Starlight Invasion: Mission Command

Note: the events detailed in this story take place BEFORE any other Starlight Invasion stories (but after my short story "Don't Cry, My Little Love", if you're intent on fitting that into the timeline). I wrote this a while ago, and if you don't recognise it, I can't say I'm surprised: it's never been in the Times. But I thought you might like to see it.

I: Cynthia Christopher

I don't know who you are, or how you came to hold these pages. You probably know as little about me. So if you are reading this, whoever you may be, it's only fair that I explain.

My name is SweetCynthiaSC, or Cynthia for short: this is, or was, my diary. Lexy gave it to me some weeks ago, on my birthday, but it's only now that I see a reason to write in it. Not writing like a diary, random and insignificant, but like a real story, for all that that means.

The diary is covered in shimmering silver paper, and my name is written inside in glittering blue ink. Attached to the back cover is a long chain of coloured paperclips that my brother made in one of his quiet moods. Each page is ruled with faint green lines, there to write on whenever I have the wish to.

Danniibird, who is my sister, said that the reason for having a diary was to write down the things that happened to you each day. Then, when you're older, you can look at the book and laugh about what you were doing five years ago. I didn't like that idea much. Laughing at people isn't really what I go in for, and besides, nothing much ever happened from day to day. So I asked if I could swap the diary for something else. A bicycle, a plushie, perhaps a ribbon to tie across my ears, like the girls from Neoschool, the height of fashion.

But KatyaniAngel, my other sister, said that 'laughing at yourself' wasn't the only reason for having a diary. "You could keep it until something unusual does happen to you, Cynth," she suggested. "Then you can write that down, so people can read all about it."

So that's what I decided to do. And, I suppose, that's what I'm doing now.

See, I'm writing this diary for a reason. Something, as they say, Has Happened. And the Something started with Lexy not coming home.

Lexy is Lexis Christopher, my owner. You might know her name if you work on Kreludor; she was a scientist there before I was born. She ended up in Neopia Central, though, in a beautiful terraced house with four pets: Dannii, Katyani, me, and my new little brother Lycien01. I don't know who he belonged to before we got him, but he's small and thoroughly evil and doesn't speak a word of Standard Neopian. Oh, and he bites things. Seriously, anyone who comes to our house is likely to leave with a scratch on their ankles at best, unless they can fly out of his way. Anyway... back to Lexy. She's a bright, conscientious sort of Neopian and she's always been there to meet us at eight o'clock sharp each evening, even though she's had commitments in the Realworld. In short, the best owner you could wish for.

Or at least, that's how it was at the start of all this.

It was a Saturday night, and I was by the door, waiting for Lexy to come home as she usually does-- usually did-- to feed us and read the Times. Lycien had already bit Katyani on the ankle and tripped over the bottom stair, crashing into Dannii as she fluttered towards her room, so you can guess I was quite looking forward to some order in this house.

"Where's Lexy when you need her?" I moaned, looking at the clock. "It's ten past eight already."

Dannii sighed and brushed a handful of her own rainbow feathers off Lycien's fur. "If those Realworld parents of hers have held her up again, I swear I'll takedown them!" Dannii, if I may say so, was a pretty good Battledomer once. Takedowning is her slang for attacking someone with all the power you've got: a scary prospect for Lexy's parents.

By half-past-eight Lycien had bit me on the tail and knocked the trifle for tonight's dinner off the bench: Katyani managed to catch it in an impressive sliding move. "Oh no you don't. Cynth, can't you keep this ruffian under control?"

"I could if Lexy were here. What on earth is keeping her?"

It was half-past-eleven when we finally went to bed, having threatened Lycien with some rather un-language-specific gestures as to what would happen if he bit anyone in the night. It was pitch black outside and our owner was nowhere to be seen. We were all of us tired, frustrated and confused. Lexy hadn't said anything about a special Realworld occasion or a large workload. Sighing, I curled up in the four-poster bed next to Katyani's and fell exhaustedly asleep.

It was Dannii who first went out the next night, when Lexy still hadn't shown up, to see if there was any news: a freak data storm had occasionally been known to block access to Neopia Central, and then there were the Chia Police, who sometimes blockaded the street. What she saw, however, worried her even more. There were people and pets going about their normal business, with no sign of a disturbance. No red government Pteri had any message of danger to give out. Everything was normal, except... Lexy's absence.

"Have you seen my owner?" she asked everyone she met. There would be a moment of thought, a glance at the drawing she'd brought, and then a sad shake of the head. Shopkeepers, neighbours, police officers. No-one had seen her.

Hearing a noise, Dannii started. A cynical, scruffy Kougra was just visible, watching emotionlessly from the shadows. "Dear me. Ain't seen anyone as innocent as you in years. Just look at you, wandering around looking for your precious owner. You want to face facts."

"W-what do you mean?" asked Dannii nervously. The Kougra had a sinister appearance; he seemed somehow too thin, she said later, and his fur-- which might once have been yellow-- had grown long and tangled.

"It's always the same," he went on. "Betcha she was a bit strange the last few days, huh? Not concentrating, not cooking your meals properly, always with her mind on something else? Then don't tell me, she just... vanished." Dannii couldn't stop herself nodding. "Knew it. Sorry, birdykins, but she's gone for good, take it from an old campaigner. They all leave this city, sooner or later. Nothing's forever, tweety-pie."

"You're wrong. Shut up." My battledomer sister hit the Kougra sharply with one wing, knocking him backwards. "I didn't ask to be given a load of nonsense scare-stories, so go away." In a flurry of feathers, she fluttered back to our Neohome trembling with fury.

But he was right, Katyani agreed. I wasn't meant to be listening, but I seemed to have accidentally pressed my ear against the living-room door while I was meant to be watching Lycien. It happens.

"He's right. Lexy was acting funny a few nights ago, now I think of it. All jittery and anxious. She couldn't seem to relax. I thought it was just sunburn from that day at the beach." That was Katyani's voice. I could picture her, waving her forelegs emphatically.

"What- what if..." Dannii didn't sound happy. "What if she has... you know?"

"Lexy isn't that kind!"Go girl, I thought. "She'll be home to us soon enough. Just you wait and see, Danniibird."

Two nights passed, two nights of waiting on the stairs, raiding the cupboards, flicking through the TImes without any real interest. Two nights of babysitting Lycien, calming a worried Dannii, looking hopefully for Neomail.

I wanted to believe Katyani. Oh, how I wanted to believe her. But at that point, she didn't look much like being right.

I shook Lycien till he removed his teeth from my ear. "That was harder than usual. I reckon he's hungry."

"Aren't we all?" asked Dannii with a sigh. It was five days now since Lexy had come in with anything to stock the cupboards, and there wasn't much left in the house. Katyani was eating the horrible dried apricots only she liked, and it seemed my brother was eating anything he could get his fangs into.

"Someone must get food for us," said Katyani as if it was decided. "I know we can't get at Lexy's bank account, but there's always free food going, somewhere. It's too far to go for omelette, so we ought to get some soup."

The metal-handled cans clinked in all four of my sister's forelegs as she carried the hot soup into the house. "It wasn't a problem, guys. I just told the Faerie we hadn't got Lexy with us right now and she said 'Oh, not another one. Here you are, my dear.' Look, this one's for Lycien." At the mention of his name, my brother jumped up to lap his meal from one of the cans.

The three of us took turns for the 'shopping trip' from then on. I spilled the liquid from the can on my first try, but soon I got the hang of it. Life was better now that we had hot soup to eat-- and omelettes, too, when we had the time to make the trip to Tyrannia. Even sceptical Dannii said after dinner one night that she was sure Lexy would come back soon. That was the optimism it gave us, the sudden feeling that life was all right. Lycien didn't bite so often, either; he was sleepy and content, curled by the softly glowing fire. I played my violin too from time to time, letting the melody bring a smile to my sisters' faces.

And we were a family again, for the first time in almost a week. Severed perhaps, lonely without our beloved Lexy, but a family. Dannii with her fighter's determination, sweet caring Katyani, the lovable little terror that was Lycien, and-- me.

I still can't decide whether it was a good thing or a bad that we didn't know what was coming.