This brief intro part is kinda based off of the waiting lobby at the mental therapy I did in third grade. Yeah, I have OCD and ADD. Nothing much. Eh.

It was a nice day in Inkopolis Square. Agent 4, however, had other things to do. She had just been ordered that she had to walk Callie to mental therapy after the incident with DJ Octavio and the Sunglasses. Marie claimed it wouldn't be safe for Callie to go alone, but Marie was busy with paying bills. Agent 4 complained when she was assigned the task. Why couldn't Three do it? He was more experienced. Apparently he was missing, so all of his chores were thrown on Four. Great...

Callie kindly greeted Four as they met up. For this mission, Agent 4 had been equipped with no weapons but a bus pass. The two took the bus to the doctor building. They went up the elevator, and got to the floor for therapy. While they were walking past the waiting area for children, Callie stopped.

"What is it?", Four asked.

"All these little children…"

On the ground in the waiting area were a bunch of small children. It looked like a rainbow. You know how small child inklings have skin the color of their ink? Yeah, like that. Some really small four year olds looked at each other from across the room shyly. A kid around eight was trying to organize all the toys in the waiting room, and twitched every now and then. A really little inkling was holding her mom's hand tightly and pointing at Callie and Four, whispering. Her mom said something to the kid, and then waved at the girls.

"They remind me of me when I was little," Callie whispered to Agent 4.

"You've been here before?", Four asked.

"Yeah," said Callie. "Marie has, too. When we were eight or so… We both have anxiety. Oh, man! I remember waiting in this same lobby. Good times."

"Marie never told me this!"

"Oh right." Callie looked at the agent. "I've got a whole story for you, if you wanna hear it."

"Sure," said Agent 4, knowing that waiting in a doctor's office took hours.


This part is NOT based off of anything and is entirely fictional (and ironic).

Marie knew that her cousin had seen a lot. They were both seven-years-old, and, according to their parents, would be nearly-fully developed inklings by the age of eleven, rather than fourteen. It was a genetic thing. Anyway, the two were still those adorable round triangle squid-babies or whatever. However, for their age, Callie had recently been through a lot, and her cousin was the only person she talked to, that is when her step-mom let her leave the house. Marie's parents were kind and let Marie hang out with her cousin secretly every now and then. Because of this, Marie had learned to be very sneaky. She would do anything to keep her cousin happy.

A few months ago, Callie's mother had died of pneumonia. Within days after the funeral, her dad had already engaged to another squid. Weird. The two were married only a couple weeks after they engaged. Callie never liked her step mother. She was strict and beautiful and was always giving the small inkling mean looks. Her beauty always worked as an excuse for everything, and Callie's dad always trusted the weird lady. However, whenever he was around, Callie's step mom treated the girl like a princess, or even a queen. Callie was too scared to tell her dad about it, until it was too late. Callie's father caught pneumonia three weeks later, or so her step mom said.

Marie couldn't help but feel bad for her cousin, with all she went through. When Marie would secretly visit Callie, Callie would always say her step mom didn't want her "perfect little green girl" cousin ruining her life, or something like that. To Marie's surprise, Callie was still always hyper. Callie's precious hyper-ness gave the world hope, Marie would say.

Apparently "Marie" was a human name that meant "sea of sorrow" or something. Callie didn't always trust her cousin when it came to "reasons why you should stay positive", giving that Marie was probably the most negative being to ever walk the face of the Earth. No amiba, dino, human, or inkling was ever so negative.

The girls heard footsteps.

"Marieeeeee, run!", Callie whispered.

Marie nodded and climbed out of the window.

After Marie left, Callie tried to act like no one was there besides her.

Callie heard the doorknob turn, and rushed into bed, pulling the covers up.

"SMALL CHILD," her step mom shouted.

"Y-yeah?", said Callie.

"What do you want for lunch?"

"Uh, uh, um, uh, I…"

"Whatever. You're being too slow. We shall have chicken noodle soup, and that's final."

Callie hated soup. Uhg.

Meanwhile, at Marie's house at the table during lunch, Marie's dad said that his step-sister-in-law seemed fine. Marie's mom had no opinion, and continued eating. Marie felt strongly inside that Callie's step mom was squid satan, but didn't say anything.

Marie woke up the next morning feeling normal and average. She ate breakfast, normal and average, and then went to school, normal and average. Her and Callie walked home from school, normal and average. However, when she got home, she learned her parents had gotten divorced… But that wasn't the worst part. Her dad got custody, but he had just engaged to… You know who. Pro: She and Callie could see each other more. Kon: Evil step mom lady. Greeeeaaaaat…

Marie was in her room drawing manga when Callie and her step mom moved in. The old house Callie used to live in had been sold, as well as all of her books, video games, art supplies, and toys. And her bed. Her step mom was practically taking baths in the money, Callie told her cousin.

The two had to share a room. That seemed okay at first, but eventually got annoying. Whenever Marie was trying to read there would always be that weird noise pencils make when you draw and color it in. Callie wanted to decorate the room with homemade crafts, while Marie wanted to leave it plain. However, they always had the company of each other. Awwww.

When Marie's dad wasn't around for whatever reason, the evil step mom called the girls mean names and was always making fun of them for existing, as well as doing other sorts of teasing, like intentionally stepping on Callie's long hair, which went all the way past her feet and dragged on the floor behind her wherever she went. Their evil step mom claimed that they were the "kind one" and the "pretty one" or something like that and was always like "those are the two worst kinds of children", or, whatever.

Callie was starting to get less hyper and smile less and less each day. Marie had lost hope in everything without Callie's precious smile. One night, Marie was so tired of her cousin looking sad that she flicked the lights on, climbed down the ladder (they had a bunk bed), and shook her cousin awake.

"Callie, you NEED to smile more," seven-year-old Marie demanded.

"Wh-what?", Callie said, rubbing her eyes.

"I feel completely dead inside," said Marie. "And that is because you're not as hyper."

"How can I be?", Callie responded, rolling over to face away from Marie.

Callie had a point. Marie slowly nodded and went back to bed, turning off the lights.