I was thinking about Poptropica membership when I limped down the stairs. Yes, we do have stairs, which is inconvenient for someone like me. But we'd had the house before the leg issue, so I can't say too much. I kept my arm balanced on the rail, and entered the living room. And I saw something horrible.
Mom was sitting on the floor, her face as pale as a ghost's. She looked really tired, like she'd been working all night. Around her shoulders was a towel, and a bowl of pumpkin soup was in her hands.
"Mom…?" I asked, my throat closing. Mom looked up at me; life returned to her eyes.
"Alice!" Mom exclaimed, leaping up and almost spilling her soup. "You're okay!"
"Um… of course I'm okay." I said, crinkling my nose.
"Where did you go?!" my mother shrieked, placing her tired hands on my shoulders and staring at me with her brown eyes- which are identical to mine.
"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling fear prickle my skin. "I've been here the entire time!"
"No you haven't!" Mom squeaked. "You… you left! During the night! I came into your room to get something, and you weren't there!" Her voice was changing pitch. She started fretting, like I do. "I was so worried! Why did you run away?! Where did you go!? I thought you could've been kidnapped, killed… the police are looking for you! I was terrified, Alice! What were you thinking?!" She inhaled roughly, like there were shards of glass in her throat. "I thought I lost you… just like Harold…"
"Mom…" I began. Suddenly I felt so stupid for not telling my mom earlier. I should've known she would react so dramatically- she's like that. Me too; I've inherited that trait from her. For a moment, even a smart-mouthed person like me didn't know what to say. Mom and I locked eyes for a moment, before Mom flopped back onto the couch, and let tears escape from her eyes. It wrenched my heart. Forget fighting villains and platform-jumping in Poptropica- seeing stuff like Mom crying is a real challenge.
I shook my head. "Mom... There's something I need to tell you. Something's happening to me." Mom sniffed again; I assumed she was listening. "It isn't… well… I don't know what word to use to describe it. But I will say it's challenging, and going to take a while to explain, so I think I might need to miss school." Mom sniffed again. I took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of a game called Poptropica?"
"Creatures from the forest have forced me to stop development on my new construction project," a lumberjack- or should I say lumberjerk- complained. "Please, journey into the woods and stop the threat!"
"Yeah," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. "Come on, Fierce Fox." She shrugged and followed me, as I told the tale. "The developers are trying to build a new casino, but the forest creatures are stopping them. And the forest creatures are stopping them because if the development goes ahead, they'll die."
"Harsh," Fierce Fox commented. "What's our mission, then?"
"Vice-versa of what that loser said," I answered. "We help the forest."
Fierce Fox nodded. "Sounds interesting." We passed a fallen trunk, which has a strange, glowing blue mushroom in it. As if it was shy, it popped away when we were near, and re-appeared when we were gone. I shrugged. Then we entered the forest.
The forest is a dark, shadowy and misty place. Thick trees cover the sky, and at every turn there's trees and various other plants of many dark and twisted colours. Rare patches of sunlight creep through the tree craziness, and the floor is covered in soft vegetation. Magic fills the air, and made my skin tingle. I could've gazed at it for hours (there are some seriously beautiful things in Poptropica), but we needed to move on.
In a hollow tree, there was a glowing, acorn-shaped rune. Fierce Fox snatched it; in its place, gazillions of tiny, buzzing and glowing fairy-like creatures called dryads flew out. They surrounded Fierce Fox, and picked her up with ease. To avoid being left behind, I reached out for her leg and leaped up; we took off.
"Scare them off when they take you too high!" I ordered, as the dryads lifted us up. We worked together (the dryads included), and jumped over a section of platforms. I've never liked the dryads; they're so small and flittery. However, strangely, they didn't even notice me. They only seemed interested in Fierce Fox, and carried her. But me? To them, I didn't exist. At least we made it past.
The good news was area two is just as beautiful: long, hanging, green vines fall down from the trees. The dark, twisted roots sit in the background, covered in shadows. The bad news?
"Ack!" Fierce Fox shrieked, as an elf hit her off a vine. She landed on an outstretched branch with a frown. Gulping, I grabbed the first vine, but no elves came to knock me off. In fact, they all seemed to be avoiding me. Weird, I thought. I should be suspicious… but I kinda feel like they're not trying to kill me. Fierce Fox, on the other hand, was getting beat up quite a lot by the elves. I felt a little bad (and sympathetic) for her.
Finally, with Fierce Fox being athletic (and me not being attacked), we passed the elves, and collected another rune- the Kobold. Area three is on the tree tops, where light is visible and the area is mostly leaves forming a path. This time, our old friends the dryads had returned, and were forming dangerous patterns in order to sting us- well, Fierce Fox. They still ignored me.
"Why don't they attack you?" Fierce Fox grumbled, as she narrowly missed an attack from the dryads.
"I don't know!" I answered honestly. "Just… stay behind me." Fierce Fox sighed, but raced behind me. The dryads found it harder to attack Fierce Fox, though we still got stung a bit. However, Fierce Fox's expression couldn't be decreased, and it hurt way more than the dryad stings.
Area four is a large, rocky, cliff area. It's like Mount Everest from Time Tangled, except there's no snow, no ice-bridges, there are way more plants and roots, it's not 1953, and also, there are trolls throwing boulders at us. If I was given a choice, I'd pick Mount Everest. Getting boulders thrown at you isn't ideal.
I gripped Fierce Fox's arm and pulled her out the way of a boulder. It sailed past us. The troll was preparing another one. I pointed to a platform; we jumped onto it, me lagging slightly behind. I still hated platforms, it seemed. We raced across a rocky slope. I stared at the wall, which is covered in paintings, plants and a fence made of bones. My feet sunk into the moss, reaching the end. The troll was beneath us; his back was a platform, leading to the next level. So, with a few failed attempts, we used it and got to the next level.
We passed a cave full of riches and a human skull (trolls are rich and stupid- like most businessmen). We leaped to another elevated space, as a boulder rolled underneath. As soon as it did that, we jumped back down and raced across the rocky floor, passing more strange, glowing plants. At the end, we used the troll's back as a stair.
Level three's the rockiest one, with many grass-covered platforms and holes in the ground. The troll continued throwing massive boulders, which were getting harder to dodge. At one point, the troll launched me back; I yelped. Fierce Fox tightly gripped my arm, determination on her face. The good thing about Fierce Fox- as grumpy as she can be- is that she's a hero and will save others when required, even if she hates them. I would've died without her (even if that's hard in Poptropica). Mom was so glad to hear she was helping me.
In the end, the troll accidentally dropped the boulder on itself, and we used it as a platform. It led to a smooth, rocky surface, which has a massive, shiny tree on it. Oh, and the Jötunn Rune. The path continued to the creepiest part of the island: the Nøkken.
The Nøkken's area is daunting on its own. It's dark, with shadows covering everything. Large toadstools gleam with shining lights, and there are icky, sticking-up, curled vines. There's a thick, black tree, which is scary enough to appear in my nightmares. And of course, there's the Nøkken itself. It glared daggers at Fierce Fox, and turned invisible. Glowing, blood-red paw-prints surrounded us, aimed for Fierce Fox, not me.
"Come on," I urged my friend. We raced along the dark path, the Nøkken on our tails. I leaped into an open stump, which is full of translucent, glowing plants, like you see in the dark parts of the aquarium. Fierce Fox and I leaped into some… well, fascinating, glowing water, which is full of stinging nettles. The Nøkken chased us- sorry, I meant Fierce Fox- in the form of a tornado. Fierce Fox and I kept a grip on each other, dashing through the water.
Finally, we made it to the end, the Nøkken still chasing us. It suddenly appeared, and lunged for Fierce Fox. With as much force as I could produce, I shoved her out of the way. The Nøkken vanished again. Then, I grabbed the Näckrosor Rune, and we raced off.
Area five is a flat, but still bushy area. A crowd of elves began chasing after us, wielding spears and other dangerous weapons. As well as that, obstacles stood in our way, which we had to either duck or jump over. Being quick (well, not me), we managed to get ahead of the elves. A few of them were in swings above our heads, and shot spears at Fierce Fox. I made sure we kept a grip on each other, as we continued ducking and jumping.
"Ah!" I screamed, as I crashed into an obstacle. Fierce Fox faced me. "Just keep going! I'll be fine!"
Fierce Fox chewed her lip. "No… we're meant to work together. Remember?" She said that with an icy tone. I raised my brow; my friend groaned and grabbed my arm, pulling me up. The elves were right behind us, and adrenaline forced energy into my legs. We leaped and ducked. My vision turned into a blur as I let my actions take care of themselves, my brain sailing off to La La Land.
I finally returned to myself when we got the Dökkálfar Rune, and the elves plummeted to their deaths. Sorry, little guys. Fierce Fox and I leaped onto a flying fox (puns welcome), and we landed in an especially forested area. Trees are everywhere, of all different shades of green. Spiky vines are curled up in the background, and vines hang down from trees. Little crystal-blue flowers are growing on trees. And finally, there's another large tree, which has a door, covered by vines. Little holes are above the entrance, shaped like the runes we got.
In the order we received the runes, we placed them into the holes. The vines pulled apart, leading into a tunnel. I nodded at Fierce Fox, and we entered. Inside, it's a giant space. Thick roots make up the walls, and gigantic mushrooms are scattered on the floor. In the center of the room, above a throne, a pearl-coloured orb floated and glowed. Some of our old creature friends are hanging out, and there's one new one: the Elf Queen.
"Welcome, young humans," she greeted. "You are the first of your kind to journey so deep into these magical woods."
"Yes, and we aren't the only ones," I replied cautiously. "A group of humans who want to destroy this place followed us here- hide the orb from them!"
"Thank you for advising us," the queen told me. She nodded, and the orb floated into her hands. "I see you are the prophesied hero." Fierce Fox scowled.
"Um… yes." I agreed, scratching the back of my neck.
"You seem to have knowledge about our home," the queen noted. "And a special kind of heroism that other heroes lack. Perhaps you can save us." She gulped. "You see, humans are not the only threat. A bigger force- power I cannot recognize- has been active in our home, affecting our creatures. I do not know if you can stop it, but you must try. I fear they will cause major harm."
I got a bad feeling. "We'll try."
The Elf Queen ordered something in a language I didn't recognize, and the forest creatures surrounded her. With wide eyes, she faced us.
"The developers are coming," she cried. "You must stop them!"
"I don't think asking them politely will do the trick," I said, tapping my chin. "We need to stop them with force!"
"Use this," the queen handed Fierce Fox an amulet, which gave her powers of the creatures in the forest. She faced me. "You already have an amulet of power. Use it well."
"I hope I will." I murmured.
There was a group of construction vehicles: a bulldozer, a crane, and a truck. They were storming viciously towards the forest, like nothing mattered in the world. We were way behind them, as they took out everything.
"Right," I instructed. "Use your goblin speed- the green button on your amulet- to catch up to that crane. Then, use your troll strength- it's orange- to shove the wrecking ball onto the next truck." Fierce Fox nodded and dashed off with the speed of Speeding Spike. Meanwhile, I was helplessly behind, knowing that Fierce Fox would soon be confused. I grabbed my necklace in my palm, and prayed for help.
I was expecting to get some kind of cool power, a weapon, or even something to throw. Instead I got a piece of paper and a pen. A message was engraved on the pen's side: The pen is mightier than the sword.
"Great…" I mumbled, clenching my teeth. "How is this supposed to help me?" The pen didn't feel magical like Percy Jackson's pen. And the paper didn't look special either. I thought about all the trash movies I'd watched (as well as personal experience), and figured there was some special power behind the pen and paper, but I had to figure out what. My thoughts were distracted by one alarming thought: Fierce Fox! And then my brain went bingo!
I had to write a letter to her! I was about to question the science and logic, but then I realized this was Poptropica, blah blah, and I needed to just go with it. I scribbled down what Fierce Fox needed to do on my note. Then I wondered how I was going to send it.
Name receiver, a voice from the paper- yes, freak out- spoke smoothly in my head.
"Um… Fierce Fox." I answered sheepishly, feeling a bit weird. The paper started pulling away from my fingers, like a dog on a leash. I opened my fingers; it flew away like a bullet. I collapsed to the ground, partly confused, astonished, grateful, and, strangely, nostalgic. Don't ask why.
Fierce Fox apparently received the note, because she was able to stop the developers. They were pretty freaked out, and packed up their things and left. The forest creatures thanked us graciously- both of us. The Elf Queen pulled us aside.
"Well done, you two," she said. "We will never forget you. As a reward, Fierce Fox, you may keep the amulet."
"Thanks!" Fierce Fox replied cheerfully, staring at her amulet. "Yeah, it was all me…"
"And as for you, Alice," the Elf Queen turned to me. "You used your powers well." Her face darkened. "However, the powers of your amulet are the same of those who caused the disruptions in the forest."
My face paled. "I... I think I know who's behind this… you see, when we were coming here, the creatures weren't really attacking me, or even noticing me. Only my friend."
The Elf Queen raised her brow. "Are you aware of what magic this is?"
"It's foreign magic from another island," I explained. "Long story. But if you see anyone called Dr. Jupiter, or a man with a white beard, don't trust him. Or a girl with brown hair and a shirt that says 'revenge'."
"I see," the Elf Queen replied, the information sinking in. "Thank you… for your words. My only gift to you is the respect of our magic. Wherever you are, the respect of the forest will be with you. And perhaps… sometimes, it will reach out to help you."
"Um… thanks." I said, feeling a bit strange. To be honest, I felt like Dr. Harold's private jet was a better gift, but I kept my thoughts to myself. After all, I'd saved the forest. The feeling after a good deed was a prize itself. Maybe that was something Fierce Fox didn't realize. Maybe.
...
"Remember, Spark," the man let her sit on his lap. "People'll give you gifts. Great things, like money, gold, a new iPhone, whatever. But the greatest gift isn't something you can buy- it can only be earned." He stared into her eyes. "Respect."