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Untitled Document
Methalius, Kyohara, Junior G, Deracko, Millyum, Yoigo, Bortyk
and Tasuara made their way across the border into the Haunted Woods. They could
feel something was wrong.
"Hey Chakeebo, I haven't heard you complain
once about how scary it is here," said Yoigo. There was no answer, no reply.
"Chakeebo?" Everyone froze.
"Hey kid, where are you?" asked Kyohara.
"Chakeebo... this isn't funny," said Bortyk.
"He's gone! We've lost him!" cried Millyum.
"It's okay. Tasuara, just turn off your ring.
I bet he's not too far from here," said Deracko.
"No! What if he breaths in some purple gas,
or gets attacked by a black Mortog? I won't do it. It's too risky for him...
and for us," said Tasuara.
***
Chakeebo looked around at what he could do. He could climb back out of the
water or swim up because he didn't have a body. It'd be like you trying to fly.
He was getting really scared. What if Tasuara turned her ring off? He's be doomed!
He kept on walking. It was really easy. All he could hope for was he came across
some land.
Hours passed. Chakeebo didn't have a physical
body, so he never got tired. He could walk forever and never get tired. He was
bored I can tell you, really bored. He squinted his eyes. He couldn't see very
well through the murky green water, but there was something ahead of him. Something
good? Something bad? All he knew was it was something, and something was better
than what he was doing right now.
***
Everyone else sat on the ground right outside of the Haunted Woods and debated
about what they could do.
"You can't turn your ring off! What if Chakeebo
was standing in a cloud of purple air?" asked Millyum.
"Most of the air is clear. What if he was running
in circles just not too far away?" asked Methalius.
"You don't care if Chakeebo perishes!" growled
Millyum.
"I do care if I live or not! Losing that little
brat would be better than losing all of Neopia!" replied Methalius.
"Take it back!" screamed Millyum.
"Stop it! It's Tasuara's decision. It's her
job to choose. No Hopsos or Mortogs are near us, and the nearest cloud of poison
gas is far away. We don't stand a risk, but Chakeebo does. It's your choice
Tasuara," said Bortyk. Tasuara gulped. A thousand arguments were going through
her mind at once. She was ready to say the magic words... but was scared. Yes...
no... yes... no... yes... no...
"Appear!"
Suddenly, the gang went back to normal. They
looked around to see if Chakeebo was nearby. He wasn't. Millyum broke down into
tears.
"He's not close! He's dead! He's dead!" she
sobbed.
"Trust me. I know that kid. If anyone can survive
through all of this, it's him," said Junior G. The others nodded. They weren't
sure, but they had hopes. Hopes that could possibly come crashing down.
***
Chakeebo walked out of the water and onto land. It was lucky, because as soon
as he got out of the water his body reappeared.
"Yikes, that was close! Okay, they must know
I'm gone. But where am I?" he asked to himself. Then a group of black Hopsos
saw him. They started running to him.
"Pause!"
Everything stopped. The Hopsos were just feet
away from him. He kept walking. Something about this place looked almost familiar...
like a storybook. In the distance he saw something that made him gasp. It was
a castle.
"No wonder this place looks familiar! I've seen
this in a thousand story books... it's Meridell! Un-pause!" he cried. He was
a safe distance away from all of the Petpets. He walked on the Black Roses over
to the castle. It's drawbridge was up and it was all closed.
"Hey! Keep away!" cried Chakeebo as some black
Mortogs approached. He blacked up and got his ring ready. He brought it closer
to his mouth..."WOAH!" He tripped over a rock and the ring fell onto the ground.
His ring got tossed into the air and fell on the ground. It rolled over some
black roses and then fell into the castle moat... the poisonous mote.
"This just keeps on getting better and better,"
said Chakeebo as the Mortogs approached. One of the Mortogs jumped at his and
bit him in the arm.
"AHHHH!" he yelled as he winced in pain. It
was searing hot for some reason, and yet cold at the same time. The Mortog jumped
off and started hopping away. Chakeebo looked at his arm and gasped. It was
turning dark blue. Some venom in the Mortog's teeth was flowing up his arms
and through his body. Chakeebo's head started spinning and he passed out.
***
The others remained where they were. They didn't know what to do. They could
go back and try to find Chakeebo... but that would be hard. They weren't even
sure if Neopia could handle another day like this.
"I think we should go on. Chakeebo seemed like
a tough Chia. He can probably fend for himself. If we don't hurry some lives
might be taken," said Bortyk. Tasuara agreed.
"So we should keep on going through the Haunted
Woods?" asked Junior G.
"No. Look up into the sky. The little light
the sun managed to get past the Zumagorn is fading. It's getting late. It's
not safe to be in the Haunted Woods at night. I think we should stay where we
are," said Deracko. Everyone else agreed. They all grabbed onto Tasuara.
"Vanish!"
Once again, they all disappeared. They curled
up on the ground and shut their eyes and went to sleep.
They all slept peacefully for a while... until
Kyohara suddenly got up. She was completely silent and didn't wake anybody up.
She started walking deep into the forest. It looked like she was in some sort
of trance, but she was actually sleep walking. For hours she traveled until
she passed through the Haunted Woods and came out on the other side. And she
didn't stop there.
Eventually day broke out again. Tasuara said
the magic word to bring everyone back to normal.
"Appear!"
As soon as everyone became visible, it was clear
that another member of the group was missing.
"Where's that Kyrii you were with... Kyohara,
right?" questioned Bortyk. Everyone looked around.
"She's gone... oh well, maybe she'll die like
Chakeebo did," said Millyum bitterly.
"Take that back!" exclaimed Methalius.
"Why? You didn't even know her before yesterday,"
said Millyum. Methalius was about to answer back but Junior G interrupted him.
"Guys! Come here!" he cried. Everyone followed
his voice. They came to a big murky pond. A stream was flowing into the pond.
Junior G stood up and showed them Chakeebo's ring. "How did that get there?"
asked Deracko.
"Let me check," said Bortyk. He spoke into his
own ring for the first time the other Time Twisters saw.
"Show fifteen hours ago," he said. Bortyk tapped
Chakeebo's ring with his own. A window appeared flying above them. It showed
a Pteri's eye view of... Meridell! They saw the ring roll into the mote and
they also saw a black Mortog bite Chakeebo!
"Oh dear!" cried Millyum.
"I've got an idea. Bortyk, give me the ring,"
said Yoigo. Bortyk gave Chakeebo's ring to Yoigo. Yoigo got everyone into a
big line. They each grabbed each other's tails, feet or whatever. Yoigo pointed
his ring to his mouth.
"Erase!"
Yoigo's ring had the power to make certain things
go backwards. Since the ring had flowed out of the mote in Meridell to the Haunted
Woods, the ring would return to Meridell... with the others grabbing onto it.
As fast as anything could go, the gang started their trip to Meridell.
To be continued...
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