CROSSING OVER

CHAPTER 4

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It had been nearly four hours since Maggie's parents had come home to find the stairway collapsed to shambles, claw marks over the carpets, and Maggie's room reduced to a mess. Their only clue being the shout of an elder male voice, a blinding light from beneath the crack of Maggie's bedroom door, and Maggie's own high pitched shriek.

However, when they had entered the room, they had found nothing. In shambles, and empty. No traces remained, and it appeared as though their daughter had vanished into thin air.

Of course, the first thing they had done was drive toward their town's only police station at more than the legal speed limit. The police themselves were of less then adequate help.

"Sorry, but like I told you before ma'am. Your daughter must be missing for twenty-four hours before we can declare her officially missing! Besides, with all the other details you informed us with, it sounds more like she's just playing some sort of prank on you!" The officer droned, looking somewhat not thrilled at the prospect of having to locate what was probably another drug-stoked runaway teenager.

"Thank you, thank you very much!" Mrs. Griffin made the sarcasm more than audible in her voice as both she and her husband stormed out of the station, now more worried then ever.

"It'll be okay," Jake Griffin reassured his wife, who moments ago had looked like she had wanted to take a bite out of the cop's throat.

"I don't care what they say Jake! Maggie wouldn't do something like this! She knows better. Something's happened to her, and a lot can happen in twenty-four hours. I can't wait that long, I just…," her voice died in her throat as she held back a sob, and took a deep breath.

"Look, I have an idea," Mr. Griffin paused then took his cellular out of his jacket pocket. Dialing the numbers, he waited a moment for an operator to answer on the other end. "Yes, I'd like to hire a private investigator from your company! Yes. the best you have, money is no option."

While Maggie's father placed the call, and the operator connected him to the office of Mark Laughton, Maggie herself was well and good, wandering around her new house with Marius in tow, far off in Neopia.

"I still cannot believe this, it's too cool!" Maggie gushed, looking over her new room, which had been furnished in the best of Zen furniture. She remembered having blown roughly 25,000 NP on the entire setup, and was now happy she had.

"Looks better than the flash version, doesn't it?" Fashir grinned, a rather uncomfortable smile that exposed his very sharp canines.

Maggie nodded, easing away from Fashir's grin.

"I have to thank you for that setup in my own room! All that luxurious furniture. you spoil me!" Fashir chuckled. Indeed, as they headed off to look at his own room, which was filled with a set of luxurious items (which may be added cost more then Kitty's own room), Kitty could see why Fashir liked it so much.

"Well, spoiled though you may be, it hasn't affected your efforts in the battledome!" she commented, recalling the present score.

"As long as we have more won than lost. I was worried for a while!"

Kitty nodded, remembering the many battles she had fought in the familiar battledome. She had never really been one to wait, which had more often then not resulted in many-a-quick fights.

"Speaking of, does this Neopia have a battledome?" Kitty asked, her interests drawn to the subject.

"Are you kidding?" Fashir motioned her to follow him downstairs, and spoke as they descended back down. "First of all, battling is a major part of Neopia. It's a source of entertainment as well as a good build up for any pet! We have a different battledome in each section of Neopia!"

"Like in the 'net version?"

"Like in the 'net version!" Fashir nodded.

They crossed the living room, heading to the far right of the house, and into another room. Inside were shelves upon shelves of weaponry. Magical attack and defence items, staffs, stacks of snowballs in see-through glass ice freezers, and armoury hanging on the walls.

"Uh…wow!?" Kitty gasped as soon as she had gotten enough of the sight into her system.

"Impressive, isn't it? You accumulated a lot of battle items over the course of your game playing. I like storing them here! Hopefully. we'll be using them soon?" he looked hopefully at her.

Kitty nodded vigorously, and Fashie could practically see her drooling over the idea of a real battledome.

"There's a few rules you do have to follow though! First, you can't start battling until your used to Neopia a bit more. Roughly for a month! You must allow be sure on staying here permanently. Second, you must be trained for how to help me battle in the battledome! You'll get a battledome trainer assigned to you for a short time, and he or she will show you the ropes!" Fashir stated, while Kitty walked around toying with the different weapons.

She picked up one large yellow object, bouncing it around in her hands idly. Suddenly, it began to grow warm and blink red. Kitty held in still, staring down at it in wonder.

"NO, WATCH OUT!" Fashir roared, pouncing forward and knocking both Kitty over, and sending the strange object flying across the room and into the hallway.

In the next instant, a large explosion rocked the house, and smoke billowed into the room from the hallway.

Kitty blinked, now pinned under Fashir, who's normally dark brown coat was covered in pieces of black wallpaper, which were fluttering through the air.

"Wha-…wha-…," Kitty gasped, interrupting herself when a cough wracked her throat from the smoke.

"Ummagine bomb. I knew we shouldn't have bought it!" Fashir sighed, then looked down at her. "Are you alright?"

Kitty nodded soundlessly, afraid of breathing in any more smoke.

"S...sorry," she stammered, still a bit shell-shocked by how close that bomb had been to exploding in her hands.

"It's alright...that was my fault really, I need to re-familiarize you with how things look here in real life. I'm just glad you're not in pieces," he smiled reassuringly, licking her cheek to stop her from shaking.

"Euuu...slimy!" she laughed, relieved from the initial shock.

"Ha…wait until you try to pet a Grundo! Those damn little left-behinds from Sloth's days are truly pitiful!"

"You mean, all that stuff with Dr. Sloth actually happened?" Kitty asked, amazed.

"Oh yes!" Fashir replied. "All the major events you've seen appear on the Internet happened for real here!"

Kitty shook her head, trying to digest everything that had just happened, and everything that was happening too quickly for her to stay in awe over one thing for too long.

"Anyway, we should rest up tonight, and call for a repairman for the hall in the morning," Fashir winked, then nudged her with his somewhat massive head.

"Then what do we do?" Kitty asked.

"I take you to show you the major denizens of Neopia! Mainly the Esophagor, Snowager, the Faerie council, and Neopia's various markets! You need to meet and go to each place!"

With that, the two retired to their separate rooms.

As Kitty sat on her new Zen bed, she went over everything that had happened since that afternoon. It seemed like so much for a few mere hours. Of course, Neopia ran under a different time then the real world, something she would no doubt have to get accustomed to.

The least of her wonders.

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Next, Kitty is introduced to some of Neopia's finest, while her parents come upon a vital clue to her disappearance.