"Fudge monkeys!"

Nevi Douglass pulled her white Shipoodle, named Lizard, from the mud pile in the park. Surrounded by the sluts and pompous half-breeds of her hometown, she forgot all about her very happy, and mud caked dog.

"What did I tell you about mud piles? Hmmm?"

Lizard stared up at her, all 10 pounds of her quivering body limp in Nevi's hands. Begging, with her eyes open and ears up, Nevi knew she was sorry.

"That's what I thought. Sigh Well, do you want a bath or not?"

Lizard jumped down from Nevi's arms and walked over to their plaid park blanket stretched out beneath her favorite willow in the park. Nevi took the pink and white, skull and crossbones chained collar and hooked it around Lizards neck; she rolled up the blue and red plaid blanket; and they walked home together.

Nevi lived in a quiet town of around 10,000, and there was no movie theater or shopping mall. The place to go in the town for dates was the local ice cream shop or Loosey's Diner. For fun in the summer, everyone would go to the park, sit by the small man-made lake, and have a picnic under the many leafy trees.

At this time, it was now the middle of August and the sun was warm on Nevi and Lizard, walking home. Nevi lived with her mother, father and younger sister Christin. They lived in the more upscale area of town, which was really just upper-middle class. Nevi's family was a normal, happy family; and Nevi was a happy girl, but normal she was not.

Nevi loved who she was, all 5 feet of herself. Her long, once pure raven black waves were now streaked with fuchsia and violet. Today, her outfit consisted of a green and black plaid skirt over purple tights, an orange and white striped t-shirt, and her lace up pink combat boots with white cats covering the tops. Nevi's hair, reaching to her waist normally, was tied up into two ponytails with some old shoelaces she had found when she had actually cleaned her room.

The walk from the park to Nevi's house should only take 5 minutes, but nevi made it last for as long as she could. She would stop at every store she thought may be interesting today, looking at anything that could catch her eye. Though usually this would only take a normal person a few extra minutes, based on how interesting that town was, Nevi was not a normal person.

Nevi could stop in the bookstore run by old Mrs. Hugh and start an interesting conversation on the theories of Craig Livingston, the owner of the local trick shop. She could enjoy the smell of the flower stand guarded by two small toddlers in a playing crib, wiggling her fingers above them to help with the entertainment they did not have before. Nevi would always go, no matter what, to the boarding house run by the lovely and middle-aged widow, Ms.Lory.

Ms.Lory was always lonely except when Nevi stopped by. Nevi could be there for hours, just sitting, not even talking the whole time. They both would drink hot tea while Lizard lounged on the twall love seat placed by the fire. They would talk about books they had read and movies they had seen, who Nevi was mad at and what classes she was doing well in, and all the time they would talk about their lives. Ms.Lory would talk about the life she had had, and Nevi would talk about the life she wanted. The past and the future fascinated them, but nothing was more fascinating than the present.

The only time Nevi could see Ms.Lory was during the summer holiday, so she would go every day for hours at a time. Ms. Lory did not know where Nevi went to school, all she knew was that she went far far away.

So, walking back to her house, Nevi stopped by the boarding house. Getting there, she found no one home. A note was left on the refrigerator door.

Nevi,

Sorry I'm not home, but I had some family business to attend to. I don't know if I will be home before you leave for school. I had to fly to Paris to deal with some things. If I don't see you again, know that you an amazing girl, and you are like a daughter to me. I hope you have a great school-year and the life you have always wanted.

Love,

Beatrice Lory

Nevi was distraught. Nevi was curious. The one thing Nevi was not was mad, but the one thing nevi felt the strongest was loved, by a woman who was not even blood related to her. She was touched and almost started to cry. Remembering herself, she picked up Lizard and not caring about the muddied fur, nestled her face into the crook of the happy dog's stomach.

Gathering her thoughts, Nevi headed home. When she arrived at her perfectly clean house, she realized that she did not have to go back to school for almost three weeks. Ms.Lory would be on family business for more than three weeks? Nevi was now very curious. Finding her mother, Nevi decided to actually ask for some gossip.

Her mother, knowing all the gossip of the town, was not prepared with a satisfactory answer to the surprising question asked by her daughter.

"Mom? Where has Ms. Lory gone to?"

"What do you mean dear? I didn't know Ms. Lory had gone away. How do you know she has?"

Nevi looked flabbergasted. How did her mother not know what the rumors were of her favorite neighbors current location. Stunned, Nevi turned on her heel and went up to her room.

Even at the age of 16, Nevi loved her room, which she had had since she was 8. the walls were covered in a dark pink paint, and the blankets on her four poster bed were varying shades of pink and white. The girlie room felt familiar and comfortable. The room had stood true during Nevi's many changes of personal styles throughout the years.

Sighing, Nevi plopped heavily onto the bed, closing her eyes in distress. She laid there for a few minutes, not moving, her chest barely rising while she breathed. Then with a start she suddenly sat up and jumped off of her bed. She now remembered why she had come home so early from the park.

"Fudge monkeys! Lizard!!!"