Chapter 3: Life is Magical: part 1

Arctic city Abelia

present day...

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" a young gold eyed lady watched from her seat as a couple of kids sleddeon on the icy slopes of Abelia's snowy hills. She turned back to her table and lightly sipped some tea. Losing herself in thought as well.

"It's almost time. Tommorow, I'll be on my way-" she leapt up onto the table and pointed to the sky. "TO GREAT FUN GOOD FOOD AND SPECTACULAR ADVENTURE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAAAA!!!" When she was done freaking out, she noticed that there were several people staring at her. "HI!! EVERYONE!! PLEASE WISH ME LUCK ON MY EXAM!!!" When no one answered the explosive smile on her face gave way to perplexion. She felt somethin tug at her ear. She tilted her eyes to look upon the small pink form of her rodent-like companion partially hidden behind a few strands of brown hair.

"Rika Please! You really must curb this childish behaviour, people think your crazy!" It bob-hopped each time it spoke, as if to emphasize it's indignance. Rika merely smiled a close eyed, wide toothy smile.

"I AM CRAZY!! CRAZY 'BOUT LIFE!! HAHAOOO!!" she somesaulted off the table and landed on a bridge railing with her arms outstretched.

"RIKA DING IT!! STOP BEING SUCH A CHILD YOUR EIGHTEEN ALREADY!!" The small rodent like thing hopped and bobbed while swinging its tiny fists wildly. Rika leapt down from the pole and brushed herself off.

"Oh I can't help it, I'M JUST SO HAPPY!!" She looked off into the distance. "I've never been allowed outside the city, y'know? I'm finally gonna see the world!" the little rodent shook its head.

"Your about the only person in existence who could possibly think the outside world was an inviting place." It hoped down to the ground and started bopping again. "The worlds not gonna be a big amusement park! it's dangerous out there! Deadly! You have to get serious about it!-GEEP!" Rika was kneeling down so she was practically nose to nose with her, a dark glare in her eyes.

"Are you saying I'm not good enough? maybe you think I should just go back home curl up in bed and stay there huh?" She con- tinued to stare darkly. The little rodent looked suddenly very distressed.

"Well I uh Ar UhAgr..." It started to back away slowly.

"GREAT IDEA!! It's late so I should prolly get some sleep! Final exam's tommorrow and then the wrolds my clam!" She ran so fast that the little rodent was left in the dust.

"RIka wait!..It's oyster! Not clam!" It chased after her with all its furry might.

Local Convent, Late Night...

Before Rika got into bed, she busied herself preapring for the next day. She got her clothes out of the closet and laid them out. one long blue coat, a tight long sleaved fashionable fit, down to the waist, at which point the back part opened out, leaving two long "tails" leading down left and right, a light black shirt. a pair of high quality gloves made with brown leather., a pair of black leggings, casual socks, and a pair of brown leather trekking boots.She stood back and admired the ensemble. "There! All done! what do you think Mat-ta?" she asked her small rodent friend.

"This is what your wearing to your final exam?" Mat-ta asked wtih a tint of dumbstruck.

"Yeah, why? Something wrong with it?"

"No nothing, if you happen to live inside a far-east cartoon show..." it whispered the last under its breath. Rika ignored it.

"Hmp, anyway, I already freshened up. Its about time I got to bed, you better sleep too Mat-ta." Rika flopped down onto her bed as she said this, twisting herself into the covrs for maximum warmth."

"Not yet, I'm going to go have a word with my borther Wat-sa. I'll be back when its time for the exam."

"ZzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZzzz"

Seeing that its master was in no condition to respond, Mat-ta scurried out of the room and through a few strategically placed holes in the wall until she was outside. "Alright Wat-sa, where are you?" She lifted her whispers to the air and sniffed, when she caught her brothers scent she began to follow it.

"Mat-ta!"

"GEEP!"

Mat-ta stopped short and looked in the direction of the sound. There was her brother, off in a dark corner, munching on some cheese. "Wat-sa! piggin out as usual I see." Mat-ta scurried over to him.

"Just a late night snack sis. Anyway whats up? You said somethin's urgent?" He continued munching idly, he seemed to deliberatly take a bite and talk before finishing the bite.

"Yes, its urgent! Rika's final exam is tommorrow!"

"So? Lotsa younguns are taking their final exams tommorow whats the big deal?"

"She...She's not READY Wat-sa...Oh you just don't understand, those proctors only look at performance, they don't care about attitude at all!"

"So? rika's a bright girl, she'll come out top of her class I bet."

"That's my POINT, her skills and her maturity are two diffeent things! She's still such a child!"

"And?"

"And!? AND!? Wat-sa do you even understand what it is that's expected of these students? The outside world is deadly, lethal, dangerous, trecherous! There's so many ways Rika could get her self into trouble! And with the way she behaves it just means she'll be even more vulnerable once she's out there! I just, I can't stand by and watch her go through th exam when I know she's not ready for what comes next! I have t-to do something!" Mat-ta was panting histerically at this point. Wat-sa just casually munched his cheese, seeming utterly oblivious to his sisters histerics.

"I'll tell you what you need to do. You need to stop treatin Rika like a baby. Your partially to blame for her behaviour you know? All her she's been told what to do how to it, and very rarely given the lee-way to make her own decisions. How can you expect somebody who grows up like that to be capable of mature decisions? You never gave her the chance to make any."

"But-"

"Stop babying her, this is your chance to let her see that life isn't all fun and games. If you keep trying to protect her its just going to hit that much harder when she DOES come to face it. Let her make mistakes. She won't learn or mature unless you do."

"..." Mat-ta rubbed her head in furious frustration. "Ohhhh, I suppose your right..."

"'Course I'm right. I'm Wat-sa The problem sol-va!"

"...Where'd that title come from?"

"Made it up myself! I'm a legend!"

"In your own mind maybe..."

"Hey!"

"So long Wat-sa! I have an exam tommorow! musn-t be under rested!" Mat-ta ran fast from her brothers company.

"Grr, your not so mature yerself prissy-pants." Wat-sa stalked off, munching the last of his cheese as he went.

end chptr 3