Secrets of the Space Necklace: Part Eight

     “Are you saying my sister is that pink phoney?” C.K. demanded.

     “Well, are you?” Chloe asked Miss Van Sparkleton. The pink Bruce stared back at Chloe. She then sighed as she sat herself down on one of her parlour sofa chairs.

     “It was so simple,” Miss Van Sparkleton admitted. “It was all so simple. But now-”

     “The truth is out and so is your secret,” Tina blurted out. Everyone stared at Tina, who then hid her face in her paws and sighed.

     “That girl has got to zip her mouth more often,” C.K. said. Everyone nodded.

     “But,” Elle stammered, “Is that really you, Kia?”

     Miss Van Sparkleton then gazed at everyone. She then looked down at the plastic necklace that was in her paws. She then sighed, and nodded.

     “But this can’t be!” C.K. shouted. She was in a really deep sense of denial. “You can’t be Kia! For one thing: You’re a Bruce.”

     “I am a Bruce now,” Miss Van Sparkleton, or ‘Kia’, explained, “but I was a Grundo before.”

     “This can’t be,” C.K. gasped. “We thought you were missing. We thought Sloth came and captured you!”

     “But he didn’t,” Elle explained as she slowly approached the weeping Bruce. “That’s what she wanted you to think, C.K.”

     “But why would she leave her sister?” Chloe asked. She was starting to get very curious. She wanted to know her story, and also wanted to know what happened to the pink dress.

     “My story started just a couple years back,” Kia said as she wiped her eyes. “My sister, C.K., and I were the best of friends. We weren’t only friends, but sisters as well. Our family was very wealthy, so C.K. and I were privileged to have everything we could ever want. As we got older, we started to think differently about our future.”

     “Does this have to do with the Dr. Sloth plot?” Elle asked. Kia nodded.

     “As soon as news about Sloth reached Neopia Central, C.K. immediately told me that we just join and fight!” Kia sniffled as she blew her nose into her handkerchief. Everyone stared hard at Kia. Chloe wasn’t used to calling her ‘Kia’ at all, but understood that ‘Kia’ was her actual name. She just wanted to understand Kia’s point of view.

     “After we were shipped to the Space Station, I told C.K. that we should buy a souvenir from the Gift Shop,” Kia explained as she sniffled some more. “I thought the necklace was pretty, but C.K. was the one who realized the necklace could be used for ‘spy work’. She told me that this necklace could store notes inside of it, and that this could be used to send secret messages around our sector.”

     “So you two used code writing to send the messages, right?” Vincent asked.

     Kia nodded. “It was C.K.’s idea to study that coding language, but I never knew that the coding would EVER be useful! It was perfect for sending messages. But we weren’t the only ones who knew about this...”

     Everyone gasped. Elle then coughed a little bit and said, “I met C.K. and Kia while I was stationed there as well .They taught me how to speak and write in codes. We eventually became fast friends, and I then decided to declare our friendship with-”

     “Music boxes,” Chloe gasped. Her mother nodded.

     “I found the music boxes in the gift shop as well,” Elle admitted. “The purple one was given to C.K. and the reds one were given to me and Kia. They all played the same tune, and were very special to us.”

     “But why would you leave?” Chloe asked Kia. “If your sister was in danger, then why did you leave?”

     Kia sniffled some more as she thought. She then turned to Chloe and told her the answer.

     “When Sloth decided to invade our sector,” Kia explained, “C.K. told me to follow her plan. She said she wanted to fight the source with Gorix, and instructed me to stay behind. She told me that if she ever needed help, she’d leave a note in the necklace.”

     “And I did do that,” C.K. confessed. “I was captured by a minion and left the necklace behind after I was able to write a note. I left it by the corner you were hiding in so you could come and save me.”

     “Which I never did,” Kia whimpered. “But that was because I was scared! I didn’t want to stay and battle Sloth! So, instead of staying, I decided to leave the sector and return home.”

     “But how did you escape?” Tina asked, hoping she wasn’t interrupting anything.

     “I was lucky enough to board a ship,” Kia explained, trying not to look at her sister’s face. “I had experience driving, so I was able to return no problem.”

     “And I was able to escape,” C.K. said bitterly. “And I was so close to-”

     “You were!’ Kia admitted. “You were hot on my trail. That’s why I decided to disguise myself. I was lucky one day at the Money Tree, and drank a morphing potion. It turned me into a red Bruce. After that, I decided to change my name into something fancier. After I did, I then made my way to Meridell, where I was educated and learned everything I needed to know about etiquette.”

     “And you did all this to hide from your sister?” Chloe asked.

     “Yes,” Kia admitted, “because C.K. was hot on my trail. I knew that as soon as she found me, she’d drag me back to the Space Station to complete the mission. And since I didn’t want that, I decided to change my life completely and disguise myself, so she’d never find me.”

     “But she did find you,” Tina said. Kia sighed and nodded again.

     “Yes, she did,” Kia said quietly as she stared down at the necklace. “I was lucky to inherit our family mansion. After I did, I was pleased and distracted at my former life. But one day, C.K. found me! I was glad she didn’t recognise me, but was also scared that she’d return. Then, last week she broke in. I was stunned when I met her upstairs. I followed her quietly out the house, forgetting all about our tea. I tried talking, but she eventually led me to Space again.”

     “I was sure then that she was Kia,” C.K. sighed as she sat down on a sofa chair. “But she acted as if she never knew me. I then gave up and sent her back home. Then, by luck, I met you guys! I remembered you guys from the mansion that night, and knew right away you guys could help me.”

     “And they did,” Kia admitted, as she smiled slyly at Chloe. “I had a feeling those four were smart. They tried very hard to solve this mystery.” She then stared at her sister and said, “I’m sorry, C.K. I was so worried, believe me! I even made you a bedroom upstairs, hoping you’d return.”

     “Which I did,” C.K. said in satisfaction. “I’m just glad all this was over! And now we have each other, and Elle, again.”

     Kia nodded as she and her sister stood up and hugged each other close. Then, something struck Chloe.

     “Wait, what about my dress?” Chloe asked. “My pink dress was stolen that night when C.K. came. Who took it?”

     “Me,” Kia admitted as she made her way upstairs. She then came down, holding Chloe’s tea dress in her paws.

     “Many years ago,” Kia explained as she handed the dress to Chloe, “your mother showed me a drawing. This drawing was of an elegant, pink dress that she wanted to make for a future pet. I asked her to make one for me, but she told me this dress was only for a future Draik she would have in the future.” She then patted Chloe’s shoulder and said, “As soon as I saw you wearing that dress, the first thought that came to mind was your mother. Her dream was to make an elegant gown for a future Draik, and I knew right away Elle was your mother. That was why I asked those questions about your mother.”

     Chloe nodded as she handed the dress to her mother. Her mother nodded, and ushered the foursome out of the house.

     “Wait,” Kia called. She then talked quickly to C.K., who nodded in agreement. “I was hoping that you folks wouldn’t mind attending a tea this Sunday,” Kia said as she handed everyone a lacy invitation.

     Chloe was hesitant at first, but then nodded at Kia.

     “Make sure you wear that dress next week.” Kia winked. Chloe winked back.

     “Bye, Miss Princess Lady!” Clara called as she waved at Kia. Kia giggled and waved back. Chloe sighed as she walked back home. She then turned back to the mansion, and was pleased to see C.K. and Kia waving back at her.

     “Those pets,” C.K. sighed. “They really are proper young Neopians, aren’t they?”

     “Yes,” Kia agreed as she winked at Chloe. “They certainly are proper, and smart, young Neopians.”

The End