Lost Kacheek

by oddishlover

Kachi looked over the side of the boat into the rushing blue water and felt like vomiting. She hoped this holiday to the Mystery Island was worth it. Inside the ship there was a party going on. Laura had gone to the party because it was rumoured that some film star was there and that there were other famous people in the cabin.

Maria was dealing cards faster than a croupier in a nightclub on to the table. Keylia was sitting in the most comfortable chair, sucking lemonade noisily through a straw and Sunsetella sucked hard on a fruit drop while staring at her hand.

"If it wasn't for you," Kachi thought miserably, "I wouldn't be on this stupid boat sailing along to a stupid island." Laura hadn't even thought about what Kachi might want when she adopted the other two. And then she bought a stupid alien called a Grundo, something that always talked backwards.

Kachi wandered into the party hall. Laura was kneeling on the floor talking to a small Quiggle.

"You'd think I'd be enough," thought Kachi. She stalked out. She walked along the deck watching her tears slowly sink into the wood. She didn't even matter to anyone. No one even cared about her. They were too obsessed with other people. She looked over the side. "It would serve them right," she said aloud, "if I hid in a lifeboat and they got on to the Mystery Island and I went home without them." Kachi looked at the huge wooden lifeboats. She'd be found easily there. So she sneaked down to a closed shop and sat on an empty chair and began to flick through a magazine for teenage Grundos. It was all backwards. There was one for Shoyrus, but it consisted of nothing but flying tips and articles of how beautiful Sunsetella was. And the Chia magazine was just about, well, Chias. Kachi must have fallen asleep in the dim light.

"All right, all right don't panic!" the captain yelled as loud as he could but it was no use. NeoPets ran round screaming and so did owners, looking for them. "DON'T PANIC!!! JUST GET IN THE LIFEBOAT!" Laura was so scared. There was such a race to get out of the hall. She took the fire exit and fled to her cabin. Fumbling for the key in her pocket, she realized she had dropped it. She banged even harder on the door. Finally the door opened. Laura grabbed Maria through the door and put her into her handbag. Sunsetella opened the door and Laura snatched him up and set him on her shoulders.

Grabbing Keliya's hand, she ran to the deck yelling on the way, "WHERE'S KACHI?"

"GONE!" Maria screamed from inside the handbag. Laura thought she was going to faint. But a huge mob of people were surging into lifeboats and there was only one left.

"Sinking?" Kachi shrieked. She ran up flight after flight of stairs. But when she got to the deck she felt so sick she passed out and fell over the side. As she was unconscious, she began to sink.

"OH NO! IS THAT KACHI?" Laura screamed, tears streaming down her face. Kachi was Laura's first NeoPet. Laura sat Kelyia, Sunsetella and Maria in a lifeboat and dived in, yanking Kachi's head from under the water. Kachi spluttered around in the water. Laura didn't stop to think, she swam as fast as she could, with Kachi on her back, to her NeoPet's lifeboat. As soon as they got in Laura hugged Kachi fiercely.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she sobbed.

"Don't worry, I won't!" Kachi sobbed back, hugging her back.

"We're reaching land," said a man in the boat.

"Nearly back to Neopia." Kachi sighed and coughed.

Kachi had been hugging Laura for almost three hours. "Laura?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault Kachi. I should have been with you instead of the others and the party."

"It'll never happen again."

Laura and her NeoPets watched as the lights of Neopia became as clear as ever. Kachi held tight to Laura.

"I hope not."