Disclaimer: I've said it once and I'll say it once more. I do not own Neopets.
Author's Note: This will be the last chapter I'll be able to get in for awhile on account I'm going on vacation! So please review my third chapter work and tell me what you like and what you don't like.
Chapter 3
What's New Since I've Been Here?
I sped through the Haunted Woods slowing only to look into clearings to see if anyone was up yet. Of course at about five in the morning no would be. Or at least that's what I thought. The last clearing before I came to the town in the Haunted Woods did have someone in it. Worse yet, the brown Shoyru making sketches of the woods saw me. As our eyes made contact I quickly ran through my head every step that was carefully told to me by Moro on invisibility. I watched as he continued to stare at me even when I was no longer visible. Then he chuckled and continued painting. Looking up at the sky in the clearing I noticed the sun was on the rise. Unfortunately it was dark enough that the Shoyru had seen me aglow. I slowed my pace as I walked towards the town, with any luck I wouldn't run into that Shoyru again. And if I did I hoped he wouldn't recognize me. I just hoped he wouldn't start posting up signs or anything.
When I reached the town I was no longer aglow. But even then I was nervous. Last time I was here this place was a loud and vibrant place. Now it reminded me of the charred building my sister was spending her day in. Wandering into one of the shops I was greeted by a Cybunny wearing a black cloak.
"Welcome! Is there anything you'd like in particular?" he asked me cheerfully. All my nervousness disappeared. He thought I was just a normal orange Usul browsing his shop! I smiled as I answered him.
"No thanks. Just looking." I told him. I crouched down to examine a small green slug. It was grinning as if it was happy to see me but I sighed. Kaymara would freak if I brought anything home. As I looked over the petpets my thoughts drifted to the Shoyru in the woods. The thought struck me at his reaction to me. Laughter? He, a normal Shoyru wasn't scared out of his wits to see a gray glowing Usul that was semi-see through because she couldn't get a solidity spell to work properly in the dark?
"Yes Meepits are rather cute aren't they?" the shopkeeper's voice snapped me out of my realization and I noticed I had been staring at a small pink guinea pig. I nodded as the Meepit squeaked and ran towards a scamper wheel in its cage.
"It is. Too bad my sister's allergic to petpets in general. Never once had a petpet in the house because of it." I lied, avoiding getting the Cybunny's hopes up on making a sale. In a way I wasn't lying. Never once had anything small, furry and cute even stepped into our mansion. It was mom that was allergic though. I smiled sadly as I watched the Meepit run. Anyway, what would I buy it with? I didn't have any money.
"Well, I'd best be going." I told the Cybunny, "Thanks for letting me look!"
"Any time." The rabbit responded. As I walked out of the shop my eye caught something. The brown Shoyru was walking into a shop with a canvas under his arm! I practically ran to the shop only stopping in front of it because I wanted to enter casually. A bell rang as a pushed open the opaque glass door.
"Oh Skip this is WONDERFUL! You show so much imagination." an excited voice came from the counter. The brown Shoyru was showing off his painting to a starry Shoyru.
"Actually I didn't need much imagination for this picture." The brown Shoyru said. "The most amazing thing happened. Out of nowhere this glowing Usul popped up right? I first I thought it was a ghost painted pet but then it just vanished!" The starry Shoyru, Celtic I believe, snorted.
"Skip, Skip, Skip. What am I going to do with you? That some tall tale. Just don't go around town saying it or folks'll call ya crazy." She said going into the back of the shop. "Besides, I think just being able to paint as well as you and making paints out of my potions is enough of an attention drawer." She said as she emerged from the back carrying at least eleven canvases and a few potions. "I'm giving back you're earlier paintings you gave to me, I want you to sell them all for some profit Skip, including the one your holding, here's some potions for paints but I'm keeping the portrait you did of me and Zanzibar." Celtic looked at Skip who was still registering her onslaught of orders. "Listen bro, I can't be your big sis forever. You once told me you wanted to be the best treasure hunter in the world, remember? Now you're a painter, Skip, that's far cry from hunting around for shiny yellow pieces of metal in caves. What stopped ya? Costs, uncertainty, what?" The starry Shoyru gently laid down the items she was holding and smiled at her brother. "It was Pa, wasn't it?" Skip slowly nodded.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "He never let me get past that first piece…" I thought I could die if I wasn't dead already. The scene was sooo sappy! I felt teary eyed and nauseous at the same time. The most I got out of this brother-sister heart to heart chat was Skip's name and that his dad broke his dreams of treasure hunting. I silently left the shop, relieved at his sister's words of caution not to tell anyone of me. I needed to find a bathroom before I threw up, burst into tears or both. I left in the direction of the old fairgrounds. When I got there my nausea had disappeared and was replaced with shock. The place I knew so well as a kid was gone. In its place stood a run down and nearly deserted wreck of the once glorious fairground. Could so much have happened in only three years?
"Sad sight ain't it?" a voice said. I turned around and found myself facing Skip. He was holding his paintings and had the potions in a bag. "I remember what this place was like before Sloth came," he continued before looking at me again. "Do I know you?" I shook my head.
"No, I don't believe so." I said. Then I smiled meekly. "I'm new around here." I said. It was in fact kind of true since I hadn't seen the place in three years. "Think you could show me around?"