Within the Games: Part Three

      “I’ll get it!” Marine shouted.

     “Believe me. I sure wasn’t planning to get it,” said her friend that lived with her, Margo the Kacheek, who was trying to take a nap in her room.

     You remember Marine’s friend Margo in Part 1? Where Marine joked about her friend Margo having Floppy Tongue? Well, this is her! She’s a yellow Kacheek who loves with a capital LOVES to sleep! She never understands technology and she’s a total pessimistic. Marine and Margo are pretty much opposites.

     “Hello?” Marine answered on the Call-Screen to the unknown caller.

     “Marine? Is that you? I need you here as soon as possible!” It was AAA. Apparently Ronny gave the same invention to two people. Pretty creative of him, isn’t it? I guess that’s why I have this huge pile of Call-Screens in my-

     Oh, right. The story! Well anyway, on with the story!

     “AAA? Is that you?”

     “No, Marine. It’s Santa Claus.”

     “Alright, alright. I’ll be at the Game Room ASAP!” Marine replied annoyingly. “Margo! I’m going to go to the Game Room today!”

     “Gee, that’s some news,” Margo said sarcastically. She knew Marine all too well to know what she does every day.

     She knew that she woke up at 8:00 A.M. NST (Neopian Standard Time) every morning.

     She knew that she had Orange Juice with Toast and Gooseberry Jam every morning when she woke up.

     She knew that she would go take her Fir Mr. Christmas for a walk after breakfast.

     She knew that she would come back to the Neohome and drop off Mr. Christmas.

     She knew that she’d read a stupid game cheats book.

     She knew that after she read thirty minutes of the book, she would go to the Game Room EVERY SINGLE DARN DAY.

     “I’ll be gone... for a while.”

     “Okay. Whatever.” Margo yawned.

     She turned over on her side with no interest in where Marine was going whatsoever.

     “Do you want to come along? I mean, it is a fun place and you’ve never played a video game in your LIFE! Do you want to try and play one?”

     This was true. Marine had tried to convince Margo to go to the Game Room every day ever since they first met, but with no success. Isn’t it sad? *sob, sob*

     *ahem* Sorry about that. Let’s get back to the story!

     “I never liked video games and I never will!” She covered her head with her pillow to block out the noise of her friend blabbering away, trying to convince her to go to the Game Room.

     “But you’re missing out on all the fun!”

     “*hmph* Says the person who does the EXACT SAME THING EVERY DAY!” she bellowed under her blankets and pillows.

     “Well, I like to know what YOU have done today!” she bellowed back.

     Margo thought of what she did today.

     Let’s see, she woke up at 10:00 A.M. NST.

     She ate a bowl of buttered oatmeal.

     She brushed her hair and did her nails.

     And she took a nap, what’s she’s currently doing right now.

     What she has been doing all her life... and she liked it that way!

     “Well, my point is,” she muttered loudly. “I HATE VIDEO GAMES AND I’M NOT GOING!!!!”

     “You’ve never even played a game, so how do you know?”

     “The concept of them is stupid and the graphics bother my eyes and OW! Hey!” Marine couldn’t stand it.

     She couldn’t take it anymore. She stomped into Margo’s room, grabbed Margo by her tail, and dragged her off her bed and across the ground.

     “Where are you taking me? I DEMAND ANSWERS!”

     Marine shut the front door and dragged Margo across the grass and gravel.

     ”You’re going to that Game Room and you’re going to like it!” answered Marine with determination.

     “So you’re KIDNAPPING me just to go to the GAME ROOM?!” she asked.

     “Well, interpretations vary, so if that’s what you think, then yes! Yes, I am!”

     “Well, in that case, then help! Help! I’m being held hostage!”cried Margo.

     Margo clawed the ground and tried to claw her way back to her nice, warm, soft bed. Well, as you would guess, with Marine pulling her tail in the opposite direction, it was pretty useless unless if Margo’s tail came right off.

     Marine and Margo finally arrived at the Game Room.

     “Great! Can I go home now?” asked Margo with a hint of annoyance.

     Marine was brushing the grass and dirt off of Margo’s orange dress.

     “Of course not! Like I said, you’re going to play video games and YOU’RE GOING TO LIKE IT!!!”

     “Grrr.... OW! MY EAR! LET GO OF MY EAR!” she roared.

     Marine dragged Margo in the Game Room with her ear. She let go of Margo’s ear.

     “Now, I’ll be back in one hour, and when I come back, I’m going to make sure that you play at least one game!”

     “Really, and how will you know? Are you a PSYCHIC?” asked Margo sourly.

     “Hey! You there!” She pointed at a nervous little Wocky playing JubJub Bubble.

     “Y-y-y-y-yes?” he stuttered. He quit his game and walked towards Marine and annoyed Margo.

     “Will you watch this Kacheek and make sure that she plays at least one game? Just one?”

     “S-s-s-s-s-s-sure...” he answered nervously.

     “This is stupid! Oh well.” Margo sighed. She walked over to Kookia and the Wocky followed.

***

     Marine walked quietly to the same mysterious black door to AAA’s office where she discovered the machine that could teleport you to any game in that Game Room. (Read Part 1!)

     She knocked quietly on the door.

     “It’s open!” AAA shouted.

     Marine slowly creaked the door open and saw AAA smile at her as he was sitting on his recliner.

     “Hey, Marine!” AAA said.

     “Hi, AAA!”

     “You want to play Destruct-O-Match 3 with me?” asked AAA.

     “Destruct-O-Match 3? You and me? We can do that?”

     “We sure can! I fixed up the machine so two players can play at once!”

     “Cool!”

     “Ready?” AAA asked.

     “I sure am! Let’s begin!”

     AAA and Marine walked towards the machine, pressed the power button, chose Destruct-O-Match 3, pressed the “PLAY” button, and with a blast of colors, they both got into Destruct-O-Match 3.

***

     “Ugh! This game is AWFUL!!!”yelled Margo after she lost her 57th game of Kookia.

     “W-w-w-well, I-I-I don’t t-t-t-think that p-p-p-p-p-laying it in the h-h-h-h-h-hard l-l-l-level w-w-will h-h-help you,” the Wocky stuttered back.

     “What’s your name, anyway?” snapped Margo.

     The Wocky hesitated for a little bit.

     “Uh... J-J-J-J-J-effery. It’s J-J-J-J-J-Jeffery.”

     “Well, ‘Jeffery’,” Margo said as she was air quoting Jeffery’s name. “What other game should we play?”

     “F-f-f-f-f-follow me!”

     Jeffery waddled over to Zurroball and Margo followed, annoyed.

     Two hundred games later, Margo was still annoyed with all the video games and Jeffery was exhausted by the fact that he was trying so hard to please Margo.

     “*huff, huff* Do y-y-y-y-y-y-you w-w-w-w-w-want to t-t-try o-o-o-o-one m-m-more game?”

     “There’s ONE MORE? Oh good grief!” she muttered.

     “D-D-D-D-DO Y-Y-Y-Y-YOU?” Jeffery asked.

     “Fine, whatever!” she answered.

     The stuttering Wocky wobbled over to Destruct-O-Match 3, a game all Neopets love! And if Margo didn’t like this game, then Jeffery didn’t know WHAT she’d like!

     “Alright, let’s start this train wreck!” she muttered under her breath.

     She started to play, and as she was, her eyes were starting to get wide. Her hands were starting to shake. She was starting to... smile!

      “Hey... this game isn’t that bad! You know what would be cool? If I was actually IN this game!”

     “Y-y-y-y-yeah it w-w-would be pretty c-c-c-cool,” the Wocky replied. He was so relieved that she was FINALLY satisfied.

     Margo looked up at a clock that hung over the front door.

     “It’s been about an hour now. I’m going to go try and find Marine. Come on!”

     “O-o-o-o-o-oh I've g-g-g-got to g-g-g-g-go home n-n-n-now! M-m-m-m-mommy’s waiting f-f-f-f-for me! J-J-J-J-Just tell y-y-y-y-y-your f-f-f-friend t-t-t-that you p-p-p-p-played a g-g-g-game!” the Wocky said as he looked at his watch. He ran out of the door.

     “Well, it was nice to meet you too!” she yelled as he ran out the door.

     She walked around the Game Room to find Marine, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight.

     She tapped a Lutari playing Word Pyramid on the shoulder.

     “Excuse me!”

     The Lutari paused his game and turned around.

     “Yeah?”

      “Have you seen a green female Zafara? She’s has blue eyes. She wears a yellow sweatband with a blue T-Shirt and khakis. She wears this black, jeweled collar. Have you seen her anywhere?” questioned Margo.

     “A Zafara, you say?”

     “Yeah! Have you seen her?”

     “Now that you mention it, I DID see a Zafara walk into that door over there!”

     He pointed at the black door to AAA’s office.

     “Hey, thanks!” she replied.

     “No problem!” he happily exclaimed. He turned around and went right back to his game.

     She walked to the back of the Game Room where AAA’s office was.

     Before she turned the knob, Margo wondered: “What would Marine be doing in there? Could it be a gift shop? A bathroom? Yeah, probably a bathroom. What else could it be? A gift shop? What was I thinking??? I should knock first... just in case!”

     AAA and Marine won Destruct-O-Match 3 and got back into the real world.

     “Man, what a rush!” AAA said.

     “Yeah, we should do it again some-”

     Margo knocked on the door to AAA’s office. “Marine? Are you in there?”

     “Oh no! Margo!” Marine whispered.

     “Who?” asked AAA.

     Margo opened the door. “Hey! What’s that?” She pointed at the Cyber-Port and stepped onto one of the platforms.

     “Margo! NO!” Marine yelled.

     “Hey! What does this button do?”

     She pressed the green button that said “PLAY” with Destruct-O-Match still on the screen. With an explosion of light and colors that blinded AAA and Marine, the light disappeared, and Margo with it.

     “Oh no! Margo,” said Marine. “She’s... she’s... gone!!!!”

To be continued...