The Miracle Who Fell From the Sky!

      A brilliant flash of light enveloped Nadaba, awakening her from her slumber. With eyes somewhat closed, she struggled to close the blinds. Feeling grumpy, she crawled back into her bed, her face buried in the pillow.

      Just then, her sister knocked on the door. Fatigued, Nadaba didn't respond. She was hoping that her sister would conclude that no one was there. "I know you're in there!" yelled her sister as she banged against the wood. "You always sleep in until some unsightly hour! I don't know why you do it!"

      Nadaba covered her ears with the pillow, but the ruckus continued. She finally rolled out of bed and came out of her room, determined to catch some more sleep somewhere else. Nevertheless, her sister was persistent. "No 1-in-the-afternoon wakeups TODAY!" she told Nadaba. "It's laughable."

      "You're a pain, Flor," grumbled Nadaba. "Our owner does it."

      "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, then. Nevertheless, you don't have to copy EVERYTHING she does." Flor rolled her eyes.

      Nadaba tried to slither away, but Flor grabbed her by the collar of her pajamas. "I have a job for you!" announced Flor. "Naydeen's birthday is tomorrow. Go to the market and buy some green balloons and streamers. They HAVE to be green."

      "In a few hours," grumbled Nadaba.

      "Not on my watch! We have lots of preparations to make."

      "Then you help."

      "I am helping! I'm baking the cake and the key lime pie... Now get yourself moving!"

      Nadaba groaned. She reluctantly guzzled two coffees, got dressed, and left the house. As she walked toward the market, she noticed a large group of Draiks and Korbats soaring in the sky. One of them was Naydeen. Nadaba sighed, wishing that she could fly.

      She arrived at the store and approached the shopkeeper. "Do you have any green balloons?" she asked.

      "Yes," answered the employee, "and if you buy 10 or more balloons, then helium is half off."

      Nadaba's face twisted into a snarky expression. "I'm not paying for AIR," she snapped. "Air is FREE. I'll inflate them myself." She slammed a pile of Neopoints down on the table. "50 balloons, please."

      "Helium lasts longer."

      "A birthday party lasts one day. Money down the drain. Balloons, please."

      "Here you are."

      Nadaba left with a bag full of empty balloons, muttering to herself about the so-called "silly" salesman. Apparently, she needed even more caffeine to mellow out her mood. She returned home, tied the bag shut, and threw it in Flor's face.

      "That was rude!" exclaimed Flor indignantly.

      "You dragged me out of bed at 8 am," growled Nadaba.

      "Then don't stay up until 2 am playing games!" Florezca untied the bag. Figuring that Nadaba was feeling too irritated to cooperate, she started to inflate the balloons herself. "Did they have helium?" she asked.

      "I'm not wasting money on that," she answered. "It's frivolous."

      "Then it's YOUR job to inflate these!" yelled Flor, hurling the bag back into Nadaba's face.

      "Make me!"

      Just then, Naydeen flew in, somewhat fatigued from playing outside. "Aww, don't fight over me," she smirked, flashing her shiny fangs. "You two should work together and finish the job in half the time. I think there's a bicycle pump in the garage."

      Flor and Nadaba stared at each other grumpily. "Alright," answered Flor. The two finished the job while Naydeen sat on the couch lazily and drank limeade.

      The next morning, many Draiks and Korbats arrived at Naydeen's house in anticipation of the party. They started playing outside right away. Nadaba was unable to sleep due to the noise.

      She figured that she would join them, hopefully making some new friendships in the process. She drank THREE coffees, got dressed, and walked outside. To her dismay, all of the pets were soaring in the air.

      Nadaba sighed. Because she was a Maraquan Draik, she had no wings of her own, so she couldn't fly with them. She was about to saunter back inside and play games by herself. However, she noticed a large cluster of balloons off to the side. Grinning, she had an idea.

      She tied the balloons to her body, and to her delight, she began to rise. "I can fly!" she yelled joyfully, causing the other pets to stare at her.

      "HORRIBLE idea, Nadaba!" exclaimed Flor, rushing to her sister's side. Flor knew what would happen next. Sure enough, Nadaba's speed accelerated as the balloons carried her up into the inhospitable part of the atmosphere.

      "She's in trouble!" shouted Flor. She followed her sister upwards and grabbed her by the tail. "Owww!" yelped Nadaba. "Don't yank my— *cough* *cough*"

      Flor started to pull Nadaba down, but then another problem arose, the one which Flor had dreaded the most. The strings on the balloons snapped, sending Nadaba plummeting downward. Flor raced after her sister, but the latter's speed was just too high. "I can't look!" cried Flor.

      SPLASH!

      To Flor's relief, Nadaba had fallen into the swimming pool in the backyard. Flor sighed, and then she was consumed with fury. She returned to the surface and immediately flew into a tirade. "DON'T YOU EVER TRY THAT AGAIN!" she hollered. "THAT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS STUNT I HAVE EVER SEEN ANYONE TRY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LUCKY YOU ARE?!"

      Nadaba backed away. "I wanted to fly," she whimpered. "Everyone can fly except for me."

      "SWIM with your PETPET! It's not worth it to put yourself in such GRAVE DANGER!" With a huff, Flor stormed away.

      Nadaba frowned as her Maraquan Harris swam up to her with a concerned look on its face. She hugged the petpet, finding comfort in the one friend that she could play with for the time being. An hour passed, and then everyone descended to the ground to stuff their faces with cake and pie.

      "YUM!" exclaimed Naydeen as she ate like an Ownow. Her friends stared at her. "What a pig," one of them muttered. The girl gestured to Naydeen. "At least THIS beautiful creature has better table manners, however silly she may be. This is my cousin, Nadaba."

      "Hi, Maldice," smiled Nadaba. "Are your sisters here?"

      "Yes," answered Maldice as two other Draiks waved. "Walda is upset because there are no chocolate desserts." Maldice rolled her eyes. "What a baby," she muttered.

      "She literally IS a baby," pointed out one of the sisters.

      "She still needs to learn to behave herself!" Maldice turned to Walda. "Stop whining, you brat!" Yet the reprimands were fruitless.

      Maldice sighed. "While SHE screams and cries... Let's retreat." Maldice pulled some bottles of nail polish out of her purse. "Is anyone up for some nail painting?"

      "I am," answered Ella, one of the sisters. "My nails are chipped."

      The sisters went inside and sat down. They began to paint, but they weren't satisfied with a solid color. Maldice applied holographic glitter over black creme polish. However, Nadaba, a natural artist, had a better idea.

      While everyone else was relying on stencils, she decided to create a raindrop pattern by mixing matte and glossy finishes. "How'd yours turn out?" Maldice asked her. Nadaba held out her hand.

      Maldice grinned. "Those are sooooo COOL!" she exclaimed. "I wish I had thought of that! I'll try the same design next time?"

      "Could you do my nails, Nadaba?" asked Ella. "I'm awful at it. The polish leaked underneath my stencils. The design looks like a smashed pancake." She sighed.

      "Mine, too!" exclaimed Angie, the other sister. "You're a prodigy at this!"

      Nadaba smiled. Although she had no wings, she had managed to make friends after all. She realized that there was much more to life than flying. Considering herself lucky due to her survival, she considered herself a miracle who literally fell from the sky.

      The End.