about you?"
"I'm here on strict business," Jack said, acknowledging
his briefcase. "Nothing more."
"Like what?" Cali asked. TigerWing knew that
it was rude to pry, but Cali, being one of the youngest didn't know any better.
"I… restock," said Jack, sounding slightly annoyed,
"books. And I must hurry or I'll be late." His touched the brim of his hat with
his wing and bid them, "Good evening." He flew down the stairs with his briefcase
bouncing along beside him. After Jack was out of earshot, Cali said,
"But the bookshop should have closed by now."
TigerWing shrugged, "Maybe he was meeting a
friend."
Cali frowned, "Maybe," she said slowly, but
she wasn't convinced.
***
After eating a bag of Lemon Neodrops from home,
Cali took a warm bath in the Jacuzzi. When she was finished, she dried her fur
and got ready for bed.
"I want to see the grooming parlor tomorrow,"
Cali announced, "though the tennis court sounds like fun."
"And the sauna. We can do that in the morning,"
TigerWing was writing a letter to their owner. She looked over it, her pen pausing
every now and then thinking of what to say.
"We've only been here for one day…" Cali said
sleepily. "What is there to say in your letter?"
"Well, I want her to know what a great place
this is… and that I'm sure we'll have fun here. Listen to this: 'Dear Sam.
Just to let you know, we are all having a fun time at the Neolodge. I hope you
are enjoying Mystery Island and the time with your friend. '" She stopped
reading for a moment, "Do you want me to mention the waterfall in the pool,
Cali? Or the grooming parlor?" Silence. "Cali?" TigerWing turned around to see
that Cali was fast asleep in her bed. She turned back to her letter and kept
writing. An hour later she had finally put together what seemed like a decent
letter. She proofread it under the dim light and reached into her bag for a
stamp. She carefully placed the stamp on the envelope and set it back on the
desk. TigerWing craned her next to look back at the clock on the wall. The glowing
letters read that it was nearly one in the morning.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the
staircase. Thinking that this was awfully late, TigerWing crept to the door
and pressed her ear against it to hear. Someone was quietly creeping through
the hallway. Curiosity rising, TigerWing opened the door ever so slightly, just
enough to peer outside. The hallway was quiet except for a closing door. TigerWing
turned to her right and saw Jack Kenton's door closing.
Jack sure is back late… TigerWing thought,
I wonder what he's up to…
Chuckling to herself, she climbed into bed and
turned off the light.
To be continued...
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