Leslie Tuatara was in second grade at Neopia Elementary School, and the thing she wanted most in the world was a Lupe Moon doll. She discovered her desire after watching Gami Tenbo, Abira Anion, and Bird Gayle playing with their Lupe Moon dolls. She had asked them if she could play, holding up her Zaftaro doll shyly, but they had laughed and told her to come back when she had a Lupe Moon doll. All the girls had them.

The obvious solution was to buy a doll at the Toy Shop, which was her first destination after school that day. She found the red Lupe who owned the store in front of the shop, planting flowers.

"Umm...Mrs Toy Shop Lady?" Leslie inquired.

The Lupe smiled and looked up. "Yes, honey?"

"Do you have any Lupe Moon dolls here?"

"Why, yes, I believe we do." The Lupe cocked her head at the store. "Come on in." She brushed off her paws on a mat outside the Toy Shop and entered, Leslie at her heels. "Do you have one hundred and fifty NP, sweetheart?"

Leslie looked at the Lupe, wide-eyed. "No...I don't have any Neopoints."

The store owner started, "Well, then, I'm afraid I can't..." but seeing the look on Leslie's face, she stopped. "Why don't you come back outside and I'll show you how you can get that doll?" Leslie followed the Lupe outside.

"If you can help me with my garden, I'll give you twenty-five NP for every day you work here. Can you figure out how many days you'll need to work to get one hundred and fifty NP?"

Leslie thought carefully. "Six days!" she cried triumphantly.

The Lupe grinned. "Very good. If you save up that NP and don't spend it on anything else, you'll be able to get that doll of yours on the sixth day. Why don't you come here after school tomorrow to start?"

It was a Monday.

The next day at recess, Leslie sat listening to the other girls talking, imagining what she would say if she were playing with them.

Abira said, "My mommy is giving me a Neopet for my eight birthday next week. She won't tell me what Neopet she's giving me, but she says it's the best one! And me and the Neopet are gonna go to the Battledome every day and the Neopet is gonna fight and win me lots and lots of prizes! It's gonna be the strongest pet in Neopia!"

Gami said, "My daddy gave me a Uni for my eight birthday in Awakening."

And Leslie would say, "My birthday is in Awakening too!" and this would be good.

But then Abira said, "Yes, we know, Gami. It's all you ever talk about."

Bird looked at Abira like she wanted to say something, but didn't.

Then Gami said, "Unis are my favorite Neopets. They have pretty wings."

And Leslie would reply, "I like Lupes, like the red Lupe at the toy store."

Bird said, "I'm getting an Eyrie for my birthday. They have wings, too."

Then Leslie would say, "When is it?"

And Bird would say-- but then Leslie was snapped out of her daydream by the sound of the bell calling them inside.

By the end of the day, Leslie was antsy with anticipation. The moment the teacher said, "Class dismissed," she was out the door like a rocket. She nearly crashed into the Toy Shop Lupe when she reached the garden.

"Hello there!" said the Lupe. "Come here and I'll show you what to do."

Excitedly, Leslie knelt down beside the Lupe. "Show me show me show me!" she cried.

The Lupe laughed. "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic. Now, these flowers I have here in the tray need to be planted. I'm going to make holes in the ground for you, and you can put the flowers in the holes. Be sure to pick up the flowers gently. Push on the bottom of the tray, and the flowers will pop out. Yes, good. Now pick up the soil around the flowers. Never, ever pick up the flower by the stem, leaves, or petals. That's great. Now put the flower into the hole I made -- good -- and pat it gently. Nice! Now pick up the watering can -- watch, it's heavy! Very carefully. Good girl. Now sprinkle the flower a little bit." She chuckled. "I think it needs a little bit more than that. Yes, that's fine. You have a green thumb, Leslie."

Leslie beamed with pride. "Thank you."

The two worked until sundown, stopping only when Leslie looked at her watch and realized that she had homework to do. She walked home bouncily, letting the twenty-five Neopoints in her pocket jingle.

Every day that week, Leslie rushed out of school and headed to the Toy Shop. And every day she came home tired, but ecstatic, with another twenty-five Neopoints in her pocket. On Sunday, she proudly presented the red Lupe with one hundred and fifty NP exactly, and received in turn a Lupe Moon doll, with a free Lupe plushie to boot.

The next day, Abira rushed into school shrieking "I GOT A CHIA! I GOT A CHIA!" and the teacher said, "That's lovely. Please sit down," and Abira and Gami and Bird sat in their seats whispering excitedly about all of Abira's birthday presents, the Codestones and weapons and dolls, and most importantly, the little yellow Chia, which her father had jokingly named EvilChia888. "That's okay," said Abira. "Evil means strong and scary, so I like that name. He's gonna fight in the Battledome!"

After school, Leslie approached them slowly, holding out her Lupe Moon doll like a peace offering. "I, um, have a Lupe Moon doll now. Can I play with you?"

Abira and Gami looked at each other and simultaneously burst into high-pitched giggles. "You play with Lupe Moon?" asked Abira. "Nobody likes those dolls! We're playing with StampCollector Rose and her flying Chia, Neoberos. Don't you know that Lupes are stinky and they eat Chias?"

Gami said, "Yeah! And they slobber all over you and eat your mom's furniture, too! Except a Lupe couldn't eat your mom's furniture, Leslie, because you don't have a mom." She gave a nasty smirk.

Leslie's eyes filled with tears. "You -- I --"

"And ya know what, Leslie?" Abira asked. "Even if you did have a StampCollector Rose doll, we wouldn't play with you anyway. 'Cause you're a freak!" Abira and Gami laughed hysterically. "So why don't you take your Lupe-tail hair over there and play with your ugly doll?"

Bird watched Leslie sympathetically as Leslie dropped her doll and ran away, tears streaming down her face. 

"Lupe-tail hair," said Gami. "I like that one."

As Leslie walked home to Guild HQ, she passed the Toy Shop. Hearing her sobs, the Lupe who owned the store went outside. "Leslie! What's wrong?"

Leslie looked at the Lupe, her vision blurred by tears. "I wanted a Lupe Moon doll 'cause Abira said I could play with her and Gami and Bird then but then she got a Chia and she don't like Lupes any more and she likes StampCollector Rose 'cause she has a Chia and then they said I was a freak and they were mean to me 'cause I don't have a mom and they called me Lupe-tail hair and I dropped my doll!"

The owner of the Toy Shop licked a tear off Leslie's face. "Shh...take a deep breath. Everything's going to be fine. Who are Abira and Gami and Bird?"

"Girls at school," Leslie hiccuped.

"Why do you want to play with them? Are they friends of yours?"

"N-no. That's why I w-wanted a Lupe M-moon doll. So they'd -- they'd play with me."

The red Lupe nodded. "And then what?"

"Well, they -- they said that they didn't like Lupe Moon anymore 'cause she has a Lupe and Lupes are stinky and eat Chias, and even if I got a StampCollector Rose doll they wouldn't play with me anyway 'cause I'm a freak!"

"Now, why would you want to play with girls like those?"

Leslie paused. "I don't know. I - I guess I don't have any friends, and I wanted one."

"Are those the only girls in your class?" the Lupe smiled. "Are there any other girls or boys who don't have any friends?"

"W-well, no. There's lotsa other kids. But they don't like me either."

"How do you know? Did they tell you?"

"No, but I know they don't like me because Abira and Gami and Bird don't, and they're the most popular girls at school."

The Lupe nodded thoughtfully. "And why do you suppose they're so popular? Are they nice to people?"

"Nuh-uh. They're not even nice to each other!"

"Why are they so popular, then?"

"I -- I don't know. I guess 'cause they dress real good and they all have Neopets 'cept Bird and they have lotsa toys and dolls and stuff." Leslie fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

"And is that any reason to like a person?" asked the Lupe.

Leslie looked up. "I guess not..."

"So why does what they say matter?"

"I -- I guess it really doesn't."

The Lupe nuzzled Leslie. "You see, things aren't as bad as they seem. I don't think you even like those girls, do you?"

Leslie shook her head slowly.

"What do you like?"

Shyly, Leslie replied, "Well, I had a lot of fun working with you in the garden last week..."

The Lupe flashed a toothy grin. "I had a lot of fun working with you, too. Why don't you come in? I have more gardening things I could show you."

Leslie smiled. "That would be nice." She got up and followed the Lupe into the store. "What's your name?"

The Lupe glanced at Leslie. "My name's _Fire_Queen_."

"That's a nice name."

"Yes," smiled _Fire_Queen_. "I like it too."