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Series One Side Story The Elephante in the Room "You're one of those Sailor Neopets, aren't you?" Sailor Elephante leaped nimbly out of the way of the charging Grunka, and quickly raised her hands above her head. "Elephante Blast!" A small gun that looked very much like a toy appeared in her hands. She lowered the gun to chest level and fired five shots at the Grunka, which fell to the ground and did not get up. The girl sighed in relief and exhaustion, then looked around. Users and pets had begun to nervously congregate, looking for the source of the trouble. One group of pets that she didn't particularly want to talk to - namely, the Grarrl Police of Tyrannia - headed in her direction with a meaningful look in their eyes, so she flashed the crowd a thumbs-up sign with a smile before disappearing into an alley. Layla Grandissimo very casually walked out of the alley on the other side, trying to look as innocent as possible. Predictably, at least three users and five pets asked her if she'd seen Sailor Elephante. Layla answered as blandly as possible, then headed for home, exhausted by the brief encounter. Sure, her attack was powerful - but it sapped her energy to greatly for her to use that power to the best advantage. Layla wondered sometimes if someday she would face too many enemies to defeat on her own. If that day came . . . She was alone in Tyrannia as a Sailor Neopet; most of the others lived in Neopia Central. She would have no one to back her up. She wouldn't have a chance. But Layla didn't think about that much. She was a practical girl; she preferred to deal with reality and the present. Why worry about a future that might never come? She wandered along the dusty Tyrannian roads, taking her time, considering what she might get for lunch on the way home. There was a particular fast-food restaurant that she liked along the way, one that served many traditional Tyrannian meat dishes. She loved traditional Tyrannian meat dishes. Layla thought of the lovely smell of Bargasaurus steak served up fresh, hot, and delicious, with her favorite raspberry Achyfi alongside it, and, to follow, a dessert of cactus blossom. Her mouth watered, her stomach growled; her mind was made up. She dug into her pocket to make sure that she had enough NP, not watching where she was going - and walked right into someone, someone who caught her by the shoulders gently but firmly. "Careful there, Layla!" laughed the young man looking down ht her. He had dark skin like Layla's, dark hair, pensive gray eyes, and a kind smile. She recognized him immediately. "Kaimen!" The girl threw her arms around him, dropping NP in the dirt around them. "You didn't say in your neomail that you had a break from school!" Kaimen Grandissimo laughed again, and hugged his sister back. "I thought I'd surprise you. Amy already headed home with our baggage; she wanted to take a nap." Kaimen stepped back slightly. "You just got out of school, didn't you?" Layla nodded; it was four o'clock in the afternoon, and she was still wearing her school uniform. "By any chance, are you hungry?" he asked, the slight smile playing along his lips suggesting that he already knew the answer. Layla laughed. "Of course I am! I had a long day, too . . ." He smiled kindly, obligingly. "Well, you can tell me all about it over a late lunch. I just got in from Neopia Central, so I could use something to eat . . . You like that place on Tyrammet Close, don't you?" "Oh! That's where I was thinking of going, when I ran into you . . ." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that." Kaimen just smiled. "No problem. Shall we go?" The two walked the short distance to the fast-food restaurant, chatting as they went. Layla did most of the talking; she had forgotten her exhaustion in her excitement over seeing her brother. Kaimen, for his part, listened as if what she had to say was as important as any of his college professors' lectures. When they reached the restaurant, they both ordered (Kaimen chose something far healthier than Layla, though he didn't say anything to her on the subject), then sat down at a table to wait for their food. "So, then, Mrs. Kabuggle - isn't that a funny name? - turned around and smacked her ruler down on the guy's desk! He looked like he'd been caught murdering someone, that's how guilty he looked. Mrs. Kabuggle's really strict, too. She gave him detention on the spot. Can you believe it?" "That does sound strict . . . Is she a good teacher, though?" "Yes, she's a very good teacher. I just don't like the class. Why do we have to take a class on English, anyway? I know English perfectly well, and it's so boring!" "It's probably to make you a well-rounded student, Layla. I'm not trying to lecture, but if everyone just took the classes they wanted to take in high school, where would that get them? Suppose you wanted to major in college in something that requires some knowledge of literature, and you didn't have the background? Studying literature also teaches your mind to think and analyze things in ways that could even help you in math and science. Do you kind of understand what I mean? "Yeah . . . I guess . . ." Layla was stubborn, but she wasn't about to tell her favorite brother that she thought what he was saying was completely ridiculous. She didn't want him to think she was stupid. "It still doesn't make sense to me." "Well, it bored me when I was in high school too. You're not the only one." He smiled wryly at her, then got up to get their food - which should have been ready by that time. Layla watched him standing at the counter, then turned to glance out the window. Wait, what was that? She thought she'd just seen a Robo slip into an alley across the street, barely in view. And then . . . That, she was certain she'd seen. An unsuspecting Tonu had just been dragged into the same alley. Layla felt herself getting angry. They weren't even bothering to hide it, they were just yanking pets off the street to steal theri energy! It was stupid, it was cruel, and it was an insult to Layla as Sailor Elephante. They didn't think she could do anything about them alone. Well, they were wrong, and they were about to find out exactly how wrong they were! But there was Kaimen . . . walking towards their table with her Bargasaurus steak, and her Achyfi, and her mouth watered again, and she just couldn't bear the thought of going out there to fight again while her food cooled and her brother wondered where she was . . . But she had to. She couldn't let this go unpunished. So, with reluctance, she excused herself to the bathroom and vowed to make this the fastest battle she had ever been in. A minute later, Sailor Elephante slipped out of the bathroom and ducked behind a trash can, out of Kaimen's line of sight. She moved towards the door at a crouch and slipped outside to run towards the alley, with half of the restaurant staring at her in bewilderment. "Was that Sailor Elephante?" one woman asked her kyrii. "Certainly looked like her," he said. "But why was she hiding behind the trash cans?" Kaimen Grandissimo looked up, hearing the various conversations on the subject, and his eyes narrowed as he began to wonder . . . It took Sailor Elephante only a few minutes to defeat the Robos. Only one blast of her attack was needed to knock each of them out of commission (with some very satisfying explosions, to boot). She took a couple minutes more to neomail the Grarrl Police to alert them to the victims in the alley, then she took of again for the restaurant, where she detransformed behind the building. After making sure that Kaimen wasn't looking towards the door, Layla walked inside nonchalantly. The completely exhausted girl went back to the table and collapsed into her seat, then began to devour her steak with gusto. It wasn't nearly as cold as she'd feared, thank Donna. About halfway through, she took a moment to drink some of the Achyfi and to look at Kaimen. She hadn't really looked at him since she had come back to the table. "You okay, Kaimen?" she asked; he looked a little worried, a little lost in thought. "Oh . . . I'm fine. Just thinking." He tried to smile, but Layla could tell he still wasn't focusing on what was going on. He was thinking, and he was thinking about something that bothered him. "Okay . . ." she said, a little worried herself. She didn't want to bother him, but . . . He looked like he was struggling with something. She wondered what it could be. Layla finished her steak and her Achyfi, then finished the meal with her cactus blossom. Kaimen didn't quite finish his food. He still listened as intently as he could to Layla, but she could tell thath is mind was elsewhere. Their walk home was almost completely devoid of conversation. When they arrived at the Grandissimo house, they were greeted by a rather large amount of users and pets. There was Javier Grandissimo, their father, and his Techo, Captain_Janeway_2002; Kaiya, their mother, and her Draik, Hikawaiiko; their sister, Lessa, and her Scorchio, Daruma3; their brothers, Alain and Alec, and their Aishas chowie3 and Salazar_820; and finally their own pets, Sunny_Christolea the Elephante and Cinema00 the Lupe - commonly known as Amy. Kaiya hugged both of them tightly, especially Kaimen. "You never told us you'd be home!" she cried, delighted. "How has school been?" Kaimen smiled warmly at her and embraced her, though he still looked a little uncomfortable. "It's been difficult . . . but I'm fairly sure I did well on my midterms. We'll see." There was much in the way of warm familial greetings and the recapping of the weeks since they had last seen Kaimen, so it was a while before he managed to escape to his room. As he went up the stairs, he turned - as if making a decision at the last moment - and called to Layla. "Layla? Could I talk to you for a moment?" Layla nodded and hurried up after him, wondering what it was. Surely it had something to do with what was bothering him. She hoped he was all right. She found him sitting at his desk in his room. Kaimen motioned for her to sit on the bed, and she did, curious as to what he would say. He faced her, a serious expression tinged with regret and worry on his face - and spoke. "Layla . . . You're one of those Sailor Neopets, aren't you?" Layla's eyes widened in shock. She bit her lip, looked at Kaimen's undisturbed bedspread, and tried to delay the inevitable reply. He knew. He knew, and her secret identity was compromised, and she couldn't lie to him! He would know right away if she did. And . . . she couldn't lie to him. She loved him and respected him far too much to do that. And so she told him the truth. ". . . Yes." There was a brief moment of silence as the two siblings looked at each other: Kaimen worried and serious, Layla timid and unsure. "You . . . You won't tell Mom and Dad, will you, Kaimen?" He sighed, and didn't say anything at first, keeping Layla in suspense. "Well . . . they wouldn't let you keep doing this, would they? I suppose . . . Well, I guess not. But . . ." He rubbed his forehead with one hand, messing up his hair a little, but not caring in the least. "You're my little sister, Layla! . . . If something happened to you . . . Donna, I don't know what I'd do." He stared at his nails as if they were the most important thing in the world, his mouth twisted in a painful half-smile. "It's . . . dangerous, what you do. And . . . Donna. You wouldn't stop doing it for the world, would you?" Layla looked away, feeling terrible. "I know you, Layla. If you can put things that aren't right . . . right again . . . there's nothing that would stop you. Even if Mom and Dad knew, even if they tried to stop you, you wouldn't, would you?" She bit her lip, knowing how right he was. She couldn't let Sloth and the Chaos Faerie take over the world. She couldn't let the injustices that their minions carried out take place. Even if it meant fighting alone, even if it meant being scared out of her mind, even if it meant . . . her death, eventually . . . she would fight, because she had to preserve what was good and right in Neopia. She knew how corny it would sound if she said it aloud, but for her, it was all too true. "Yes, I . . . I can't . . . I couldn't stop fighting. There are users and pets all over Tyrannia who need me. Who need Sailor Elephante. Even if it meant upsetting you, and Mom and Dad, I can't let those poeple down! Even though it'd really hurt to upset you. It's really important . . ." He nodded, painfully understanding her. "You're . . . you're really growing up, Layla." He smiled a half smile that looked as if it hurt him. "You're risking your life for people you don't even know . . . I mean, I'm proud of you, but . . . Donna. To me . . . I'd rather half the population of Neopia fall off the face of the planet, than you get hurt." Kaimen smiled painfully again. "You're right, though. I hate to admit it, but you're right. They need you. But . . . Oh, Donna, Layla, I need you too . . . We need you . . ." He paused. "I won't tell Mom or Dad, I promise. But . . . Donna, Layla, be careful!" Layla nodded solemnly. Then, because she could find no more words - perhaps because no more words were required - she stood and left the room, gently closing the door behind her. The rest of that evening, both Layla and Kaimen were very quiet - each thinking about what had been said between them. Both siblings went to bed early, and both lay awake for a long time, thinking . . . wondering . . . worrying . . . The next day was a normal school day for Layla, and she tried not to think about the conversation. But she couldn't help it; despite her realistic nature, it was too serious a subject to ignore. What if . . . she wondered, seriously for the first time. What if I don't survive the next battle? The night passed in a similar fashion to the night before, with Layla and Kaimen withdrawn from their family. The others began to worry; their mother fussed over them, asking if everything was all right at school, even though Kaimen was 23. Their father tried to give them space, but he couldn't help asking similar questions to their mother's. Are you all right? Did something happen at school? Did your midterms go all right? Are you all right? Again and again they asked, and always got the same answers from both siblings. Yes, I'm fine. Everything is fine at school. I did perfectly fine on the midterms, I'm just thinking. I'm really fine, mother. I'm fine, Dad. Promise. By Friday, Layla began to stop worrying. Certainly she had to protect Tyrannia, and certainly she might get hurt or die doing so - but that wasn't about to happen right at this moment. She had to rise above the fear, or she would never get anything done. Perhaps the next Sailor Neopet would be found in Tyrannia; perhaps she would find one of those Mists of Evian that Tammy had told her about. It wasn't like Layla's death sentence was written out in front of her. More than likely, she would be fine. She had been fine so far. On this note, she left school for the day, humming a favorite Jazzmosis tune under her breath as she headed home. That was when she saw them: two Grunkas, harassing an elderly chomby. Layla let out a sharp breath, filled with annoyance because her Friday had been ruined and stained with the tiniest touch of fear that she often felt before going into battle. She ducked into an empty alley and transformed, then ran out to face the enemy. The Grunkas were easily dispatched by the powerful Elephante Blast, and Sailor Elephante began to feel as if she had nothing to worry about; she was fine, and the chomby was fine. Sure, she was exhausted, but that was normal. She had done her job well, again. Elephante allowed herself a small smile - and suddenly the world went dark and filled with pain. She came to herself lying on the ground, her head a solid mass of agony. Looking up she saw, in shaky double vision, a third Grunka - one she hadn't seen - standing above her. It raised a large blade, and she had no doubt about its intentions. "Now you die, pest." Elephante winced, trying to prepare herself, wondering if it would hurt, refusing to close her eyes . . . The Grunka's face twisted into a grimace of surprise and pain. It let out a deep mone and wavered, dropping the sword. Layla found the energy for one last Elephante Blast and fired, hitting both of her visions of the thing squarely in the head. It wouldn't get up for a while. She lay back on the ground, her head swimming in a fog of pain and exhaustion, thinking dizzily that her aim had gotten pretty good. When her vision cleared a little, she looked up to see her brother, Kaimen Grandissimo, standing beyond the felled Grunka, a bloodied sword at his feet. He was disheveled, his hair all over the place, and his expression one of horror and exhaustion. He was shaking, she realized, and she tried to show him that she was all right, but she couldn't even get up the energy to make her legs move an inch. "Oh, Donna . . ." he breathed, and went to kneel beside her. "Layla . . . Donna, are you all right?" Elephante managed to smile at him. "K . . . Kaimen . . . hi." He gently lifted her from the ground, embracing her tightly. "Oh, Donna, Layla, I thought I was going to lose you." His voice broke, and he closed his eyes, relief gently washing away the terror he had felt. Kaimen's lupe, Amy, sat beside them - Layla hadn't realized she was there - solemnly watching over them both. The sword had probably been Amy's, Layla realized dizzily, her thoughts going in every direction. Kaimen could hear the sirens of the Grarrl Police, and he realized they wouldn't be long in getting there. He stood carefully, supporting Sailor Elephante as much as possible, and half-carried her to the same alley in which she had transformed. "Can you . . . change back?" he asked, checking that no one was around. She nodded weakly and relaxed, letting her sailor fuku dissolve into her school uniform. Layla's eyes were glazed; she was barely aware of her surroundings by this time. Kaimen had to almost carry her home. Amy distracted the family members who were home as Kaimen snuck Layla in. He didn't want to worry them, nor let them disturb Layla with questions. She was home and safe, and as long as she got some rest and some care, it would be all right. All Layla could think of was how glad she was to have Kaimen as a brother, and then she realized she was lying in her own bed, and fell into a deep sleep. Fin.
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