The sun rose high that day before we awoke. Where I slept, I could hear the piercing snores of Donver, our roommate. My only other was a boy named Iko, who was practically the opposite. His quiet breathing was barely audible in the bunk below.
I didn't really belong there, but since the girl's dorm was discovered to have water content in the walls from a recent Inkfeller, there was no choice but for the girls to move in to the vacant rooms. Considering the male population was smaller than the female, this was quite a strain, but things worked out.
Iko groaned in his sleep, and rolled onto the floor, falling into his humanoid form. Being fifteen, we were all adaptable to our forms - squid and humanoid - but school meant that regretfully, we had never participated in turf wars. Even Donver was eager for the end of the year - which, funnily enough, was today.
All of our stuff had been moved to the lobby, so I got dressed and grabbed my things, along with Iko's, and returned. Placing the two bags down, I noticed that the boys had awoken. It appeared that Donver was convincing him to do something dangerous again. Iko was often being forced unwillingly into things - before I began rooming with him, I'd just assumed he was accident-prone, but now I knew that most of his injuries were from deadly feats Donver requested he perform.
As I watched, Donver was requesting his nuttiest thing yet. "You just have to touch it, not swim in it, you doofus," He taunted, as Iko cowered quietly, trying hard to be less noticeably afraid.
"B-but didn't professor Cuttlefish say stuff about how water, oh, y'know... is acidic to our ink? And kinda melts us?!" Iko cried, already terrified of the idea.
"Come on, Iko! That old coot is a loon feeding people a pack of lies and you know it!" Donver shook off Iko's retort ignorantly, and quickly ran downstairs to grab his things. "I dare you not to come to Devil's pond! You'll see!" He cackled, and Iko was about to follow when I laid a hand on his shoulder and handed him his bag.
"Thank you, Kala," he sighed in relief, though he would still have to move it to his house. He was glad to have a moment away from Donver, even if it was only temporary. With a smile, they walked down and followed Donver together. After all, someone had to protect Iko from Donver's idiocy.
They were soon dropping off things at their respective homes, and Donver almost leaped into action as he dragged Iko towards the dense forests beyond Inkopolis. Kala had no choice but to follow.
Once they reached Devil's Pond, Kala began to realize that Donver was dead serious. She had thought he wasn't that stupid, but perhaps she was wrong.
"Are you sure about this, Donver?" Iko inquired, looking to his roommate in uncertainty. Donver brushed his way through some trees, laughing at the comment.
"When has that old coot Cuttlefish ever been sane when he said there was a danger of something? Remember the whole shenanigan with him trying to convince you the Octarians were invading?" I patted Iko on the back, but I was still angry at Donver. Why would he be so forceful? He almost seemed to be acting murderous, but Kala quickly threw the idea away. Presumption is what led to idiocy in the first place.
"Surely, Donver, you can't mean to seriously have Iko touch the water?" I announced, scared.
"Come now, Kala! I wouldn't put you in danger, would I?" he replied, staring deviously at her.
You've hurt Iko, though... she muttered spitefully under her breath.
As the group approached the lake, there was an eerie silence. The three merely stared for a while.
"Devil's Pond sure is quiet, huh?" Iko said, staring fearfully at the lake.
"I don't care," Donver said angrily. "I just want to prove that water is harmless. We should stop being scared witless and touch it."
"I don't think this is a good idea..." Kala interrupted, but the two boys ignored her. With a violent push, Donver shoved Iko into the water. After a few moments Iko came struggling to the surface, ink dripping away from his tentacles. He cried out desperately, and Kala gasped as she realized he was dying.
Suddenly, a huge ripple erupted from the water. He was lifted from the water, and with him two slender hands rose, holding him safely into the air. With amazing strength, the creature threw Iko back to shore, though his time in the water left him in a terrible state.
"What the..." Donver muttered, as ink dripped from Iko, who seemed to be fighting for his life. Kala merely stared at the water, before she shook herself back to reality and shifted Iko onto her back. Ignoring the strange occurrence, she dragged Iko all the way to a medical ward in Inkopolis, Donver leading the way.
