Chapter 1 - "Where Are We Going, Mommy?"

Lost: A Ruki's Story







“Where are we going, Mommy?” a small, Mutant Ruki asked her owner.

“To the rainbow fountain, Jade. Maybe the Water Faerie can make you green again.” the young woman answered stiffly. They were not, in fact, going to the Fountain; Laura was taking Jade to the pound. Ever since the lab ray accident two months ago, she has not been able to bring her darling Jade into public anymore without being ridiculed. The stress was becoming too much.

“We're here…” Laura whispered a few minutes later.

“Why are we at the—” Jade was cut off by a wheezy, crackling voice.

“Can I help you?” An elderly, white haired Techo stepped out of the double doors leading inside. “My name is Dr. Death.”

“Do you have any room for my Ruki here?” asked Laura, determinedly not meeting Jade's eyes.

“Room…?” Once again Jade was cut off by the Techo.

“Of course we have room” he said, leering down at the confused Neopet. “And what is your name?”

“J-jade…” she mumbled, looking at the ground. Did I do something bad? Why is mommy leaving me here?

“Well, Jade, come with me and I'll show you to your cell…” Dr. Death took her by the wrist and practically dragged Jade with him. The Ruki struggled to get free and called

to Laura for help. But, when she looked up, she saw that Laura had already gone.

Inside, the Techo forcibly led Jade through many dark hallways, each lined with metal doors. These doors had glass windows in them, and the occupants looked out at the pair. Jade could just barely hear some of them calling out for help…

“Here, cell E345.” He took a large bronze key out of his coat pocket and unlocked a door. He pushed Jade inside and shut the door almost completely.

“These two will explain how things work around here.” He said through the crack that was still open. Then he slammed it shut, leaving Jade alone. Or so she thought.

“Hello, there!” called a pleasant sounding voice behind her. Jade squealed in shock and turned around. Right in front of her was a yellow Kacheek, smiling amiably. “Are you our new roomie?” Judging from his voice, he was only a few years older than Jade, maybe five or six. She nodded hesitantly. His smile brightened. “Great! My name's Conan! Lyle is cleaning up the mess hall; he should be back soon. He also lives in here.

Jade nodded, still upset but slightly less nervous. She looked around the small room. In the far right corner there was a set of bunk beds, and at the wall opposite was a rather large single cot. In the middle was a small, cracked mirror. Next to the single bed was another door, labeled “Latrine”.

“Lyle gets the big bed over there,” Conan chatted on, “And I sleep on the bottom bunk over there. Is the top okay with you? I don't have wings like you, and I'm not the best climber.”

“It doesn't matter, but thanks. My name's Jade.”

“Well, hi, Jade!” cried Conan. He turned to go sit on his bunk, and Jade noticed that he was missing his tail. She walked over and sat next to him. At that moment, the entrance door burst open, and a giant, irritable-looking Striped Skeith walked in.

“Hey, Lyle, we got a new roommate.” said Conan, motioning to the Mutant Ruki.

“Evenin'” grumbled Lyle before disappearing into the bathroom.

“He's just mad because they made him scrub down the whole mess hall by himself.” Conan said to Jade.

“THAT'S because…” came Lyle's voice from behind the door, “They some how blame me for EVERYTHING that goes wrong in this rat hole!”
“Maybe you shouldn't have started that food fight today, eh?” shouted Conan, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

“Ahh, shaddup, kid. I'm not having a good day…” Lyle's voice was an annoyed bark. Jade giggled in spite of herself. The latrine door opened and the Skeith stalked out and plopped himself onto his cot, face first. He looked up at Jade.

“Hey, welcome to the fold.” he said, smiling. But with those huge teeth it looked more like a snarl. Jade understood his intentions. Ever since the lab ray incident she understood how hard it was for “unattractive” pets to convey their emotions.

“Don't worry, it's hard at first. But over time, you get used to it.” he said, seeming to read Jade's mind.

“Yeah, Lyle's been here thirty years. I've been in…three, I think. Ever since I lost my tail to Balthasar.” said Conan, trying to be cheerful as usual. But Jade detected more than a hint of sadness in his voice.

“An' I was abandoned when I got too old to fight in the Battledome.” said the great Skeith.

“I…I don't know why I was abandoned…” said Jade. She then caught her reflection in the cracked mirror. “Does it have something to do with the…the lab ray that they shot me with? Is it because I look like this?” Both Skeith and Kacheek were silent. Jade sighed sadly. “If you two don't mind, I'm going to bed…”

“Sure, good night, Jade.” Conan said as she ascended to the top bunk.

“See you in the morning, kid.” grunted Lyle, already half asleep. “Don't worry, you'll get adopted sooner or later…”







AUTHORS NOTE: I do not own Neopets. I never did, and I never will. Awww. Hope you enjoyed that chapter ^_^. Please comment, I know it's a bit boring, but it gets better. This IS just a prologue, after all! -WingedDragon

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