I am a Lupe. A Starry Lupe, to be exact. I am a writer,
and I am now recalling one of the major events that happened in my life twenty
years ago. It was a tragic event, and remembering it now still brings tears
to my eyes. I am going to tell you this tale. It may make you laugh, cry, or
just make you crazy. I am not denying that I laughed and cried, and I am now
considering myself crazy. Sometimes I am so sad, I feel so helpless. There was
nothing I could do.
Twenty years ago, I was a young, carefree, happy
teenager. I was stubborn and flirty, dressed in the latest fashions, and I would
flirt with all the male Lupes in school. I played hard to get, of course. Who
didn't? But that was unimportant. Undeniably, I was the most popular Lupe in
high school, mostly because of my beauty. I was smart, though, and I wrote stories
for The Neopian Times almost weekly.
One day, though, my friend Sapphire (a blue Gelert)
and I were sitting at our desks talking when HE showed up.
"Class, may I have your attention, please?"
our teacher, Mr. Vaffer, said. He was a very elderly Nimmo, and he always wore
a blue and white striped tie, which got very annoying at times. He was standing
next to a Lupe, which I immediately knew was the love of my life.
The Lupe was a light yellow, almost blonde, in
colour. He was tall, handsome, and...well, handsome! But his eyes, I noticed,
were of twilight blue. I didn't notice my jaw dangling or my eyes nearly popping
clean out of my head, nor did I care that I probably looked incredibly stupid;
he was amazing! He took my breath away, but I felt it coming back to me when
I felt Sapphire tapping my shoulder firmly.
"What's up with you?" she asked quizzically.
"You looked like someone zapped your brain out with a laser or something! You
have a reputation, remember?"
"What? Oh, yeah," I said, my eyes snapping away
from Mr. Handsome. "I guess I just...forgot." She looked at me in a completely
surprised way.
Mr. Vaffer ignored us. "We have a new student
joining our class. His name is Naralos, and he comes from Meridell. I expect
you'll all make him feel welcome here." Well, from the looks of things, THAT
wouldn't be a problem! All the girls in class were looking like I was; mouths
open, eyes popping, even Sapphire! I rolled my eyes at them.
The bell rang. It was time for our first class,
which was Math. We gathered up our books and pencils and headed out the door
to Math class, which was across the hall. Sapphire was engaging me in conversation.
"Did you see that new guy? What a total hottie!"
she said dreamily. "I hope he'll ask me out!"
"He could," I said, but I was secretly hoping
that it wouldn't happen. I was hoping that he'd ask ME out. I mean, I was the
most popular girl in school!
All through Math class, I stared at him. Luckily
he was sitting in front of me, so I wouldn't have to keep turning back. Every
once in a while, the Lupe girl behind me would tap me on the shoulder with a
love note in her hand, and she'd say, "Pass this to Naralos!" Well, I wasn't
going to stand for that! When she wasn't looking, I'd shred the note and stick
the pieces in my desk.
When the final bell rang, I leapt out of my seat
and scrambled out the door. I walked down the front steps of the high school,
looking frantically for Naralos. I finally spotted him talking with a red Kougra
and green Wocky. I ran toward him, eager to introduce myself. While running,
I also spotted Sapphire waving at me to come over to her. I tried to mouth,
"Not now!" but didn't have the chance before I crashed into someone. I felt
my body collide with the ground as I was thrown backwards from the impact of
the crash.
"Ow," I said, rubbing my back vigorously.
"Oh my gosh, are you OK?" a voice said, and
I assumed it was the one that I crashed into. I looked up, and my eyes met the
twilight gaze of Naralos. My face went instantly red. I felt sick.
"Uhh..." I started, but he was already offering
me his paw to help me up. I took it, avoiding his gaze. He pulled to my feet.
Looking at his paw, I noticed a golden ring on the pointer finger.
"Are you OK?" he repeated, his gorgeous eyes
troubled.
"Yes, I--" I was about to say "I'm fine", but
I couldn't. Those eyes were too beautiful to be looking upon a disgrace like
me. I stood there, trying to talk, when finally, in this situation, I realised
I couldn't. My eyes brimming with tears of humiliation, I turned and ran away.
"Hey, wait!" he called. I was too embarrassed
to turn back; that would have made the situation worse. Instead I kept running,
until I was in the privacy of my NeoHome. Locking the door behind me, I flopped
down on the couch and cried, "How could I be so stupid?" I grabbed a pillow
and sobbed in it, hiding my pitiful face.
***
Ten minutes later, the phone rang. Since no one
was home to answer it, I picked it up and said, "Hello?"
"Hello? Is this the Lupess that crashed into
me today?" said the voice on the other end. My face lit up again. How could
have Naralos gotten my phone number?
"Naralos? How exactly did you get my number?"
I asked.
"Well, I talked to the blue Gelert that you
hang out with. I figure she must be your best friend, so I asked her for your
number," he said. "I hope I didn't call at a bad time."
"Oh, no you didn't," I said, forcing a smile.
"I was just sitting on the couch recalling the embarrassing and humiliating
memory of when I crashed into you." He laughed. "I really am sorry!" I added.
"Hey, don't worry about it," he said. "I'm sure
it wasn't intentional."
I laughed. "No, of course not!"
"What is your name?"
"My name is Dream," I said.
"Wow, that's a nice name." I blushed again.
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to him on the phone. We turned out
to have a lot in common.
Finally, he said, "I really like this, but I'd
rather talk to you in person. Do you want to meet me by the fountain in the
park after school tomorrow?" I couldn't believe my ears. He was practically
asking me out on a date!!!
"Yes, OK," I said timidly. "Well, I have to
go now. Bye,"
"Bye. See you tomorrow." He hung up. I stood
there for a moment clutching the phone, while the dial tone buzzed loudly from
the receiver. I barely heard it. I was going out with the guy I was crushing,
and the best thing was, HE ASKED ME!!!
***
At school the next day, I was completely anxious. Naralos kept winking at me
from across the room, which made me feel even more anxious. Finally, the last
bell rang, and I must have been the first out the door. I ran to the park where
the sparkling Peophin fountain was. I sat on the bench near the fountain, waiting
for Naralos to arrive. I must have waited a good twenty minutes before I saw
him trotting toward me.
"Sorry I'm late," he panted. "I kind of got
lost. I'm not used to the city."
"That's OK," I said, scooting over so that he
could sit on the bench next to me. He sat down smiling, his blue eyes alight.
"So...what do you want to talk about?"
"Oh. Well, nothing in particular," he said,
turning red. "I just...wanted to talk." This led toward an awkward silence.
Finally, I said, "Well, how about you tell me
about yourself?"
He grinned. "Fair enough." He started telling
me about him and his family. As it turned out, his father, Thanson, used to
be the leader of his pack back in Meridell. But his pack was attacked by a group
of Lava Ghouls, and they were all separated. They had to move to Neopian Central
in order to make a living. I was intrigued. I'd never been this interested in
a guy's conversation before (usually they just want to talk about battling in
the Battledome and burping). I then told him about my family and I, about how
we used to be poor and now we were middle-class. I told him about my struggles
in school, how everyone considered me popular, and about how much pressure it
put on me.
"I don't care if I'm popular or not," I told
him. "I just feel like there's something missing in my life. Do you ever feel
that way?"
"Yes," he said, staring absently at me. "All
the time."
We talked until the sun was beginning to set.
We could see the red-orange glow of the huge solar mass disappearing gradually
on the horizon, and I soon discovered that I was so close to Naralos that I
was almost leaning my head on his shoulder! I didn't see him put his arm across
the back of the bench and inch toward my shoulder, but finally I felt his touch,
and I shuddered.
"What's the matter? Are you cold?" he asked
me.
"A little," I said. He pulled me close to him
and wrapped both his arms around me. I almost felt my heart skip a beat. What
was I doing? What was he doing? What was going on? Reluctantly, I pulled
away from him and looked at the ground.
"Dream?" he asked. I looked back up into his
hypnotising stare. "I-I've been meaning to tell you...I think you're beautiful."
His face lit up in a deep crimson and avoided my gaze. I turned red, too.
"Really?" I asked quietly.
"Really. And I've also been meaning to say...I've
never met anyone else like you..."
I instantly knew what he was going to say. He
felt the same way about me as I did about him! This was too good to be true!
I waited calmly for him to finish, but he didn't. He instead looked at the pale
water still shooting from the fountain.
"Naralos?" I said. He looked at me again. "The
first time I saw you, I knew that...well, I mean, when I first laid eyes on
you, I heard angels singing. I felt like I was flying. I knew that you were
my true love. I'm not ashamed to admit it, and though I've only known you for
two days, I think I'm in love with you."
His eyes seemed to glow at these words. "I-I
felt the same way about you. I think I'm in love with you too!" I thought he
was going to say more, but instead he pulled me into my first kiss. I heard
the angels singing yet again, and my heart felt as if it weighed nothing. The
world around me seemed to stop, and all I cared about at that moment was Naralos.
Finally, when we pulled away, my face was heated to what felt like 200 degrees!
I smiled dreamily at my adoring lover, who smiled back. Suddenly snapping back
to reality, I checked the watch on my wrist.
"8:30?! Oh, no!" I gasped, and leapt from the
bench. He stood up. "I'm sorry, Naralos, but I have to get home! I am going
to get into SO much trouble!" "I'll walk you," he said, and I was grateful for
it. Clasping my paw in his, we ran out of the park and toward my NeoHome. The
light was on, so I assumed that my parents must have been home. I kissed Naralos
goodbye, and burst through the door. My parents were pacing in the living room.
"DREAM!" my mother cried when I entered the
room. "Where on earth have you been? We've been worried sick!" She grabbed me
and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Mom, I'm sorry. I was with a guy from school..."
I began. "We were at the park talking, and I guess I kind of lost track of time..."
"Honey," my father said warningly. "You disobeyed
the curfew. Do you know what could have happened if you had been caught? You
could have been taken to the Pound!" "I know, Dad, and I'm sorry!" I protested.
THAT sure didn't work! I got a HUGE lecture on curfews and such. It was nearly
10:30 before I finally got to bed. I dreamed all about Naralos that night, and
how he changed my life.
***
The next day, however, nearly destroyed my life.
I went to school with Sapphire, same as always,
but when I got there, I noticed a change in Mr. Vaffer's behaviour. He wasn't
usually quite, but this morning he was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. He
looked like he'd been up all night. I couldn't help but notice. I also couldn't
help but notice that Naralos wasn't in school. I decided to ask Mr. Vaffer where
he was.
"Mr. Vaffer, where's Naralos?"
He looked at me painfully. "I'm sorry, Dream,
but Naralos is in the hospital."
"WHAT?!" I practically screamed. "What the heck
is he doing in the hospital? Is he OK?"
"He was attacked by a pack of Lava Ghouls last
night," Mr. Vaffer said. "He is suffering third degree burns and is very weak."
My heart felt as if it had been shattered with
a mallet. "C-can I go see him?" I asked. I knew the answer was going to be no,
but instead:
"Well, yes, OK. He tells me that you are his
closest acquaintance, so I'll allow it this once," he said, his voice cracking.
I got escorted to the hospital and went to the
room that Naralos was in. He was lying on a bed, covered in a strange cream
that I assumed was for his burns. He opened his eyes when he saw me.
"Dream," he said hoarsely. "I didn't think you'd
be able to come and see me."
I sat down on a chair next to him. "I got to
miss school. How are you?"
He forced a smile. "Well, I don't know, exactly.
I got burned pretty badly, and I can barely move. I still have to hear about
what the doctor says,"
I smiled painfully. This didn't sound good. If
anything happened to Naralos, I don't know what I'd do. I took his paw and held
it in mine. Then, five minutes later, the green Gelert doctor entered the room
to talk to Naralos. I went to the waiting room until they were done talking.
I prayed that Naralos would be OK. He HAD to be!
Finally, I was allowed back in to see him. There
was a big smile on his face, and I knew that he was going to be OK.
"Well? What did the doctor say?" I said urgently.
"He said I'm going to be fine!" Naralos answered,
grinning. I hugged him (though rather gently). But then his smile faded. "But
I won't be the same again. I'm so afraid that it'll happen again, I think I'm
scarred for life. I don't want it to happen again to anyone else, especially
you." My smile faltered, too. I felt so bad for Naralos! I knew that I would
have to be the one to help him. "Not only that, but it turned out to be the
same pack of Lava Ghouls that attacked my pack back home," he added. "I don't
know WHY they're after us! It's almost like they're stalking me or something."
I looked at him sympathetically. "Well, whatever
happens, we'll handle it together, right?"
He forced a smile. "Right."
I stayed with him all afternoon. Dr. Gelert informed
us that Naralos would be ready to be released tomorrow. This was great news
to us. After I noticed that school was out, a bunch of pets (mainly girls) showed
up with get-well cards. Sapphire even stayed with us for a while after everyone
had gone.
A few hours later...
"Coo-coo! Coo-coo!" screeched the coo-coo clock
on the wall in the room. It was 7:00. Time for me to go.
"Oh, shoot!" I said, looking at the clock. "I'm
sorry, Naralos, but I have to leave now. I promise that I'll come by first thing
in the morning, OK?"
He grinned. "Sure, that would be great. Dream?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," he said. "For everything. It really
means a lot to me."
I smiled and blushed. Waving goodbye, I left
the hospital room, sighing contentedly. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough!
***
The next morning, a Saturday, I leapt out of bed, dressed, gulped down some
breakfast, and hurried out the door to the hospital. I discovered that Naralos
was waiting for me. He looked fantastic! His burns were either completely healed
or completely invisible and he wore an adorable smile.
"Hey!" I said. "You're...you're well!"
"Almost completely," he said, pulling me into
a tight hug. I returned it, nearly crying with happiness. My love was OK!
"Hey," he said after we broke apart. "Why don't
we go out for ice cream or something tonight? You know, as a celebration."
I smiled. "Sounds good to me!"
We hung out the rest of the day, talking and
laughing and telling each other how much we loved one another. I was in heaven
all day.
At about 4:00, we ran into Sapphire at the Bazaar.
"Hey, guys!" she said brightly. "Wow, Naralos, you're looking a lot better!"
"Thanks," he replied.
"So, I guess you two are really an item now,
huh?" she said slyly. We both gulped; we were holding paws.
"Yeah," I said, blushing. "I guess so."
She winked at me. "I'll see you later then. Bye!"
And she walked off.
I turned to Naralos. "You know, I'm going to
be hated by every single girl in school because I'm your girlfriend now."
He grinned. "Well, as long as we have each other,
right?"
I beamed. "Right!"
***
Then it happened. At exactly 8:32 PM, on that Saturday night, it happened.
He was walking me home from the ice cream shop.
We were talking and laughing as usual, being completely innocent and not having
a worry in the world.
Until they came.
I had looked away from Naralos' gaze only to
see something ahead of us. It was some sort of red dot that seemed to be flickering.
More appeared behind it, and I counted at least ten of them.
"Naralos? What is that?" I asked, pointing.
He stopped walking, and squinted his eyes. After
a moment of intense concentration, his face went white and his eyes grew wide
in terror.
"What is it?" I demanded.
"LAVA GHOULS!" he shouted. "RUN!"
Not thinking, he grabbed my arm and we both started
running in the opposite direction of the evil creatures. Fear exploded in my
mind. They couldn't attack, not while Naralos was almost completely healed.
They couldn't attack.
Naralos turned into the forest, and I followed
him, panting for breath. He was a lot faster than I was, and I thought my heart
would explode just trying to keep up with him. I could hear the fiery creatures
getting closer behind us, and I felt an oncoming heat.
Then I tripped. My foot caught on an uprooted
tree root and I went sprawling onto the forest floor. "NO!" I cried out in panic.
This was it. It was over for me. They were going to get me, I was sure of it.
Sure enough, the voices of the Lava Ghouls grew
louder, and before I knew it, they were five feet away from me. I could feel
the intense heat they were projecting, and I shielded my eyes as the brightness
of their bodies blazed into my pupils.
"Oh, someone help me," I moaned. A yellow-blonde
blur rushed past my vision and flew over my head. When I turned to look, Naralos
was standing between the Lava Ghouls and me.
"Leave her alone," he snarled at them between
gritted teeth.
"Naralos--" I started.
The leader of the Lava Ghouls spoke: "You are
the Lupe we tried to destroy. Either you go, or the she-Lupe goes."
"Take me, then," he said. "Dream deserves to
live. You have been after me for a long time, you fiery fiends, and now you
shall have me. But heed this: if you go after Dream after you destroy me, I
will rise up from the grave and haunt you until you die!"
I stared open-mouthed at him. What was he
doing??!!
"You have our word," the leader said.
"Let me say goodbye to her, first." Naralos
turned his gaze towards me. "Live long, Dream. Live long, and may you find a
love more pleasing than I was." I shook my head, finally realising what he was
doing. "No, Naralos--!"
"Shh," he said, putting his finger to my lips
and kneeling down beside me. "I have to do this. I am a victim. It's my time
to go. You must help me by promising to remember me for all time. Promise me,
Dream. Here..." He pulled the golden ring off his pointer finger and put it
on mine. "Wear it always. Don't forget me..."
I bit my lip and tried to force back my oncoming
tears. "I'll never forget you, Naralos...I'll never forget...you..."
His twilight eyes burned into mine with a passion
of true love. He kissed me gently one last time, and then stood up to face his
enemies. "Go ahead...take me."
And so I watched, as the Lava Ghoul leader drew
a fiery sword from nowhere, held it in the air, and then put it to Naralos'
chest. Fire consumed all around him as he looked at me one last time, mouthed
"Never forget", and then burst into flame and disappeared, along with the Lava
Ghouls that had taken him.
I uttered a single passionate cry of pain and
misery when all the fire around me vanished into nothingness. I broke down crying,
crying, crying and never stopping. My heart was torn, my soul slashed. He was
gone.
I don't remember what else happened that night.
I must have fallen dozed off on the forest floor, crying in my sleep and uttering
gasps of emotional pain. When I woke up, I was in my bed inside my comfy NeoHome,
my sheets drenched with my own tears.
Naralos...gone.
I looked at my right hand, and there was his
ring, shining gold in the sunlight that poured through my windows. This was
the only memory I had left of him. One that I'd never forget.
"Never forget," I whispered. "I'll never forget,
Naralos."
For the next twenty years, I was never the same.
I became an absolute introvert and hardly spoke to anyone, even my own parents
and Sapphire. I would think of Naralos every moment of every day, and cry about
him every night. I never married or even dated again.
I grew up and graduated from high school, but
didn't go to college. Instead, I became a full-time writer, but I never finished
my stories. My life was incomplete, just like my stories. Without Naralos, I
was nothing. But then again, if I am writing this one story right now, I suppose
it was him that inspired me to finish my one story...this story, called "Eyes
of Twilight Blue".
My lessons to you: don't take anything for granted.
Even the slightest thing you've had your entire life can disappear one day.
And love. Love your family, friends, and even people you don't even know. Love
everyone and everything. Without love, this world is nothing. Don't take love
for granted. Love lasts for all time, but it can vanish. Hearts can really break.
It isn't just a fictional thing you find in books-hearts can really break. Love
is real.
And so I conclude my story.
My one finished story.
The End | 
