All right, this chapter is now out! Yay! I'm so sorry it took so long to release. So I made it extra long to make it up to you.
But I'm going to take a short break after this, so don't expect any new chapters before November 4th. Sorry.
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 4:
Hailey breathed heavily and tried to focus. The blue squares were hardly visible now, but she knew they were still there. They continued to fade until there was hardly anything left.
When the last square had completely disappeared, Hailey sighed to herself and curled up near the shower. These visions couldn't keep happening anymore. She had to find a way to stop them. If she didn't, then eventually they would drive her insane.
After the event, Hailey didn't feel like taking a shower. But she knew she had to, otherwise Ari would be suspicious.
Speaking of Ari, did she even hear Hailey when she was screaming? It was strange; she would at least be banging on the door by now.
Hailey forced herself to take a 10-minute shower. Then she walked to her closet and put on a T-shirt with Marie on it, black running pants, and grey sneakers.
When she finished, she brushed her hair slightly and then walked into the kitchen for breakfast.
"What took you so long?" Ari asked suspiciously as soon as she noticed her. "I already finished my breakfast by the time I even heard the shower water turn on!"
Hailey sighed and thrust her hands into her pockets.
"Well, speak!" Ari continued, sipping a cup of orange juice.
"Sorry, some things happened…" Hailey muttered.
"What things?" Ari asked, folding her arms.
Hailey sighed. She couldn't lie to Ari. She'd figure it out anyway.
"They came back, Ari."
Ari shifted uneasily. "What came back?"
"I saw them. The blue squares; the white wisps."
She swallowed and looked down.
"I don't know what's going on with me and I'm scared."
Ari froze. There was a minute of pure silence. Hailey was expecting Ari to cry but instead she burst into both anger and sadness.
"I knew it! I knew something was wrong with you! That's it! After breakfast we're going straight to the doctor! Forget about that 'call' I made like fifteen minutes ago! I'm calling Jet right now!"
"Ari, stop-" Hailey began nervously.
"Shush! Don't try to intervene! Quick! Eat your pancakes!" She then sat up from the table and marched to the guest room to look for her purse.
"Ari, wait!" Hailey called, but it was futile. If Ari had a final decision, especially in the case of serious events, there was no stopping her.
"I wasn't expecting you to react this way, Ari. What's up with you?" Hailey muttered to herself.
She stared at the pile of pancakes in front of her. They smelled like cinnamon, which always made her feel hungry. But at the same time, Hailey was desperate to talk to Ari and tell her everything was all right. Eventually, Hailey's appetite won the argument, and she sat down to enjoy 4 delicious-tasting pancakes.
Eventually, Ari came back. She seemed more frustrated and angry than ever before. Her face was red and her hands were clenched into fists.
"Fucking Jet, always out in battle and refusing to answer his calls. Doesn't he realize how crucial your health is?! Or your sanity?!" She turned to Hailey who was eating the pancakes and smiled a little. "I knew you couldn't resist the pancakes."
Hailey opened her mouth to say something, but decided to save it for later and shove more pancakes into her mouth.
Ari's smile slowly faded. "But we can't waste time. What if those visions come back again?"
Hailey nodded and swallowed. "Right. Let's go right now."
Ari glanced at Hailey's plate, which was still half-full. "Uh-uh. Finish those pancakes. You need that energy. Don't want you fainting on the way to Inkopolis Square."
Hailey blinked in confusion and wiped some syrup off her mouth. "Inkopolis Square? I thought I was going to the doctor."
"Tomorrow's a better day. And we're going there to get Jet and David and bring their sorry asses back here."
"But David never did anything…" Hailey quickly looked down as Ari glared at her.
"He didn't answer my calls."
Hailey shook her head and folded her hands in her lap.
"What is it now?"
"Why didn't you hear me when I was screaming?"
"What? You were screaming?!"
"Oh shit." Hailey muttered under her breath. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, I was. You didn't hear me?"
"There was no screaming from that bathroom. If there was, you'd be in the doctor's office getting checked by now. Speaking of which…"
"Ari." Hailey sighed. "You seem a bit…. I don't know...on edge?"
"And why would you assume that?"
"Ever since yesterday, you've just been angry and jumpy about pretty much everything involving me."
"Why I-" Ari began. Then she sighed. " I guess. I don't know why. Sometimes I question my own behavior as well."
"Maybe you're protective of me?" Hailey giggled.
"What?" Ari snapped. "Of course not! I'm not your older sister or mother!" she noticed Hailey's smirk and blushed slightly. "Okay, maybe. But that's not all."
"So what's the other reason?"
Ari shook her head. "It's nothing."
"But you just said-"
"I said it's nothing. Can you please finish your pancakes please?" Ari scowled. "If not, I'll eat them myself."
"Ari, it's hardly been ten minutes."
"I'm done." Ari sighed. "I give up." She then walked into the guest room and slammed the door behind her.
Hailey cocked her head to the side and shook her head.
"What the hell is up with her?"
Two inkling girls walked up to the building behind Inkopolis Square. This was where Pearl and Marina practiced songs, filed work, did newscasts, and more.
The two inklings were each wearing long black jackets that were zipped up and purple boots. One had orange hair and blue eyes and the other had purple hair and green eyes.
They walked up to the front door, where a security guard stood with a Carbon Roller in his hand. He peered down at the two inklings suspiciously. He definitely did not recognize them.
"Name and/or job identification?" he asked.
"Uh, don't have any of those two." the orange-haired inkling shrugged.
The security guard frowned and raised his Carbon Roller.
"Then get out. No more rabid fans inside this building. If you try to interfere with me, I'll call the police."
"Wait, I thought you were the po-" the purple-haired inkling girl began, but stopped when the orange-hair inkling girl nudged her with her elbow.
"Look, we have more proof other than name and job identification." the orange-haired inkling frowned.
"Like what?" the security guard asked, gripping his Carbon Roller even tighter.
The purple-haired inkling girl walked up to the security guard so that they were hardly a foot apart. Then she removed one of the green contacts from her eyes and slowly lifted up her hair.
The Carbon Roller clattered to the floor.
"My god…" the security guard gasped, his tinted shades sliding down to his nose. "You two are…"
"Yes." the orange-hair inkling frowned.
"I'm so sorry, girls. I honestly thought you were just some obnoxious rabid fans. Please forgive me."
"We would if you'd let us in." the purple-hair inkling nodded.
"Oh, right! Um…." he cleared his throat and resumed character.
"Pearl and Marina are waiting for you on Floor 6. If another guard gets suspicious and tries to intervene, then…"
"Yeah, we know." The orange-haired inkling nodded and turned to the purple-haired inkling girl. "Come on, let's go."
The security guard remained still as the two girls walked into the building. As soon as they were gone, he couldn't help but go giddy with excitement.
"I can't believe I just…. this is awesome! I actually got to see them!" He then frowned slightly. "I really hope they do forgive me though..."
As soon as the two girls entered the elevator, they walked straight to the elevator without even viewing the lobby. A few guards glanced at them suspiciously, but they didn't say anything.
After 3-minute wait, the two made it to the 5th floor. They walked down a long corridor to make their way over to Pearl and Marina's recording room.
Despite trying to not pay attention to the surroundings, the two couldn't help but notice that the 5th floor was much different from the first floor. The left wall was painted pink with diamond-like shapes drawn all over. A picture of Pearl hung in the middle of the wall. She was smiling brightly and striking a little pose of hers.
The right side of the wall was painted a greenish-turquoise. There were no decorations on the wall besides two white loops that ran from corner to corner. A picture of Marina hung in the middle of the wall. She was smiling, although it was a shy and nervous smile rather than a bright and energetic smile like Pearl's.
The roof had been designed to be painted just like newspaper articles and albums of Pearl and Marina. Some of them ran along the edges of the wall and a few even made it to the ground. At the end of the corridor was a wide door that was tainted slightly and a bowl full of lollipops. The purple-haired inkling reached for one, but the orange-haired inkling smacked her hand away. Now wasn't the time for sweets.
They slowly looked around to make sure there was nobody else. Other than the muffled conversation that came from the two pop stars behind the door, there was nothing. The purple-haired inkling sighed and then knocked on the door. A second later, Pearl opened it. She frowned slightly at the sight of the two girls.
"Look, we're busy right now. And how'd you two fans even get in here? Leave immediately, or I'll call security."
"We're not fans. We're here for the rehearsal." the orange-haired inkling laughed.
Pearl raised an eyebrow. "Um, what? Don't even try to fool me. It's not going to work."
"We're not fooling you, Pearl." The purple-haired inkling sighed and unzipped her jacket. Then she removed her green contacts.
"See?"
Pearl's eyes widened and then flashed with excitement. "Wait! It's you! Holy shit! I'm so sorry! Um, come on in!"
"Pearlie, what's going on?" Marina asked from behind.
"They're here!" Pearl practically screamed.
"Who? What's going on?"
"What do you mean 'who'? Callie and Marie!"
"Oh! They're here! Yes!" Marina exclaimed.
Pearl quickly rushed the two girls in and slammed the door behind them. Then she took off their wigs and removed Marie's contacts.
"Jeez, I really thought it was some fans that somehow snuck in here and wanted an autograph. Sorry. But why the disguises?"
"We would've been trampled to death if it weren't for them." Marie answered, throwing her black jacket to the ground. "We weren't in the mood to get mobbed by the screaming fans."
"Oh, I see. But how'd you get past the security guard?" Marina asked.
"Well, we kinda gave away our identity. But I doubt he'll tell. And he seemed really shocked to see us." Callie smiled.
"Yeah, Charles is a huge fan of you guys. It's kind of cute to be honest." Marina giggled. She then turned to Pearl who was squealing with delight. "And Pearl here..." she sighed and turned to Callie. "Just give the girl an autograph."
"Won't we be coming for rehearsal on Thursday and Friday too?" Callie asked, confused.
"Yeah, but if you get it to her now, she'll shut up."
"Hey!" Pearl snapped. Marina giggled.
"Oh, okay…" Callie nodded. She pulled out a pen from her pocket. "Where shall I sign?"
"On this #TeamCallie T-shirt!" -At the words "Team Callie", Marie winced a little.- "It's been my favorite T-shirt for as long as I can remember!" Pearl smiled eagerly. She pulled out a pink shirt from her pocket, unfolded it, and smoothed it out.
"So, a year?" Marina asked.
"Marinaaaaa! Not in front of Callie!" Pearl whined.
"Why, sure! I'll sign it! But I'll need a marker if it's gonna show." Callie reached into her pocket and pulled out a big black marker. She then took the shirt from Pearl and began signing her name.
"How did she-" Marina began, but Marie silenced her.
"Don't ask. Callie is one hell of a mystery."
"... Aaaaand Done! Here ya go, Pearlie!" Callie smiled, handing Pearl the shirt.
Pearl looked up at Callie with a look of pure joy and excitement. Then she finally screamed so loudly that the Octolings down below could hear her.
"I got my T-Shirt signed by Callie! Yes! And she called me 'Pearlie'! You heard it right, Marie? Right, Marina?! You heard it! This is awesome!"
"Pearl, calm-" Marina began.
"No! I will not calm down! The best person who ever existed just called me 'Pearlie'! Yes!" she screamed, and then ran into the recording room, still squealing.
An awkward silence filled the room. Then, Marina shook her head.
"I'm sorry." Marina sighed. "Pearl, she just…. she's a bit…."
"Nah, I understand. This happens all the time." Callie shrugged. "I was expecting her to faint."
"I think we should begin rehearsal…" Marie nodded, looking at her watch. "I gotta be out of here by 1pm."
"Oh, it won't take long!" Marina reassured her. "Now c'mon!" she grabbed both arms. "Let's see what we've got so far!"
"Finally…" Marie sighed as Marina dragged her to the recording room.
Stella opened her eyes. Her head ached slightly and her muscles were cramped. For a moment, she couldn't recall anything.
Then she remembered; the talk with Daphnne, the files she stole, and now she was going to have a talk early this morning.
Stella shoved her hands under the pillow. The folders were still there where she last stuffed them. She yawned slightly and looked around. Her roommates were somehow still asleep. Stella checked the time on the clock. 8:30.
"Oh no! I'm late!" Stella panicked. She threw on a sweatshirt and some pants, swallowed three mints to improve her breath, grabbed the folders, and rushed out the door.
Once Stella reached the office, she quickly pounded on the door. After a minute, no one arrived. She began to grow uneasy and knocked again.
No response.
Stella began to panic. Had Daphnne left?
She banged on the door even harder, then winced in pain due to the impact. Still nothing.
She pounded on the door even more furiously even as her knuckles began to ache. Time went by as she continued but no one answered.
"Quick! Open the door before Erin gets here! Open the damn door!" Stella shouted.
Nothing.
Minutes went by as Stella sat there, upset. Why had she messed this up so easily? She had the meeting, stole the files, and then ruined it all by oversleeping. She curled up in a ball and began thinking of what she'd tell Erin. She'd be awake by now, right? She'd probably be looking for the files, or talking to Stella's roommates about the files, or looking for Stella herself.
Loud footsteps coming near her interrupted her thoughts. She looked up. Ruth and Daphnne were walking toward the office and holding steaming mugs of coffee and chocolate pastries. As their words became clearer, Stella realized that they were arguing about compound regulations.
"No, Ruth. Perhaps you don't understand. Compound #3 is the weakest compound out there. We can't just keep it forever."
"What do you mean we 'just can't keep it forever'? It's our compound."
"All beginner Octolings go to Compound #2.5, Ruth. Compound #3 is for failures, traitors, and hostages, though we don't get any of those."
"It's still our compound, Daphnne. We can't get rid of it. It's too important to us."
"What the hell even goes on in that compound anyway?"
Ruth sighed in defeat. "I don't know."
Daphnne nodded. "Exactly. So, when we go to the meeting on-hey! Who are you? What are you doing there?"
Stella jumped up eagerly and ran towards her. "Daphnne! Oh god! I thought I-"
"Who the hell are you?" Daphnne frowned, studying her intently.
"You don't remember me?" Stella whispered sadly.
Daphnne leaned forward and then smiled. "Oh, right! You're the girl from last night. What are you doing here?"
"I brought the folder. The one I wanted you to take a look at."
"What's going on here?" Ruth asked suspiciously.
Daphnne turned to the older Octoling and shook her head. "It's nothing." She then turned to Stella. "What do you have to show me?"
Stella sighed and showed Daphnne a bright yellow folder with dozens of papers sticking out of it. Daphnne smiled and clapped her hands with delight.
"Excellent!"
Ruth raised an eyebrow. "What on earth is this about?"
"Nothing Ruth. Now, hun…" she turned to Stella. "Didn't you say you were going to bring two fold-"
"Daphnne, I demand to know what's going on. Don't keep secrets from me."
"Like I said, Ruth. Nothing to worry about." Daphnne nodded again, and eagerly hustled Stella into her office.
"Besides, you'll know eventually!" she called, and then closed the door behind her.
0000000000
"What have you got to show me?" Daphnne asked Stella as they sat down. "Is it any good?"
Stella nodded slowly and flipped open the folder. She then pushed it toward Daphnne, who snatched it eagerly.
"I'm sorry for my late arrival. Ruth insisted that I get breakfast with her." Daphnne began, flipping through the pages.
"Well, I overslept. So, it all works out I guess…"
"Mhm…" Daphnne answered, hardly paying attention. She was now studying the diagrams and designs that were in the folder.
"Very interesting…" she murmured after a while, studying the detailed drawings. "Very interesting indeed." She traced her fingers over the diagrams and writing and tapped her chin.
"Just like how I wanted it."
"What do you mean by that?" Stella asked curiously.
"I mean that these support my enhancements perfectly."
Stella's heart fluttered. "Really?! Thank you-"
"Don't thank me just yet. This is going to take time."
Stella licked her lips nervously. "What do you mean?"
"This is going to take a while to accomplish. We'll need at least another week."
"Week?!" Stella exclaimed. She cleared her throat as Daphnne glanced at her. "A week? Possibly there's-"
"My enhancements will take a while to carry out. By this Saturday, we'll be lucky to get 50% finished."
She took out a red pen and began tracing and circling some diagrams. "But, I must thank you. This has most of what I need."
Most? Stella wondered. She was about to question the statement but stopped as Daphnne pulled out another paper, glanced at it, and crumpled it up.
Stella quickly gasped and reached for it. "No! What are you doing?"
"It's an invalid paper. It would destroy the plan." Daphnne answered simply. She tossed the crumpled up in the waste bin behind Stella and glanced at her shocked expression.
"Why so upset and shocked? It's just a draft of a plan. Many get thrown out. And take a look at it yourself. It's not going to do anything but cause trouble. Really? Numerous Octoling spies in Inkopolis Square? Way too risky. We have four of them reporting to us daily. Well, we used to have five...until the other one suddenly lost signal with us two years ago. Who knows where she is now…probably dead..."
She shook her head and flipped through more papers.
"Can I have a look at these enhancements?" Stella asked timidly.
"No. Tomorrow we'll have a meeting and you'll hear them then. You're still a student."
She leaned back and studied Stella.
"Well, I could tell you one of my enhancements."
Stella gulped and nodded slowly. "Yes?"
Daphnne flipped another paper over and then began to write over it in red marker.
"Say, you weren't planning to take something were you?" she asked suddenly.
"Huh?" Stella blinked. "Um...what do you mean? We always take things."
"Like…." Daphnne lifted up a paper, showing a drawing of an inkling.
Stella gasped. "You mean an inkling? No! We were just going to steal some stuff and then-"
"Well, take an inkling." she wrote the words in big bold letters.
"What?! Why?! It defeats the whole purpose of the plan!"
Daphnne sat up angrily and glared at her. Stella winced and reeled back.
"Do you not remember the deal we made, hun? And how you said the whole plan was up to me now?"
"Well-"
"Answer the damn question."
"I...I do remember it…"
"So, why would it defeat the whole purpose of the plan? Well, my plan."
Stella winced and looked down. "We've never done that before. We've snuck into Inkopolis and stolen many things, but we've never kidnapped a witness. Besides, does sabotage to a city really require us to take-"
"We've? You and Erin did this alone?"
"No. Erin and I are part of a clan called-" she quickly shook her head. "Not important."
"Well, you decided to hand the plan over to me, so I'm in control now. And that's that. Right now you should be focusing on how you're going to tell your friends all of this…"
Stella began to argue but then just simply shrugged. "I guess. I'll get to work on that."
"Right. So, do you know about the premiere?"
"The what?"
"The premiere."
Stella began to get excited. "A premiere? Amazing! We haven't had one since-"
"No, Stella. Not for us."
Stella's smile faded slowly. "Oh, you mean Inkopolis."
"Yes, so apparently the Off The Hook group is hosting a premiere this Saturday. At least 80% of the population will be there according to the stats. Perfect distraction. If I remove two of my enhancements, we'll be able to attack on that day. But if I do, I'll need your full cooperation for this. If not, we'll have to attack after the premiere. It'll be a lot more risky, however, because by then the monsters you released would have been roaming for about a week, making everyone more wary of everything."
"Is this the backup plan?"
"What? No! This is Plan B! I'm giving you a choice between Plan A or Plan B. There's no backup plan! You never gave me a backup plan to enhance in the first place!"
Stella sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry…."
"Whatever. So, if you plan to sabotage the entire square during the premiere, there's gonna be a shit-ton of witnesses. We'll need to take out as many as possible. I actually recommend you choose Plan A. It's the perfect opportunity to get as many witnesses as possible. Or, 'take out' is what I call it."
"Take out?"
Daphnne rolled her eyes. "Aren't you a failed Compound #1.5 student? You should know what that means, hun. Just because you work in the technical agency doesn't mean you get a pass on all your other training, too..."
"Wait," Stella nearly gasped. "You know who I am?! You knew the whole time?!"
Daphnne laughed. "Of course I did! You're Erin's partner, Stella."
"Then why don't you ever call me that?! You act as if you don't know me!
"Because it's fun to tease, you look alike to many other students I've talked to, and we're alone in a close area. All I have to do is say 'hey' and I have your attention! Now, back to the subject."
She cleared her throat. "You should know what 'take out' means. It's a common phrase. Everyone in or from Compound #1.5 should at least have a good grasp of the phrase in general."
"Well, I don't." Stella snapped. "Might as well tell me now."
She was expecting Daphnne to tell her off for the rude tone, but she just raised an eyebrow.
"Alright then. It's basically a term used for getting rid of someone."
"So…'take out'... means to kill?!"
Daphnne smirked. "Take some, kill and/or attack. Why? You can't attack an inkling?" she began to reach for the telephone stationed in the corner of her desk. If so, I can just send you down to Compound #2.5 and have you build some thicker skin before continuing this conversation-"
"No! Don't!"
"That's what I thought." she nodded as she drew her hand away from the phone.
Stella breathed. She had to act this part of the plan now in order for Daphnne to cooperate.
"Okay...how about we take a celebrity?"
"Who? Marie? She isn't going to work. She can easily fight us. Callie was a failed attempt…." Daphnne tapped her chin, trying to think of others.
"Marina. Let's do Marina."
Daphnne flinched at the name. "What on earth do you want to do with her?"
"She's a celebrity."
"Yeah, so?"
"Probably the biggest obstacle and most key part to our plan. Or, your plan."
Daphnne snorted. "What's that Octo-traitor gonna do?"
"If we do manage to lead the attack at the premiere, it'd make sense to take Marina. I mean think about it. She may be a traitor, but she's still an Octoling. She'll most likely know what's going on when we attack, which will make it harder to do anything. And besides, everyone will be so caught in alarm by her sudden disappearance that we can lead maybe a second one!"
Daphnne flinched again. "What makes you think we can take her out?"
"She's been softened by everything because unlike us, she has a heart for the enemies. And that's not allowed. Haven't you seen her? Heard the spy reports? She literally has an inkling as her best friends! An enemy! Is one of! Her! Best! Friends! Do you know how humiliating that is?! Now the inklings probably pity us! That's not good! She should be in Compound #3 with the rest of the traitor scum don't you think? That is, if you decide to keep it. Besides, can she even fight? All she does is sing and play Turf. She doesn't know how to defend herself from a huge attack, does she? Do any of the inklings know?"
Daphnne sat there, completely stunned. She glanced at Stella as if she had just damned the entire Octo-Valley.
"I can't believe you'd say that…" she finally managed to get out. She leaned back and rubbed her temples.
Stella began to panic. "Wait, I didn't mean-"
"But that's probably both the best and worst part of the plan yet."
Stella sighed in relief then smiled brightly. It worked. "So, we'll do it?"
Daphnne smirked again. "Don't know. I'll see what I can do." she glanced at the clock. "Probably should leave now. Getting towards the end of breakfast." she then resumed looking at the diagrams in the folder. "And bring the other folder next time will you?"
Stella nodded, sat up to leave, and focused on Daphnne, who was still looking at the diagrams in the folder. Quietly, but quickly, Stella reached into the waste bin and pulled out the crumpled up paper. She slipped it into her pocket, walked out of the office, and shut the door quietly behind her. She then turned to look behind the water machine and picked up the second folder she had hidden.
"Don't worry, Marina. It was a lie…." Stella muttered. "I'm not going after you…"
She walked out of the office and towards her dormitory, unaware Ruth had heard her.
"I swear we had that match!" Jet yelled angrily. "We've lost all our matches by such small numbers! It sucks!"
"I guess you owe Ari a V.I.P ticket now." David chuckled.
"Yeah, whatever…." Jet frowned. "It's still early in the morning. We have enough time."
"It's 9:26."
"Still early. How many matches have we lost so far?"
"Ten..." David answered, wincing at the number.
"That's not bad!"
"Yes it is. And actually, it's fourteen if you include the Salmon Run failures two hours ago."
"No, they don't count. Our teammates were trash and those Flyfish were just...they're ten times more annoying when you're trying to swim away from three Maws. And all we have to do is win ten matches before 5:00pm! Easy!"
"You go ahead." David sighed. "I've pretty much given up at this point."
Jet raised his eyebrows. "You're quitting? We literally just started."
"No, we didn't. I'll come back in the afternoon." he glanced at his Sploosh. "Maybe it's time to update my weapon."
"Gee, you're acting like Hailey now."
"What? How?" David asked, confused.
"Have you not been paying attention? You don't want to play anymore, and you want to change a weapon you've stuck with for a very long time. What's next? You start seeing weird black squares and you have to stay home too? Speaking of Hailey, I wonder how she's doing. Hope Ari's treating her well."
"I'm not sick, Jet. I'm just annoyed. And why do you wonder about Hailey? She'll be just fine with Ari around." David wondered.
"Because Ari's very protective of Hailey. And when she's protective, she can get aggressive. Even to the person she's protecting."
"Really now?"
"Ari's aggressive in general. But when she's suddenly overprotective of someone, especially me, the aggressiveness doubles. She easily gets pissed off, and kinda just gives up on people a lot. She's trying to control it, but I doubt she'll control it when it comes to Hailey. She has quite a mouth."
"Says you." David muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Oh shut up. I'm not as bad as Hailey."
"Oh sure…" David answered sarcastically. "I totally believe you."
"Oh fuck."
"Language." David muttered, looking at him. "What is it?"
"9 missed calls from Ari."
David laughed. "So?"
"If the call amount goes over 5, she gets really pissed. Probably on her way over here to kick my ass right now. I gotta quickly get in the lobby before she finds me."
"Ha. Sucks to be you." David laughed again.
"Seriously, shut up. And what about you?" Jet snarled.
"Huh?"
"Isn't there a chance that she called you, too?" he smirked.
David paled. "Oh. Right." He set down his backpack and reached into his left pocket to grab his SquidPhone. Instead of feeling the cold metal of his phone, he felt air. He paled even more and reached into his right pocket. Inside there was a chocolate wrapper, his wallet, and a receipt from a hat he bought an hour ago, but no phone.
"Oh no!" he panicked.
"What's up?" Jet asked, looking up from his phone. "Let me guess? 9 missed calls on your phone as well?"
"What? No! It's my SquidPhone! It's not in my pocket! I always put it there!"
"Oh. Is it in your backpack?" Jet asked.
David shook his head. "I never put it there. It's always in my pocket."
"Did you even check your backpack?"
"It's not in there, Jet! I must've taken it out when we were buying new hats at Flow's. Or maybe it when we got something to eat at Crusty Sean's."
He looked back at Jet who was texting at a fast speed.
"Seriously?"
"What?!"
"Help me out here, Jet. Do you know where my phone could be?! And why are you texting now?"
"I don't know where it could be…" Jet shrugged. "And I'm trying to plead with Ari. But she's not taking anything from me."
He looked behind David and noticed two inklings exit the lobby: a male and a female. The female pointed right at Jet, and the two started walking over to him and David. Jet immediately recognized them. It was Drew and Kathy.
Jet's eyes narrowed and he put his SquidPhone away. He then turned to David who was turning over his pockets again and again.
"It's obviously not in there."
"It might!" David shouted frantically.
Jet looked back. Kathy and Drew were still approaching him.
"How about you go over to Crusty Sean's place and start looking there? I'll go participate in more matches." Jet suggested. He wanted to deal with these two alone.
"Good idea." David nodded, and then sped off before Jet could tell him twice.
Jet smiled, and then waited until he was sure Drew and Kathy were within reach of his fire range. Then he spun around and aimed one of his Dualies at Drew's face and the other at Kathy's neck.
"I don't have time for you two. So back off." he snapped.
"Whoa! No need to get aggressive." Drew exclaimed, putting his hands up.
"What do you want with me? Come to piss me off once again? Because if you do, I swear I'll actually kill you and your sister this time."
"I see you still don't like us." Kathy huffed angrily.
"Ya think?"
"Just calm down and drop the Dualies. We're not here to cause any trouble right now." Drew stated calmly.
Jet relaxed slightly, but still kept his Dualies aimed at the two.
"I mean it. We just wanted to talk to you about a battle." Drew spoke again.
"What kind of battle?" Jet asked curiously, lowering his Dualies. Kathy let out a shaky breath and relaxed.
"Well, thank DNA for it. She came up with the idea. Basically, tomorrow, we'll have a battle. Our squad versus yours. Best out of five. Two will be turf matches, and the rest will be the ranked modes. What do you say?"
"What do we get out of it? And what do you get out of it?"
"Nothing. It just proves which squad is better."
"How is this supposed to stop me from hating you?" Jet asked.
"It's not. We just thought it'd be fun to challenge your squad." Kathy shrugged. She then smiled. "Unless you wanna be nice to us again."
Jet stared at her as she smiled. "Right…." he quickly shook his head. "Okay, fine. I accept your challenge. But does it have to be tomorrow? Hailey's in no condition to fight and I'm not sure she'll be tomorrow."
"The latest is Friday. Saturday is the premiere and DNA is leaving for vacation the day after so it won't work. Speaking of Hailey, does she still hate me or are we cool now?"
"She's…. I guess she still doesn't like you that much but still thinks you're okay. She was flattered by her remark though, when I told her you thought she was cute."
"Was she now?" Drew smiled.
"Yeah. She tried to hide it, but it was pretty obvious. She almost never gets told that."
"I don't know why. She really is cute." Drew shrugged. Kathy winced and looked down.
"Okay then, but that doesn't give you permission to flirt or mess with her…" Jet warned.
"Why does it bug you? You're not her brother."
"I'm the closest thing to it, so I'll act like it."
He then sighed and looked down. "Thanks. I'm glad you took a semi-mature approach."
"For what?" Drew asked.
"Instead of trying to piss me off, you did something decent. I'll give you credit for that."
"Oh, that…." Drew smirked. Before Jet could do anything or begin to get suspicious, Drew snatched his Dualies and ran away as fast as he could.
"What the? Get back here you bastard!" Jet called after Drew, chasing him. Kathy sighed to herself and looked after Jet and Drew.
"Why is my brother so stupid sometimes?"
0000000000
"So, you haven't seen my phone anywhere?" David asked.
"Look kid, I don't watch for phones. I watch for customers. If I watched for phones, I'd be in that phone store near the Square.
"Do you at least have some sort of clue what might've happened to it?" David asked again.
"It must've gotten stolen or dropped. That's all I can think of." Crusty Sean answered.
David sighed. "Alright. But did you see anyone else in my area when I had my phone?"
"You assuming someone stole it?"
"No! Well, yes..."
"Only other customer before you was a girl. Dark blue hair and purple-ish eyes I think. But I don't know where she is now. She's an everyday customer and is a pretty good person. Probably wouldn't steal your phone."
"Uh huh…" David nodded. He began to walk away then turned back around.
"Wait…"
"What is it now, squiddo?" Crusty Sean asked.
"The name of that SquidPhone store you mentioned…"
"Yes?"
"Where is it and what's it called?"
"Oh! That place! Um…" he began to think to himself while David dug into his backpack for a pencil and paper.
"Ah, yes!" Crusty Sean nodded. "The store is called...um…. SquidPhone Central I think? I'm not too sure, I never really got a good glimpse of it."
"Where is it located?" David asked.
"Okay, so you leave Inkopolis Square and walk straight for about three blocks. Then you take a right and walk for about one block. It's the very last store on the right just before the intersection on Double Splat Road."
David scribbled the information down on his paper. "Will they give me a replacement phone if I tell them I lost my old one?"
"Uh, I don't know. Did you get your SquidPhone from there?"
"I got my SquidPhone on my twelfth birthday from my older sister so I don't know. I never asked her where she got it from."
"Well tell them your phone is lost, give them the info about you, and just see what they do from there. If they say 'no' and kick you out, I'll see if I can get one of my buddies to get you a good used phone."
"Really? Thanks, man!" David exclaimed happily.
"No problem, squiddo." He then leaned forward and placed his arms on the counter. "Now, you gonna buy something or what?"
David sighed and reached into his pocket for his wallet. "I'll take a drink."
David walked out of the Square and down the road toward the shop. He clutched his paper nervously as he walked, constantly checking both ways for other people or cars.
Even though he was on the sidewalk.
He could almost hear Ari's voice criticizing him for being so paranoid.
"You're so worried about everything, David. No car is going to purposely crash into you on the sidewalk. You gotta think logically sometimes..."
David chuckled a little at the thought of it. As he approached the next intersection that led to Inkopolis Tower, he noticed something strange. There was a huge line that snaked around the block and a huge cluster of people clumped around the entrance.
David tapped on one of the inkling's shoulder nearest him, who whirled around angrily. "What do you want?" she snapped.
David backed away slowly. "I...uh...just wanted to know what's going on?"
"Oh." she relaxed. "We're buying tickets for the Off the Hook premiere. The guy up front noted that there's only 50 VIP tickets left. So, naturally, everybody went berserk."
"Is the plaza still open?"
"Not anymore." she shook her head. "Kind of a shame, really. I liked this place. You getting a ticket from here?"
David shook his head. "Nah, I'll get one online. I'm just heading to an area behind the block."
He then surveyed the crowd and tapped his chin. "Is there a way around this crowd?"
The girl shook her head. "You could go through, but you'll get shoved around too much. Try cutting through the stores in the back of the plaza. It's a much better route anyway."
"Are you sure?" David asked nervously. "Aren't those stores abandoned?"
"Yeah, I take that route all the time. No one else is there, I swear. If you're that uneasy, keep your head down and move quickly."
"Ok. Thanks."
"It's nothing, really." she smiled then turned back around. David was about to ask some more questions, but decided to just trust the girl. She seemed to know what she was doing. He walked away from the crowd and took the intersection that went around Inkopolis Plaza.
The street was completely empty and, just like he expected, the stores were deserted and shut down. Not even the traffic light was working. It blinked yellow constantly. It was strange how different two streets could be despite being so close to each other.
He continued to walk on the sidewalk past the shops, studying them nervously. It reminded of the time when Hailey took him to visit her old neighborhood. It was old and empty, which freaked him out, and she had to constantly punch him in the arm to get him to calm down.
While thinking about it, a cold gust of wind blew out of nowhere and blew his Sploosh away. David shivered and looked up. Three gigantic clouds had blocked the sun.
After shivering, he realized that he had lost his Sploosh. He began to panic as he rushed across the road, surveying the streets for it.
"Please…. not my Sploosh, too. It means a lot to me…" David cried, walking down the empty road.
"Looking for this?" a voice called. It was faint and low.
David whirled around. Nobody was there. Not even a passerby or a car. He began to panic even more. First he lost his SquidPhone, then his Sploosh, and now he was hearing things.
"Great! Now I'm hearing things! Or maybe it's a ghost?" he wondered aloud, beginning to shiver even more. He himself could no longer tell if he was shivering because of the cold or because he was scared.
"Dude, calm down. And I'm not a ghost."
So someone was there. It was coming from the right and was much more audible from where he was standing now, meaning he was close.
David looked to his right. In between two shops was a small alleyway where trash usually was put. A girl was standing there, holding his Sploosh. She had on a black outfit and hair that was...silver.
"Wha-?" David began, and rubbed his eyes. "Are my contacts acting weird?"
He blinked and looked again. The girl jumped over the wall and disappeared. He caught another glimpse of her. The hair was still silver.
David stood there, stunned. Who was she? Why did she have silver hair? And why did she look so familiar?
"It doesn't matter. Let's get out of here and go back to the Square." David told himself. Jet was probably worried about him by now.
There was a silence as David continued to think to himself.
"But she has my Sploosh. I need to get it back…" he looked at the wall and sighed. This definitely was one of his stupidest ideas yet.
David walked nervously into the alleyway. Luckily there was no trash, but broken glass and dead rats still lay there, and it smelled vaguely of smoke. After some difficulty, he climbed over the wall of the alleyway and looked around. He was on the other side of a pond, which separated the stores from the neighborhood complex.
An inkling girl was right in front of him, leaning against a tree. She was the most mysterious, and probably the prettiest, looking inkling girl David had ever seen. She had a short black hoodie with striped sweatpants and white sneakers. She had a glove on her right hand and two silver rings on her left hand. She had purple eyes and long…silver hair. Just like he saw a few minutes ago.
"Ah, so you actually followed me. You're the second person to do that." she nodded.
David coughed and tried to speak, but for some reason he couldn't say anything. His mouth was completely dry and his tongue refused to move.
"Uh, you gonna say anything?" she asked, confused.
Still nothing. But slowly, after a few minutes, he finally overcame the shock.
"Your hair…" he finally managed to say. His voice was a lot more high-pitched than usual.
"Oh." she sighed. "That's what's gotten you so worked up."
"How...how is it….silver?"
"Kid, it's not that surprising. I'm a hacker. Quite a few of them have been around back when Inkopolis Plaza was open." she shrugged, folding her arms.
"But…." he shook his head. "None of them had silver hair. And that outfit…" he glanced at the hoodie. "Where...did that come from?"
"I have my ways." she reached into her pocket and pulled out David's Sploosh. "I believe you lost this and wanted it back." she held it out for him to grab.
David glanced at it and then back at the girl.
"Just take it." she sighed. "Seriously, I'm not made out of poison or anything. And I'm not in the mood to hurt anybody."
David winced, glanced at it again, and then slowly reached for it. Then he quickly grabbed it.
"Um, thanks…" he muttered. He turned around to go.
"I never thought I'd see the day…"
"See what, kid?"
David turned around abruptly. "How did you hear me? I-"
"You're kinda loud. And like I said, I have my ways."
He sighed. "What I don't get is how specifically you got that hair. And how do you get into the Square? It's not like wigs exist or anything."
"What makes you think I can tell you?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"What?"
"How do I know you're not gonna run off and tell your little friends? It almost happened the first time. This one girl, she found me. Became good friends. Then she spilled it. I made sure she would remember it when she…" she trailed off and looked down. "Never mind. It's not important."
"Well, no one's gonna believe me. When I saw you the first time, I told my squad members and then they accused me of having bad eyesight."
She smiled slightly. "That's good. But still, I can't trust you just yet."
"What'll make you trust me?" David asked.
She thrust her hands into her pockets. "Dunno." She glanced up at the clouds. "Up to you to figure that out."
"Y'know, I'm just going to go back to the Square." David frowned. "Better than wasting my time here if you're not going to spill."
"Well, I'm not. So it's better for you to do so."
"Good." David snapped. He walked back to the wall and was about to hop over once again when he felt her tap his shoulder.
"What now?" he scowled.
"Easy, kid. Thought you needed this." she handed him a small brown package with purple string tied around it. "Heard you've been looking for it."
He slowly softened. "Thanks, uh…" he looked down. "Whatever your name is."
"My real name is unknown. But you can call me Silver."
"How original…" he muttered, rolling his eyes. He then noticed the girl's stare and quickly apologized. "Sorry."
"Whatever. Don't you think you should get out of here before it rains?"
He looked up at the sky. The sun had disappeared completely. Three big gray clouds now covered the entire sky, and he noticed much darker clouds in the distance behind the neighborhood. A quick flash of lightning appeared between one of the clouds.
"Oh, you're right. But what about you?"
"I'll be fine. Now get out of here, kid."
David nodded and hopped over the wall, running out of the alleyway and down the street. He looked back one last time and saw the tip of her head pop out. He turned back around and ran back to the Square as fast as he could.
When he reached JellyFish cafe, he stopped at the outdoor bench to rest. Feeling tired and out of breath, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a chocolate bar. He took a bite and reached for his Sploosh when he remembered about the package.
"She said I would've been looking for it. But I didn't order anything." he wondered curiously. He felt the package. "Okay, it doesn't seem like it would kill me."
Cautiously, he reached for the string and pulled it, which instantly undid the knot. He then grabbed the package and carefully opened it. He gasped once he saw what was sitting inside his package.
It was his SquidPhone.
"Okay…." Stella sighed, stopping in the hallway by the dormitories. She had returned from her academic lesson about specific tactics when fighting. "I'll just go back to my dorm, hide the folder, and then go to lunch. Then I'll head to training. If I can avoid Erin for the rest of the day…"
She shook her head. This wasn't going to work.
"I'm so dead. I know what Erin's like when she's mad, and it's not good at all. I just want to somehow tell her without making her mad." Stella muttered sadly.
"What if it ruins our friendship?"
"Who's making who mad?" someone asked.
Stella jumped. She turned around and saw an older red-haired male Octoling who was leaning against the wall. "What goes on, Stella?" he smiled.
"Nothing." Stella snapped. "And stop sneaking up on me, please."
"Why not?" he asked.
"I mean it Jacc, please stop it."
"Yeah, you know that isn't gonna happen."
Stella rolled her eyes. "If I went out with you, would you stop sneaking up on me?"
"Yes!" he exclaimed and sat up eagerly. "Of course I would! I'd-"
Stella laughed. "Well, it's not gonna happen. I'd rather marry an Octostomp."
Jacc frowned, a little hurt, but shook it off. "Alright then. I won't stop sneaking up on you."
"Actually, I think I can live with that…" she giggled.
Jacc scowled and folded his arms.
"What've you got there in your pocket?" he asked, glancing at the folder sticking out of Stella's clothes.
"Huh?" Stella looked down and saw the folder exposed. "Uh, nothing!" she nodded, shoving it back in her pocket.
"Nothing? That didn't look like nothing to me?" he wondered. He approached Stella.
"Let me take a look at it." he smirked.
"No…" Stella whispered, now shaking. "It's none of your concern…"
"You sure?"
"Look Jacc." she began, standing up firmly. "I know you like me and that we're friends, but I'm not showing you what's in my pocket. It's private information-"
"That you stole, right?"
Stella swore and blushed. "What?!"
"Those folders are stolen, right? You took those from Erin didn't you?"
Stella stood absolutely still. She looked down, trying her best not to cry.
"Stella, confess. That stuff is stolen, right?"
A long silence dragged on. Finally, Stella took a deep breath.
"How….how did you know?"
Jacc smirked again. "Security cameras. But also because it was obvious."
Stella shook her head. "So, Erin already knows?"
"She knows that you know where the folders are and all the details about the plan. I know that you stole the folder, but did you tell Daphnne everything as well?"
Stella slowly nodded. Jacc reeled back.
"Stella, what the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped. "Why would you ever do such a thing like that behind your friend's back? What if it ruins your friendship?"
Those phrases hit her harder than she expected. She winced, scrunched up, covered her face, and sank to her knees right in front of Jacc.
"You're right….this plan was stupid. I never should've done it. I wanted Daphnne to believe the lies so that she would take over the plan and completely destroy it. And-"
Jacc raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"
Stella wiped her face, which was wet from some tears. "Promise you won't tell anyone, Jacc. Not even Erin. I'll tell her myself."
"I don't know…" he sighed.
"I mean it Jacc…" Stella snapped, her face even redder than before. "You can't tell anyone this."
"What do I get out of it if I don't tell?"
"I have a better chance of liking you?" Stella shrugged.
"Deal. Now tell me."
She checked around the corridor for security cameras and passerby. When she was sure the coast was clear, she sighed and turned to Jacc. "I told Daphnne the plans, but I gave it to her so I could abandon it and come up with a new plan."
"What? Why are you speaking so quietly?"
Stella stood up. "Just to be safe."
"Okay, but what do you mean by abandoning the-"
"I don't trust Daphnne, Jacc. I never did. The reason why I told her the plan and gave her control over it was so I could abandon it and start a new plan. A backup plan. That way, if the big plan fails, I can get rid of her one and for all."
"Stella…"
"Do you think I'm stupid enough to trust the cruelest and most mischievous leader of our entire training and education facility? Do you, Jacc?"
He sighed. "No…."
"Exactly."
"So, let me get this straight…" Jacc shook his head. "You're tricking Daphnne into getting herself removed from the facility and kicked into the streets?"
"Or thrown into Compound #3 where she spends the rest of her life trapped behind bars. I hardly care what happens to her."
"I don't know, Stella. Daphnne's really clever."
"By the time she finds out, it'll be too late. Trust me on this."
"When is Daphnne and her group attacking or whatever?"
"Saturday evening. Apparently there's a premiere going on in Inkopolis Square that night. We'll barge in, crash the premiere, and capture some people?"
"Stella...what? How can you come up with a backup plan to counter that?"
Stella smirked, which surprised Jacc. She leaned close to him and studied his green eyes.
"We still follow the plan, but go on our own path when she starts to attack." She pulled out a folder from her pocket.
"Is that-?" Jacc began.
"This is the second folder I stole from Erin. Daphnne has the first one, but doesn't know I had this one the whole time. I told her about it, but pretended I forgot to bring it."
"What do you suggest we do?"
Stella shook her head. "I don't know. That's where Erin comes in. I'll have to speak to her. Where is she?"
Jacc shrugged. "Don't know. Probably in her dorm or something."
"No…." Stella muttered. "I know where she is." Before Jacc could ask her where, Stella sped down the hallway as fast as she could.
"Amazing performance, ladies." The director smiled from behind the camera. "This premiere is going to blow Inkopolis away. It'll be a night they'll never forget. Especially your raps, Pearl. Fascinating."
"Thanks, Eric!" Pearl beamed.
"Anytime, Pearl." he nodded. He then looked at his watch. "You ladies are free for the rest of the day. But I think it's still raining so be careful outside."
"Oh, we'll be fine." Callie assured him. "Right, Marie?"
"Huh?" Marie looked up from her SquidPhone. "What?"
Eric chuckled. "See you guys around!" He then exited the room.
Callie sighed. "Never mind, Marie." She then turned to Marina and Pearl. "Well, we'll see you guys on Thursday right?"
"Yep! Looking forward to another rehearsal that day." Marina smiled. "But for now, we're just gonna go home and kick back."
"Us too." Marie nodded. "Plus, Agent 4 is still there."
"Oh no!" Callie exclaimed. "I completely forgot about Agent 4!"
"Relax, Callie. She's fine." Marie said, rolling her eyes. "She's Agent 4; if she's in trouble she'll fight her way out. She knows what to do."
"I know that, but I just don't think it's safe leaving her there for that long, y'know? Besides, we won't be getting home till 4 o'clock and…." Callie shook her head.
"Let's just get out of here and go to the mall, Callie." Marie sighed, slipping on her disguise. She turned to Marina.
"Bye Marina. Bye Pearl."
"Bye." Marina waved.
"Bye Callie!" Pearl shouted eagerly. Once the two Squid Sisters had finished putting on their outfits, they left the room and shut the door behind them.
"Well, that was pretty fun wasn't it, Marina?" Pearl asked.
Marina didn't answer. She was too busy thinking about what Marie said.
She's Agent 4; if she's in trouble she'll fight her way out. Why did that sound so familiar?
"Marina? Are you okay?"
Marina blinked and looked down at Pearl. "Huh?"
Pearl sighed. "Are you okay? You're not answering me."
"Oh! No, I'm fine, Pearlie. I'm just thinking about something Marie said."
"Was it about Agent 4?"
Marina jumped and glanced at Pearl, who flushed slightly. "Sorry."
"No, it's okay. It's just that something about it seems familiar and I don't know why."
"Maybe it has to do with your arrival?"
"I don't know…" Marina sighed. "I just can't figure out why. Could you help me out?"
Pearl tapped her chin. "Two years ago...there was a fight in OctoValley. DJ Octavio vs. Agent 3. One of the biggest fights anyone had ever seen."
"How do you know?" Marina asked timidly.
"How do I know? It was all over the news for like 2 weeks! Agent 3, the one who defeated Octavio, was proclaimed a hero after the event. Many say that it changed the lives...and hearts...of some of the Octolings who witnessed it. After the whole fight, the Octarians migrated to Octo Canyon I believe. Neat, huh?"
"Yeah…it's...it's cool." Marina suddenly whimpered.
Pearl's smile faded. "Everything okay, Marina?"
"Y-yeah...I'm probably just dehydrated. C-could you pass me my water bottle?"
"Uh, sure." Pearl shrugged, reaching over to grab it. She handed it to Marina. "Drink up."
"Th-thanks." Marina tried to smile, but it hurt for some reason. She brought the water to her lips and tried to drink it, but it suddenly slipped and splashed all over the floor.
"Marina!" Pearl gasped. "What the hell? Why did you just spill…."
She trailed off and began to worry when she saw Marina. Her face was red and sweaty, but she was shivering violently. She looked like she was crying, but her face was absolutely calm and happy."
"M-Marina?"
Marina continued to shake. She couldn't even talk anymore.
"Marina! Are you sick? Speak to me! When's the last time you've been to a doctor?"
"D-doctor?" Marina gasped, her knees wobbling even more.
"Yes! When's the last time you've gone?"
"Y-years…"
"Years? Marina!"
"Don't shout!" she snapped. "I-I wanna g-go home."
"No." Pearl said firmly. "I'm taking you to the doctor."
"No." Marina answered back and started towards the door. A moment later, she stopped shivering and collapsed near the door, gasping slightly.
That's when Pearl screamed and reached into her pocket for her phone. She grabbed it quickly and tapped on Callie's number as hard as she could.
Pearl? What's the matter?
"I need you to come back! Now!"
Why?
"Marina's...something's going on with her and I don't know what it is! She just started shivering and sweating and then fainted."
There was a silence. Pearl began to pale. If Callie hung up on her, she was so dead.
"C-Callie?"
We're on our way.
Pearl hung up and quickly ran towards Marina. With some difficulty, she heaved Marina onto the couch by the table. She removed the hair from her face and felt her forehead. It was sizzling hot.
"Dear god…" Pearl muttered.
"Am I...am I okay?" Marina wheezed.
"Yes...yes you are. Now go back to sleep." Pearl whispered.
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me, Marina."
"What if I d-"
"You are not going to die. Don't you ever say that, Marina. Callie and Marie are on their way."
"I don't know, Pearlie."
"Just go to sleep."
Pearl sighed and felt her eyes slowly water as she went back to sleep.
"You'll be fine, Marina. Everything will be fine."
She stared out the window and watched as the rain began to pour down again.
"Everything will be fine." she cried. "That's what you told me…when they made fun of me…"
Done. Phew! That was tough! Sorry if it felt rushed toward the end. I wanted to add more to the chapter.
Anyway, review! :)