Well okay, gonna bang out another chapter.
Well, I kept bawling my eyes out like a fool until I heard a voice.
"Mollie!? Mollie!? Are you okay?!"
It was Penny. Somehow she had gotten to my general location. I stopped wailing and hid behind a building, pressing myself against its concrete wall. How could she have followed me? Oh yeah, maybe me crying like an idiot. Damnit. Stop crying.
"Mollie!" Penny yelled. Louder this time she was close. Her voice echoed across nearby buildings.
I stayed silent, just praying should would go away and give up.
"Molly, I heard you here!" called Penny, "I know your somewhere over here!"
I still remained quiet.
I heard Penny's voice begin to break, "I-Is i-it something I did?"
She started crying too. Cod, this was too much, she was blaming herself now. I didn't mean for that to happen. One of us being hurt was bad enough. I peeked over the corner of the structure, Penny was running around frantically building to building but eventually stopped to catch her breath. She must have been running this entire time to keep up with me and I run pretty fast.
"D-Did I d-d-do something weird?" she blubbered incoherently, "D-Did I scare you?"
I was being selfish. I didn't take her feelings into account. For all she could reasonably assume, I thought she was repulsive and didn't want to live with her. Fine. I would end this right here and there. I'll tell her...
I left my spot and came out in the open. I began yelling before she even looked up at me.
"You want to know why?!" I yelled as she stood their stunned at my sudden appearance.
Penny didn't do anything. I was startling her. I didn't care. That was good anyway.
"Answer!" I yelled, "Do you want to know why?!"
Penny meekly replied, "W-Why are you mad? I didn't do anything wrong?"
"Why should I even bother talking to you like we're friends?" I cried, "You're just like all of them!"
I swung my hoodie off, revealing my two long octarian tentacles flopped behind me. I took my glasses and flung them at the ground in her general direction. There! Now, she would hate me and I would hate her for doing so. She wouldn't have to blame herself, she would instead be disgusted she ever came within arms length of me. This would be better for both of us. Her feelings wouldn't be hurt and I wouldn't feel any guilt for leaving her.
"Don't you see?!" I yelled crying through my exposed octarian eyes, "I'm a monster! I'm an ugly hybrid!"
Penny's eyes widened in what I could assume was only fear and confusion. I could see her urge to run. Her legs were shaking.
"What are you waiting for?" I shouted at her "Run! Tease me! Do whatever you must do but just do it! I just want this all to end!"
We just stood there. It was probably no more than half a minute but it felt like an eternity. Penny stared at me wide-eyed. She wasn't doing anything. She was probably petrified with fear.
"Mollie…" Penny said wiping away her tears and regaining her composure, "You're really...an half octarian?"
I didn't answer. Why wasn't she leaving? Leave!
Penny frowned, "You...you were hiding it this entire time?"
Penny wasn't crying anymore. I was confused. She was frowning. She looked...sympathetic? I didn't understand. She must be scared, she must be. Why wasn't she running? At the very least, why wasn't she mad? She just looked...I don't know...sad.
"Were you scared of...me?"
Yes.
"Were you worried other inklings would find out?"
Damnit, yes. Terrified.
I was still quiet. I simply stared.
She gave one shaky breath and asked,"So...you're not an inkling?"
This touched a nerve. It was too much. I wasn't an inkling and never would be. I wasn't even fresh enough to be an octoling. I would always be some abomination that everyone would have to tolerate, clumsily walking around pretending to be one of them. I would never be able to live among them. I would never be fresh.
I finally spoke up.
"Yes…" I whispered as I crumpled to the ground, "Yes, Mollie, I'm not an inkling."
I buried my hands in my face. I was just trying to shut all this out. Penny's questions just affirmed everything. She was peeling away my skin like an orange peel, exposing who I truly was. It hurt.
"Mollie…"
I felt pressure on my back. She was hugging me.
"Oh Mollie," whispered Penny with genuine pity, "That must have been so hard for you."
I looked up. Penny, the meek nervous wreck of an inkling, was now smiling down at me in an almost motherly way. I was the meek one here. She was the protector.
"Mollie," she smiled, "You've been so kind to me. I know this is weird but I think…"
She paused as if carefully phrasing what she was going to say next.
"I think you may be my best friend." she blushed suddenly at the realization that the phrasing of what she was saying was weird.
"You don't care that I'm a monster." I whimpered.
"Mollie," cooed Penny, "A monster wouldn't be able to do what you did. No inkling has ever helped me in this way."
I looked up at her in awe. "Penny," I said, "Y-You really don't think I'm ugly? You're not repulsed?"
"No…" she replied, "I think you're beautiful…"
I looked at Penny. She liked me. I wasn't a monster to her. She was the first I had ever seen to judge me by my actions. She was able to see beyond my octarian eyes and into the person I truly was. To her, I was a kind person who helped her when she needed it most.
She was right. I wasn't a monster. I was a hybrid. A beautiful talented hybrid. No more disguises. No more worrying about others and their perception of me. I'm through with it all.
"Penny! Penny!" I cried frantically as I returned the hug as tight as I could. I surprised myself. I had wanted her to leave moments ago but now I wanted her to stay. I yelled her name as if I were afraid she would simply fade away.
Penny. Don't leave me. Ever.
Because I don't want to be stupid enough to try leaving you ever again.
All right I'm back in the swing of things. Please let me know what you think. Stay fresh and fight for all fiction!