It was approaching Friday evening and the weather around Neopia Central was clear and comfortably warm. It would stay that way for the entire weekend with almost no chance of rain. No jackets would be needed as spring was slowly giving way to summer. The only reason I knew this was because it was things I would have to know as soon as the workday ended. I was going home for a weekend.
For once in my life I actually got all my work done before we shut down. I had only one thing left to do – drop a portable USB full of files off with Dr. Sloth. I suspected that it wasn't so much as he wanted it personally as he wanted to get a couple good threats in before I left for Neopia. After all, he'd admitted that he had me under surveillance. G20K. The name made me shiver to just think about it.
Sloth was waiting for me in his office. I felt very small there, as I always did, and focused my attention on my feet to avoid looking at him or the vast expanse of empty space all around me.
"Here's the files," I said, sliding the small plastic piece onto the desk. A green hand stretched out and pulled it away and into a drawer.
"You are perceptive at times," he said evenly, "I suppose you already know why I had you come personally."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You have me being watched and so you know I purchased a ticket down to Neopia. I'm not running, if that's what you think."
"It was a possibility that crossed my mind," he replied smoothly, "however unlikely it might be. Your pets, I noticed, are staying here."
"I think it'd traumatize Davis to drag him along."
He ignored that comment.
"It goes without saying that I won't let my test subject slip away so easily. If you aren't here on Monday – to borrow one of your terms – there will be hell to pay."
"Yada yada, I know, you'll turn my pets into piles of sludge and test that new human mutant potion on me, etc."
He nodded in affirmation. I was starting to remember some of his more common threats.
"Can I go now sir?"
"One last question."
I sighed discreetly and tried to not fidget while he took a dramatic pause.
"Just why are you going to Neopia for a weekend?"
"To visit my parents."
An eyebrow lifted in mild surprise. He was quiet for a moment more and I finally spoke up instead.
"What? Did you not think I had a mother and father? Where else would I come from?"
"Oh, I don't know," he drawled, "I always suspected the pound." Then he grew serious again. "Are you going to tell them you work for the infamous Dr. Sloth?"
"Not if I can help it. Wait." A thought dawned on me. "How'd you know I've never told my family who I work for?"
And he grinned.
"You're under surveillance. Mail is a very easy thing to intercept."
I couldn't even find the strength to protest that one. In all honesty, I should have known already. It was something he'd do, especially taking in account his reasons for keeping me around.
"Although," he continued, "You should consider being honest. You could use your knowledge of me and my operations to clear up some of those horrible rumors that circulate."
"But Sloth – they're all true."
"Precisely. Tell me if you're disowned. You can go now."
When I reached the door he decided that he had one last thing to say.
"And Girl, you might want to buy some sunglasses or a hat."
"Huh?"
But he just turned away from me and I knew he wouldn't explain.
The ride down to Neopia was miserable. I spent it huddled in the seat trying to keep my stomach from launching a full-scale rebellion. When the death-trap finally touched down I managed to stagger my way off with the rest of the passengers and onto solid ground. That was when I realized what Sloth had meant about sunglasses.
"Oh MAN!" I cried and shielded both eyes with my hands, "freaking hell!"
It'd been over half a year since I'd visited my parents which meant over half a year since I'd seen actual sunlight. My eyes were burning and I could feel tears slipping between my fingers. That was when someone slipped a wide-brimmed straw hat over my head.
"Welcome to Neopia," my mother said.
"MOM!"
And forgetting dignity and the sun both I whirled and gave her the biggest hug I could. Over her shoulder I could see a blurry outline that I assumed was my brother. He was standing back, looking a little bit away from me. After a moment he walked past and found my luggage. That in itself was odd. My brother was a few years younger than me and we'd been very close our entire lives. A couple months ago, the mail from him petered off until it was only from my parents. I supposed he was just busy.
On the ride home my mom chattered all about the going-on's in Neopia. How the smoothie shop had released some new varieties that I just had to try. The disappearance of some ships around Krawk Island. All sorts of matters. I just let her talk. It was her way of involving me back into her life after being gone for so long. Besides, I really didn't want to talk about what I did day in and day out on VirtuPets. It would greatly disappoint her to know her daughter worked for Dr. Sloth.
Nothing significant occurred until Saturday. I was too lagged from traveling to do anything but eat dinner and collapse on Friday. However, the next morning my mother woke me up plenty early to hit Neopia Central and do some heavy shopping. She had neopoints she wanted to spend on me. My brother declined to come and my mother quickly ushered me out the door before I could ask why.
"Okay, what's going on?" I asked her as we walked. She looked out and away from her, the sun gleaming off her copper-red hair. Beside her walked her spotted Aisha, a rather noisy beast who enjoyed staging experiments involving gravity, the mantle, and breakables.
"With Devin?" she asked.
"Duh. What else? I mean, he's barely said two words to me since I got home!"
A long silence passed between us.
"I thought you knew," she finally said.
"What?"
"I figured you two had fought in your letters or something. He hasn't said anything about it to me. I was hoping you could talk to him this evening, maybe sort things out."
The sick feeling from flying had returned to my stomach. This time it was different though. Family. And my brother.
"He wanted to spend the weekend at a friend's," Merlin, the Aisha, piped up, "Said he didn't want to be around."
"Thanks," I snarled, "That helps."
"Your welcome." He was totally oblivious. Just like I remembered him.
Mom tried to cheer me up with a smoothie, a ploy to take my mind off Devin. It worked, a little. There was one thing I'd learned from working with Sloth – if there's trouble it's best to deal with it when it comes and take the moments until then without worry.
I found my brother out back that evening. He was sitting by the ornamental pond with his pet Gelert. I sat down next to him and stretched out my legs.
"So," I said, "What's up?"
He grunted. I decided to go for a different approach.
"Mutt," I said, "what's up?"
"Devis is sulking," the Gelert replied, "He's been doing this since finding out where you work."
That was when my blood went cold. So that was it. He knew. He'd done some digging presumably and found out that I worked for Neopia's greatest villain.
"Oh," I said in a very small voice, "Then. I guess there's not much to be said."
I stood and the Gelert growled at me, showing his teeth. I ignored him. There wasn't much of a point to talking now – Devin knew, he didn't like it, and I couldn't blame him. I wasn't about to ask him to respect his sell-out of a sister. So I walked away.
"Ducky."
It was a nickname I hadn't heard in many years. My family had stopped using it at my insistence when I decided I was too old for it.
"Yes?" I asked, not turning around.
"Can't you just leave?"
I remembered the file. G20K.
"No. Not anymore." I decided a white lie wouldn't hurt him. "If I could, I would leave in a heartbeat."
"I'm afraid."
Timidly, I walked back over to him. He had his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin was on his knees.
"For me?"
He nodded and I felt a lump in my throat.
"Don't be," I whispered, "I'm safe. Besides, I don't even see Dr. Sloth. I just stay hidden away in front of a terminal coding all day. It's quite boring, really." More lies. Justified? Maybe. I didn't want him to worry.
"Do you think you could go back to being just Ducky?" That name again. Back when I used to run around with plastic duck-shaped clips in my hair. When we'd skip rocks in the lake and play team-tag with our pets.
I didn't reply, just sat down next to him and let him lean against my shoulder. We sat there for a long time, until even his Gelert grew tired and went back inside, leaving us alone in the gathering sunset. We didn't say much. I cried some. And I think he forgave me at some point. I really wasn't sure.
Sunday dawned bright and clear and with it my departure back to VirtuPets. The weekend felt far too short but I did have a job and I did have pets waiting for me. Merlin woke me by digging claws in my back and howling in my ear. It was tradition for him. After I was sufficiently annoyed he went to repeat the procedure on another family member.
Before I boarded the shuttle that would pull me away from Neopia once more Devin slipped me an envelope. I didn't have time to open it, just enough time to catch his eyes and see him nod. Then I was whisked away, through the door of the shuttle, and they were lost to me until my next fleeting visit. That's the way things were.
When I opened the envelope I found two small pieces of plastic sitting inside. Yellow and in the shape of ducks. My clips. Devin had found them, somewhere in the house, somehow. Yeah. I could still be Ducky for him. That wasn't lost to us.
Monday. Making my way through the corridors to my usual spot with my usual cup of coffee in my hand. Dr. Sloth appearing seemingly out of nowhere and scaring the bejeebus out of me.
"Geek," he said, "……… what is in your hair?"
That was not the question he had originally intended, I could tell. But he was eyeing the clips with the look of a classic "wtf?" moment.
"My ducky clips," I explained, "from the pound. Before someone adopted me and took me home. You know."
And I just left it at that.