Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets. I've told you nine times now I think you get the picture.
Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed! I'm sooo sorry this chapter is so late! Science fair is finally over though and I'm free to write more. ^_^ Plus I've had writer's block and that's not a help.
Chapter 9
Severing Connections With Myself
The rest of my day with Skip was uneventful seeing as we spent the day in the clearing Skip paints in after he deposited the painting in the bank.
"I'm telling you Skip, give up on it!" I said during the second hour of our wait in the clearing. "The ghost you keep seeing is not going to show up." I was telling the truth to seeing as I was already in the space and couldn't enter it a second time. But Skip ignored me; he was busy investigating the plants on the side of the clearing where I'd shown up those two mornings.
"There's a patch of poison ivy over there ya know, better watch it." I said absentmindedly. Mistake. Skip was looking at me.
"How'd you know that?" he asked skeptically.
"I live in these woods." I answered to what (to me) seemed like a stupid question. Another mistake. Skip had a confused look on his face and I knew he was wondering why yesterday I'd asked him to show me around. I'd told him I was new around the Haunted Woods and from my gawking in Neopia Central yesterday it was clear I was "new" there too. Now I'd just said I live here. Oh brother.
"I thought you said you were new here." Skip said. Thinking quickly I came up with an alibi.
"I'm new to this area. I live over to the southeast and haven't been up north before." I said hoping I sounded convincing. I mean it was true I lied to the southeast but when I was alive I'd come to the town with Kaymara often. Fortunately and unfortunately Skip believed me.
"Southeast? Oh, you must have moved into the abandoned mansion over there!" The brown Shoyru seemed excited, I on the other hand felt sick. So much for getting Skip off my back. "When did you move in?" He asked me.
"About a week ago." I lied. Sure a week ago from seventeen years ago not to mention three of those years I was mopping around the place because of depression of being dead.
"So your folks fixed up the place?" Skip asked me from the spot he was checking for some sort of clue towards the Usul he was sure would pop up because someone was in her clearing.
"Not really, both of them are working on Faerie Land now. They need more Neopoints to actually repair the place but at least it's furnished." I said feeling odd about this conversation. Skip straightened and looked at me.
"Furnished? I thought the entire place would have been robbed of every valuable item by now. Top floors were burnt down in a fire three years ago!" I shook my head.
"Most things are still there. Why do you ask?" Skip shrugged. He couldn't read so he didn't read it in the Neopian Times, if that was still circulating and I don't recall his sister ever working there. So how'd Skip know about the burning or better yet how'd he know valuables were stolen?