Hey so I'm really happy about all the comments I got over the last few chapters and I've got a couple entries for the OC contest! I've already added one already so look closely...

Either way let's just get to the story…

Mollie's P.O.V:

"So what do you plan to do up here?" I asked Penny trying to kill time considering I walked at least ten minutes away from the square to avoid helmet girl from earlier.

"The usual," replied Penny as she adjusted her beanie, "I'm going to play turf and find a team to take me in!"

Figures. Joining a team was the first step to success here. I realized that I was probably going to have a considerably hard time finding one considering how many newbies come this time of year. Plus, even if I did, I'm not sure I could keep my race a secret, especially in a turf war. Even now, I was constantly adjusting my glasses and hoodie in paranoia.

"What weapon do you use?" I asked casually trying to avoid the sinking sensation that my glasses would somehow magically fly away.

The inkling immediately reverted to the timid girl that I was talking to five minutes ago, "Well…" she mumbled, "I've kinda...haven't played turf war yet. I don't really know what weapons there are."

It took me a good bit of self discipline not to visibly gawk at the girl, which was good considering that she seemed pretty embarrassed by it. Okay, it's going to be hard enough for her as it is to find a team but not knowing your basic weapons? Plenty of inklings start turfing for the first time in Inkopolis but there was not one inkling I ever saw who didn't know the basics of their race's favorite sport. What kind of inkling was this girl? All of us inklings (well I guess I technically don't count) are practically addicted to this sport!

I tried to hide my shock by very politely asking, "You didn't go to a local turf place in town?"

Penny seemed to grow increasingly flustered as she tried to explain herself. "Well...you see...I kind of live in the middle of nowhere," she began as she laughed nervously, "I live on a farm with my parents. We're pretty far out."

Inkling farmers? Never heard of that kind of profession before. Inklings are so rabid about turfing that they hardly ever do anything else for a living. At least that explained her alarming lack of knowledge. Hopefully, this girl would catch on soon. Maybe she could do a couple of casual matches before finding a turf team or something?

"Oh I see," I responded politely as Penny was clearly embarrassed, "It's pretty easy to understand. You'll get it."

"I hope so." replied Penny before quickly changing the subject, "So where is the place I can register for turf war?"

"It's a small annex to the turf lobby." I said as we entered the square, "Right about over there."

I pointed to a small, admittedly dinky, building connected to the turf lobby. It seemed more of an afterthought than an actual extension. It was actually behind the building, which was fitting considering how it grotesquely stood out.

I quickly scanned the square, helmet girl was nowhere to be found.

We entered through a dinky door and found ourselves in what looked like a basement converted into some sort of registration room. A single lightbulb illuminated this entire basement like area and boxes were all over the place. This whole facility seemed to be in was a single long line going up to the desks of what looked like a very unhappy female inkling. She was absolutely swarmed by inklings all trying to get their turf cards.

I saw multiple other desks that didn't appear to be in use but I guess a single inkling was running the show today. Just my luck. I had to deal with walking for hours to get into Inkopolis and now I get to wait for a few more in an understaffed bureaucratic institution. Lovely. Just lovely.

"This looks like a really long line." said Penny, stating the obvious.

"Yeah," I said, "Hopefully, I can just transfer my old turf I.D and be done with it."

After about 15 minutes of waiting the line hardly budged.

I tried to kill some time on my squid phone but there was no cellular dwon here. No internet either which meant no texting and no surfing the web. So I had to bite the bullet and just play Kraken Run a million times before finally, thank cod, we got to the front of the line.

The girl at the desk seemed incredibly disinterested in me and seemed she would rather be doing anything else.

"Name?" she asked without looking up.

"Mollie Smith."

"Do you have a turf card from another district."

"Yup."

"May I see…"

I handed the inkling the turf card and her eyes widened. Oh crud. The thing has my face on it! I looked over at Penny, hoping she hadn't noticed but fortunately she had not. She was too busy doing something on her phone.

The bored girl looked at my card and then at me a few times before muttering something about how weird Inkopolis was getting before asking me to sign a waiver. I signed it and I was done. Penny's turn came next and it took much longer but eventually she finished up to.

We exited with our new turf cards in hand. Well, more specifically in pocket for me. It still had my face on it after all. Penny was ogling over hers as if it were a gold brick. Well, I can't blame her, you couldn't pay me anything to be in that line again. In fact, the line seemed like it was now twice as long as when we came in.

We must have been in there for two hours because it was already pretty dark out. Inkopolis began to flick on its nightlight, forming a sea of color with all those neon signs. Despite the fact I had wasted an entire day, it was pretty enough to put me in a relatively good mood. Hey, I made what I guess is a friend if we put aside the fact that I'm actively hiding my race from her. I got my turf war card and made it here so all in all, it had been a pretty good day despite some missteps.

"Oh man…" I said aloud looking around at all the colors, "It's...breathtaking!"

Penny looked absolutely enchanted, which probably shouldn't surprise me. If she lived on such a small farm, this was probably unlike anything she ever saw. I had to admit, this was pretty awesome to say the least. This was going to be a great place to live.

"Well," I yawned, "I've gotta rent my apartment before it gets too late."

"Huh?" said Penny distracted as she was still looking at all the lights, "Where are you staying?"

"Flounder heights." I replied.

"Wait what?!" beamed Penny suddenly, "I'm staying there too! We'll be neighbors!"

What came next was a mixture of happiness and nervousness. I was completely blown away at how I was going to be living right next to Penny. It would be great to have her as neighbor.

But I was still worried...Was I pulling myself to close? What if she found out that I'm a hybrid? What then? I didn't expect to be living with her. I intended to fly under the radar but this may be biting off more than I could chew.

"Is something wrong?" asked Penny as I was visibly frowning.

"Nothing…" I smiled innocently, "I was just in thought."

"Well I may want to check in to!" she replied, "Let's walk together!"

Penny was ecstatic to have me as a neighbor. All the shyness was gone, she was just as happy as could be. Good. I mean, I would have a lot of problems because of it but still...good. If I managed to unintentionally make an inkling happy in a world that sometimes really can slap you around like it did to me today, then good.

We had to walk through the square which was crowded with even more inklings than during the day. Inklings like to stay up late and I wanted to explore more but we had to get to Flounder Heights to check in.

As we took some backroads, Penny asked, "So...where do you come from anyway, Mollie?"

"Just a small town," I replied, "Nothing fancy."

"That's interesting!" said Penny, "I wonder what it's like to...Waugh!"

Penny suddenly fell through the street. I'm not joking she literally fell through the pavement. I looked to see that she fell into a manhole cover that was for some reason, ajar. It was really dark so it was hard to see.

"Penny are you all right!" I shouted. There was nobody around to help.

I shined my squid phone down and saw a chute that slanted steeply down at an angle for a couple of feet before dipping straight down at a vertical angle into darkness. I could just barely make out Penny who was clinging desperately to the slant just before the vertical drop off.

"Help me!" she cried hysterically, "Please! I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna fall!"

Crud. Crud. Crud. This was bad. Really really bad. Her fingers were bright red and the chute was slippery with rain water. She wasn't gonna last much longer. I was beginning to panic. There wasn't anyone around. This chute could lead to pipes or something that she could bust her head open on or worse...water. I didn't want this to happen. I just made a friend. I didn't want her to hurt or kill herself.

There wasn't time to make an inkpath. My hair was dark blue while Penny's was orange. Changing ink color would take minutes to do. It also requires being calm, sort of like meditating, which I was certainly not.

"I'm slipping, Mollie!" screamed Penny.

I did something completely rash and stupid. I carefully slithered through the hole and put my feet onto the ramp portion of the chute before the drop while grabbing the edge of tar above to support myself. My feet immediately began to slip on the slippery surface but I was able to hold on to the road.

"Grab my hand!" I yelled.

This was my best shot. I'm not sure what was motivating me to do this. I could slip, fall, and take Penny down with me. I mean it was really dangerous but how could I leave her there? She was just a shy girl trying to make a stake in Inkopolis. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve such a sadistic twist of fate.

Fortunately, Penny was able to latch on. I felt the tug of her weight immediately but I was able to keep my grip on the tar above.

"Easy does it." I said, "Easy, easy,_!

Suddenly, Penny's second hand slipped and lost it's grip as she tried to crawl up on her knees. She no longer had any hand hold except my hand which meant I was bearing the weight of her entire body. Instead of letting go, I held on as hard as I could but that mistake proved a deadly error. Penny ended up pulling me down with her as I lost the grip on the tar above.

I slammed into Penny as we tumbled down the shoot. I remember hitting something else and then rolling before falling again and sliding. It felt like a roller coaster but way more painful. This was all happening so fast and I instinctively turned into squidopus form so I wouldn't have gravity pull on me so hard. At the speed we were going if I landed the wrong way I could snap my sorry nech.

As soon as I turned into cephalopod, all the painful bouncing stopped, almost as if this crazy system of chutes and crap was meant for squids. We kept slipping and sliding long enough for me to wonder why I wasn't dead yet. This seemed too...controlled. There was an order to all these chaotic twist and turns.

Suddenly, I felt nothing beneath me before spiraling in midair before hitting the ground, hard, before everything stopped. I saw a sunless sky ahead of me and bare rock.

My vision was a bit fuzzy and I felt like throwing up. I did nothing for the next few minutes except to change form. Even that was agonizing because of how much my body ached. I slowly sat up to see if Penny had made it. I checked my head as well. Fortunately, my glasses and hoodie had stayed on. I saw that Penny had indeed made it . She was on the ground and tried to sit up but collapsed before throwing up all over the rock.

Gross. It seemed like she had an even rougher ride then I did.

"Yo, are you okay?" I asked as I stood up.

"I feel really...woozy." she said exasperated.

She was shaking, probably letting the adrenaline fade. I took the time to look around. What was more surprising than being dead is that there was actual stuff down here. There was a shack, a small tree, along with banner decorations. Someone was actually living down here. This didn't look like a sewer but what kind of weirdo makes a home here?

"W-Where are we?" asked Penny nervously.

She stood up but was still swaying a bit. I had shaken off most of the cobwebs in my brain but was still feeling a bit dizzy myself.

"I'm not sure." I responded, "There's got to be a way back. Look around. Let's just remain calm."

I looked around and finding what I thought was an exit was surprisingly easy. In the center of this area looked to be a pedestal with a grate on itl that looked like it was practically begging to be jumped through. However, I wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"It looks like we can go through here!" said Penny who was now standing up, "Let's get out of here! I don't like this place!"

"You can." I said, "But I think I should figure out what's going on. This looks a bit suspicious."

Actually, this place feels familiar. I can't put my finger one it. Almost as if I had been here before...

"Okay..." she said nervously looking like she was ready to jump through the exit at a moments notice, "But I-I'm gonna stay over here…"

"Suit yourself." I said as I went past the shack.

None of this made sense. Who has a shack down here? There were a few trees and multiple kettles as I looked around plus lots of rock formations. I made sure never to keep Penny out of my view though and I certainly wasn't going through any of those kettles.

"Did you find anything?" yelled Penny a couple of meters away. She was still right next to the grate.

"Not much! Let's_!"

I was interrupted by a loud snort coming from the shack. I immediately went on full alert and mouthed to Penny, HIDE!

I hide behind a panel of metal and Penny hid behind a nearby tree near the grate. I began to sweat. Someone was actually down here. If we needed to bolt, Penny would be fine since she was close to the grate but I was going to have to run several meters.

Stupid Mollie! You just had to go exploring didn't you? Use your poor excuse for a head!

There was movement in the chat followed by what was a lazy yawn. I noticed a flash of sky blue and saw an inkling exiting the shack leisurely. She must have been sleeping soundly so I guess she hadn't noticed us. The inkling was a girl and had two long sky blue tentacles. In one hand, she had a box labeled "Chocofish Chocalates" and in the other a turf war magazine. She stretched and yawned again before sitting down and reading her magazine.

The thing that disturbed me the most was how this inkling was dressed. She wasn't wearing typical inkling fashion. Instead, she looked like she was wearing some weird yellow coat, thick black boots, and weird looking earpieces. Even more alarming, she had an inktank on and some weird looking inkbrush right next to her in arms reach. Something about this inkbrush didn't feel right, it looked way more high tech.

This inkling looked like a soldier or a guard or something despite her laid back demeanor. Something was definitely fishy down here. I never saw any clothes or weapons like that for sale in shops or magazines. This gear looked militarized.

Okay, this was really scary. How was I supposed to get passed her? If she was a guard or something wouldn't she try to splat me? She's just a kid though. Would she really do that? I could get splatted for real if she had the nerve to actually use that weapon.

Soldier Girl, however, didn't seem to be that focused or attentive. She was still engrossed in her turf magazine. Occasionally, reaching for a chocolate. It was so odd. She seemed like such an ordinary girl. Why would she be down here with militarized gear and whatnot?

I guess this was as good as a time as any. I had to go for it while she was distracted. I had some distance to cover though since I separated myself from Penny, who would easily be able to escape due to her proximity to the grate.

"Penny, run!" I screamed as I broke into a run, trying to get past the inkling who immediately swiveled her head toward me and shock.

Penny immediately obeyed and was through the grate in seconds, oversized backpack and all. Good.

I however was still in a mad dash for the grate and I had Soldier Girl in the way. Soldier Girl was stunned. I'm pretty sure this was the last thing she was expecting today. Her mouth was hanging open and she had dropped both the box of chocolates and the turf magazine.

"What the Zapfish?!" she yelled in complete confusion.

I got to her before she could even make a move to stop me. I took the initiative of her surprise and took a running swing with my fist as hard as I could. I connected and the girl toppled over into the shack with a loud crash. I was just at the grate when I could make out Soldier Girl yelling, "Hey! Stop!"

I didn't even look back before turning into a cephalopod and jumping through the grate. It was so dark I couldn't see. I felt myself twisting and turning before being pulled...upwards? I couldn't tell. I didn't hear Soldier Girl fallow me.

What was going on down there? A crime syndicate? A military operation? Why was a kid being employed there? Suddenly, I saw a glimmer of bright light which suddenly exploded into a blaze as I felt myself soaring though the air before hitting the ground.

The ride was less painful and nauseating but I was still dazed after being hurled what I assumed was a good ten feet in the air. I layed on the ground and tried to get a grip on what had happened.

"Oh cod you're all right!"

I could see Penny rushing over to me. I looked around and we looked to be in an alleyway. I could see the orange sky above me. I could see the faint glow of neon lights that just barely reached the confines of the alley. I was in Inkopolis. I was safe. I was...home? Can I even call this a home? I haven't even gotten an apartment yet let alone stay here for a night. Despite, that I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened back there? What's going on with that place? Are you hurt" yelled Penny breathlessly.

Don't know, don't know, and no.

"Hey," I said getting up and observing the grate I just came through, "Relax. We're safe. Let's just get to the hotel and decide what to do next."

Penny looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

"We can't just forget about this?" she argued, "You're just going to leave?"

"No I'm not." I said as I pulled out my phone, "I'm reporting this to the police."

It's odd. I never reported something or called the cops. Honestly, inklings never committed any real crimes. Maybe there was that one kid who really wanted that fresh shirt that was too expensive and decided it would be a good idea to steal it but there wasn't much crime in Inkopolis or any other inkling city for that matter. I saw a couple of cops around my neighborhood. Jellyfish mostly. Pretty nice actually.

I dialed the number for reporting suspicious activity on my phone while keeping an eye on the grate making sure Soldier Girl didn't decide to make an appearance.

"This is being the Inkopolis Police Force speaking from a messages. Please be stating the nature of the activity you are wishing to be reporting. Press 1 for the hacking of the turf war. Press 2 for suspected…"

Huh. I guess the police force here was jellyfish as well. I didn't know where to place, "Secret Shack Connected to Sewer System with Creepy Guard Girl." so I decided to press 9 "miscellanous activities"

I didn't really know what to say so it came out like this…

"Umm, this is gonna sound really weird but the sewer grate on Kelp Street's leads to a weird shack that isn't in the sewer. There's a girl guarding it in high powered gear and it looks pretty suspicious. Uhh...bye! Please check it out."

I didn't now what more to say so I hung up. Penny however still looked really nervous.

"Seriously," I said, "Re-lax! We've reported the whole thing! Let's just walk to our hotel. C'mon."

Penny opened her mouth like she was about to say something but decided against it. We walked in silence for a while before she finally spoke.

"Mollie...I'm scared." she whispered softly, "What was going on down there?"

"Hey, it doesn't matter we did our duty and reported it." I said, "The cops will take care of it now."

"But what if the rest of Inkopolis is like this?!" said Penny who was bordering on crying, "What if its infested with crime? I don't want to just run into places like that all the time!"

I stopped walking. I felt really bad for Penny and in some ways related. She was in a new place that she never been in before. Now, much like me, she ran into a bad situation right out the gate and had to wonder if it's going to be like that all the time. I was scared of that fear too. I wouldn't be wearing these glasses and hoodie if I wasn't.

I put my hand on Penny's shoulder. She twitched but stood still and gave me her attention. Good.

"Listen…" I said wiping a tear of her face, "You're going down a rabbit hole at this point. I've never heard anything about Inkopolis being crime ridden. We just ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You shouldn't let that ruin it for you."

"Thanks…" said Penny with a small smile before suddenly stepping back and saying, "I'm sorry. This must be weird for you. We're total strangers."

"After what we just went through I don't really think that's an accurate description at this point," I joked, "It's fine if you're scared."

I jestured to the massive city which was covered in color and lights and said, "Look, we're here to have fun, be fresh, and have our own place. Let's conquer this city. We can't do that if we're worried about something that may not even exist!"

"You're right." smiled Penny who looked much more relaxed, "You want to go to our hotel now?"

"Yeah." I replied.

And we walked over to what would be our new home. I'm glad I met this girl. What would distancing myself from her have done. I'm not all that afraid anymore even though I probably should be. I reminded myself not to let my guard down. Maybe she would be a totally different person if I let my secret slip. People surprise you.

Then again, Inkopolis is full of surprises and I don't think I've seen anything yet…

Well, third chapter down! Also "Soldier Girl" is actually a fan made OC by Melfire Vulpixia! She will have much more to play in this story in the future. Anyways please let me know what you all think. Stay Fresh!

Fight for all Fiction!