Stuck

      "Shush." Shaun pressed one flaming glove to his sister's lips and she flinched back in surprise. He turned back to watch the tall Ogrin without another word.

      The Bori growled the slightest bit. "But I want to see the outside world now. You've always said that someday we would be able to get out of this dump of a town, and that time is this very moment. And you're willing to pass up the chance just because of that guy? We don't even know him!" she said in a frustrated whisper.

      Shaun sighed and rolled his eyes. His sister had always been this way, stubborn and never waiting until things were perfect. She would rather have it unsafe and now instead of extremely safe and later. However Shaun was older than her, and therefore made the decisions. So they would wait until the Ogrin left and Shaun could safely grab the wings without getting caught.

      The Magma Bori opened her mouth to complain again, but Shaun quickly interrupted her. "Amy. Listen. I checked the tickets recently sold at the Moltaran Amphitheater, and this man is scheduled to go see the play Burning Desire there in just five minutes. If you can wait that long, then we'll be able to get out of Moltara for sure."

      Amy said nothing.

      The two sat there in silence for what felt like hours. Shaun panted a bit in the heat, thankful that his shell was made of rock and not wood like the rest of his body. The heat hadn't fared well for the leaves branching off the end of his tail, and in the sixteen years he had lived in Moltara, the leaves had withered and shriveled away and he had more than one scorch mark on his wooden body. His sister might have fit in here, but he certainly did not. He would have much rather been living in the forests of Meridell, for he had heard they were lush and beautiful thanks to a so-called Illusen.

      The Ogrin checked his watch, and a surprised look washed over his face. He rushed over to the coat closet the two Bori were hiding in, and Shaun sucked in his breath. But the gentleman looked outside and quickly turned away, most likely figuring that he wouldn't need a coat. He grabbed a pocket watch from a small stone table and rushed out the door, slamming it behind him.

      Amy pushed past Shaun and tumbled out of the closet. "Man, I thought he would never leave." She stretched her arms and yawned.

      "He could still come back," Shaun said quietly. "So let's get this over with." He stood up and walked over to a large metallic door with a picture of a gear hand-painted on it. "According to my research, his inventions should be behind this door." The Bori looked up and down the sheet of metal, searching for a knob. All he saw was a tiny keyhole at the edge of it.

      "Did you see if he left a key on the table?" Shaun asked.

      "Who needs a key?" Amy asked, walking up to the door. Small blasts of flame curled off of her stone body. "Let's just melt our way through."

      "Amy, this is not our property," Shaun began. "And when mom was alive, she told us never to—" He was cut off as his sister aimed her claws at the door and beams of fire shot at the metal. The flames began to melt through the thick metal, forming a hole that was quickly growing.

      Shaun sighed. It was so typical of his sister to do this. Their mother had been a mage, but had been blatantly unwanted because of it. And while Shaun had no powers at all, his sister often used her own, despite their mother's warning to never show anyone that she had them. Of course, Amy had always thought since they were already unwanted in Moltara as thieves, she had no reason not to use her powers.

      "Are you coming?" Amy asked, snapping Shaun out of his thoughts. She had already burned quite a large hole in the door, and had entered the invention room.

      Shaun stepped through the hole into a room filled with various metal scraps and half-finished inventions. Both Bori walked over to a large table with half its space taken up by a large pair of metal wings. Amy's claws greedily snatched the invention and she held them close. "Shaun, these are our ticket out of here," she said slowly. Her eyes lit up as she said it.

      "Forgot my ticket," said a voice from outside the room. "Hey—What the—"

      "Amy!" Shaun whispered quickly. "Mission abort! Put the wings down and follow me!"

      "NO!" the small Bori roared, clutching the wings closer.

      "Hey!" the voice from outside said loudly. Shaun turned around to see the Ogrin leaning in the hole in the doorway, pointing at them and screaming. "You! What are you doing here? Get out of my invention room!" His eyes quickly darted to the wings in Amy's hands. "What the—PUT MY INVENTION DOWN!" he screamed. "Guards! Someone! Thieves!"

      "We need to go now!" Shaun shouted. He grabbed his sister's hand with his gloved claws. He didn't see the wings, and figured she must have put them down when she realized the importance of getting away safely.

      Amy took the lead and pushed the Ogrin out of the doorway. He screeched and fell over as her burning claws slammed into his shadow fur. "Sorry, mister!" she shouted out as she ran past him and out the doorway. The gentleman was already up and clutching the burn by the time Shaun reached the hole in the metal.

      Shaun peered down at the Ogrin, seeing nothing but a look of pure terror in his eyes. "I'm sorry," Shaun whispered gently as he ran out of the front door after his sister.

      Amy was standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by guards of all species and sizes. Bursts of flame sparked and flew into the air as Amy attempted to push the guards back with her powers, but to no avail.

      "She's a magic user!" Shaun heard at least one guard shout. "Lock her up! Magic has no place in Moltara!"

      These Neopets really despise magic, Shaun thought with disgust. Shoving the thought aside, and rushed through the guards crowding around his sister. Most of them shivered as he brushed past, whispering things about 'the Woodland Bori' and 'the wanted thief'. He could have cared less.

      "Amy!" Shaun shouted as he neared the Bori. She looked up in shock, guilt washing over her face. Shaun didn't even have to ask why. Instead, he grabbed her hand and began weaving his way back through the crowd of guards. "Why did you take the wings with you?" he scolded.

      The two tumbled out of the crowd of guards. Amy slid the straps of the wings over her shoulders as they ran towards an alleyway. "I can't stand this place another day," Amy said.

      "I've been here much longer than you have," Shaun growled, losing his temper at the arrogance of his sister.

      "If you wanted to leave, you would have done something by now!" Amy buckled the wings across her chest, scorching the thick brown leather slightly. "I have a life to live, and it doesn't include staying here for months and months doing nothing but stealing and being hated for having magic and eating out of dumpsters. I'm tired of living in the shadows. So I'm getting out of here, and you can join me whenever you want to begin your life," she snapped back.

      The Bori pressed a small button on the metal backpack the wings were attached to. All at once the metal started whirring and Amy shot into the air, looping above the guards' heads and laughing maniacally. "See you on the outside!" she called out, flying high into the sky and flapping her wings wildly until she disappeared into a large rock hole.

      Now was Shaun's chance, while the guards were distracted by Amy. He dodged a heap of discarded metal parts and ran into the alley, ducking behind a large dumpster. A small indent was half-hidden behind the dumpster. Shaun, being quite skinny from life on the streets, squeezed into the indent with ease. He held his breath, hoping none of the guards had seen where he had disappeared to.

      Amy had left him. It would take forever until he had another opportunity to try and get out of Moltara, until all of the bad publicity he would surely earn would die away. His sister's selfishness had him stuck in Moltara once again.

      All he could do now was wait.

The End