"Hey! Sweetie, wake up!" Cereza jolted awake and gripped the sheets around her. Her eyes darted around until they locked onto the familiar purple of her father, practically glowing in the darkness of the room. The small lime green night light illuminating his face just enough to show the look of concern. "Are you okay, baby?" Cereza relaxed at the low voice of her father and let out a small content breath.

"Yes, daddy. I'm okay," she whispered, bringing an undeveloped arm up to rub the grogginess out of her eyes. She was already thinking of excuses for why she jumped the way she did. Her daddy always worried for her when she had nightmares. While she prepared for the following questions of concern, Inkay simply smiled a bright smile. His grin almost gave out more light than her night light.

"Come on. There's someone here that wants to see you," Inkay whispered. Cereza raised a sleepy eyebrow before glancing over to the little jellyfish shaped clock. The device gave out a dim red glow as it read 2:37.

"But it's way pass my bedtime," she groaned, looking up at her dad. The small hybrid hadn't gotten a good rest in awhile, and though tonight was no different, she was eager to try.

"We'll make an exception for tonight. Come on," Inkay whispered still smiling. He offered his hand to Cereza and she placed hers in it. Inkay helped his daughter out of her bed and stood up straight, guiding her out of her room. Cereza's interest peaked as he lead her to the neighboring room. The sleep in her eyes practically evaporated as Inkay pushed the door open. Cereza's eyes were drawned onto her mother sitting in the corner, a dark purple blanket curled in her lap.

Cerata looked up at her husband and daughter. Though she beamed at the two, Cereza could see that look in her eyes that she only saw when she came in late. Inkay lead her closer as Cerata spoke.

"Hello darling. Guess who's here to see you," Cerata breathed out.

"Who?" Cereza asked. Cerata's smile grew wider and Cereza looked up at her father as if expecting him to show some signs of this being a prank. He just smiled at her and gestured her forward, releasing her hand. Cereza took slow, unsure steps towards her mother. Her eyes were locked onto the blanket the entire time. Once she reached her mother's side, Cerata adjusted the newborn so Cereza could see him better. Wide green eyes stared and locked with Cereza's brownish purple. The two stared silently at each other as if waiting for the other to make a move. "His name is Luca," Cerata whispered.

"Luca…" Cereza whispered to herself. As if satisfied with hearing his name, the cheeks on the baby rose as he smiled towards his sister the best a new born could. "And…he's a hybrid…like me?" Cereza didn't need to ask. It seemed quite obvious. His head wasn't as pointed as an Inkling but it wasn't as rounded as an Octoling. And though a newborn's tentacles are insanely short, his were noticeably longer. She didn't dare break eye contact with her brother as if he'd disappear if she did.

"Yep. Just like you," her mother answered. Cereza slowly extended her hand, Luca watched the limb approach him in awe. Cereza gently poked Luca's stomach, the smaller hybrid letting out a squeaky giggle, attempting to move his undeveloped tentacles to grasp the one poking him. Cereza's eyes sparkled at the sight, lowering her limb so her brother could take hold of it. He seemed content with resting his on hers seeing his were nowhere near long enough to actually wrap around it.

"You know this makes you a big sister now, Cereza," Inkay spoke. "That means you have to look after him." Cereza took a sharp inhale at the responsibility placed on her shoulders. Another hybrid. Another younger hybrid. A hybrid that just became her responsibility to look after and protect. There was a sudden feeling of purpose surging through her young body as she looked at her younger brother.

She had to protect him. That was the main thought bouncing around in her head. But she didn't even know what that entailed. She could barely protect herself, she knew. But gosh darnit she was gonna try! She had to be strong for his sake. Lead by example. Let her strength become his. This was the determination flowing through her mind and flashing in her eyes.

"Can I hold him?" She asked. Cerata nodded and adjust herself, tapping her lap to tell Cereza to sit on it. Cereza obeyed, climbing up onto her mother and holding her arms out.

"Be careful with his head. He's very delicate." She said as she handed the blanket to her daughter. Cerata wrapped her arm around Cereza as she gently grasped the blanket. She held on to her brother in fascination as his eyes sparkled just the same. She felt a connection. A warmth filled her chest as a big smile spread across her face, Luca mimicking the action the best physically possible.

"Hi there. My name's Cereza." She cooed, Luca babbling softly at her voice. "I'm your big sister. You know what that means?" Her eyes sparkled with enchantment as well as tears as she slowly returned her limb to 'hold hands' with her little brother. "That means I'm just like you. And you're just like me." Content with his surroundings, Luca slowly began drifting off. Though he obviously was fighting the hold of sleep. Inkay crouched next to his family, looking between each with a smile on his face. Cerata beamed watching her children interact. A single tear rolled down Cereza's cheek as she continued.

"And no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

*Two days later*

Loud, rapid squeaks shook Inkay and Cerata awake. Inkay let out a groggy groan as he turned his back towards the baby monitor on the night stand. Still trying to hold on to that ounce of sleep, he wrapped his arms around his wife and buried his face in her back.

"Your son's awake," Cerata said taping the hand resting on her stomach.

"Before sunrise he's your son," Inkay retorted into her back.

"Hmm, I'll remember that when you're full of energy and I'm tired during the day," Cerata muttered back, urging Inkay to remove his arms from her. Inkay obliged with another groan as Cerata stepped out of bed. She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her body to shield herself from the cool night air that her underwear didn't protect her from. She exited the room towards Luca's. She woke up a bit more when the crying suddenly stopped. Maternal worry kicked in as she took faster steps.

She opened the door to the darkened room and headed over to the baby tank. She leaned over the machine, thinking of how annoying the installation was. But it was required. Baby Inkling and Octarians dried up easily so they had to sleep in light ink to insure they didn't dehydrate over night. She peered into the purple ink filled container before flipping a switch. A dim light turned on at the bottom. Not enough to disturb anyone, but to show the outline of any sleeping newborn inside. If there was one. Cerata immediately began to panic, turning to run back and tell Inkay their child was missing. Before she could call out, she stepped in a small amount of ink. She looked towards the trail and found the culprit.

In a small, circular bed that was mostly for daytime napping and rest, Cereza was curled up with Luca snuggled up in her arms. Cerata got closer and smiled at the sight. She watched her children sleeping, breath slow and peaceful. She sat on the edge of the bed, Cereza holding onto Luca a bit tighter as if protecting him from something. Cerata couldn't have been happier.

Her sister and her weren't the worse siblings, but there were definitely some bumps in the relationship. Especially towards the end. In honesty, she expected Cereza to loathe Luca. She heard younger children tended to hate newborns out of jealousy for their parents attention. But Cereza seemed to give Luca more attention than they did! Cerata could only hope their relationship continued this way. She reached forward and slowly stroked Cereza's head.

Inkay sat in bed still half asleep. He was waiting for his personal space heater to return before fully diving back under. Unfortunately she was taking a long time. He rolled over and looked at the clock. She had been gone for almost half an hour. He sat up, pushing the sheets off of himself and putting on some sleep pants. He made his way to Luca's room and looked around. A smile crossed his face at the sight of his sleeping wife delicately holding onto their daughter, who in turn was holding onto their son. He approached the sleeping trio with this warmth in his heart. He quietly returned to his room to fetch his phone to snap a quick picture. He normally wasn't a picture person but this scene was too pure to let sit in memory alone. After snapping a few shots, Inkay gently shook Cerata's shoulder.

"Love. Wake up. We gotta return to bed," he whispered. Cerata responded by curling further around her children. "Come on. You agreed you wouldn't do this. We gotta let Luca sleep in his tank." Cerata let out a groan of annoyance and didn't move from her spot. "He can sleep with us when he's a bit older. You don't want him drying out and getting sick, do you?"

"...No…"Cerata groaned, slowly sitting up, releasing her children from her arms.

"Good. Now go back to bed." Without opening her eyes, Cerata extended her arms towards Inkay.

"Carry me," she whined. Inkay raised a brow with a smile.

"Last I checked I had two kids, not three." Cerata responded by stretching her fingers at him. Inkay rolled his eyes and picked his wife up bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest as he carried her back to their room. He returned to Luca's room and shook Cereza to wake her. Like her mother before her, Cereza responded by curling further around the younger family member. "Cereza, baby, wake up." The hybrid slowly opened her eyes to look up at her dad. "We have to put Luca back in his tank." Cereza pouted as she sat up, still being careful in how she held her brother.

"But he was crying. What if he starts crying again?" Cereza muttered rubbing an eye with a limb. Inkay rolled his eyes and glanced at the tank. It could fit them both, right?

"Fine. You want to sleep with him tonight?" Cereza nodded, eyes barely able to remain open. "Ok. But only tonight, okay?" Cereza nodded again and Inkay gently picked the two up. He carried them over to the tank and gave both a kiss on the head. "Good night, baby," Inkay whispered.

"Good night, daddy," Cereza responded as Inkay lowered the two into the tank and returned to his room.

*1 week later*

Cereza dragged herself out of her room and rubbed her eyes as she made her way towards the bathroom. She began setting up her toothbrush by instinct, going through the motion of her morning preparation. She washed her face, brushed her beak and made her way down stairs.

The smell of eggs and bacon filled her nose halfway to the kitchen. She perked up and walked down a little faster, excited about another delicious breakfast. Cerata was flipping pancakes and sizzling bacon when she walked in, humming a tune to herself. She looked over as her daughter entered and smiled.

"Good morning, baby. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept well, mommy," she said walking over to the table. She walked over to the kiddie seat holding her brother and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning Luca." The baby giggled and cooed as Cereza smiled and took a seat next to him. "So you're cooking breakfast again?" Cereza asked her mother.

"Yeah. Thought I could continue shaking off the rust since I'm still on maternity leave." Cereza laid her head on the table, gently poking at her brother as the sounds of cooking bounced around the room.

"I'm glad you're on maternity leave…" Cereza whispered, as if it was forbidden to bother her mother. Cerata noticed the tone and her movements stopped. This sudden guilt filled her chest as she knew exactly what her daughter meant. She began cooking again, finishing off the eggs and pancake as quickly as she could. She placed them with the other finished products and walked over to Cereza. She rubbed her hands on her apron and crouched down to her daughter. Cereza sat up when her mother approached her.

"I'm sorry work is so busy, baby," Cerata said, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder and stroking her head. "But I promise we're gonna spend as much time together as we can while I'm on leave."

"...You promise?" Cerata smiled brightly at the young hybrid.

"I promise." Cereza smiled even brighter and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. The two held each other for a long time. When they finally pulled away, Cereza practically began bouncing.

"Can I help you cook?" She asked. Cerata raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"I don't think you're up for it."

"Please mommy! I can help! I promise I can!" Cerata laughed as Cereza's eyes sparkled in hope.

"Alright. You can help me cook. But not right now! You need to eat and finish getting ready for school." Cereza's shoulders slumped and she pouted. Cerata poked her nose and stuck her tongue out. "Don't give me any of that. I'll let you help with all the other meals I cook. Okay?" Cereza brightened a bit and nodded.

"Ok!" Cerata kissed Cereza's forehead and she beamed again, turning towards her brother with a bright smile. Riding off his sister's bright aura, he smiled too. Cerata walked back towards the stove as Cereza rested her head on Luca's table. She lightly ran her limb over his head as she whispered, "I'm really glad you're here."

*7 years later*

He could hear it again. Coming through the wall right next to his bed. He could always hear it, and it always confused him whenever he did.

It sounded like crying. But she couldn't be crying. She never cried. He was positive that there had never been a day where he saw her do anything more than a pout. But he could hear it. Those quick, sudden breaths when you try to keep quiet and your body shakes as a result. The sound didn't come every night, but those nights it did, he racked his brain trying to picture his sister, crying.

It was always after bedtime. Dinner would be finished, beaks brushed, and they would be all ready for bed. He'd snuggle up in his sheets, rest his head on his pillow, then he'd wait. Wait to see if another night would go by with the sound seeping through his wall.

There was another part of him that believed that if he were to go and confront his sister about the sound, she'd laugh at him. She didn't cry, their aunt Kiara never cried, and their dad most definitely never cried. Just thinking about any of them crying simply denied everything he knew about his family. But that sound had him so confused.

It slowly faded into silence. It was done for the night. But that didn't mean Luca was done thinking about it. He usually stayed up a bit later than the noise just to see if it started back up. But every time it stopped, it didn't return. Tired of not knowing, Luca decided to start looking for answers beginning tomorrow. But for now, he let out a big yawn, and he struggled to go to sleep.

The next morning, Luca woke up around the usual time and went through the motions of taking care of his personal hygiene and heading downstairs for breakfast. He wasn't surprised by the sight of Cereza standing at the stove, humming to herself and flipping pancakes. He walked into the kitchen and Cereza looked over her shoulder, throwing a big smile towards him.

"Good morning, Luke! Did you sleep okay?" She asked with the same bright and cheery smile he was used to seeing on her face.

"I slept fine, thank you. How about you?" He said as he made his way to his seat. He eyed her to try and find a sign that she had been crying last night, but as usual he found none.

"I slept like a baby. I feel well rested and ready to take on the world!" She said smiling at Luca and flexing an arm. Luca didn't smile back. He just watched her. She fixed his plate and set it in front of him. She tried to make small talk with him, but his responses weren't the best to keep the conversation going. He gave the simplest response and continued to pick at his food. "Luca? Is something wrong?" Cereza asked.

"Nah. I'm fine. Just a little tired," he said. Cereza smiled and patted his head.

"Then that means you need to get more sleep. How do you expect to take your form if you're tired?" she joked. Luca simply shrugged and began picking at his food again. "Mom and dad said they'll be home late again. You wanna go out for dinner somewhere or something?"

"No thanks. I'll just eat some leftovers so you don't have to spend any money," he said.

"Are you sure? We can go to The Cookout if you want."

"I'm good, thank you."

"Well, if you insist."

"What about you?" Luca asked. Cereza looked at him confused. "Is everything okay with you?" Cereza just smiled brighter.

"Why do you ask? I'm perfectly fine Luke." Luca didn't say anything. He just returned his sights to his food. Cereza tilted her head as she placed more eggs in her mouth. "Are you almost done? Your bus'll be here soon," she said through a mouth full of food with her hand covering it. Luca responded by shoving the rest in his mouth then looking up to her with wide cheeks and a nod. Cereza swallowed her food and buckled over laughing. "Careful! Don't hurt yourself biting off more than you can chew!" She said. Luca responded by making exaggerated chewing sounds and swallowing.

"Ow." Luca said after his food squeezed its way down his throat. Cereza laughed harder and Luca slowly joined in.

The bus arrived soon after that. Luca grabbed his backpack and headed towards the door. As he reached the doorknob, he was suddenly engulfed in arms. Cereza pulled him to her chest and gave a big kiss to his forehead.

"Mmmmmmmwah! Love you little bro! Have a good day at school!" Luca colored and adjusted his backpack.

"Yeah sis. Love you too. But you don't have to kiss me so much," he said opening the door.

"Then how do I show my love then?" She joked.

"I don't know. Just, buy me candy or something," he called running towards the bus. Cereza chuckled as she closed the door and headed to her room to get ready for her bus.

Luca reached the door of the bus and took a deep breath. Gripping the straps of his backpack a bit tighter, he stepped up the steps of the bus and into the aisle. He scanned the sea of heads looking for the green color of his friend.

"Hey Luca! Over here!" Eden called, waving his undeveloped arm for Luca to see. The hybrid smiled, walking forward towards his saved seat, excited to chat with his friend. Then something caught onto his ankle. He stumbled and landed face first on the ground. His groans of pain were drowned out by the laughter echoing around the bus. He rubbed where his future nose would be and looked over his shoulder. A dark purple leg moving itself out of the aisle as an Inkling boy grinned down at Luca. Luca started to get back up as another hand grabbed him by his arm and helped him.

"You okay, Luke?" Eden asked, worry in his eyes.

"Yeah Luke. You okay? You want your boyfriend to kiss it better?" The purple Inkling mocked, causing the bus to laugh harder. Eden glared over Luca's shoulder as the hybrid simply adjusted his backpack and made sure nothing fell out.

"I know something you can kiss, Geo," Eden said, trying to stand taller than he was without the movement of the bus throwing him off. The bus turned into a series of 'ooooo's' as Geo's smile widened.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't ya tell me shrimp? I'm dying to hear."

"Hey! You kids behave yourself back there!" The bus driver yelled. The entire bus looked forward to see the bagged eyes of the bus driver glaring into the security mirror. Everyone sat down and stared forward as Luca and Eden took their seats. Idle chatter slowly picked back up as Eden glared into the back of Geo's head.

"Man, I can't stand that guy. He's search a jerk." He turned towards Luca who had his head down and lost the look. "You okay, buddy?" Eden asked.

"Nothing that hasn't happened before," Luca whispered.

"Which is why we should do something! Tell a teacher, kick his butt, or anything!"

"That won't help. If we fight him he'll just get his friends and we'll end up fighting again. I'm sure he could just make an army of people who like to pick on me. And the teachers are useless. They always are. They'll just talk to him or his parents then he'll just keep doing what he's doing when their back is turned." Eden's shoulder's drooped as he looked at the somewhat broken look on his friend's face.

"Then…what do you think we should do?"

"Nothing. It's not like they're really hurting me. And my dad always told me that life is always gonna throw blows, and it's not about throwing any back. It's about standing back up, looking life in the eye and calling it a wimp."

"As cool as that is and all, it doesn't really solve your bullying problem."

"Doesn't matter. There are dozens of him. That's not what's bothering me right now." Eden tilted his head.

"Oh yeah? Then what's bothering you?"

"Eden, do you think my sister….cries?"

"Brighter than the sun Cereza? I mean, everybody supposedly cries, but I can't imagine her doing it. You've cried before."

"That was one time!" Luca hissed as Eden smiled.

"One time that I caught you. The jungle gym isn't really the best hiding spot." Luca colored and got ready to speak but Eden cut him off. "Besides, that was a good thing. We wouldn't be as close if I didn't see how much you needed a friend." Luca held his head down and sighed.

"I guess…but we're getting off subject. Cereza crying. Do you believe?"

"The only person that I can see crying after Cereza is one of those war people from those old movies. With the weird eye, and the big muscles and weird beards."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Why do you ask? You think she's sad about something?"

"I don't know. I think I hear her crying some nights but I can't be sure."

"Maybe she's getting bullied too."

"What? There's no way. Cereza's all…bright and happy. She has to have a ton of friends. I'm all…quiet and weird."

"I'm sure your sister has ton of friends, and you are quiet, but you're not weird. Plus, you never been to her school. You don't know what her school life was like. If TV has taught me anything, it's that 'School, is not Cool. It's cruel."

"Nice rhyme."

"Thank you."

"But still, bullying Cereza? Why?"

"The same reason people bully you: you're different. A Hybid."

"Brid."

"Yeah that. A lot of people are always mean to people different than the group, even if they're the same where it counts." Luca sighed as the bus pulled into the school parking lot.

"But Cereza's so sweet. Why would anyone bully her?" Luca and Eden stood and waited for the aisle to clear.

"Like I said, she's a hybrid. And considering you two are the only one of those, that's pretty different. But maybe she's not even being bullied. Maybe we're just overthinking. Does she have a diary?" Luca looked back at his friend as they stepped into the aisle and made their way out of the bus.

"Are you suggesting that I read it? I don't even know if she has one. And if she does, reading it would be bad. She may actually get mad at me." The two filed out of the bus and towards the building.

"It's the best way to find out if anything's wrong. It's for the greater good."

"And if nothing's wrong?"

"Then you don't have to worry any more. Just don't get caught." Luca let out another sigh and nodded. "I wish you luck buddy. See you at recess." Eden said with a wave as the two went their separate ways.

Luca's classes passed by in a blur as he juggled with the idea of invading his sister's privacy. He was curious to find out what was going on with her, but going that far had him worried he may actually make her mad. He spent his classes up to lunch juggling the pros and cons of doing the deed.

During lunch, Luca kept to the wall. The cafeteria rumbled with the hustle and bustle of third and fourth stages as they gathered and ate their food. Luca grabbed his tray and glanced around the room. He hated that he and Eden didn't share a lunch period, but he could survive until recess. He spotted an empty table in the far back and made his way towards it. He had almost made it to his table when something caught across his ankle.

Luca fell to the ground, abandoning his tray to keep himself from landing face first. The cafeteria erupted into laughter as Luca didn't even bother to look and see who tripped him. He eyed his fallen items and moved to pick them up. He reached towards his juice box as a foot came down on it. He followed the leg upward to see the owner glaring down at him with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. Luca lowered his head and hurried to gather the rest of what remained of his lunch.

"Don't ignore me!" The Octoling growled. One of the Octarians standing behind her moved forward and pulled Luca's head up, forcing him to look at the girl. "My daddy is thinking of making me switch schools. You know why Luca?" Luca grunted from having his tentacles yanked before returning his attention to the Octoling girl, her tentacle beginning to reach her eye.

"Why Elisa?"

"He doesn't like me sharing a school with a freak of nature like you." The Octarian let go of Luca and his head fell. His arms tensed as he could feel the eyes of everyone staring at the exchange. "Octolings and Inklings can be friends and all, but things like you shouldn't exist. It's against the laws of nature." Murmurs were getting louder as Luca felt his body shake. "My daddy says that anyone who thinks of making mismatched creatures like you should be locked up."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Luca shouted. The cafeteria went quiet save for the sound of footsteps quickly approaching. Elisa dropped down to Luca and hissed,

"I want you to disappear."

"What is going on here?!" An older Inkling woman yelled as she entered the cafeteria, attracted by Luca's cry. All the students faced their trays and pretended to be busy eating. Elisa put on her most innocent smile as she sat down. Luca stayed at his position on the floor. Tears fell from is eyes and onto the ground as he simply wondered 'why'? Why was his existence so horrible? Why did everyone seem to hate him just for being around? He wasn't that different. Was he? The footsteps grew closer as Luca tried to make himself as small as possible.

"Luca? What happened?" The teacher asked. Luca didn't look to her. Instead he shot up and ran towards the door. She was knocked off balance and shouted his name as he ran out of the cafeteria. He ran through the halls, sneakers slapping against the floors until he was clean out of the building. He kept running and running until his legs ached, only vaguely aware of where he was going.

When he finally stopped, he rubbed the remaining tears off on his sleeve and looked around. He was in an area he knew, but not well enough to get home. He was really regretting not thinking his escape through. Kids were mean, but if he ran across an adult who thought the same way, he could be in serious trouble. Body shaking with the occasional sniffle, Luca began walking. He was too scared to bother asking anyone for directions, not like he actually wanted to ask anyone.

After awhile of walking, Luca came across a phone booth. He patted his pants pockets to check to see if he had any change on him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized today was one of the few days that he did. He shuffled up to the booth and struggled to remove the phone from its perch. He dialed the number to his aunt. He didn't want to disturb either of his parents or his sister was at work. His aunt was the only one he could think of.

He placed the coins into the machine and pressed the numbers. His body still shook occasionally with a sniffle, but he waited patiently for the other person to answer. He hoped that she'd answer and he wouldn't waste a dollar worth of quarters. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. Four.

"Hello?"

"A-aunt Kiara?" Luca sniffled.

"Luke? What's going on? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"C-can you come p-pick me up?"

"What? Yeah, where are you?" Luca looked around the street for a clue on the question.

"I'm on King's Street .

"King's Street? What are you doing there?" Kiara asked, shock and worry evident in her voice.

"I just need a ride home…"

"I'll be right there. Don't go anywhere or talk to anyone, ok?"

"Yes ma'am." Luca hung up the phone and stepped out side the phone booth. He sat down on the side walk clutching his legs and willing away tears. He sat motionless for the fifteen minutes it took his aunt to get there. She stopped directly in front of him and jumped out of the car.

"Luke! What are you doing out here? Why aren't you at school?" Luca stood up and ran to his aunt, wrapping his arms around her legs and sniffling. Kiara was silent as she looked down on her nephew. She ran her hand over his head. "Come on kid. You know I'm not good with this emotion crap." Luca just sniffed more as his aunt let out a big sigh. "Come on in the car and tell me what's wrong. I'll take you home." Luca nodded and let go of his aunt. He walked to the passenger seat as Kiara returned to the driver's seat.

It was quiet at first. Luca sniffling occasionally and willing away any stray tears. Kiara waited patiently for him to start talking, but when he stay quiet for too long she started to some convincing, Luca told Kiara what happened and she grew quiet.

"Why does everyone treat me like I'm a bad person, Aunt Kiara? I didn't do anything to them…" Kiara took a deep breath and ran her hand over her tentacles.

"It's sad to say Luke, but it's because you're different. People are wusses and they don't like things that are different than them."

"But it's not like I want to be different. I was just born. And everyone hates me for it…"

"Oh Luke…," Kiara groaned, reaching over to rub his head again. "I wish I could say it would all be fixed tomorrow, but it took a long time for Inklings and Octolings to even be friends again. I'm not sure how long it'll take for your peers to accept you coming from such a racist previous generation." Luca's shoulders slumped at the news and Kiara noticed. "If you have the urge to beat them up, I'll come to your parents conference so you won't get in trouble with your parents." Kiara gave Luca a smirk and a sideways glance.

"Dad doesn't think fighting is a good idea…"

"Which is why he doesn't need to know," Kiara said nudging Luca's shoulder. Luca chuckled at his aunt but didn't say much else. "Tell you what, I won't tell your parents you ran from school if you promise it won't happen again, and you promise to not let it become a habit."

"Okay…"

"And talk to one of your parents about it. I'm sure they'll have better advice than me." Kiara said as she discreetly pulled her seatbelt around her just as a policeman drove by.

"But they're barely at home…I don't want them to worry…"

"Well you can't just keep it bottled up forever Luke. You need to vent."

"I vent with Eden."

"Yeah, but he's just a kid like you. You need to vent to an adult."

"Like you?"

"A responsible adult." The two had a small laugh as the car descended into silence. It stayed that way for the rest of the ride. When Kiara pulled into her brother's house, she glanced over at Luca. He didn't move immediately and continued to stare at the floor. She reached over and ruffled his tentacles again.

"Don't think that I'm just pushing your problems to Inkay or Cerata. I'm here anytime you want to talk to me. Or need me to pick you up." Luca looked up and smiled at his aunt as she nudged his shoulder and gave him a smirk.

"Yes ma'am." Luca said as he pushed the door open and swung his legs out. "Love you, Aunt Kiara."

"Love you too, kid. Try to stay out of trouble, but kick ass if you find yourself in it."

"Haha. Yes ma'am." Luca shut the door and headed towards his house, pulling the spare key out of the flower pot and letting himself in. He reached up to grab his backpack to realize he didn't have it. He must have left it at school…well there goes his homework. He'd have to hope Eden would notice his absence and collect it for him. Speaking of Eden, his idea resurfaced in Luca's head. He walked up the stairs to his sister's room. She usually got home from work a bit after he got home from school. He had a few hours before then. With a deep breath he pushed the door open and stepped in.

Cereza's room was a pinkish purple, with Squid Sisters posters and plushies everywhere, and enough pillows on the bed to smother a whale. If Cereza did have a diary, where would she put it? Luca took a glance towards the bookshelf but decided that it was too bad of a hiding place.. Maybe one of her drawers had it. He walked over to her dresser and pulled one of the drawers open. Nothing but clothes greeted him and he pushed it closed. He checked every drawer multiple times and groaned when he found the diary in the far back of the first one he tried.

Luca sat on the bed and looked at the bright purple book he held. All of Cereza's secrets sat in front of him and his curiosity peaked. The answers he was looking for were right there. But if he got caught with it, he may lose Cereza's trust forever. His eye narrowed in determination as he gripped the side of the book harder. He quickly flipped the book open to the front page. .

Dear Diary,

I hope I'm doing this right. Mommy said that writing about my day can help me deal with problems. I can 'vent out' to the paper if I'm mad and look back on good times when I'm sad. I don't completely understand, but mommy said it could be fun so I guess I'll try it. But mommy said I should keep my diary a secret, so I'm writing it in my room. Luca's here too, but he's sleeping. Plus I don't think he can read anyway, so he's okay. I'm glad he's around. It's a lot less lonely when mom and dad are gone.

Luca blinked at the page before he turned to the next one.

Dear Diary,

Mom and dad are working late again tonight. Aunt Kiara is gonna be here later to make us something to eat, but she doesn't usually stay all night. I guess it'll just be me and Luca at home again.

He scanned the next couple of pages before finding one that caught his interest.

Dear Diary,

The kids at school won't leave me alone. I try not to mess with them and even help out, but they always just call me a freak or weirdo. One kid kept saying her dad said I was born out of 'infidelity'. I'm too scared to look up what that means.

Luca's shoulders dropped. They did bully his sister. For no other reason than being born different. He began reading and flipping pages faster.

Dear Diary,

The kids were really mean today. They called me names and played catch with my backpack until everything fell out of it. And when I was late to class from picking everything up, the teacher gave me detention. I don't think he likes me either…But I can't let it get to me. If I let it get to me, then when Luca gets bigger, he might let it get to him. Daddy always said to lead by example.

Luca felt his heart drop. She was bottling her pain to keep him safe. She always seemed so happy but she was really going through all the crap he was. But this was years ago right? Maybe things got better. Luca flipped to some recent pages and began reading.

Dear Diary,

I tried to play some Turf Wars today. The enemy team kept jumping me and my teammates would always turn a blind eye. Then if we lost they'd blame me for not covering enough. But it wasn't all bad. There was this one Octoling girl that stuck by me and helped me fight off the enemy team. We didn't talk any but I really appreciated her.

That wasn't too bad of an entry. This must have been a bit after she took her form. Luca flipped the page and continued winning.

Dear Diary,

Aunt Callie and Aunt Marie invited me to sing on their show! They were doing a youth talent search and they want me to be a contestant! I'm so excited! I'll get to sing on stage and have the video posted on their website whether I win or not! That way other talent scouts can see me! I could be a big time singer like Callie and Marie!

That was weird. Luca knew that Cereza liked to sing but he didn't know she sang with Callie and Marie before. He had been on their website a few times but never saw a video of his sister. He turned to the next page and his eyes widened.

I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them

The page was littered with what Luca was sure were dried tear stains. The writing was scratchy and rigid like Cereza tried to engrave the words into the paper instead of just write them down. An entire page of just that phrase over and over. What could've happened for such a drastic change. Luca flipped to the next page to find it blank. All following pages were completely barren, leaving Luca to just wondering what exactly happened. He closed the diary and put it back where he found it. So Cereza was bullied and the chances of her crying were actually pretty high. Well now he had the truth he was looking for but what was the next step? "Hey sis, I read your diary and just know I go through the same thing." That was a terrible idea.

Luca walked out of his sister's room and returned to his. There was still a few hours until she got home. Surely he would think of some way to approach her by the time she got home.

It was close to bedtime and Luca had barely even said anything to his sister. She had tried to start conversations, but he shot them all down with basic responses. He noticed how Cereza seemed to slump the more he avoided conversation but he just didn't know how to start the one he wanted.

Cereza had put him to bed and was in her room for the night. So Luca continued to lay there and think. What could he do? What could he say? He was always bad at starting conversations and even worse in talking about serious things. He always preferred to sweep them under the rug.

About an hour after laying down, he heard it again. She was crying. And he needed to do something now. He sat up from his bed and looked around for an idea on what to do. Something to let her know she wasn't alone. He could just tell her but he always got tongue-tied. But…he couldn't just let her cry alone again…

Luca threw his legs over his bed and slowly made his way out of his room. He took slow steps to his sister's room. He took a deep breath, already thinking of what he needed to say. Filled with as much determination as he could muster, he pushed the door open.

Cereza shot up at the sound of her door opening. Her eyes were bloodshot with tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Luke…I didn't here you get up…" Any determination Luca had shattered alongside his heart. Just the broken sound in his sister's voice was so foreign he wasn't even sure if he was looking at the same person. "Do you need something? What's wrong?" The fact she simply wiped her eyes of her tears and asked what was wrong with him only made Luke worse. His tongue got tied again as he opened his mouth but nothing came out. Cereza scooted to the edge of her bed to get closer and Luca began looking around her room.

He walked over to her desk and picked up her laptop, with a bit of difficulty. He walked over and placed it down on her bed, crawling onto it himself.

"Luca, you know it's bedtime. Whatever you're looking for it'll have to wait until tomorrow," Cereza said. Luca responded by opening her laptop and logging on. She sighed and leaned over to try and see what he was doing. "What are you doing anyway?" Luca remained silent. He typed up the video he was looking for, playing it and turning the screen towards Cereza. Cereza watched the screen flash with lyrics and the music sink into her ears.

Luca listened too. Thinking of all the teasing and bullying he went through, then thinking of Cereza having to go through all of it alone. The two sat silently listening to the music exiting the computer.

I look at you, and I see myself. And I know you better, than anyone else.

Cereza looked up at Luca, a bit of a saddened expression on her face as Luca left his head down.

And I have the same faucet, in my eyes, so your tears, are miine.

Luca looked up with tears in his eyes and a weak smile. The sight made tears well back up in Cereza's eyes. She moved her computer to the side and scooted to her brother. She wrapped her arms around him and he did the same to her. The two held each other and cried. It started off silent, with a few sniffles here and there, but grew into loud sobs as the two let out all they had been bottling up. All the years of trying to be strong for their families, of trying to not show weakness let out.

Sure they had their parents and family members, but they could never fully grasp their situation. The only one that could truly understand was being held tightly in their arms. Two peas of the same pod. Their mission was the same, but it had a stronger connection than before. To look out for each other in a world they were both different from.

They held each other and just cried it all out of their systems through the night. Luca didn't return to his room when they were done. They both decided it would be more pleasant to share a bed for the night. So they did. The next day Cereza took a day off from work and Luca skipped school. They chose to stay home and just enjoy each other's presence. The only two hybrids born in this world.

*present day*

Cereza and Luca were wrapped tightly in a blanket, the dim glow of a computer screen illuminating their faces. They had once again cried out their eyes while clinging to each other, Luca over the loss of his closest friend, and Cereza from the pain her little brother felt. They had calmed down and were now watching a comedy on Cereza's laptop. The jokes only getting chuckles out of their downed spirits. But Luca was honestly feeling better.

And from that he remembered his upcoming date with Senia. For awhile he chose to mull it over with himself, but then decided that if anyone could give him some advice on the subject of females, it would be his sister.

"Cereza…."

"Yes, Luke?"

"If I were to…take a girl on a date…where would be a good place to go?" Cereza grew a wide smile and gave Luca a tight squeeze.

"Ooooooooh? Are you gonna ask out that cute girl you brought home Luke? That's adorable!" She teased nuzzling into his neck. Luca colored and squirmed in his sister's grip.

"Cereza! Stop! That tickles!" He let out a groan and pouted, looking away from his older sibling. "So what if I am? Where do you think I should take her?" He muttered.

"I can't really tell you that, Luke." Luca turned around a bit shocked and disappointed.

"Why not? Is it some kind of girl secret or something?" Cereza laughed and ruffled Luca's tentacles.

"No, that's ridiculous. I can't tell you because I don't know her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, everyone is different, so they like different things. What may be one girl's dream date could be another one's torture chamber. You should plan a date based on what you know about her, and what she likes." Luca lowered his head in thought. "Just try to keep it simple and fun, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, sis."

"Any time little bro. Also, we should go Turf Waring again some time!" Luca laughed as Cereza threw her fist in the air with excitement.

"Sure, sis."

Hi all! How ya doin'? You enjoy the chapter? It was mostly all flashback with a little bit of current events. I hope it kind of clears up why Cereza is so affectionate to her brother. After being alone for so long, Cereza was really happy to have another hybrid around. Not only that, Luca being born also forced Cerata to stay home more. Remember that Inkay is an agent and Cereza works under Apallo, so they both rarely stay home. Thus increasing how lonely Cerata was. I know I'm telling that now, but I hope it came across during the story.

So this chapter title is from a phrase Cereza said awhile back. If you'll remember from way back in chapter 5, Matzuo asked Cereza why she gave up singing and she responded with 'horrible kids' under her breath, only to change it when he asked her to repeat herself. We know that they did something to cause Cereza caring personality to scratch a very hateful phrase in her diary. We don't know what they did yet, but we know it was bad. And I also hinted that the teasing was also going on before Luca was born, hence why she was so jumping and not well rested when Inkay woke her up at the beginning of the story. Poor Cereza.

Next chapter will focus on Inkay leaving for what used to be a city, Cereza meeting up with Matzuo again, and Luca and Senia's date. Hope you're looking forward to it. Until next time,

Astalabyebye,

Bang