Mind Games: Kemiah
Morgan coughed as dust expelled from the box she'd opened. Her stormy gray eyes watered as she sifted through the contents of a box. Her dust encrusted red hair was kept out of her face by the black bandanna that encircled her head. The sleeves of her gray sweat shirt were rolled up past the elbow. The hems of her faded blue jeans were ragged and in tatters over her dirt stained tennis shoes.
Someone behind Morgan sneezed abruptly three times, then coughed. Morgan turned to see her skunk Kyrii, Neopet12345 clambering up that ladder that served as access into the attic. "Morgan what on Neopia possessed you to clean the attic today?" Neopet, fondly known as Neo, demanded as he sneezed again.
Morgan smiled and tossed her bandanna to him. The Kyrii obligingly caught it and tied it over his mouth and nose. "It would be this bad Neo if I cleaned it on any other day, so what makes it so horrible if I do it today?"
The Kyrii just rolled his eyes in answer and wandered over to the box Morgan had just opened. It was nearly filled to the brim with bottles of multicolored sand. Neo wrinkled his nose behind his mask. "How did you manage to get all this junk?"
Morgan dusted her hands off and stood. "I was around for a long time before you got here Neo. I had plenty of time to collect junk. Now would you take this down stairs and put it in the donation pile?"
Neo nodded and flicked his left paw at the box. It shuddered and rose into the air, then shot forward two and a half feet. The sudden jerk dislodged bottles and sent them flying into the air. Neo threw out his right paw in panic and the falling bottles stopped their downward descent.
Morgan crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at the Kyrii. "You're getting quicker, I'm impressed. A month ago you wouldn't have been able to catch them without shattering them with the force of you mind. Well done Neo."
Neo beamed. "Thanks!" he was panting a little as he maneuvered the box and bottles down the ladder to the main floor of their house. Morgan had discovered when she'd first adopted Neo that the Kyrii had the gift of moving objects with the force of his mind. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was psychic as well, as he sometimes showed that he knew what she was thinking. Neo of course denied any ability to read minds, he was still trying to get a hang on his telepathy without breaking things.
Morgan turned back to her task of opening boxes. She went to the still large, but dwindling stack. There was a crack as she trod on something hard. Frowning Morgan looked down at the object she had stepped on. The light in the attic was poor so she hadn't seen the painting on the floor, immersed in the shadows as it was. Morgan had broken the frame as she'd stepped on it. Now she bent down to pick it up curiously and examine it.
It was a portrait of a faerie, a fire faerie by the look of her. Her long red hair was blowing about her face. The painter had depicted light falling on it so that it shone like the fire of a sunset. The red satin gown that showed in the picture had a low, square neckline and was fitted tight to the faerie's chest. There were gold flames embroidered on the short sleeves that only covered her shoulders. Fire opals ran along the neckline, sewn in with gold. Around the faerie's neck was an orange bandanna and a long gold chain. Anything that would have hung on the chain was hidden, tucked down the front of the dress.
Morgan stared at the picture. The workmanship of it was beautiful, and she was sorry that she broke the frame. Morgan was moved her hands, instead of holding the picture by the mangled frame she held balanced on her open palms. She was still staring at the painting when a thing curl of smoke rose from a corner of the frame. Quite suddenly the picture burst into flame. Frame and all went up in a fiery blaze on Morgan's palms.
She cried out and tried to drop it. But even as her arms refused to move Morgan realized that the fire was not burning her. It quickly ran out of fuel and died away, leaving a folded piece of paper lying flat in Morgan's charcoal smeared hands. It was sealed with wax and the imprint of some sort of crest that Morgan didn't recognize. And scrawled across the front of it were the words. To you who may master such power.
"Well how will we ever know what it is if we don't open it?" Neo argued. The two were sitting at the kitchen table debating about what to do with the paper. The paper itself was sitting in the center of the table waiting for them to decide.
"Well what if we don't want to know what it is?" Morgan retorted. "Whatever it is it's probably not meant for me."
Neo stared hard at Morgan. He stood up in his chair and braced his paws on the table. "Don't tell me that your courage is that feeble Morgan." He breathed, the absolute desperation in his eyes hurt Morgan. "Do you truly have no desire for adventure?" He sounded almost lost.
"Of course I do!" Morgan said hurriedly. "But Neo, I don't even remember getting that painting. I don't even think it's mine!" The Kyrii shook his head and sat sulkily back down his chair.
"Fine Morgan, whatever you want." He slid off the chair and stalked off to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Morgan winced as the door crashed shut. She looked back at the paper and realized that Neo was right. She was being cowardly, what on Neopia was there to be afraid of? With that thought Morgan leaned forward and snatched the piece of paper. Breaking the seal, she gently unfolded what revealed itself to be a map. Morgan frowned, it was a perfect map of Krawk Island but for one difference. The map showed something beyond the Mysterious Cave. Whatever it led to, was deep within that cave, at the heart of the underground river. Almost at once Morgan's curiosity was fired. She stood from the table and cried. "Neo come on! We've got a little errand to do!"
Krawk Island was no different from the way it usually was. Cold and dingy, the air filled with the raucous voices of pirates. Their drunken songs were horrible but funny none the less. As Morgan and Neo stepped off the ferry they both headed directly for the the Mysterious Cave.
There were many stories surrounding the cave. Legend tells that baby Krawks were taken there to eat the glowing fungus the grew on the walls so that they would grow strong and healthy. Morgan had heard that if one took the Tyrannian petpet Krawk there and fed it the fungus that it would grow into a fully fledged Neopet. Morgan had no idea how true that was.
"Well, we're here" Neo said as he poked his dark head in the mouth of the cave. The wet stone smelled strongly of mildew and he wrinkled his nose and withdrew his head. "Now what?"
"Well the map was only of Krawk Island, not the cave itself." Morgan replied as she brought out the map. She unfolded it and made an exclamation of surprise. The map had changed from one of Krawk Island to one of the cave itself. It was quite diverse from the way it looked. "We're going to have to travel all the way to the other end of the Isle through the caves." Morgan commented as she scanned the new map. "But it doesn't look so bad."
"It always doesn't look bad." Neo replied as he lit the lantern. "But that's only a map, it can't come close to the real thing."
"You're right" Morgan said as she took the lamp from her Kyrii. "So we'll just have to be careful."
Strangely enough, it was easy to get to the large cavern the map indicated. Morgan navigated, keeping a firm hold on the map. Neo held the lantern and kept a sharp eye, and mind out for anything that might qualify as an enemy. But nothing prepared them for what awaited them at their destination.
They came out of a tunnel and had to shield their eyes from the brilliant light that shone from the crystal walls of the enormous cavern. There was a lake in the center, it surface a glittering sheen of light. The reflections from the water whirled across the walls in a frenzied dance.
"Well" Morgan said, her voice a little constricted, breaking the awe-filled silence. "This certainly isn't what I expected."
"Look" Neo said pointing. "There's something at the far end of the lake. Come on let's go see what it is." Neither Morgan or Neo had any idea what the object was, other than a large chunk of black rock. "Really doesn't go with the decor does it?" The Kyrii commented. Morgan could see what he meant. Everything around them was brilliant and shining. But this stone was dull and dead, it didn't reflect light, nor did it look like any light was falling on it at all. She frowned. Somehow through all of its dull cast, something in the stone felt alive. "Well this was pointless" Neo said, "come on Morgan let's go."
"Yeah" Morgan said, not really paying attention to his words. All her thoughts were still focused on the stone. She reached out and touched it, the rock was warm to her touch while everything else in the cavern was cold. Morgan shivered. "Yeah" She murmured, "let's go."
But as Morgan turned away from the stone, reaching her hand into her pocket to retrieve the map, she let out a cry of dismay. When Neo whirled around and asked what was the matter. Morgan drew her hand out of her pocket and instead of withdrawing the map, all that was in her hand was a fist full of ashes.
"We're in serious trouble Neo." Morgan said, letting the ashes flutter and swirl to the ground. "I didn't memorize the way down here." Neo opened his mouth to reply but then his eyes widened and a high pitched, slightly slurred voice that sounded like the user hadn't got the hang of talking yet said.
"Don't worry, I know the way out." Morgan whirled around to face the stone. But the stone was gone. It its place sitting with her large, heart wrenching eyes staring up at Morgan, was a baby Draik.
"Oh, aren't you cute." Morgan cooed, kneeling down next to the baby Neopet. Neo snorted scornfully, already he didn't like the newcomer. "What's your name?" Morgan inquired.
The Draik looked as if she though over what she would say then replied. "I... think my name is Kemiah. My memories yield little information about my name, and about me."
"But you know the way out?" Neo demanded. Kemiah nodded.
"Well then" Morgan said as she scooped up the Kemiah in her arms. "You'll just have to be our guide then."
Kemiah's directions about an exit were correct. In fact the party got out of the caves faster than they had gotten in. Do to a fact that there had been a closer entrance to the crystal cave than the Mysterious Cave. Morgan then led them all to the ferry docks.
"This" Neo said, turning to Kemiah. "Is where our paths part. Thank you for your help in getting out of the caves."
"Hang on a second Neo!" Morgan said angrily. "We can't just leave her, she may have no where to go!"
Kemiah sighed, looking sad. An emotion that was amplified ten fold by her baby appearance. "That at least is true." She said with a melancholy air. "I have nowhere to go."
To Neo's horror Morgan, smiled and picked up the Draik. "Then you can come home with us. There's more than enough room, come on Neo."
"I thank you greatly." Kemiah said as she rested her face against Morgan's chest. Neo made a disgusted noise and followed in bitter silence.
Morgan set up the bed she had bought on their way home in Neo's room promising him that she would get a new room built in the morning. With loving care Morgan tucked the new member of the family into bed and watched as Kemiah slept peacefully, a satisfied smile on her face."
Neo tugged at Morgan's sleeve. "Uh, Morgan, can I talk to you for a sec?"
Morgan consented and went out to the living room, quietly closing the door behind her. "What's up?" The girl asked, sinking onto the couch.
"Morgan, are you seriously thinking about keeping Kemiah as a permanent member of the family?" Neo asked, wringing his paws.
"Neo, the poor thing has no where else to go. And you of all pets should know better than suggest taking her to the pound." Morgan replied. Then she saw how agitated the Kyrii was. " Neo, what's the matter with having a sibling?"
"Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with it." Neo replied, sitting next to her on the couch. "Having a brother or sister would be nice. It's just..." his voice trailed off and he looked away from Morgan.
"Just?" Morgan prodded. Neither she nor Neo heard the door of Neo's room creak open.
"She's a baby, and a Draik. That's much more elaborate than a skunk Kyrii, even one that can move things without touching them." His eyes unfocused and blurred with tears. "Morgan, promise you won't abandon me." He looked up at his owner, the one person who meant everything to him. He could have lived in a cardboard box if she would be there with him. If Morgan deserted him too, it would cut him far deeper than when it had the first time. "I lost my first home because she wanted a more elaborate pet than me."
"Oh Neo," Morgan put her arms around the Kyrii and hugged him close. "I would never! Never, ever, Neo, I won't ever desert you! Trust me on that." For a long time they clutched each other and Neo's door slid quietly closed. "Now" Morgan said, breaking the embrace. "I think we should go to bed." Neo smiled shakily and nodded.
"Good night Morgan."
"'Night Neo"
Neo slid quietly into his room and turned his bed side lamp on. The Kyrii lifted the glass marble that was on his night table and sat cross legged on his bed. The marble lifted into the air, jerking hard in all directions.
"You're concentrating too hard." Said a quiet voice from across the room. Neo looked up to see that Kemiah was watching him intently. She slid out of her bed. "You're concentrating to hard on making it move. You need to be more relaxed with your commands or you'll break it. You only need a little bit a will power to get you going, but to just move it through sheer will, will exhaust you. You need to need to feel the object's movement as though it were your own."
"Oh? And what would you know about such things?" Neo snapped, irritated that Kemiah knew more about his ability than he did.
The Draik shrugged. "Maybe everything, maybe only something, perhaps nothing. It doesn't really matter in a whole to you anyway." Kemiah climbed back into her bed and lay on her side, with her back to Neo.
The Kyrii sat silently for a long time, thinking. Then he switched off the light so that only the pale light of the moon lit the room. In the darkness, the marble did perfect figure eights around the ceiling, and Neo smiled broadly.