An Inkling of Sympathy Ch. 10
Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to update. I know my roommate and I haven't twitched in a while, because we're getting so busy with the upcoming holidays. I can't say when the next one will be as of yet, but I do have some news. I've recently finished my second original novel called Warren High, and I'm looking for Beta Readers if anyone is interested in taking a look. Right now, I have an editor running through it, but I still have the rough draft available, and the edited copy will be available within the first week of January. It's a paranormal/mystery that's for teenage audiences. If you are interested send me a PM with your Skype or email so I can send it your way. Needless to say, it is copyrighted, but you're more than welcome to read it if. -Kiba
Marie's eyes began to bulge as the noose tightened around her throat. The startling voice had caused her to lose her footing on the stool, sending it tumbling off of the pier and into the ocean. But...the death wasn't quick. Her mind realized what was happening and began to try to save itself, her legs kicking madly for any sort of perch that could save her.
Her hands reached upward, trying desperately to grasp the rope and save herself, but with her neck held in place she couldn't find it in her mad flailings. I gasped, my hearts still trying to exert just enough energy that I could get to her.
Her struggles began to weaken, as I stumbled ever closer. She wasn't long for the world anymore. Her body began to twitch just as I got to her before falling still. I quickly grasped her waist, lifting her a little to take pressure off her throat. "Marie, please...wake up." I pleaded, looking around for anything I could use to remove the rope without letting her go. I could see a small cleaning knife on an abandoned fishing station, but it was so far out of my reach that I couldn't get to it. Worse, Marie still was not moving. "Damn it, no! Don't you dare fucking do this!" I shouted, trying to use my foot to reach it, but to no avail.
I had to do something. It was bad if she already died, but it'd be worse if an Inkling also managed to catch a glimpse of this, or even worse, an Octoling. Suddenly, it was as if a bright light came into my vision, and I realized what I had to do. Bracing Marie against me, I reached up with one hand and grasped my newly formed tentacle.
"You'd better not be dead." I muttered to her before with an agonizing cry of pain, I ripped it from my head. The thick cobalt liquid began to drip down my face as I threw it towards the knife. The tentacle obediently wrapped around the object, dragging it back to its master as quickly as it could. Tossing it upwards, I managed to catch the knife and I quickly slashed the rope, safely lowering the now limp Marie in my arms.
Laying her on the deck, I wasn't sure if she was still breathing. Resting my head on her chest, I closed my eyes and listened carefully. Her hearts were still beating, she was still alive! Her chest, however, remained still and I could hear her pulse weakening.
"God damn it." I muttered to myself, straddling her waist. Weaving my fingers together, I pressed them against her chest and pushed, trying to manually restart her lungs. When no air came from her, I realized that she must have exhaled it before she fell. Tilting her neck back, I placed my lips to hers, and taking a deep breath through my nose, blew the life saving air straight into her lungs. Pulling away, I began compressing her chest again, this time a returned breath emitting from between her lips. I almost cried out in joy. I'd breathe for her if I had to, but I wasn't going to let her die here.
I repeated the process again: another lungful, another exhale, over and over again. After a few minutes, I feared she would never wake up, until after one last exhalation, she opened her eyes with a raspy groan of shock.
"Marie!" I cheered, wrapping my arms tightly around her and pulling her close to me. "Thank God." She seemed stunned, still trying to catch her breath.
"Lusca?" She whimpered at last, her eyes beginning to tear up again. "You should have just let me die. That's what I wanted."
I pulled her away to look into her eyes. "How dare you?" I lectured her. "When I accepted my fate, you brought me back too. If you die, how will Callie ever be able to rely on you again? Did you just expect that everyone would be happy without you?"
"Wouldn't you?" She argued, before coughing more. "Why does my chest hurt so badly?"
"I had to operate your lungs for you until you woke up. You were almost a goner." I explained. "And no, I don't think anybody would be happy that you died, especially not like that."
"Too bad, it's not your choice." She replied, moving to stand up, but I squeezed her tighter, keeping her in my arms. "What are you-?"
"Shut up." I interrupted. "Don't say another word; just listen. I know you think you're doing the right thing...and I won't deny that I think you made mistakes in how this situation was handled. But you're not the only one at fault here." Surprisingly, she obliged, remaining still in my arms. I cradled her close to my chest, grateful she was alive. "I don't know what made you make this decision, Marie, but I won't let you make this mistake."
"No one asked you." She protested, but her tone soon became melancholic. She pressed back against me, nuzzling my cheek with hers. "It is my fault...it can't be everyone's fault."
"I don't think it's anyone's fault that anything happened." I whispered into her ear. "If you died, do you know what would have happened? Callie would have blamed herself. So would your grandfather. I, especially, would blame myself for it. That guilt would eat them from the inside out, until eventually...maybe they'd do the same thing. Your family would shatter, falling apart at the seams because even if you make mistakes, it doesn't change the fact that they love you."
"You?"
I blushed slightly. "I would have missed you terribly. Even if I can't claim that I love you, I can say that my life would be worse off if you weren't here." As my words trailed off, a silence enveloped the two of us. The only thing that could be heard was the audible lapping of the waves at the pier. "I know you're upset about what happened at the concert."
Marie tore her gaze from mine. "I just...I don't understand you. One moment, it seems like you're plotting to kill us in our sleep. The next, I'm waking up in your arms while you try to tell me that everything will be okay. How can it ever be okay if I can't trust you? I want to, I really do, it's just-" she paused, taking a breath, "I need an explanation, Lusca. Please. Just, make me understand."
"A long time ago, my family owned an electronics shop. Stereos, TV's, you name it. From the time I was a child, I was taught the way things work. Every wire and transistor had it's purpose and it's place, and for me, my place was there in the shop. I made repairs. I fixed things that were important to people."
Marie visibly sank. I knew she was struggling to see what my point was. "What is your point, Lusca?" She whispered, trying to remain patient.
Ignoring her question, I continued. "One day, the military came to our door and I was promptly drafted. My parents were too old, my siblings were too young, and so I was dragged off to training to become an Octoling Warrior, fighting the good fight against the heathen Inkling incursion. Amy taught me the finer points of combat. I had it drilled, over and over again. Soldiers don't have friends. Soldiers don't have families. Soldiers don't have weakness, no matter what. For Octolings, mercy is weakness, and so when I was sent to battle, I waited for the day that I would get my first kill. For the first few weeks, I was...excited. I couldn't wait to serve my military for the glory of Octavio. But nothing happened. There was no battles to be fought, no wars to be concerned with. It was a game of espionage and we were just infantry trying our best to not be caught up in the storm. That's when I realized, I didn't want to kill anyone. I didn't want to be in this stupid military. I never asked to be part of this war, so why the hell was I supposed to fight with conviction for a cause that, for all I knew, didn't exist?"
"I understand how you feel, sort of. It's what Callie and I were discussing before…" she stopped, her guilt-ridden face contorting to a grimace of pain. "Oh God, Callie...what if she's…"
I stopped her before she could go any further. "Don't think about that right now. Just listen to my story. You wanted an explanation, and I want to give you one. For Octolings, even questioning an order is considered treason. I kept my thoughts to myself. I tried so very hard to convince myself that it was necessary. It was kill or be killed, I reasoned. If I met an Inkling, I couldn't hesitate to kill them, because they wouldn't hesitate to kill me. That's when you and Callie came through for the zapfish. I couldn't let you take it when so many people, the ones I'd convinced myself were worth fighting for, needed it for their livelihoods. I would have sent you to my town. There, the entire city would turn on you and have easily killed you. Imagine my surprise, when I realized that you'd fired an ink strike at where my home used to be."
"Lusca, you know it wasn't personal, don't you? If we'd known it was a city, we wouldn't have fired it."
"I know." I replied. "But that's when I realized I could escape what my life had become, with the two of you. Because Callie showed me that there was such a thing as an Inkling of sympathy, I knew somewhere that I wanted to leave my life. The only way I could do that, was to bargain with you to take me."
"So you let us capture you on purpose?" Marie asked. "That doesn't make any sense." As she spoke, I could feel her hands rest on mine. She wove her fingers between my knuckles, holding them to ensure I wouldn't release her. "And if you were so happy to be gone from your old life, why did you keep trying to leave?"
"I thought the same thing you did, I suppose. Everyone would be happier without me. I was an awful soldier, and I was an even worse Inkling. For a while, you and Callie were simply my ticket out of the Kettles and into my new life. But, when the two of you were captured and placed in prison, your Grandfather asked me to go after you. I realized that, in a way, you were my new life. If you or she died, I'd die too. It's a stupid way to think about it, I know. But it helped me to think that the skills I'd learned weren't useless."
"But you tried to kill us!" She protested. "At the concert, you were going to put in the toxin and have it kill not only us, but the entire crowd, too."
"That happened because of what I did to that man in the prison. Lieutenant Daniels." I reached into my pocket, drawing out his badge and staring at it. "For me, he was the enemy. A villain in need of slaying. But thinking about it and doing it are two very different things, and when his blood poured out on to the ground, I realized what I'd done and it hurt to see what I'd become. I wasn't a person anymore. I was a monster. That's what my name means, you know? Monster. When I was born, my mother told me that I always had my mouth open and showing off my fangs, like I was trying to be scary."
She rested her silver tentacles on my shoulder with a weak giggle. "It's hard to imagine you as a baby. I bet you were really cute back then." My hand went to stroke her tentacles, causing her to gaze up at me. I could still see the red ligature marks around her throat. My fingers absently trailed down her cheek, gently running over it's sore surface. I couldn't help but feel that I was the one who caused it.
"Being locked in that room gave me lots of time to think." I explained. "I wanted to go back to my life. I knew I didn't belong here and I couldn't be an Inkling, no matter how badly I wanted to. I was going to just leave after the two of you left for the concert. But the Splatoon had different plans. It was a test of my loyalty. I stood there, the toxin in hand, and I was looking over the edge of the cliff. I could drop it in, killing the new life that I'd dreamed of. I'd go back home, back where monsters are meant to go."
Marie's eyes fell from mine again, causing her to withdraw further into her own self. I was doing little to comfort her guilt over what had happened. "And I kept wanting to kill you…" she mumbled.
"I almost did kill you." I stated. "You were right to lock me up again, even if I didn't come quietly."
"What stopped you?" She wondered, before frowning. "Was it because of Callie?"
I shook my head. "I heard you both singing. I'd never heard that song before, but it made me realize that if I killed you, I could never try to have the life I wanted again. Even if I died fighting against the current, at least I could try. I'd rather spend my whole life struggling to find a new place here with you and Callie, than ever go back to the way things were before. So, I did. I turned on the Splatoon and managed to kill all but one of them. She managed to get away before I could stop her, and then you knocked me out."
"Then, the moment you woke up, I threatened to kill you again. You'd tried to prove that you could be trusted, and I just threw it all back in your face." She murmured. "I'm sorry, Lusca. Truly, I am. This is why I said you should have just let me die. I just keep screwing things up for everyone."
I smiled softly. "Even if that was true, it doesn't change what I said about you. Death isn't the way out of the life you're trying to escape. The only thing you can do is to change yourself first."
She was silent for a moment. "That doesn't change that I wanted to kill you."
"I don't think you really did. I think that if Callie had pulled that trigger, you'd have been just as upset as you were when she didn't."
"See?" She murmured. "You don't know me at all."
"I heard what you said from the other room...about loving me."
"Great…" She groaned sarcastically, but I quieted her with a gentle squeeze.
"I'm not trying to make fun of you. I know having me around has been more stressful than it's worth, and I'd leave if I thought it would help. But every time I tried, you'd stop me. I think it's because you care about me too."
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and curling up against my chest. "Maybe." She muttered. "Or maybe I just care enough about Callie. She likes you, you know?" Marie chuckled to herself. "I told you, everyone likes the cute one. You can admit you like her, I won't tell."
"I can't." I replied with a heavy sigh. "Probably because I don't."
She turned towards me, her eyes shimmering. "Are you really saying you like me?" Her words sounds hopeful, and I knew my answer would hurt.
"No. I don't think I like you either."
"Oh." She whispered. "Well, you have to like one of us!"
"Why?" I asked. "Just because you both like me?"
"It'd be an awful soap opera if you didn't."
I blinked, confused. "Soap opera? Oh! Right, I remember those. Man, I never really was a fan. It's been so long though."
"You've only been here for a little over a week!" She protested. "You act like you haven't seen one in years."
"I haven't." I replied. "Our television systems cutout years ago. Heck that was back when I…" I stopped, my eyes lowering to the pier.
"When you what?" She asked.
I just shook my head. "It was many lifetimes ago. I'd really rather not talk about it."
"I suppose that's fair." Marie agreed. "Thank you for explaining...and saving me...again. If it's any consolation, I'm glad you decided to stay. Not just because you didn't kill me either."
"So…" I replied.
"So…" she repeated. "I guess...I guess we should go back to the house. Gramps is probably worried."
"Not just yet. I want you to promise me, you won't try to take your life again. When you start feeling like they'd be better off without you, you have to talk to me before doing anything." She remained silent for a long while, thinking about everything we'd talked about. Without a word, one of her hands separated from mine and reached to grasp the noose. She lifted it, inspecting it for a moment before throwing it off the pier where we sat. Together, we watched the rope slowly sinking into the water until it disappeared from view into the depths. "Are you alright?" I finally asked.
"I think so. It all seems so scary still. I don't...I don't want to die, Lusca. I never really did, but I felt like if I could somehow make up for all the bad things I've done, maybe it'd be better for everyone."
"We've all done bad things, Marie." I reminded her. "But I'll make you a deal. Starting this very moment, we forget everything we've done to each other. We're both forgiven and we just pretend like it didn't happen."
"I'll agree, so long as you grant me two favors."
"Like…?"
Her soft lips curled into a smile. "Stay here with me, just for a little until the sun sets." I nodded to show I agreed.
"And the second one?"
"Please, don't tell anyone about this. I appreciate you keeping our secret. I hate having to ask you to keep another one, but I feel like I can trust you. I just don't want to worry them. So, please…"
"I promise." I interrupted. "I won't tell a soul."
She smiled weakly up at me before once more stretching to kiss my cheek. "You're a great friend Lusca, I'm sorry it took so long for me to see it."
"It's hard to see a tree when you're just looking at a forest." I reminded her.
Her smile brightened and she hugged me tighter. "Yeah well, I've got the best forest in the world. Welcome to it...tree."
The two of us sat on the pier for a long time, watching as the large ball of light dipped beneath the horizon. It felt wonderful to take a moment to shield ourselves from the outside world. On this pier, it felt like nothing else existed. Our own little pocket we could go to away from our problems.
We stayed much longer than expected, the moon even coming up to bathe us both in its silvery glow. It wasn't until I heard Marie give a soft snore that I knew it was time for us to finally leave.
I scooped her up, careful to not wake her, and carried her back to the shack where the lights were still burning. The marks on her neck were no longer visible, but the weight of our conversation still hung around my neck like an albatross. "You can't escape." A voice warbled in the back of my mind. "You were born a monster, and a monster you'll stay."
I ignored it though. So long as Marie and Callie believed that I could be a good person, that was all I needed to assure myself. "Marie." I whispered to her, causing her to stir and rub her eyes.
"Lusca?" She grumbled sleepily. "Where are we?"
"I carried you back. You fell asleep and I didn't wish to wake you."
She grinned lightly and leaned up to kiss my cheek. "See? Now that's much better. That could make for a good soap opera." Letting her stand on her feet, I knocked on the door.
Swinging open, Cap'n Cuttlefish had a wave of relief wash over him. "Oh, thank heavens!" He muttered, throwing his arms around his granddaughter. "You had me worried sick, Squiddo."
"Sorry Gramps." She mumbled back, returning his hug. "It won't happen again. Lusca straightened things out. How's Callie?"
He looked over his shoulder at the bedroom. "She still hasn't woken up yet, but her treatments are healing nicely. Hopefully things will improve tomorrow. For now, you should get some rest. You look exhausted."
"Trying to say I look bad Gramps?" She replied. "Alright, I'll go home and get some sleep." Turning back to me, she held out both of her arms. "Come on. You get to carry me again, I've decided. That way I can sleep on my way there."
"Alright." I surrendered, scooping her back up again. "I'll be back in a bit Captain." I promised him, but she waved her hand.
"No, he won't. He has to stay over at my place. It's far too late."
"Erm...well, I suppose that's okay." Cuttlefish commented, puzzled. "I'm glad to see the two of you getting along so much better now."
"Good night." The both of us called as we left. Sure enough, just as she'd promised, she fell fast asleep on our walk back to her complex. After wrestling the key from a half-asleep Marie, I opened the door and went inside. Laying her in her bed, I tucked her in, but as I did she leaned up and placed a quick peck on my lips.
"Good night, Lusca. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sweet dreams, Marie. I'm just going to be on the couch, okay?"
She didn't reply, her sleepiness already retaking its hold on her. Tiptoeing into the living room, I managed to find a blanket and some pillows, and soon I was ready to join her in slumber land. As I closed my eyes, I prayed that this time, I would not arrive in the same horrid place as before.
Once again, I found myself sinking into the ocean. Deep beneath the waves, lower and lower, until at last I came to the bottom. I was in the city again, though this time it looked...different. While the buildings and structures still were some twisted combination of hyperbolic and elliptic, they were now gleaming beautifully in the caustic of the water. The place was full of strange creatures, similar to myself, but without tentacles. Instead, they seemed to have a mass of thin bristles of various colors and lengths. They walked with a certain rigidity that was unfound amongst our own kind, and I found myself wondering just what they were and how they came to be here at the bottom of the ocean.
I walked the streets of the city, large Cyclopean turrets rising high above the buildings like lone vigils, standing tall over the people. Their streets were paved with intricate designs that I hadn't even noticed the last time I was present in the city, and yet despite this, I found myself simply walking over them towards the one thing that seemed more out of place than any other.
A strange culmination of ships and vessels, all stacked against one another until they'd formed a horrifying shape of some kind of palace. Masts and bowsprits jutted from the twisted cocoon as if it were comprised of thousands of giant thorns. As I came closer, I saw more of the creatures I'd seen earlier, though these were dressed in robes and hoods. I could hear them muttering in unison, almost a chant, the sound of which stabbed through my mind as it had before. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh 'fhalma R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." Over and over again, they repeated their chant, though this time I was unsure what it meant.
Then came a loud rumbling from within the abominable palace that stood before them. The very ground beneath my feet shook, causing the other beings to panic as they began to flee and scream. The creatures in hoods turned to face the crowd as the trembling grew greater and greater, and pulling back their cloaks, they simultaneously revealed a most sinister visage. I gasped in horror and realization. These were not the same creatures that now trampled one another in panic. I somehow knew their names, but for some reason I could not bring myself to recollect it. What were they? I screamed the question in my mind, and yet the answer still would not come as they slowly began to descend upon the city. I knew now what this place was, it's name echoed in my mantle, over and over again. "R'lyeh!"
I awoke with a start, my chest heaving heavily as sweat poured from my brow. I was so horrified, my body was trembling in fear. I drew my knees to my chest, clutching them tightly as I tried to convince myself that it was only a dream, but in my soul I could feel the very real weight of what I'd seen.
It took me a few moments to realize that in the air was the scent of food, and looking over my shoulder I could see Marie with her back turned to me. She hadn't noticed my odd manner of waking up; something I was grateful for. "G-good morning." I greeted shakily, causing her to look over her shoulder with a grin.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty." She cheerfully replied. "I hope you slept well."
"Like a baby." I lied. "What are you making in there?"
"Breakfast." She blithely answered. "Why do you ask? I hope you don't just expect me to make food for you. I'm not that domestic." When she turned back around, I saw her with two plates containing food.
"So are both of those for you then?" I teased, causing her eyes to narrow at me.
"I'll have you know that you are by far the rudest man to have ever stayed the night in my apartment." She huffed, sitting beside me and placing one plate in front of me. "You come over, sleep on my couch, don't even put out, then you expect breakfast first thing in the morning. You're incorrigible."
"I'm the only man to have stayed the night in your apartment." I commented, taking a bite of the food. It was absolutely fantastic.
"W-what?! That's not true! I've had plenty of men stay here. I mean...not like at the same time or anything. I'm not easy, I mean. I just…"
"Callie told me that you've never had a boyfriend." I interrupted. As cute as it was to watch her try to stumble through her minefield of explanations, I didn't want to humiliate her further. Just as I was about to take another bite, she moved the plate from my reach, holding it away from me.
She huffed. "If you can't appreciate my sentiment, then you can't have any food."
"Whatever." I replied with a smug grin, my fork instead taking food from her plate.
"Now you're stealing my food?!" She accused in disbelief. "You're not allowed to steal food from me, you're a guest!"
"Yeah, well...people normally feed guest!" I argued, as she moved her own plate away as well. Now that she had no means to defend herself with both hands full, I reached past her to get to my plate, but she just continued to lean away to keep me out of reach.
Both of us stretched, trying to battle over the food, until her grip became wobbly. "W-wait Lusca, stop playing around, I'm about to…" With a loud crash, the plates fell from her grip to ground, shattering and spilling the foot everywhere. "Drop them." She finished with a sigh.
That was when we noticed how we were positioned. My body was draped over hers, our faces only a few inches apart. Her golden eyes stared deeply into mine, sharing my own gleam of embarrassment.
"So...isn't this the part where you're supposed to kiss me?" She wondered, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "You know I've kissed you more than enough to warrant it."
"Marie…" I began, the conflict in my eyes betraying my thoughts on the subject. "You know why I can't do that."
"Not really." She replied. "I don't think you've ever explained before why I'm not allowed to get a kiss."
"I…" My voice struggled to come up with an answer for her.
"I see." Marie muttered. "So, I guess you really don't have feelings for me."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry Marie…"
"Not as sorry as I am." She sighed. "God, I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I'd do something so stupid. I even made you breakfast. Sheesh."
"So, wait...this was all to try to get a kiss from me?"
"Well, yeah. Do I seem like the kind of girl who makes people breakfast?"
I closed my eyes rubbing my temples in irritation. "Marie, life is not like a Soap Opera. You can't just set up scenes and expect them to play out in your favor."
"I know." She admitted.
"I mean, doesn't this hurt? Getting rejected over and over again?"
"Like Hell."
"Then why do you keep doing this to yourself?"
"Because I have to be able to win at least one!" She snapped, before falling silent. "Callie gets all the boys. The demographic that likes me tend to be the much older audience or the younger girls. I told you before: everyone likes the cute one." She tore her gaze from mine. "I know I'm not cute, alright? But just for once, it'd be nice to be able to pretend that someone, anyone could have an interest in me."
My hand slid from where it rested to slide beneath her cheek that was against the arm of the couch, turning her back to face me. Before she could say anything, I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently against hers. After the briefest of moments, I pulled away, sitting up on the couch and clearing my throat. "On the contrary," I muttered, "I find you very attractive."
She was stunned, her chest rising and falling. "That was…"
"Marie, I understand your feelings, sort of. But I'm not going to fall in love with you. I'm sorry."
"Amazing." She breathed at last, sitting up slowly.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Yeah, yeah. Won't fall in love. Whatever." She muttered. "But man, that was...is that why Callie dates so much? I don't blame her, that felt so...exciting. Is that what it always feels like to be kissed? I've never been kissed by anyone before."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "You've kissed me like three times."
"Yeah, I know that. But it's not the same as you kissing me."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say." I muttered, though inside I couldn't help but to smile at how excited just one little kiss made her, even if it was meaningless. Not that she seemed to mind.
"I mean, who knew that that could feel so amazing?"
"Okay Marie, you're starting to worry me." I whispered. "It was just a kiss."
"Just a kiss?!" She argued. "No, no. That was my first kiss! That's a memory that I'm going to have forever. It's one of the most important events in a person's life! Oh man, I can't wait to tell Callie!"
"No!" I stated, a bit more forcefully than I intended. "Callie is never to hear of this, understand?"
Marie looked at me in surprise, before the joy that was once in her smile slowly began to fade away. "Oh. I see. Yeah, no problem. I'll keep it to myself."
"Marie, I'm sorry…"
"No, you're right. I mean, it didn't mean anything anyway. I shouldn't have gotten so excited. It's...not a big deal. I've asked you to keep secrets from me, there's nothing wrong with me keeping a secret for you." She cleared her throat before standing up. "I'm going to clean up the food now. Don't even think about lifting a finger to help either, even if it was your fault."
"Marie…"
"I'm fine, Lusca. Like I said: no big deal." As she began to pick up the broken plates, the phone began to ring. "Can you grab that?"
"Sure." I sighed, picking up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Hey there, Bucko! Important news!"
"Captain?" I asked, before signaling to Marie and pressing the speaker button. "What's the important news?"
"Hello, Lusca." Callie's cheerful voice came through the phone. "How are you and Marie?"
"Callie, I'm so glad you're awa-"
"Lusca kissed me!" Marie blurted, causing me to look back at her. An impish smile rested on her lips.
To be continued...
