Never Wish to Fly: Part One

      "Glia!" Glia's daydreaming was abruptly interrupted by her annoyed teacher's yelling. She looked up sheepishly. There were only a few hours left of neoschool, but it was like time was at a standstill!

      Finally the hands on the clock crept forward, and Glia was free! Neoschool was over, and it was summer! She excitedly ran towards home, freed from homework and books. During the walk home, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to fly. She often envied her sister, Pangra2000, a faerie Kougra, because she had wings and could take off into the air whenever she so pleased. In fact, that was how Pangra now got home. Glia couldn't blame her! Who would want to walk all the way home when they could soar, and get there faster? Glia had wanted to fly since she was a little Gelert, and often caught herself staring at many winged neopets: faerie pets, Scorchios, Pteris, Hissies, and so on.

      To try to fulfill her dream, she had started to go to a certain, odd scientist. Daily she would visit him, in hopes of being zapped into a type of aerodynamic pet. But alas, the ray had not changed her, aside from some minor stat changes and a few gender switches (which were quite embarrassing!).

      Glia finally arrived at the dock of the ferry that would take her to Mystery Island. She came out of her daydream, momentarily, and she went to board the boat. The ride never took long, and she soon found herself walking up the dry path to the cozy Mystery Island neohome that she shared with her sisters and owner.

      The house seemed unnaturally quiet as she dropped her babaa backpack on the bamboo floor. She quietly walked to the kitchen, almost afraid to disturb the still silence. While reaching getting an Achyfi (she preferred Neocola), Glia found a note attached to the counter in her owner's handwriting. The note read:

  Glia,

      Today Kebla, Pooglia, and I have gone to visit Terror Mountain. We left straight from school, and will be sleeping there overnight. Expect us home by about noon tomorrow. If Pangra hasn't arrived home by now, she probably went to visit friends, and we will be back later. Make sure you remember to leave a note if you go anywhere! See you tomorrow!

      Love,

      puppy200010

      Well, that would explain the quiet atmosphere! No one was home! Taking a long sip of her frosty soda, Glia decided to do her daily lab zapping. She obeyed her owner and wrote a brief note explaining where she went, and she hurried out the door, making sure to grab her backpack along the way. On her way to the ferry dock, she discovered what looked like an old, worn piece of paper lying on the ground. Examining the paper more closely, it appeared to be a piece of some sort of map. But what map? This one had what looked like stars on it, and none of the maps Glia had ever seen looked anything like it! Hopeful that it was worth something anyway, she stuffed it into her backpack.

      Eventually she arrived at the lair of the mad scientist who had developed the lab ray. She discreetly entered the laboratory. In the corner of the dark room stood the scientist, whose wild white hair poked in every direction. Quietly, Glia observed as he mixed several chemicals and mumbled. He seemed so absorbed in his work that Glia was afraid to disturb him, so she just stood near the entrance, silently. Finally the scientist turned around.

      "Ah, my experiment! Didn't see you there! How long have you been here?" said the scientist, speaking in a deranged, drawn out dialect.

      Glia tried to ignore the fact that she had just been called an "experiment". "Oh, I've only been standing here a few minutes. I was afraid to disturb you! What were you doing?"

      "Well, I wasn't doing any simple chemistry for beginners!" The scientist threw his head back and let out a deranged laugh. "That other scientist in the Haunted Woods has no idea what he's doing, invading my title as the resident evil scientist!" He switched his gaze and looked straight at Glia, who was trying to avoid being hypnotized by his crazed glance. "I've heard that you wish to fly."

      Glia was shocked that he knew. "Who told you?" she demanded.

      The scientist gave a short laugh. "Just heard it around. So, do you want my help or not?" Glia, still surprised, nodded slowly. "Good." He motioned to her using his pointer finger. Glia couldn't help but notice the disgusting, yellowed, pointed fingernails attached to his fingers. "I can help you. Come here." He walked across the room to a curtained area. The curtain was flung open, revealing a single laser. "My lab ray has undergone some renovations. I can give you what you seek, and make you fly, but beware, the effects will wear off at noon tomorrow! It would be a shame if you would happen to be in the air at that time!" He gave another bit of mad laughter. "But no use chatting, my dear, on with the experiment!"

      Glia gently dropped her backpack containing the mysterious map piece and stepped underneath the ray. She was nervous, especially since the ray had undergone "renovations". Wasn't one of the main characteristics of a mad scientist having experiments that go horribly wrong? Glia reluctantly pushed away her insecurities. She had a chance to fly!

      The scientist walked over to a half hidden switch on the wall. He threw the switch, giving more characteristic laughter, and Glia watched the ray start glowing, about to zap!

     -

      Meanwhile, Pangra was arriving home. She glided and had a soft landing on the edge of the neohome's yard. Folding her wings into a more compact and convenient form, she dug out her house key and went inside the house. Pangra's blue warf, Warfy, and Glia's halloween puppyblew, Blewy, bounded towards her as she went towards the kitchen. "Hi guys! Where's the rest of my family?" Pangra quickly found the note left for Glia, as well as the one written by Glia herself. "Mad scientist, eh? Well, guess that means I'm petpet sitting!" concluded Pangra while Warfy and Blewy played tag around her feet and the family's slorg slithered down the steps. "Just me and you guys tonight!" She went over and set out water and food for them, hopeful that they'd settle down soon and take a nap.

      Pangra quickly found herself getting bored. She settled on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and a sci-fi horror novel. After about 20 minutes, exhausted from chasing each other, Warfy and Blewy curled up on the couch next to Pangra. The slorg still, as usual, was nowhere to be seen.

      Pangra continued reading the book for awhile. It was just at the part where disguised aliens started abducting people who answered their door, when she heard someone knock! Pangra nearly jumped several feet into the air and sent both the popcorn flying and the petpets scurrying off the couch. Pangra hesitated before nervously starring out the peephole in the door. Still nervous, she slowly opened the door. It was only someone dropping off something her owner had traded for at the Trading Post! Pangra brought in the package and shut the door, realizing how stupid she had acted when she heard the knock. To avoid any future fear of surprise visits and deliveries, she shut the book and went to stand with the petpets, who had gone to the backyard through the pet door, outside.

      "Pfft! Aliens..." scoffed Pangra, still feeling ridiculous about earlier. Standing on the edge of the porch, she stared up at the night sky. It was so dark and peaceful, with all the stars twinkling. The night was calm, and the weather was pretty warm but with a cool breeze. Since there weren't any clouds, Pangra looked for constellations. Finding a few, she then looked for the moon and wondered how she could have missed it before! It was huge! And oddly enough, in the ten minutes Pangra spent looking at it, it seemed to grow! As she continued gaping, a mysterious object flew across the moon. She watched the course of the object across the sky until it stopped at the zenith. No more than 30 seconds after the object stopped, an eerie, glowing, green light appeared, giving Pangra a radioactive glow. She certainly hoped that she had simply fallen asleep on the couch while reading the book, but the grainy cement under Pangra's paws felt all too real. Or at least, it had felt real. She now found herself rising slowly off the ground and her vision was starting to blur. Before she could cry out, everything went black.

To be continued...