Missing Pieces: Part Four

by Catnip4

All by itself, the door slowly opened and gave way to Meara. From the porch, she could see six wooden chairs brought into a circle, and in those chairs were five menacing Dark Faeries. Meara knocked on the inside of the door. Trembling, she asked quietly, "M-m-may I come i-in p-p-please? I-I have a v-very imp-portant q-question." All five Dark Faeries twisted their necks over to Meara and stared at her with the most terrifying red-eyed glare.

"Come child," one said in a low voice. It must have been the leader, Meara thought, because she was the only one carrying one of the tridents and wearing an amulet. Carefully, making sure she wasn't going to fall into any of those trap doors she had seen of TV, Meara made her way to the leader. Without thinking, Meara asked, what she thought after she asked it, the most stupid question ever thought up.

"Why is there six chairs and only five of you?" The Dark Faerie spread a grin across her gruesome, purple face.

"Well honey, we didn't really like her. She didn't cooroporate with the other faeries."

Meara took a long gulp and took two steps back. She put away her fear, and asked them what she was here for.

"Okay. My owner died a couple of weeks ago from a fire in my house. I want her back so much, and a Water Faerie told me that if I did some kind of something for you, you would bring her back to life."

All of a sudden, the faeries took a big huddle like football players and discussed Meara's certain issue. About eight minutes later, the faeries arose and the leader spoke once again.

"First sweety, what is your name and what is your owner's name?"

"I'm Meara and my owner's name is Sheli."

After she had said that, Meara had known that Dark Faeries were supposed to be as evil and mean as witches. She wondered why this pack wasn't acting the same. The faeries made another huddle.

"We have the perfect quest for you! Are you sure you want to go through with the pain? IT IS AWFULLY HARD!!!"

Meara thought everything over. Even if she failed the quest, the faeries would most likely use her for something, but if she did the quest she would get her owner back. Meara nodded slightly to the middle.

The leader giggled histarically and beofre Meara could break down and cry about the item she had to get, she screamed out, "A QUEEN FAERIE! In the jar, sealed tightly. On your way now! You have exactly..."

The faerie looked up at the grandfather clock that annoyingly ticked-tocked back and forth. "Three days, nine hours, and fifty-two minutes." Meara picked up her leather sack, pushed the door open, and suddenly gasped at one of her memories of faeries. A shy smile opened up and blossomed across Meara's face.

"Wait a second, I found you. You have to bless me first with an ability!" The faerie's evil grin suddenly turned to a frown, and her eyes glowed darker red with each second.

"FINE!"

The Dark Faerie produced a black beam of mist out of her amulet and it circled around her body, just as the Water Faerie had done.

"Shroud!"

And as the Dark Faerie turned around to once again sit in her little wooden chair, Meara almost shattered the door as she hopped out.

***

Searching all about she went, Meara was just about to give up hope. Even though she had only been traveling for twenty minutes and she was still in the same place, it felt like eternity to her. Hearing her tummy grumble, Meara pulled out her Danish bacon. Looking at it, she almost threw-up, for the bacon seamed to be dirty and matted with fur. Again, she tried to find a snack. She pulled out the rest of her low fat milk, this time it was fine looking. Taking a very large gulp, Meara swallowed and stuffed it back along with her other necessities. Out of no where, a wonderful and clever thought came to her. Neopia had tons of technology, and still had never found the Queen Faerie. The only place it could be was one of the cities in the guild, for guilds had just been available to make only a couple of days ago. Thinking over all the cities, Meara tried to make sense of what one the queen would live in.

"Neopia Central, Cute City, Training School, Battledome, Air Faerie Cloud...AIR FAERIE CLOUD!" As happy and jolly as she had ever been, Meara danced and giggled and jumped for joy.

Knowing that the brain tree could teleport people and pets to other cities and worlds, she skipped towards the huge, tall, old tree. There, ruffled and exposed to everyone who looked at it, lay a huge brain in between the branches. This sight made her sick. Meara lowered her head and it looked as if she was speaking to the ground.

"Can you teleport me?" Meara asked with no fear in her voice. "I need to get to the cities of guilds in Neopia."

One of the trees branches came up to what looked like a chin, and the branch rubbed it harshly.

"Only if you can bring me an Almost Gummy Rat (Strawberry)!"

Meara sighed. "Can you please just teleport me now! I've been through enough trouble! My owner is gone, I have no family, a ghost almost stole my leather bag, I had an encounter with what looked like a sea monster, I had to swim across a lake with no help and for a fact I can't swim to begin with! I had to ride on a ghost to get here! I was put in an orphanage! I was almost put into a witch's cooking pot, I have to get a Queen Faerie for the Dark Faeries, and last but not least, I HAVE TO GET TO THE GUILDS CITY!" Meara took a bunch of deep breaths and stared straight into the eyes of the tree.

"Okay! Okay!" The tree shouted. "Stand right on that 'X'."

Meara looked at the dirt and saw a big, liquidy, slimy, bright green X. Almost disgusted, she stood up on her tiptoes to try and avoid the mess.

"Nope! You've got to put the soles of your feet on the ground." Meara rolled her eyes and planted her feet in the gook.

"Okay now, here we go!" The tree's brain suddenly grew larger and it looked as it was going to burst. He muttered the place: "Guild Central" and in less than the snap of a finder, Meara was no longer surrounded by the Haunted Woods. She could see arrows pointing all over. Some were familiar, like Neopia Central, Cute City, Air Faerie Cloud, but most were not. She turned the pearly white cloud doorknob and entered the mysterious valley of the Air Faerie Cloud. Suddenly, a beautiful, rare Space Faerie fluttered towards Meara. "Hello there. Would you like to search up a guild, return to your guild, or create one?"

Meara shook her head. "No. I'm here to capt--find the Queen Faerie." Meara wanted to sound as pleasant as she could if she wanted to get hold of her.

The Space Faerie gasped. "Well, as you know, the Queen Faerie is a secret to the faeries and only we know where she is. She is extremely busy and doesn't need little white Aishas in the middle of them. Good day."

With that farewell, the Space Faerie shoved her foot under Meara and she catapulted out of the faerie's way. The Space Faerie slammed the cloudy door in front of Meara's face. Even though it didn't hurt, she was angry with the faerie. The only faerie that was supposed to be mean was the Dark Faerie. Meara, stubborn, and never taking no for an answer, darted turned straight around and looked at the tall marshmallow-like walls. She tried to hop over it, but it was too big. Then a thought struck mirror.

"How could I have been so dumb?!" she cried out to herself. And with a wide smirk on her angelic face she pranced right through the walls just like a ghost would've done. The land her eyes met face to face were more gorgeous than any she had ever seen. The trees were as green as broccoli, even though she disliked it, it was a lovely shade of green. The sky was a baby blue, the color she used to be before her owner had painted her white. The most important thing that she peered at was the large pink sign with huge bold letters written in gold, saying "FAERIES CONVENTION."

"Ah ha!" she said aloud as the pets around her thought she was absurd for talking to herself.

Meara could see owners everywhere at tiny stands and buying their pets clothing and treats. One owner was trying to stick her Lupe in a Chia costume, but it looked as if he ripped it to shreds in seconds. Coming towards the convention, her slim, sleek body slid under the crack under the door as if she were a snake. She blended in with the cloud covered walls and not even the Water Faerie, known for keen vision could spot her. Meara scanned the room and spotted a silver throne with a red velvet seat. As Meara looked closer and closer, she could see a tiny jar no bigger than her paw, and a small purple-dressed figure trapped inside. From Meara's experience, she knew that faeries were put in glass jars.

Meara eased forward, and scrambled under the long, emerald-green, meeting table. She quickly glanced up at the throne, and reached out her hand to snatch the Faerie Queen. Suddenly, a Light Faerie walked past, and saw Meara's paw.

"INTRUDER!" the Light Faerie yelled across the room. Meara, heart pounding, about to burst out of her chest, had a weird idea she knew that might not work. She pounded her claws into the under side part of the table and held her body up. No one would be able to see her if they looked underneath the tablecloth. The Light Faerie stuck her head to where Meara was hiding, and flashed her bright, yellow eyes at Meara.

"Let's check outside," The faerie said, "There's nothing under here."

Meara almost leaped for joy as she heard all the faeries shove out of the door. This time, very carefully, she pounced like she saw a Lupe once do before, upon the faerie jar, and cupped it in her mouth. Meara then placed the faerie inside her leather pouch and creapt in silence out of the guild city.

Meara cried out loud, "TELEPORT ME BACK BRAIN TREE!" and the last words Meara heard as a great blast of power engulfed her, was the angry voices calling out, "STOP! WE WILL GET YOU!...."

***

It almost seemed like deja vu. Meara could see the old witch dumping items of all sorts in her cauldron, the brain tree waving a branch as a replacement of an arm to welcome her, and the bats flooding the dark, grey sky. Last but not least, the back sidewalk twisted the corner to reveal the dreaded run-down spooky house. This time, not afraid of anything at all, Meara raced up the steps of the house and opened the door without thinking. There sat the Dark Faeries, just where they were before, greeting her.

"Hello, Meara. Where's the queen?" Meara pulled out the purple glass jar and waved it in their faces.

"Hand it over, small fry." The leader spoke out.

Meara's grin widened. "Owner first."

The Dark Faerie sighed. "All right..." A whirl of fire made out the shape of a long rod, then a human shape, and then finally, good ol' Sheli. Meara sprinted across the room and fell into Sheli's arms.

"YOU'RE BACK!!!!" Meara cried with excitement. A tear rolled down her furry face in happiness. Meara opened the jar lid of the Faerie Queen and the Dark Faeries screamed.

"NO! DON'T! SSTTTTTTTOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The Faerie Queen entered the room and in the blink of an eye, the faeries were all banished from the room. The Faerie Queen grinned.

"Thank-you. You will now receive one wish. Say it, I will grant it." Meara looked at her in confusion. The Faerie Queen almost acted as a genie.

"Okay..." Meara thought out loud. "I'll have...well...uh...I wish to have my old house and be back in Neopia again."

The Faerie Queen lifted her arms. "All right, if that's what you really want!" And before Meara could tell, she was in her owner's room, on the work table, happily prancing across the desk, and her owner Sheli was writing in her little pink book again. Meara stopped her playing and leaped onto Sheli's lap.

"I love you." Sheli looked down at her with eyes full of tears and gratefulness for such a wonderful, caring Aisha.

"I love you too."

The End