Disclaimer: Sorry again about the wait! I'm really, REALLY lazy!
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Everyone wailed as the sphere plummeted down towards the ground. Carolyn felt sick to hear stomach. Right when she was sure she was going to hurl, the sphere crashed into the ground with an earth-shattering THUD!
"That's it." Carolyn gasped weakly as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Next time I drive."
"No way in hell." Sloth snarled, "It's my machine, I invented it so I get to drive it!"
"You're the boss." Carolyn said smiling mischievously. She slammed her fist down on a red button that said 'EJECT'. Sloth was launched into the air screaming like a little girl.
"Now what'd you go and do that for?" Katie said smiling.
"'Cause he's an asshole, that's why. Now let's go."
Katie and Carolyn pulled themselves out of the sphere. Dr. Sloth staggered over to them in a daze.
"But mommy..." He gasped insanely, "I don't want to go to school today. All the kids make fun of me!"
Carolyn slapped him across the face. His eyes returned to normal.
"Thanks, I needed that."
"Aw I'm no hero." She said grinning, "I just like hitting people in the head!"
They began to jog away from the wreckage of the sphere. They had crashed into a hillside not too far from Carolyn's home. After about five-minutes of walking, they were walking up the sidewalk to the front door.
"Okay, so we're just getting the neopets, and then we'll head out. Right?" Carolyn asked.
"Right." Sloth responded.
Suddenly the front door to the house flew open and Carolyn's neopets bolted out. At the sight of their owner, they gave a squeal of delight and jumped into her arms.
"Mom!" Pachi cried happily calling Carolyn by her nickname as she leaped up onto Carolyn's head and curled up in a ball. Carolyn looked like she was wearing a very strange hat.
"It's been too long!" Aqua cheered.
"You've been gone for two weeks!" Zafey cried.
"I know. I'm sorry." Carolyn sighed. "But I had to go. For our sakes."
"A really scary boy came by looking for you." Hophop added. All four neopets shuddered at once.
"A scary boy?" Carolyn said frowning. "What did he look like?"
"We couldn't see him too well." Pachi said hanging her face down in front of Carolyn's so they were face-to-face. "He wore sunglasses to hide his identity. But we could see that he had these really scary red eyes."
"They looked evil!" Aqua chimed in.
"Evil eyes..." Carolyn thought silently.
"And what was his name?!" Sloth demanded. He looked very uptight all of a sudden.
"He didn't tell us his name." Zafey explained. She lowered her gaze. "He got really mad when we told him you were gone. His face didn't show his anger. His face was expressionless the whole time. It was really creepy. But you could tell he was mad, on account he put his foot right through the porch!"
"WHAT?!" Carolyn screamed in horror. She set her neopets down on the ground and bolted to the wooden porch in front of the door. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the wood right in front of the door. "NOOOO!" Carolyn wailed. "I just built this porch! It'll cost a fortune to fix!"
Sloth turned away from everyone. "Cronos..." He murmured angrily.
"What was that?" Katie asked frowning.
"Never mind!" Sloth said quickly. "Forget about the porch for now! We've got shards to find!"
"Fine!" Carolyn grumbled. She turned and stared up at the sky. She had heard what Sloth had said perfectly. "Cronos..." She whispered softly. "Strange...it sounds so familiar."
She sighed and followed her friends away from the house and down the street towards the bus station. But as she walked away a pair of eyes watched her from the darkness.
******
She was not the reincarnation of Fiona.
Cronos could sense it as he sat perched on the roof of the girl's home as she and her stupid friends walked away from the house. Even from a distance the girl didn't look a thing like Fiona. The girl's hair was a brassy blond color while Fiona's had been a soft shade of violet. And Fiona had matching lavender eyes as well, but that girl had pale blue eyes. But despite all these differences, Cronos had to admit the girl wasn't bad looking. She'd had that same regal bearing feeling that had made Fiona so powerful and beautiful.
Cronos scratched his chin and thought for a moment. "What was it that your friends called you? Carolyn?" He rolled his eyes. "What a ridiculous name. Fiona's reincarnation wouldn't be called that. Well little Carolyn, you may not be who I'm searching for, but you will still prove very useful to me." He clenched his fist. His claw like nails dug into the palm of his hand, cutting the flesh. "And once you've gathered all the shards for me..." He punched a hole in the roof and vanished as quickly as he had come...
Two days later on Mystery Island...
Carolyn walked around the gift shop humming to herself as she picked up various objects.
"I'll get this for Caitlin..." She mumbled picking up a pair of sandals, "This sand sculpture for Tommy..."
"How much money do you HAVE?!" Sloth said in amazement as Carolyn started towards the counter.
"Me? But Teach, YOU'RE paying!" Carolyn had picked up the bad habit of calling Sloth 'Teach'.
"WHAT?!" Sloth roared.
"I don't have any money." Carolyn stated calmly.
Sloth fished into his pocket and pulled out a bag of neopoints. "But I only have this..."
Carolyn snatched it from his hand grinning. "Thank you!"
Sloth stared death back at her. "Thanks a lot brat..."
"I'M READY TO PAY!" Carolyn yelled. A voice from the back room rang out in respond.
"I'm coming already! Sheesh!" A few seconds later a young boy that looked slightly older than Carolyn and Katie came out. He was dressed in gothic attire and had his short spiky hair dyed a violent shade of green. His left eye was missing, like it had been torn out in a fight.
"Hate this damn part-time job..." He mumbled coming up to the counter, "Why'd the boss have to have me earn the extra money..." He spotted Carolyn and grinned almost lecherously. "Yo babe. You want to buy this stuff?"
"No she doesn't!" Sloth yelled quickly, eager to keep Carolyn from spending all his money.
"YES I DO!" Carolyn shouted shooting Sloth an angry glance.
"THAT'S IT!" Sloth snarled smacking Carolyn on the back of the head. "NO DINNER FOR YOU TONIGHT!" He turned and stomped out of the shop.
"Bastard." Carolyn grumbled sticking up her middle finger at him as he left. Fortunately for our young heroine, he didn't notice.
She turned her attention back to the boy behind the counter. His eyes were locked on her chest.
"Hey!" She snapped. "My face is up HERE!"
But she realized he WASN'T Looking at her chest. He was staring at the shard of the jewel around her neck. He reached out and held it in both hands.
"Where did you get this?!" He demanded. She angrily ripped the shard from his hands.
"That's none of your business! And why are you so concerned?!"
The boy smiled again. "No particular reason." He traced the index finger of his right hand across her cheek. "But you better watch yourself babe. I think we'll be seeing each other again real soon." He added as he grinned mysteriously. Carolyn quickly slammed the bag of Neopoints down on the counter and left without saying another word to the boy.
Dr. Sloth, Katie, and Carolyn's Neopets were all waiting outside. Sloth had his arms folded and was leaning against the build looking impatient.
"Did you get any change?" He asked hopefully as he straightened himself at the sight of Carolyn's return.
Carolyn slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh crap! I forgot to get change! I'm sorry, I just got really scared and I got the hell out of there."
"Scared?" Katie said in shock, "Carolyn...that boy didn't try to touch you or anything...did he?"
"No, not really." Carolyn responded. "But he noticed the shard and told me to watch myself."
"Well, at least you're okay." Sloth grumbled as he started down the street. Carolyn was stunned that her teacher had shown even a little concern about her. "Come on you punks. We need to get to the jungle. We'll be finding the 2nd shard tomorrow."
Not too far away, in a shady part of town...
The green-haired boy from the souvenir shop hurried down the street, careful to stay in the shadows. He didn't mind the shadows, the darkness gave him a feeling of security. He paused for a moment, his bony white hands were stuffed into the pockets of his black pants. Then he ducked into a shabby-looking tavern. Everyone inside was either drinking or smoking. The air was filled with noxious fumes that would make a normal person gag. But the boy was used to it, he ignored it and kept walking. Fistfights were going on around him. He ducked to the ground as a barstool was hurled in his direction. It smashed onto the floor. The barkeeper had given up trying to restore order, and was now hiding behind the counter, periodically emerging to serve drinks.
The green-haired boy surveyed the room. He then strode over to a table where a boy in his late teens with long messy red hair sat. He had scars all over his face and his eyes were a bright blue color. He was chugging beer from a mug. The green-haired boy sat down across from him and ordered a beer from a nearby waitress.
"Lucian." The boy with red hair said to the green-haired boy. "You're shift at the souvenir shop doesn't end for an hour. What are you doing here?"
Lucian grinned as a mug of beer was placed in front of him. "Well Darius, my fine friend, I have a lead on one of those blasted shards that we've stayed on this bloody island for 3 years trying to find."
"Do you now?" Darius said smiling, suddenly interested.
"One of my customers was wearing one. A girl around my age."
"Describe her." Darius ordered as Lucien took a swig of beer.
"She has smooth white skin, eyes that are a stunning shade of blue, and huge-"
Darius slammed his fist down on the table. "I was NOT asking for your perverted description! I was simply asking for a description you fool!"
At that moment the door flew open and figure dressed from head to toe in a black cloak strode in. He had sunglasses on to hide his face. He walked over to the counter, leaned forward, and yelled. "Hey barkeep! Give me the strongest stuff you've got!"
The barkeeper stood up. "Are you sure laddie? This stuff is seriously strong! The last guy who tried this crap, was the island's best drinker, and he spent the next 2 days retching!"
"Just get me my drink." The boy snarled. The barkeep sighed.
"Alright then. Your funeral laddie." The barkeep ducked behind the counter and returned a few moments later holding a drink in his left hand. Smoke was oozing up from the sickly brown liquid. Lucien and Darius stopped speaking and decided to watch and see what happened.
The boy took the glass in one hand. He paused for a moment, and then he raised the drink to his lips and chugged the entire mug. He set the mug down. Lucien and Darius leaned forward expecting him to pass out, and if he did, they wanted first dibs on his wallet. But the boy calmly sat there and ordered another drink.
"Mary Mother of God." Darius said in amazement. "Where the hell did he put it?"
"Some people are just freaks." Lucien said shrugging. "Now what were you saying?"
"Give me a REAL description of that girl with the shard!" Darius snapped. The boy with the great liquor holding abilities turned and listened carefully to what they were saying.
"She had short brassy-blond hair, eyes that were such a pale shade of blue that they were almost gray, she had pale white skin, she was wearing a pink top with spaghetti straps, and blue jeans, and emerald green boots that went up to her ankles. She was wearing the shard around her neck."
"I see." Darius said calmly.
"Is that TRUE?!" The boy with the liquor abilities jumped up and sat down at their table.
"Who the hell are you?!" Lucien demanded.
"Not important," The boy said quickly, "Now let me ask you something. Was the girl traveling with a redheaded girl wearing fishnets, and a man that looked like Dr. Sloth?"
Lucien stared at him in wonder. "Y-Yes! But how did you know?!"
"I've been watching that girl for some time now. She and her pals are planning to gather the shards. Slothy has a scroll revealing their location. They'll be going after the one in the cove tomorrow."
"Why are you telling us this?" Darius asked suspiciously.
"Just helping you fellows out." The boy said smiling, "You go tell your boss, you go after the girl, get the shard, and do whatever the bloody hell you want with her. Savvy?"
Lucien and Darius both grinned. "Well then, I guess we'll be going to tell our boss."
The boy smiled and held up his mug. "To greed!"
Darius and Lucien held up their mugs as well. "To greed!" They responded. They then clacked their drinks together took a huge swig of liquor.
Later that night everyone in Carolyn's group (or if you asked Sloth, HIS group) was sitting around a campfire. Everyone had an individual tent set up. Carolyn was rummaging through her bag of stuff she'd bought while shopping looking for something. She finally grinned and pulled out a small bundle.
"What's that for?" Hophop asked as Carolyn began to unwrap the brown paper. When she was finished she was holding a pair of soft leather gloves. She smiled and slid them on her hands.
"What did you buy those silly things for?" Sloth asked rolling his eyes.
"Well, I'm going to be handling a sword for the next couple of days." Carolyn said adjusting them on her hands, "I don't want to get blisters."
"Wimp." Sloth grumbled. "A few blisters with make your hands stronger after they fade!"
"I'd rather keep my hands normal." Carolyn said calmly.
Katie was busy cooking hotdogs over the fire. They were impaled on metal rods and she was turning them slowly over the flames. Finally she held them up and said: "Dinner's done! Although hotdogs cooked over an open flame is a poor excuse for a meal..."
Everyone ate the hotdogs in silence. Carolyn kept looking up at Sloth, expecting him to say something. He was silent. Finally she spoke up.
"So what does all this have to do with me?" She finally asked. He stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
"You called me the Chosen One countless times before we set off on this stupid trip. And then you came to me, seeking help to find a relic called the Chosen One's Jewel. Since I was so mad at you for blackmailing me, I didn't press the matter." She glared at him, "I'm not a simpleton Teach. This involves me somehow. I know it."
Sloth smiled. "I suppose its no surprise that you figured it out. You're probably my brightest student. It took the rest MONTHS to learn how to kick someone properly, but you mastered all the fighting I could teach you in a matter of weeks. You're sharp as a tack."
"Cut the bull and tell me what this is about." Carolyn growled dangerously.
Sloth sighed. "Alright. I'll tell you what I can. Remember how I told you about how the jewel was shattered for unknown reasons 200 years ago? I lied. I know exactly how it happened. My great-great-great grandfather, Fredrick Sloth, a powerful warlock, slew the faerie guarding it. But she sealed his soul into an amulet with the last of her strength, so his soul could never pass onto the afterlife. That faerie was Fyora's great-great-great grandmother, Queen Fiona. Her daughter Selene scattered the shards, just like Fiona told her to as she died."
"I don't get it." Carolyn said frowning, "What do I have to do with this?"
"Carolyn, you are the reincarnation of Fiona."
Everyone exclaimed! Katie and the neopets stared at Carolyn in shock.
"R-Reincarnation?" Carolyn said stunned, "You can't mean ME?"
"I understand its not that easy to grasp all at once." Sloth said nodding, "But I had my people check out some things about you and the Chosen One's Jewel Prophecy. Everything fits perfectly."
"THAT'S CRAP!" Carolyn screamed forgetting herself. She calmed down quickly and continued, "That can't be true! It's just a stupid fairy tale, right? How could I be a faerie queen's reincarnation? I'm a human!" She patted her back, "See? No wings!"
"Reincarnation has nothing to do with bloodlines or species." Sloth explained, "You're human, but you have the same soul as Fiona. You've just been given another body this time around and you have no memories of your past life as creator and protector of the jewel. Besides, as Fiona died, she made a prophecy that she would return to continue protecting the jewel. She would be reborn into the body of a human girl, born on earth, but led to Neopia by the magical gateway that binds our worlds together." Sloth looked her in the eye, "You were born to protect that jewel. The flashback you saw in the healing springs was probably a memory of being killed in your past life. The jewel is linked to your fate. The jewel can never be destroyed, so you must protect it the rest of your life, and your next incarnation must guard it too, and your next incarnation, on and on, until the world ends."
Carolyn fiddled with the jewel shard that hung around her neck. "I'm the eternal protector of the immortal jewel..." She sighed sadly
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Everyone wailed as the sphere plummeted down towards the ground. Carolyn felt sick to hear stomach. Right when she was sure she was going to hurl, the sphere crashed into the ground with an earth-shattering THUD!
"That's it." Carolyn gasped weakly as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Next time I drive."
"No way in hell." Sloth snarled, "It's my machine, I invented it so I get to drive it!"
"You're the boss." Carolyn said smiling mischievously. She slammed her fist down on a red button that said 'EJECT'. Sloth was launched into the air screaming like a little girl.
"Now what'd you go and do that for?" Katie said smiling.
"'Cause he's an asshole, that's why. Now let's go."
Katie and Carolyn pulled themselves out of the sphere. Dr. Sloth staggered over to them in a daze.
"But mommy..." He gasped insanely, "I don't want to go to school today. All the kids make fun of me!"
Carolyn slapped him across the face. His eyes returned to normal.
"Thanks, I needed that."
"Aw I'm no hero." She said grinning, "I just like hitting people in the head!"
They began to jog away from the wreckage of the sphere. They had crashed into a hillside not too far from Carolyn's home. After about five-minutes of walking, they were walking up the sidewalk to the front door.
"Okay, so we're just getting the neopets, and then we'll head out. Right?" Carolyn asked.
"Right." Sloth responded.
Suddenly the front door to the house flew open and Carolyn's neopets bolted out. At the sight of their owner, they gave a squeal of delight and jumped into her arms.
"Mom!" Pachi cried happily calling Carolyn by her nickname as she leaped up onto Carolyn's head and curled up in a ball. Carolyn looked like she was wearing a very strange hat.
"It's been too long!" Aqua cheered.
"You've been gone for two weeks!" Zafey cried.
"I know. I'm sorry." Carolyn sighed. "But I had to go. For our sakes."
"A really scary boy came by looking for you." Hophop added. All four neopets shuddered at once.
"A scary boy?" Carolyn said frowning. "What did he look like?"
"We couldn't see him too well." Pachi said hanging her face down in front of Carolyn's so they were face-to-face. "He wore sunglasses to hide his identity. But we could see that he had these really scary red eyes."
"They looked evil!" Aqua chimed in.
"Evil eyes..." Carolyn thought silently.
"And what was his name?!" Sloth demanded. He looked very uptight all of a sudden.
"He didn't tell us his name." Zafey explained. She lowered her gaze. "He got really mad when we told him you were gone. His face didn't show his anger. His face was expressionless the whole time. It was really creepy. But you could tell he was mad, on account he put his foot right through the porch!"
"WHAT?!" Carolyn screamed in horror. She set her neopets down on the ground and bolted to the wooden porch in front of the door. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the wood right in front of the door. "NOOOO!" Carolyn wailed. "I just built this porch! It'll cost a fortune to fix!"
Sloth turned away from everyone. "Cronos..." He murmured angrily.
"What was that?" Katie asked frowning.
"Never mind!" Sloth said quickly. "Forget about the porch for now! We've got shards to find!"
"Fine!" Carolyn grumbled. She turned and stared up at the sky. She had heard what Sloth had said perfectly. "Cronos..." She whispered softly. "Strange...it sounds so familiar."
She sighed and followed her friends away from the house and down the street towards the bus station. But as she walked away a pair of eyes watched her from the darkness.
******
She was not the reincarnation of Fiona.
Cronos could sense it as he sat perched on the roof of the girl's home as she and her stupid friends walked away from the house. Even from a distance the girl didn't look a thing like Fiona. The girl's hair was a brassy blond color while Fiona's had been a soft shade of violet. And Fiona had matching lavender eyes as well, but that girl had pale blue eyes. But despite all these differences, Cronos had to admit the girl wasn't bad looking. She'd had that same regal bearing feeling that had made Fiona so powerful and beautiful.
Cronos scratched his chin and thought for a moment. "What was it that your friends called you? Carolyn?" He rolled his eyes. "What a ridiculous name. Fiona's reincarnation wouldn't be called that. Well little Carolyn, you may not be who I'm searching for, but you will still prove very useful to me." He clenched his fist. His claw like nails dug into the palm of his hand, cutting the flesh. "And once you've gathered all the shards for me..." He punched a hole in the roof and vanished as quickly as he had come...
Two days later on Mystery Island...
Carolyn walked around the gift shop humming to herself as she picked up various objects.
"I'll get this for Caitlin..." She mumbled picking up a pair of sandals, "This sand sculpture for Tommy..."
"How much money do you HAVE?!" Sloth said in amazement as Carolyn started towards the counter.
"Me? But Teach, YOU'RE paying!" Carolyn had picked up the bad habit of calling Sloth 'Teach'.
"WHAT?!" Sloth roared.
"I don't have any money." Carolyn stated calmly.
Sloth fished into his pocket and pulled out a bag of neopoints. "But I only have this..."
Carolyn snatched it from his hand grinning. "Thank you!"
Sloth stared death back at her. "Thanks a lot brat..."
"I'M READY TO PAY!" Carolyn yelled. A voice from the back room rang out in respond.
"I'm coming already! Sheesh!" A few seconds later a young boy that looked slightly older than Carolyn and Katie came out. He was dressed in gothic attire and had his short spiky hair dyed a violent shade of green. His left eye was missing, like it had been torn out in a fight.
"Hate this damn part-time job..." He mumbled coming up to the counter, "Why'd the boss have to have me earn the extra money..." He spotted Carolyn and grinned almost lecherously. "Yo babe. You want to buy this stuff?"
"No she doesn't!" Sloth yelled quickly, eager to keep Carolyn from spending all his money.
"YES I DO!" Carolyn shouted shooting Sloth an angry glance.
"THAT'S IT!" Sloth snarled smacking Carolyn on the back of the head. "NO DINNER FOR YOU TONIGHT!" He turned and stomped out of the shop.
"Bastard." Carolyn grumbled sticking up her middle finger at him as he left. Fortunately for our young heroine, he didn't notice.
She turned her attention back to the boy behind the counter. His eyes were locked on her chest.
"Hey!" She snapped. "My face is up HERE!"
But she realized he WASN'T Looking at her chest. He was staring at the shard of the jewel around her neck. He reached out and held it in both hands.
"Where did you get this?!" He demanded. She angrily ripped the shard from his hands.
"That's none of your business! And why are you so concerned?!"
The boy smiled again. "No particular reason." He traced the index finger of his right hand across her cheek. "But you better watch yourself babe. I think we'll be seeing each other again real soon." He added as he grinned mysteriously. Carolyn quickly slammed the bag of Neopoints down on the counter and left without saying another word to the boy.
Dr. Sloth, Katie, and Carolyn's Neopets were all waiting outside. Sloth had his arms folded and was leaning against the build looking impatient.
"Did you get any change?" He asked hopefully as he straightened himself at the sight of Carolyn's return.
Carolyn slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh crap! I forgot to get change! I'm sorry, I just got really scared and I got the hell out of there."
"Scared?" Katie said in shock, "Carolyn...that boy didn't try to touch you or anything...did he?"
"No, not really." Carolyn responded. "But he noticed the shard and told me to watch myself."
"Well, at least you're okay." Sloth grumbled as he started down the street. Carolyn was stunned that her teacher had shown even a little concern about her. "Come on you punks. We need to get to the jungle. We'll be finding the 2nd shard tomorrow."
Not too far away, in a shady part of town...
The green-haired boy from the souvenir shop hurried down the street, careful to stay in the shadows. He didn't mind the shadows, the darkness gave him a feeling of security. He paused for a moment, his bony white hands were stuffed into the pockets of his black pants. Then he ducked into a shabby-looking tavern. Everyone inside was either drinking or smoking. The air was filled with noxious fumes that would make a normal person gag. But the boy was used to it, he ignored it and kept walking. Fistfights were going on around him. He ducked to the ground as a barstool was hurled in his direction. It smashed onto the floor. The barkeeper had given up trying to restore order, and was now hiding behind the counter, periodically emerging to serve drinks.
The green-haired boy surveyed the room. He then strode over to a table where a boy in his late teens with long messy red hair sat. He had scars all over his face and his eyes were a bright blue color. He was chugging beer from a mug. The green-haired boy sat down across from him and ordered a beer from a nearby waitress.
"Lucian." The boy with red hair said to the green-haired boy. "You're shift at the souvenir shop doesn't end for an hour. What are you doing here?"
Lucian grinned as a mug of beer was placed in front of him. "Well Darius, my fine friend, I have a lead on one of those blasted shards that we've stayed on this bloody island for 3 years trying to find."
"Do you now?" Darius said smiling, suddenly interested.
"One of my customers was wearing one. A girl around my age."
"Describe her." Darius ordered as Lucien took a swig of beer.
"She has smooth white skin, eyes that are a stunning shade of blue, and huge-"
Darius slammed his fist down on the table. "I was NOT asking for your perverted description! I was simply asking for a description you fool!"
At that moment the door flew open and figure dressed from head to toe in a black cloak strode in. He had sunglasses on to hide his face. He walked over to the counter, leaned forward, and yelled. "Hey barkeep! Give me the strongest stuff you've got!"
The barkeeper stood up. "Are you sure laddie? This stuff is seriously strong! The last guy who tried this crap, was the island's best drinker, and he spent the next 2 days retching!"
"Just get me my drink." The boy snarled. The barkeep sighed.
"Alright then. Your funeral laddie." The barkeep ducked behind the counter and returned a few moments later holding a drink in his left hand. Smoke was oozing up from the sickly brown liquid. Lucien and Darius stopped speaking and decided to watch and see what happened.
The boy took the glass in one hand. He paused for a moment, and then he raised the drink to his lips and chugged the entire mug. He set the mug down. Lucien and Darius leaned forward expecting him to pass out, and if he did, they wanted first dibs on his wallet. But the boy calmly sat there and ordered another drink.
"Mary Mother of God." Darius said in amazement. "Where the hell did he put it?"
"Some people are just freaks." Lucien said shrugging. "Now what were you saying?"
"Give me a REAL description of that girl with the shard!" Darius snapped. The boy with the great liquor holding abilities turned and listened carefully to what they were saying.
"She had short brassy-blond hair, eyes that were such a pale shade of blue that they were almost gray, she had pale white skin, she was wearing a pink top with spaghetti straps, and blue jeans, and emerald green boots that went up to her ankles. She was wearing the shard around her neck."
"I see." Darius said calmly.
"Is that TRUE?!" The boy with the liquor abilities jumped up and sat down at their table.
"Who the hell are you?!" Lucien demanded.
"Not important," The boy said quickly, "Now let me ask you something. Was the girl traveling with a redheaded girl wearing fishnets, and a man that looked like Dr. Sloth?"
Lucien stared at him in wonder. "Y-Yes! But how did you know?!"
"I've been watching that girl for some time now. She and her pals are planning to gather the shards. Slothy has a scroll revealing their location. They'll be going after the one in the cove tomorrow."
"Why are you telling us this?" Darius asked suspiciously.
"Just helping you fellows out." The boy said smiling, "You go tell your boss, you go after the girl, get the shard, and do whatever the bloody hell you want with her. Savvy?"
Lucien and Darius both grinned. "Well then, I guess we'll be going to tell our boss."
The boy smiled and held up his mug. "To greed!"
Darius and Lucien held up their mugs as well. "To greed!" They responded. They then clacked their drinks together took a huge swig of liquor.
Later that night everyone in Carolyn's group (or if you asked Sloth, HIS group) was sitting around a campfire. Everyone had an individual tent set up. Carolyn was rummaging through her bag of stuff she'd bought while shopping looking for something. She finally grinned and pulled out a small bundle.
"What's that for?" Hophop asked as Carolyn began to unwrap the brown paper. When she was finished she was holding a pair of soft leather gloves. She smiled and slid them on her hands.
"What did you buy those silly things for?" Sloth asked rolling his eyes.
"Well, I'm going to be handling a sword for the next couple of days." Carolyn said adjusting them on her hands, "I don't want to get blisters."
"Wimp." Sloth grumbled. "A few blisters with make your hands stronger after they fade!"
"I'd rather keep my hands normal." Carolyn said calmly.
Katie was busy cooking hotdogs over the fire. They were impaled on metal rods and she was turning them slowly over the flames. Finally she held them up and said: "Dinner's done! Although hotdogs cooked over an open flame is a poor excuse for a meal..."
Everyone ate the hotdogs in silence. Carolyn kept looking up at Sloth, expecting him to say something. He was silent. Finally she spoke up.
"So what does all this have to do with me?" She finally asked. He stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
"You called me the Chosen One countless times before we set off on this stupid trip. And then you came to me, seeking help to find a relic called the Chosen One's Jewel. Since I was so mad at you for blackmailing me, I didn't press the matter." She glared at him, "I'm not a simpleton Teach. This involves me somehow. I know it."
Sloth smiled. "I suppose its no surprise that you figured it out. You're probably my brightest student. It took the rest MONTHS to learn how to kick someone properly, but you mastered all the fighting I could teach you in a matter of weeks. You're sharp as a tack."
"Cut the bull and tell me what this is about." Carolyn growled dangerously.
Sloth sighed. "Alright. I'll tell you what I can. Remember how I told you about how the jewel was shattered for unknown reasons 200 years ago? I lied. I know exactly how it happened. My great-great-great grandfather, Fredrick Sloth, a powerful warlock, slew the faerie guarding it. But she sealed his soul into an amulet with the last of her strength, so his soul could never pass onto the afterlife. That faerie was Fyora's great-great-great grandmother, Queen Fiona. Her daughter Selene scattered the shards, just like Fiona told her to as she died."
"I don't get it." Carolyn said frowning, "What do I have to do with this?"
"Carolyn, you are the reincarnation of Fiona."
Everyone exclaimed! Katie and the neopets stared at Carolyn in shock.
"R-Reincarnation?" Carolyn said stunned, "You can't mean ME?"
"I understand its not that easy to grasp all at once." Sloth said nodding, "But I had my people check out some things about you and the Chosen One's Jewel Prophecy. Everything fits perfectly."
"THAT'S CRAP!" Carolyn screamed forgetting herself. She calmed down quickly and continued, "That can't be true! It's just a stupid fairy tale, right? How could I be a faerie queen's reincarnation? I'm a human!" She patted her back, "See? No wings!"
"Reincarnation has nothing to do with bloodlines or species." Sloth explained, "You're human, but you have the same soul as Fiona. You've just been given another body this time around and you have no memories of your past life as creator and protector of the jewel. Besides, as Fiona died, she made a prophecy that she would return to continue protecting the jewel. She would be reborn into the body of a human girl, born on earth, but led to Neopia by the magical gateway that binds our worlds together." Sloth looked her in the eye, "You were born to protect that jewel. The flashback you saw in the healing springs was probably a memory of being killed in your past life. The jewel is linked to your fate. The jewel can never be destroyed, so you must protect it the rest of your life, and your next incarnation must guard it too, and your next incarnation, on and on, until the world ends."
Carolyn fiddled with the jewel shard that hung around her neck. "I'm the eternal protector of the immortal jewel..." She sighed sadly
