Chapter 1: The Beginning of The End... Of Sight
Only mere seconds ago there were two Inkling heros who led all the others on the battlegrounds towards the enemies, hundreds of optimistic soldiers ready to fight at their will. Now there was only so little, and Willie lie down on the ground. She shrieked in pain and put her hands to her face. "Something isn't right, why aren't I respawning!". The octarian dropped their gun and backed away from the squid. Their rapid footsteps in the ink became quieter after each second. "Someone help me!" Willie shrieked again. Out of the shadows an octarian came towards the wounded squid. "N-No please... Don't kill me...". Willie could barely make out the face of this shadowed girl, it was as if she wasn't an octarian at all, but not an inkling. But all this deep thinking didn't help the fact that she was just about to pass out from all the pain she was enduring.
Voices were heard all around, every direction sounds came towards her ears. Willie felt really groggy and tried to open her eyes. Her eyes... They wouldn't open. Willie eeped and the room became quiet with whoever was in it. The inkling put her hands all around her face. "My eyes! My eyes! They won't open!" Willie screamed in agony. A deep voice she never heard before tried to calm her down but Willie was utterly scared for her life. "Calm down? Calm down! Oh so if you can't see anymore would you CALM DOWN!" Willie screamed. "Willie! It's me, Tripp. You're going to be ok." A voice said. Willie calmed down a bit, hearing that voice put her at ease. Tripp, Willie's best friend ever since they were born, and her partner in crime for leading the inkling army. "Tripp please help me open my eyes!" Willie implored. "I-I can't..." Willie apologized "T-they're gone, like there's no eyes on your face at all, just the black."
"Excuse me Mr. Tripp if I could interrupt I can maybe try to help with explaining about what happened to her eyes." The deep voice from before said. "I'm going to let the doctor speak to you. I'll get you a water or something." Tripp announced heading out the door. So that's the deep voice, the doctor... He should at least know his place in telling me to calm down when I can't see anymore, like he's ever been there Willie thought. "When you were dropped off here by... uh, somebody who didn't name themselves... You were in poor condition. Your eyes were busted and almost couldn't open so we had surgery on you to get your eyes mainly fixed but it meant you couldn't really open them. Meanwhile if you went in squid form you could see your eyes, but that doesn't mean you could necessary see out of them; in fact it could hurt your eyes if you go into squid form. But if you did your pupils would distorted." The doctor explained. "Surgery? How long have I been out!" Willie loudly question. "Only two days, but don't worry that's normal for somebody who has had a fatal accident." The doctor reassured. "Two days? A whole 48 hours?" Willie asked "What about my family do they know I'm here!". "Yes don't worry we contacted your family members. If you want you can s- I mean they can visit you tomorrow." The doctor hesitated. "Would you want the news to come and interview you or shall we just give them a summary of your condition?" Willie had to think for a minute, would she really want the news to come bombard her and make her repeat the story 1,000 times? Or for her story not to get out for a while? "...They can come... but only one news channel can. They can give the footage to other news networks too; I don't know about you but would you like to be surrounded by 20 different microphones at a time and have people screaming questions at you while you're trying to answer another one?" She answered. "No I wouldnt, Ill let the news network know then." he said leaving the room.
A minute later the door came swinging open. Something was thrown to me, a type of bottle. "Theres your water... uh... ok..." Tripp said. "Maybe you shouldn't throw stuff at a freaking blind person next time." Willie sighed annoyed. Willie felt for the bottle and tried to place it on the a table next to her. With trial and error she got it on the edge of a end table. "Anyways, we should talk about like how you're gonna live, like out of the hospital." Tripp said. "Out of the hospital... That sounds like a long time from now..." Willie sighed. "I can see if there a place for rent around town I could live with you or somebody could help you... Maybe like Annie or Crusty Sean could let you live in a spare room or something." Tripp suggested. "You can try them I guess, but I wouldn't want to burden any of the storekeepers now; especially Annie she must be worried for me too. I feel really bad making everybody worry." Willie confessed sadly. "Is that right?" Tripp said a bit curiously. Little did Willie know a slight smile showed on his face at that statement. "I don't want to keep you here any longer, you can come tomorrow before the newscaster comes I guess" Willie offered as she and Tripp said their goodbyes. "Don't forget to drink your water!" Tripp laughed as he left the room.
The door opened just as Tripp left. Willie heard the doctor come in and someone else too. A laughter could be heard down the hall too towards the exit of the hospital, perhaps a mental patient trying to escape. "Um Willie is it ok if somebody visited you. They seem to be an octarian... She shouldn't be here but she also looks like an inkling... I'll leave you two alone now..." The doctor awkwardly said stepping out of the room, most likely afraid of the person who came in. But he also said a half inkling... So that must mean she's have octarian and... This must be the mystery shadow girl... Willie realized. "I'm so sorry to come in without letting you know, or even introducing myself beforehand when I rescued you from the octarian who shot you; but I'm Swoosie nice to meet you" the mutant explained. "Quite an interesting name Swoosie... So... Could you tell me what happened when I lost my eyesight?" Willie asked. "Sure thing, but I'll add a bit of my side before you were shot though, just so you don't think I'm a stalker or hired assassin." Swoosie halfheartedly joked.
Swoosie took a seat in one of the visitor chairs and pulled it up to Willies bedside. "It all started in the beginning of that day, I was hiding out in an alley in one of the poor neighborhoods. The octarian army started gathering octarians off the streets and pulled me off too. They gave us a uniform and quickly taught us how to use a gun and pushed us out to the turf field. I didn't want to listen to the army's orders so when we were dismissed to fight you guys I hid in the shadows. I'm not sure if you know this but as the doctor said before I'm half inkling and octarian. My parents had a forbidden love that went too far and I was born, a ugly mutant baby, I had the bangs and buns of an octarian but I also had the hair of an inkling. My left eye is also fully masked by an octarian goggle, put on us when we are young and our face stops growing. But the other half, the right side is completely like most inklings eyes. It's crazy but that's how I am. But back to the story, I hid in the shadows I didn't feel right doing this. I might live on the octarian side but that doesn't mean I feel like a octarian. I don't even know what I consider myself either. But while hiding I heard an agonizing scream. It sounded bitterful, quite like my past; I couldn't help but too see what was going on. Then I saw you, rolling in the ink belly up, hands on your face, making sure nobody was looking I quickly tried to drag you and treat you. It was no use although my home remedies helped a little bit I had to drop you off at the hospital and explain what happened to you on the turf. And then you were treated here." Swoosie explained. Willie had to let that sink in for a minute. "Wow..." Was all she could spit out. "That was very detailed... But in a good way I swear! Thank you for telling me that, that could help me tell the story better tomorrow when I get interviewed by a reporter..." Willie said drifting off. "Hey you know what! How about you stay here and you can help tell the story with me and how you saved me! From your story it sounded like you don't have to be anywhere anytime soon." Willie suggested. "Wow uh... That sounds good..." Swoosie giggled. Willie moved over carefully on the bed. "Here come sit next to me, while you're here maybe we can watch a movie or something together...even know I can't see. " Willie suggested giggling. Swoosie was delighted, "That sounds really good... And uh... You also look really cute when you smile..." Swoosie giggled. Willie could feel the blush rushing up to her face and she nervously laughed it over. But the two of them ended up sitting there until visitor hours were over 'watching' really stupid movies but Swoosie would have to stop and explain what was going on to Willie sometimes, but Swoosie didn't mind. I really hope I can know Swoosie better and see her again outside of the hospital... Willie thought as she waved goodbye to the mutant as the doctor asked her to leave.