Caylis - Moodiness a Myth?

      Caylis looked around. The ground was full of huge cracks and the bubbling pit was still bubbling away. Looking at some old ruins, she felt sadness again, but tried to stem her tears.

      A couple of years had passed since the rescue of New Maraqua. Caylis, who had helped for the sake of her sister, Isca, had shown her new controlled powers. King Kelpbeard had offered her a place but she had refused.

      Suddenly Caylis shrank back. More and more Neopets were returning to Old Maraqua to look at the ruins, pick up some colouring pages, or just to go fishing! Fishing! Caylis scoffed. A good reason to disturb this grave of memories!

      Caylis, still scoffing, swam away quickly and silently. She didn’t realize that this Neopet had come specially to see one of the famed Maraquan Aishas. She was saddened to see Caylis swim away so rapidly.

      Caylis muttered to herself as she swam.

      “Oh, please, who do they think they are? Those Neopets, swimming with their useless legs to come down to catch some boring useless stuff, or holding their breath to visit grand old New Maraqua. They bother me!”

      The rainbow Peophin, who was named Aquamarine, loved the water. She always longed to be painted Maraquan so she could live underwater forever, but Peophins didn’t get to be painted that colour. With her strong tail she went after Caylis.

      Caylis had reached her home, a miniature cave with a big boulder in front. Squeezing through the gap near the bottom, she groped wildly for a light and remembered that she didn’t have one here.

      Sighing, she removed a stone in the ceiling to let in some ocean light. Unfortunately, with the soft shimmering blue light came a rainbow Peophin tail.

      Caylis shrieked and jumped back, nearly squashing the Delfin that lived here with her. There came a similar screech as the rainbow Peophin’s tail came through the hole.

      Caylis swam out of the cave and up onto the roof to glare at Aquamarine.

      “What are you doing on top of my cave!?” Caylis demanded.

      “I was following you since you left the ruins of Maraqua,” Aquamarine hastily explained. “I didn’t know where you went, so I rested a little on this rock. I didn’t know it was your cave! And then a hole opened up, my tail slid through and now I’m stuck!”

      Caylis, surprisingly, felt an urge to giggle. Isca had been stuck under the dresser when she was small once, and Caylis had laughed herself inside out before she had pulled her sister out.

      “Eek!” Aquamarine cried. “Something’s pushing my tail!”

      “It’s the Delfin in the cave,” Caylis explained. “I think he’s trying to push you out.”

      Caylis decided to help since the Delfin was still small. Grabbing the Peophin’s fins, she pulled as hard as she could. Aquamarine popped free.

      “Hi, I’m Aquamarine.” The rainbow Peophin held out her fin to Caylis.

      Caylis stared a moment before hesitantly taking it. Her purple hair swam out in the water. Her eyes blinked confusedly at the Peophin. She really had been isolated for a long time.

      Aquamarine also stared at Caylis. Many people who’d supposedly seen Isca and Caylis said that Isca was the fairer of the two. Aqua had gotten a Neopedia for her recent birthday, and she’d seen a picture of Isca and Caylis.

      After reading everything to know about the Maraquan twins, Aqua had found that she sympathized with Caylis. Exiled from her home because of something she could not help, she didn’t blame the Aisha for becoming sullen and bitter. But Caylis didn’t seem sullen now.

      “Thank you for helping me,” Aqua said.

      “It was nothing... it was quite funny, actually,” Caylis said shyly. “I’m Caylis. You know, Isca’s sister?”

      “Yeah,” Aqua said, fascinated by Caylis’ dark appearance. “I’ve always liked you better, though. After all, I’ve never met Isca.”

      “You prefer me to my sister?” Caylis asked wonderingly. “That has to be a first. People prefer Isca because she’s lighter, more fun, and she can see the future.”

      “You can too, right?” Aqua asked eagerly.

      “More or less,” Caylis sniffed, “in the form of tormenting, horrible, dark nightmares.”

      “I think it was unfair to exile you,” Aqua said hotly. “After all, it’s not that you’re making the disasters, isn’t it? You’re just seeing it all happen!”

      “But the disasters are always happening to me,” Caylis said softly. “That means as long as I stay in a place where there are people, the disasters happen too.”

      “Do you always have nightmares?” Aqua asked sympathetically.

      “Always,” Caylis shivered, “but only some are real - only a few come to truly pass.”

      “Caylis!” a sweet voice called. “Caylis, where are you?”

      “It’s Isca.” Caylis frowned. “Isca, what do you want!?”

      There was silence for a moment, and Isca’s head appeared from the side of the cave.

      “There you are, sister!” Isca said delightedly. “We New Maraquans are holding a festival along with some water Neopets. Want to come?”

      “I do!” Aqua cried.

      Isca looked at the Peophin, surprised.

      “Who’re you?” she asked curiously. “I mean, are you with Caylis? ‘Cause a lot of people find it hard to find Caylis, let alone hang out with her.”

      “Thanks very much,” Caylis said dryly. “I so appreciated you implying insults to my biggest fan.”

      “I thought Caylis was a - no offence - drag-around, crying, lonely, bitter Aisha that didn’t like anyone,” Aqua said in a rush. “I mean, that’s what everyone says.”

      “That was true.” Isca smiled. “But ever since the Battle for New Maraqua, she’s really been looking up! She’s still a little down sometimes, but she’s really all so much better.”

      Aqua looked at Caylis, completely confused. She had sympathized with Caylis all this time to find that she was really not so bad? She smiled broadly. Well then, that was good, wasn’t it?

      Much to Aqua’s astonishment, Caylis returned the smile. It sent warm tingles down her tail, even though the water she was in was chilly.

      “Let’s go to the festival,” Isca said happily, and dragged Aqua and Caylis to the big and rowdy party.

      King Kelpbeard accepted Caylis, Isca, and Aqua readily. He seemed in an abnormally buoyant mood.

      “What’s made the serious king into such a jolly Koi?” Caylis asked her sister bluntly.

      “Well, I suppose it’s because it’s the anniversary of the victory at the... you know...” Isca blushed, not wanting to elaborate on the matter, which was rather delicate with her twin sister.

      “Oh...” Caylis fingered a lock of her violet tangled hair. “So today was the day of the Battle of New Maraqua.”

      “Really?!” there came a piercing shriek of delight, which was, of course, Aqua. “Can you tell me about it, Caylis? Was it horrible? Oh, I wish I was there!”

      Caylis frowned at Aqua. King Kelpbeard swam over to them, overhearing Aqua’s delighted revelations.

      “Battles are not joyous things, my young Peophin,” King Kelpbeard said, growing solemn for a moment. “We only celebrate today because we were victorious over the pirates and started a friendship with the surface dwellers. That is the reason for this festival. Spare my future-telling Aishas the horrifying nightmare that battle was.”

      Aqua blushed. I can always read up on it in the Neopedia anyway, she thought, but she was disappointed miserably. She had wanted Caylis and Isca to relate more than the battle. She wanted to know how they had felt - especially Caylis.

      Caylis drew Aqua aside behind a Maractite pillar.

      “What would you like to know?” she whispered in the Peophin’s ear. “I can tell you about it, if you like. I don’t really mind, though Isca hates fights and things.”

      Aqua almost shouted with joy, but Caylis clamped a paw around her mouth.

      “Hush!” she breathed. “No need for Kelpbeard to know, after all...”

The End