A Mutant’s Family Business

     We don’t often go into the Bazaar because it is made clear very quickly that we are not welcome, even if we are just needing to pick up some hot dogs from Huberts for dinner. I noticed how others treated us when I was a young Mutant Lupe pup, just wanting to make friends, romp around, play tag, and hide and seek with the others. I didn’t understand then why others were so afraid of me, running in the other direction when they saw me walking towards them. I didn’t mean any harm to them; I wish I just had the chance to tell them that. But they never gave me a chance to say the words.

     My parents made sure to teach me about the cruelty of the world from a very young age, and why it was important to continue our ancestral work. They would tell me the only way to be seen and be able to stand proud is to dominate; lurking in the shadows, collecting debts and showing them how scary we could really be. After all, that’s all they thought of us anyway.

     My parents and two older brothers were brilliant at what they did, scaring even me as I watched them work hidden amongst the shrubs. Their eyes glistened, their jaws turned into vile sneers in the shadows, their entire bodies transformed into hideous, ferocious beasts.

     It made me uncomfortable, and I never really did feel like I belonged in this line of work. I had done my fair share of work for the family and really did give it my all. However, every time I watched the fear in my victims’ eyes and the tears streaming down their faces, I was overcome with guilt, always wanting to run after them and tell them I was sorry. I would see their faces every night as I tried to escape into slumber, but they kept me awake, and I could never shake the horrible feeling.

     One brisk night, on the 5th Day of Relaxing, Year 27, Mother had assigned me a job to be carried out at the stroke of midnight and had assured me it would be an easy one. I knew I was not the best at hiding my emotions as I watched my siblings do what they do best, and Mother had been noticing my hesitation these last few months. It is because of this that she has been giving me more and more solo jobs, some of which were commissioned and some were merely for her enjoyment. In this case, an Elderly Girl Kacheek named Ms. Lana, who lived on her own on the outskirts of Brightvale, had apparently bumped into Mother while she was running some errands. Mother insisted that it was intentional and thus punishment must be served.

     With a heavy heart, I set out to find Ms. Lana. I could already feel the shame eating away at me, but I did not want to let my family down. It was my calling, and I kept telling myself I had to push through the uneasy feelings, because what else could a Mutant Lupe like me do? I had never been accepted by others, so even if I wanted to, I could never make it on my own.

     My stride quickened with purpose; the quicker I got this done, the better.

     Ms. Lana’s Neohome was easy to find with her name boldly printed on her letterbox; a quaint cottage-esque exterior painted purple and white, a neat assortment of Mixed Flowers lining the walkway up to her front door. There was no light inside the home, and I couldn’t hear a sound apart from my own heavy panting and beating heart. With my sharp talons digging into the soft dirt, I crept around the back of the Neohome, sticking to the safety of complete darkness close to the house. There was a door at the back, which I found unlocked! Sadness overcame me, as I had hoped it wouldn’t be so easy to get in. I frowned and thought, Ms. Lana, how I wish you took more care of securing your Neohome at night.

     I walked in, claws clinking on the Simple Wooden Floor in the kitchen. It didn’t take me long to find where Ms. Lana was sleeping. I stood in the doorway to her bedroom as she stirred awake. She turned over slowly and sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and trying to make out what she was seeing. She grabbed her glasses from the bedside table and placed them gingerly on her nose. Her breath caught in her throat as she finally saw me standing there in her doorway, enveloped in darkness, but I knew she could still see me. As her eyes widened and her jaw trembled, a single tear ran down her rosy cheek. She was frozen in fear.

     I can’t do this anymore.

     The voice filling my head was too powerful to ignore, and with that I turned and fled Ms. Lana’s house. I started to run as fast as I could, but had no idea where I was going. Streetlights and signposts blurred in my eyes as tears streamed down my face. I kept seeing her panic-stricken expression, and shame filled me to the core. My lungs burned and my body finally gave out. I stumbled and felt gravel sting my body upon impact with the ground.

     I lay still for a while, panting and trembling.

     Once my heartbeat returned to normal and my head cleared, I had an epiphany about how I could turn my life around. All the tricks my siblings had shared with me, and the lessons my parents had taught me about scaring the living daylights out of someone could be turned around.

     Instead of harming others, I could empower and help them. For the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of excitement and knew exactly what I needed to do in the morning.

     With the morning sun blazing down, I retraced my steps from the night before, but this time had my head held high. Yes, I received some glares from other Neopets, and some even crossed the road to avoid me, but that didn’t humiliate me like it usually did. I finally came upon the house I fled from earlier. With a slightly trembling paw, I opened the gate and walked down the path. It felt so strange to move about in broad daylight like this, but I knew I would get used to it.

     As I rapped upon the door, all I could think about was righting my wrongs.

     It took her a minute, but Ms. Lana finally cracked open the door. It was clear she was still shaken from what she had encountered, and she let out a tiny gasp when she saw me.

     “Ms. Lana,” I quietly said. “First of all, I would like to sincerely apologise for scaring you last night. I have made many mistakes in life, and seeing you last night has finally made me realise that I need to change my ways. Could I talk to you for just a few minutes?”

     Ms. Lana hesitated for just a moment before opening the door and beckoning me in. She was truly such a kind soul, because I don’t think many would have given me a second chance. I hoped she could see the sincerity in my honest Mutant eyes.

     Once we were seated on the sofa, my story poured out. I explained my miserable upbringing, but also how it allowed me to see vulnerabilities that others might not.

     For example, I told her about how easy it was for me to find her Neohome with the label on her mailbox, and how her door had been unsecured last night. I offered to accompany her to Neopia Central to purchase some brighter lighting in order to illuminate her yard. Just fixing a few things would make her Neohome a secure sanctuary.

     While I spoke, I watched Ms. Lana’s expression change from suspicious to surprised, and end with a kind smile and a nod.

     We went that day to pick out some new lighting for her, and I hope she realised how much it meant to me that she wasn’t embarrassed to be seen accompanying some Mutant around town. The shopkeeper wouldn’t make eye contact with me, but it didn’t feel hurtful with Ms. Lana’s reassuring pat on my shoulder.

     After helping Ms. Lana secure her home, I told her that this was what I wanted to do from now on: help Neopets feel safe and prevent them from being taken advantage of. She asked if she could introduce me to some of her neighbours, and I was so happy to meet them!

     I visited their Neohomes and used the knowledge from my past to point out flaws in the security of their Neohomes. One by one, I watched their demeanours change from sceptical to grateful, and they hurried about to make the changes I suggested.

     These days, no one looks at me as a frightful Mutant Lupe. While my family’s name strikes fear in the hearts of others, my own name has become synonymous with safety and protection.

     Unfortunately, I can’t go back and change the mistakes of my past, but with each new Neopian I have helped since then, I aspire to right some of my wrongdoings.

     As for my family, I have not seen them since that night. I hope to show them one day that they too can change their ways, but I am not ready for that conversation just yet. Yes, Mutants are viewed as hideous by many, but that doesn’t mean that we have to be the monsters they expect us to be. I am confident that one day my family will realise that our greatest strength was never the fear we could instil, but instead see the difference we can make when we use our gifts for good.

     The End.