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Series One Side Story Christmas Eve Contest A Christmas With Diane, 8:12 AM (First Prize) By Domi A rattle brought the scorchio to his senses. For a moment, his wonderful dream of a world of pure science stayed with him, and he clung to it in desperation. But soon, all too soon, it drifted away, and he sighed as he rose from his bed and put on his lab coat. “Not again . . . “ The scorchio’s name was of no importance; he was no pet. He was the Lab Ray Scorchio, as well as the creator of both Sailor Buzz and her absolutely insane ‘sister’ Diane. W ho was once again gripping the bars of her cage and pulling as hard as she could. No sound escaped from the raven-haired half-faerie, however. After a week of constant ‘Why did you let her go, why does she get to have a life, why can’t I be free,” from Diane, the scorchio thought it wise to put his newest invention to the test. A neural inhibitor around her neck stopped the impulses that caused speech, and gave him some peace. But Diane nearly ripped the bars of the cage off when she awoke to that, and he’d had to sedate her again to fortify the bars with triple alloy steel-iron. Now she was at it once more, trying to escape. He gave her one long, cursory look before turning to a motherboard of buttons to the side of the room that monitored her life signs for him. “I’m sorry, Diane. But you are just too dangerous to be set free. Why, you made it quite clear that, given the chance, you would seek out the first experiment and kill her. I couldn’t let you do that. And that sentiment alone does not lead me to believe you are truly human or faerie yourself.” No response was given, as none could be, and he turned back to the cage. The cage itself wasn’t a horrible place. The floor of it was carpeted in soft shag, and there was a walled lavatory and bath section as well. In fact, the whole thing took up half the large laboratory room, and was actually furnished quite nicely. But it was a cage nonetheless. The scorchio had felt it would be prudent to be able to personally see the second experiment, instead of through monitors. Today, it was even more important. CRACK! The scorchio sighed again, as Diane threw her plate at his head. The bars stopped its path, and the shards that flew through were bounced harmlessly away by his thick scales. He ignored them as he walked closer to the cage. “Do you know what today is, Diane?” Diane turned away in disgust. “Today is Christmas Eve. It’s a holiday celebrated by the masses each year. They give each other gifts.” Diane turned just a bit at that. Perhaps he would free her for her gift. But he seemed to know what she was thinking, and shook his head. “No, I will not free you. You are too dangerous to the very masses celebrating today. No, I have something else in mind.” In disappointment and rage, she lunged at him through the bars. Quickly stepping to the right, he jabbed the hypodermic needle he had brought with him from his tables into her arm. Almost immediately she slumped to the ground, a sneer of hatred etched on her face. “She never learns. It’s just one of the many flaws in this second experiment. She’s never learned to dodge the needle,” he muttered to himself as he fiddled with the collar around her slender neck. Soon, it fell apart, and he pulled it gently through the bars. When she awoke, no doubt she would find her voice returned and, because the collar also had a stasis function, in perfect health. Perhaps it would show he meant her less harm then she would believe. Of course, it also meant he’d have to listen to her rants once more. Yet another sigh and he pushed himself off the floor. Muttering to himself still, he went about his business. “Merry Christmas, Diane. You’ll wake tomorrow with voice and venom once more. I suppose I should run down to Gifts Galore and see if they carry earplugs . . . “ Presents, 9:28 AM Sample entry by Erin Abira Anion heard a knock on the bathroom door and pressed the button that unlatched it. Pushing it open, she said eagerly, "It's about time - oh, it's you." The raven-haired sailor on the other side of the portal glared at her. "You've been in here for half an hour. It's my turn." She ran her ruby eyes up and down the other girl's hair, which had grown to her shoulders. "I see that awful dye job is finally out." Abbie smirked. "I found a potion that did the trick. You'll probably want to borrow it - it's great for 'awful dye jobs.'" Sailor Jetsam's eyes narrowed. "This is my natural color," she said icily, referring to the red streaks that laced her hair. "Not that you'd know anything about that." "You got something to say to me?" snapped the orange-haired girl. "Say it." Jetsam made a show of hesitating, then sneered. "Your hair's practically brown," she observed. "You've been dyeing it that pale orange color for years - probably ruined it - hoping nobody would notice. But underneath you're just a plain brunette." Abbie turned to the mirror. Sure enough, while the purple in half of her hair was gone, so was the sunny shade she'd worked so hard on. Good thing Gami's not around, she thought, stifling her horror. I'd never hear the end of it. But this chick's new to power. I can outmaneuver her yet. To Jetsam, therefore, she said with faux cheer, "Nothing wrong with brunette. At least it's normal." "You are anything but normal," hissed Jetsam, as a walking pile of sludge shambled up behind her. "Now get out of the bathroom." "Ah, EvilChia!" exclaimed Abbie, ignoring her comrade's demand and looking past to see her pet. "I've been waiting for you! You have the wax paper?" "What is that for?" asked Jetsam as the orange-brunette took a few sheets from EvilChia888's brown claw. "Testing the curling iron temperature," replied Abbie authoritatively. "I'm giving myelf thermal curls for a Christmas present. So you see, I can't let you in here now; the iron's all warmed up. I wouldn't want you to get hurt," she added sweetly. "No need. I do know how to test irons," Jetsam said acidly. "You only need to hold them near your face." "Even if you don't touch it, you can still get badly burned," Abbie lectured. "Besides, it's unprofessional." "Unprofessional? It isn't as though you run a salon." "Not yet," corrected Abbie snippily, and slid the metal door shut. Ignoring the frustrated pounding on the other side, she tested the iron - and, after a moment, remembered to pull out her hair dye. Maybe I will open a salon, she thought. At least I'll get to drive that stupid Spiffy Clips out of business. Another Christmas Entry, 4:08 PM (Third Prize) By Madison While the rest of Neopia flocked to Terror Mountain to enjoy the seasonal cheer of a white Christmas (and nabbing all the loot they could from the Advent Calendar), Kelly enjoyed a calm afternoon poolside at Seikouuki, Faerieland’s premier resort. Terror Mountain would be packed with tourists right now, and the crowding was just too stressful for her to take. Besides, she had spent plenty of Christmases there in her youth, and she appreciated being able to spend her holidays as she pleased now. And what made her pleased was working on her tan. And Faerieland’s proximity to the sun and location above the clouds made it the perfect place to do that. Lounging on the next chair, her friend, and the girl whose family owned the resort, Celeste Anala, sipped on a can of Achyfi Ice. It wasn’t egg nog, but at least it was…wintry. “Pass me the sunscreen,” Celeste asked. She really wanted to be at Mystery Island, a change from her year-round residence at Seikouuki, but her parents wanted the family to stick together for the holidays. They probably had a point, but Celeste was too young and/or jaded to see it. They did let Kelly stay, which was nice of them, since Kelly didn’t really have any other family around for the holidays, and Celeste wasn’t gonna let her spend Christmas all by herself. Across the pool, a gang of glowing water faeries arranged themselves in the shape of a reindeer. Kacheek Christmas, 5:42 PM By Domi “Hello, what’s your name?” Miles asked the little girl who ran up to her in obvious curiosity and friendliness. She was visiting the Adopt-a-Neopet Guild, looking for Leslie (the leader of the Sailor Neopets, for which Miles was Sailor Kacheek) to ask her some questions regarding sailor business. She knew the older girl visited her old home often, and especially during the holidays. Now, on Christmas Eve, she had felt . . . a pull, somehow, to visit the guild just once more to search for Leslie. Although Leslie was nowhere in sight, a little girl with bright pink hair and sparkling blue eyes ran up to Miles. She had seen Leslie talking to this small child before, as well as what she assumed to be the child’s mother. Although she could never work up the nerve to ask Leslie who they were or how she knew them, she could tell Leslie loved them. To Miles, that meant they were good people. Miles respected Leslie as their leader, and respected her judgment. So when the girl smiled at her, she bent down to the child. “My name’s Luname. I have a kacheek. Her name is Silvacheek. She’s over there.” A chubby child hand pointed to a small, striped kacheek running in circles around Miles’ own kacheek, MilesTails, who had come with her to aid her in her search. She smiled when she saw MilesTails look at her in desperation, the book he was reading forgotten in his hand, and his glasses perched precariously on the smaller kacheek’s nose. Luname saw what her pet was doing, and ran to stop the chaos, her arms waving wilding above her head. “Silvacheek, stop that! Let the poor kacheek read his book!” Silvacheek ran a few more laps before slowing down, and handing the glasses back. At a stern look from his mistress, she mumbled an apology. “I’m sorry, Mister MilesTails.” “That’s all right, Silvacheek. Just don’t ever drop someone’s glasses when you’re playing. They could get broken, and that would be a bad thing. Mine help me to read.” “Really? Can you help me to read? Will you be my glasses?” MilesTails, who was quite good with children of all species, laughed and nodded congenially, and Silvacheek squealed. Snuggling down into a beanbag chair in corner, the skunk kacheek began to teach the striped one. “Now, this book is about Christmas. It’s actually a poem called “The Night before Christmas. Let’s see if we can read it together.” And they began to read. The two humans, however, watched their pets with love and tenderness, and a joy born of the season. And although Miles never did find Leslie, she found a friend for herself and her pet. And the pull she felt (who happened to have wings, a purple dress, and a tiny crown) was content. Love Reaches the Stars, 6:34 PM (Second Prize) By Domi One lone figure watched as the inhabitants of Neopia rushed about, the day before Christmas. A lilac lock of hair fell, ignored, over sad blue eyes. Her tiny stature went unnoticed as her great sight let her see so far away, to where those on the tiny planet below threw wishes of good will over their shoulders as they ran to and fro. How I wish I could join them . . . " the Space Faerie whispered to herself in the lonely space station, her home since Sloth had been ejected. For her duty was to watch and protect, but never venture heedlessly, lest her interference disturb the path of fate. But any creature with a mind, a heart, and a soul would feel alone on Christmas Eve if they were all alone. Even though she had spent countless holidays forlorn (as she was endless years old), it always, always hurt to find herself with no one on a day of joy and fellowship. However, her reverie of depression was ended abruptly when she felt a presence beside her. She turned in surprise, for no one could enter her domain without her knowledge with the exception of the Faerie Queen herself. Next to her was an earth faerie, like any other earth faerie. This faerie was different in one respect, though. Immediately the Space Faerie knew her to be Kaen, the guardian faerie of the sailor Neopets, her own allies in defeating the Chaos Faerie and Sloth once more. “I’m sorry I came into your home without your knowledge, Space Faerie, but the Sailor Neopets and I though you might be lonely. So Fyora sent me up here to give you our gift!” Of course. Only once before had anyone come to cheer the solitary faerie without her knowing. The Faerie Queen Fyora, decades ago, had sent the original sailor Neopets’ faerie guide to do the same as she had this exact Christmas Eve. The Space Faerie smiled a gentle smile, full of love. “Thank you, Kaen. I bear you no grudge.” Kaen beamed, and a light began to glow between her clasped hands. When the radiance dimmed away, in her tiny hands (but merely small hands to the other faerie) was a picture. In that picture were many, many faces of young girls and boys. Each child or teen was in a sailor fuku, and some wore odd, Neopet-inspired accessories. The Space Faerie gasped and held out a trembling hand for the photograph. “The Sailor Neopets . . . “ For it was the original Sailor Neopets. Yet, somehow, it wasn’t. Like a holographic picture, but somehow more, the light would shift the picture from the original senshi to the newest band and back. Each senshi smiled in their special way, and each new senshi seemed to be a part of the old senshi from whom they took their name. The Space Faerie felt tears begin to gather in her eyes, and she turned to the younger faerie in silent joy and sadness. For she would watch these children (all of them children to her) grow and age, until she would have to watch them die as she had watched their ancestors before them. But oh, how she would love them while they were there. “Thank you, Kaen. Please tell them . . . tell them this will be one of my most treasured memories.” Kaen nodded in silent respect for her emotion, gave a warm kiss to the purple faerie’s check, and glittered away. And the Space Faerie, who would forever be the solitary guardian, held to her breast a picture of children she loved with all her heart. And suddenly, the people on Neopia noticed the stars seemed to glow with a bit more shine. The Gift of Hope, 7:10 PM By Domi A tiny being flitted throughout the world of Neopia on wings of gossamer. Unseen by the many about on this snowy, blustery Christmas Eve, Fyora flew from house to house. In each she saw a girl or two (or in a few homes, a boy among them), and smiled with maternal pride at the joy within. While the Sailor Neopets were still fighting her counterpart, the Chaos Faerie, at least they had found time to be normal children and teens, even if for only once a year. In some homes, however, the girl or boy within seemed alone and forgotten, and it tore into Fyora's heart. It brought a tear to the purple faerie’s eye when she came to the home of a senshi with a particularly lonely holiday before them. But, in her small way, she could help them. For instance, when she came to the home of Kintawah, Sailor Flotsam, she could see the pain in the boy’s eyes. While she knew he was a carefree person at heart, being alone on a day such as this would try anyone’s soul. A lone tree stood, nearly naked in the corner of a small room. Kint himself and his pet Flothaura spoke in hushed tones, as if they feared to be too happy somehow. Fyora floated, unseen, to the window. In a voice as soft and warm as a mother’s touch, she called out. "Tonight I give to you hope, for all things seem darkest before dawn. Merry Christmas, my child, and may your day be blessed." And with that, she blew a sparkling power through the window onto the ones inside. And while they knew no reason why, suddenly both inhabitants felt like a burden had been lifted from their shoulders. Kint’s two-toned eyes grew wide in cheer, and Flothaura’s fins seemed to take on a new shine. “Come on, Flo. Let’s go see if any of the other senshi want to go caroling. I’m sure some of them will. I don’t know why, but I feel suddenly, hopeful, somehow.” Flothaura agreed with as much enthusiasm, and the two departed, with nary a look for the one who gave them such a precious gift. But Fyora understood their joy, and was happy for them. However, she had more senshi to help and couldn’t very well hover there gazing affectionately at just one of her senshi. And so she flew off to the next house, to check and see if another of her charges should need her help. Although she couldn’t make one of all their fondest wishes come true, and end this horrible war (even she didn’t have that power), she could make their holiday just a bit brighter. And by Donna’s grace, she would. Merry Christmas, 7:28 PM Just a Christmas Story (not a contest entry) - by Domi “Oh, I understand. That’s ok. Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Sure,” Miles said into the phone, her neutral tone masking her disappointment. Ever since her parents had divorced, she had seen less and less of her father. Now, on Christmas Eve, Jon Tailor had called to say he ‘just couldn’t make it’ to see Miles or her brothers. Her brothers, mostly younger and much more bitter, had ignored his phone call and were playing with the one toy they had been allowed to open, a tradition kept alive in the Tailor-Colger family. Miles was the only one would talk to their father, and his words did nothing to cheer the brunette teen with ever-saddened blue eyes. “I’m really sorry, honey, but I have to work tonight. Maybe we can get together tomorrow, and I can give you your gift then?” Miles agreed, said a few more pleasantries, and then hung up. She walked slowly to her room, where a string of lights from the Advent Calendar blinked merrily. Her four pets all crowded around, asking questions, until MilesTails (the eldest and closet to his owner) shushed his brothers and led his mistress to her bed. Miles lay down and wept as if her heart would break, although it already had, so many times before. “He keeps brushing me aside. I never see him anymore. And he won’t even come see me tonight. It’s Christmas Eve, for Donna’s sake! How can he do this to me?” MilesTails looked helplessly at the others before answering. “I don’t know, Miles. I bet he still loves you. Maybe he just doesn’t understand how much he’s hurting you.” Miles curled up even more, and her pets joined her on the bed. Soon the creatures, despite their concern, were asleep with visions of a bright, cheerful Christmas morning in their heads. But Miles lay awake long into the night. And before drifting off to sleep, one wish escaped her lips. “Merry Christmas, Daddy. I hope someday you’ll see how much you’ve hurt me. Maybe I can forgive you then. And I hope you have a Merry Christmas. I don’t think I will.” Kaen's Search, 11:56 PM By Domi Kaen wanted only one thing for Christmas. That one this was Fruity Faerie Fingers. The warm, oozy sauce on the soft, sweet sticks of dough . . . Oh! She just had to have some! But all the stores were closed. It was almost midnight on Christmas Eve, of course. To a faerie like Kaen, time had little effect. But to the human and Neopet inhabitants of Neopia, it was the time for sleep and dreams of gifts and joy. So she flitted from store to store in hopes of finding one open long enough for her to find her favorite snack. “I wish I had thought to stock up before I left Leslie at the house,” she mused as her green glow threw odd shadows in the night. A soft snow fell that Kaen ignored. While the summer annoyed her (as heat could whither plants, and kill an earth faerie with less stamina), the cold was less of a bother to her. Her usually cheerful face was becoming increasingly grumpier as she could find no place to get her treasured junk food. The next day, on Christmas, she would undoubtedly get FFF up to her ears as gifts when the Sailor Neopets all met to exchange later in the day, but she didn’t want to wait. It was a matter of principle. If she wanted a snack now, she should be able to have one now. But her search was becoming less and less hopeful. Kaen was nearly to tears and ready to fly home when luck smiled upon her. As she turned a corner she saw, lying unattended in the snow, a box of Fingers. Squealing softly in delight, she ran to the sweets, and saw a lavender note with a black and green lace pattern was attached to the box. Reading it only left her more mystified. “Dear Earth Faerie, Your annoying fluttering is giving me a headache. Here’s some of those reprehensible Fudgy Fingers you’ve been muttering about to yourself for hours. Go home, and stop angering me.” While the letter itself wasn’t exactly that polite, it nonetheless made it clear the deserts were for Kaen. So she levitated the box home, smiling in anticipation all the way. But before she left, she placed a tiny green rose where the box had been, and hoped the one who had left it would find the thank you. From the shadows violet eyes watched. When Kaen was out of sight, another faerie hovered to the rose. Picking it gently from the ground, she held it to her breast with a small smile on her face, until a voice behind her made her sneer. “You know, Jhodora, you don’t have to be the evil one. You can do such things in the open, for all to see.” Jhodora scoffed, and it seemed as if the rose was engulfed in flames in the dark faerie’s hand. When the flames died away, the rose was gone. Jhodora turned to shimmer away herself, and sent a cutting remark over her shoulder. “Go away, Illusen. You earth faeries give me a pain. I did it only to stop her infernal twittering.” And then she was gone in purple and sickly green. Illusen shook her head in disappointment and sadness before shimmering away in green and gold. But perhaps her disappointment would have been less, had she known that, in a dark tower somewhere a green rose was suspended for all time in a case of purple-tinted crystal. And a tiny earth faerie was given happiness by one of the darkest of all, showing kindness can take root in all places. |