Author's Note: As of 1/19/05, Both Ionabel and Lihimal (who are in fact my pets)have been painted. I won't however say this in the story though because it messes up my story.

Her body still bent in contortion, Taelia laid her on a bed in her cozy home. For an unknown reason, her pain had gone. She wasn't complaining, far from it! But she didn't seem to be able to feel anything, and that definitely worried her. She gathered her strength and looked around the room.

There were no less than five beds in the octagonal room. One held a yellow bruce, one held Maedanon and one held her own weak body. It seemed as if only Rebekkana was awake, until the yellow bruce asked, "What are you two's names, and why the hell are you that messed up," in a weary voice.

Rebekkana worked up all her energy and said, "I'm Rebekkana, she's Maedanon, weird scientist's experiment."

"Judy. I got neggititus and neomonia."

"Glad you two met!" said someone from out of Rebekkana's line of sight. As she strained to see, Taelia walked towards Maedanon. "Well I'm glad I now know a little about you two now. All I knew was that you poor kids were laying in the snow, unconscious. So Rebekkana, what made you two like this, hon?" She tried to remember, but was met with much pain. Finally, through the pain she remembered. The scientist!

Taelia, sensing Rebekkana's pain, ran and fetched a bottle of potion. "Drink this. It's pain reliever." She quickly consumed the bottle and felt better almost immediately.

"There is this scientist dude down the mountain a bit. He's paying us... 100,000 neopoints to test this new potion. Wait! What time is it?" asked Rebekkana in a frightened tone.

"Nine-fifty, why?"

"Taelia, we have to be at that scientists place in ten minutes!" Taelia looked skeptical.

"Rebekkana! He was the one who did this to you two in the first place! You want to go back there?!?"

"He might be the only one who can reverse this! Please?" The snow faerie looked convinced. "Fine! Judy, you just stay in bed ok?" Judy looked up, "Ok Taelia."

"Rebekkana, you get Maedanon and yourself on this sled," said the snow faerie as she pulled a red toboggan from a overstuffed closet adjacent from the room the sick stayed in. "I'll pull you two." Rebekkana looked skeptical. "Taelia, we must weigh 85 pounds together!"

"Do you forget? I'm a faerie."

A half an hour later, with Taelia the Snow Faerie magically pulling the loaded down sled, they arrived outside the scientist's lair. Taelia pounded on the heavy steal door. "Open up!!" The scientist, mutant looking as ever, came to the door and smiled evilly. "Ah. . . I see the children have come back to retrieve their pay! Come in!" Taelia lifted Maedanon from the toboggan as Rebekkana stumbled into the place she thought she'd never go again.

"So I see the potion worked! Well, let me get your two's money. . ."

"Not so fast, Dr. Mendheim!" exclaimed Taelia. Rebekkana was shocked, "You know this person...creature... thing?" Taelia quickly explained, " He's tried to do something like this before, and I thought I had gotten rid of him. Evidently, I did not. Now Dr., how can we cure these two?"

The scientist grinned, "Well I do have some curing potion, but it will cost them. My price is about, let's say, . . . 100,000 a bottle."

"That's our entire wages!"

"Yes! So either gather your money and do what you like, or give me the money and be your self again! Your choice." Rebekkana thought hard. Maedanon truly needed that potion, that was obvious. But she contemplated her own situation. In her mind, it came down to trading one handicap for another. Either she was deformed and could never be normal looking, or she would be bound to cold environment til her mother raised another 100,000 neopoints. She didn't know what she thought but she knew her mother would want her to do. If disobeying my mother got me into this, maybe obeying her will get me out. "Give me two bottles of that stuff," said Rebekkana forcefully as she handed over both neopets wages.

When they received the bottles of orange liquid, Rebekkana slurped down hers. It tasted gross and burned her throat, but she got better almost immediately. As she held the other vial up to Maedanon's beak, the scientist spoke up. "Just a little warning for you, the potion will reverse any painting. Maedanon will reverse from a starry Lenny to her original colors." Rebekkana gulped. This could result in Maedanon wanting to kill her for taking away her color. Even so, she poured the liquid down the Lenny's throat.

Maedanon sputtered as she woke from her unconsciousness. Her starry coat slowly faded to blue, and she streched her wings and legs to make herself normal again. "What . . . what happened?"

Rebekkana and Taelia explained all that had happened since she had been conscious last. "You mean, not only am I not going to get my 100,000 neopoints but I lost my color!" exclaimed Maedanon, obviously not grateful, "My mom's going to kill me!"

"Maedanon, you're going to live. Isn't that better than a dead Lenny who just happens to have 100,00 neopoints and a fancy hue?"

"I don't know. . ."

Taelia led her two young friends to their respective homes. Maedanon's mother certainly didn't seem happy, but they did not stay long enough to see anything bad happen. Finally, they got to Rebekkana's family's neohotel room. Her mother greeted her at the door, tears and worry in her eyes. After a long embrace, the mother pushed the child away slightly so she could look into her eyes. "Where have you been for 28 hours?"

Taelia and Rebekkana yet again told the story, this time starting at the first day of this odyssey, the night Antarala told Rebekkana of the job. At this point, her mother shot Antarala an disapproving look. "Oh honey, if I had known you'd do something so drastic I would have just used the lab ray money for individual paint brushes! You know what! I'm going to do just that! When we go back to our home, I'm getting each of you a paint brush!"

Taelia smiled, "Well, I'm going to head home. . ." Rebekkana ran forward and hugged the faerie."Thank you sooooo much!"

"No problem kiddo."

As Taelia left, the neopets excitedly contemplated what paint brush they wanted. They knew that they had to keep the wishes low, they did not have that much money. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. As Lihimal opened the door, she saw Maedanon standing there, a single suitcase in hand. "Bekky, I think it's for you!"

"Maedanon, what are you doing here?" Maedanon frowned. "My mom kicked me and my sister out." She moved her suitcase to reveal a blue Moehog. "Her name's Spinette, she's younger than me. Mom was so upset about me losing the money and my color she..." she lower her voice so her sister couldn't hear, "...self froze her account."

"Oh no! Where are you two going to live?"

"That's why we came here. I know you can't keep us, you've already got three sisters, but could we come with you back to Neopia Central. At least there we can go to the pound." Spinette shivered, and Rebekkana realized that they still were standing in the snow. "Why don't you two come in and I'll ask my mom. I'm sure we can take you to Neopia Central."

The End