Sanitized

Chapter 24; Change

I walked over to a rock and sat down.
I let the silence engulf me, smelling the sea breeze.
I sifted my hair through the night's wind.
I stared at the starry sky, amazed. All of the shining lights of the stars, no other lights around.
I let the peacefulness of the scene surround me.
I closed my eyes for a moment and reflected.
Then I heard a voice behind me.
"Opal?" the voice said.
I turned around and saw Steven.
"May I join you?" he asked, putting his hand behind his neck.
"Well, of course." I said, motioning for him to sit by me.
He climbed up the rock and hung his feet over the edge.
"Hey Steven?" I asked, trying to make it seem like our argument earlier hadn't happened.
"Yeah?"
"Do you feel like you're not yourself?"
"A little. Why?"
"I feel like I've drifted away from myself..." I said, dipping my head downward. I cried a little.
"I feel like I'm angry all of the time, and I'm mean, and I am rude, and and and-" I said, crying.
"Awww, Opal..."  Steven said, wrapping his arm around me. "You're an innocent little octoling aren't you?"
I remembered the flashback of him giving me inspiration, he used those exact words.
He pulled me closer, and I put my face to his chest. I blushed, and then said, "I don't feel like myself. And I don't feel like we've been the same."
He stared at me, and then I said, "You've always been there for me, protecting me, but now it feels... different. I just want things to go back to the way they were before."
"I do too, and you were right when you got angry, I was being a bad teammate and leader. I know that we should be helping now. You've always had your innocent ways of helping, and this time, being you required speaking up for yourself. I'm so sorry Opal..." He pulled me in tighter, and hugged me.
"I'm sorry too..." I said, "I shouldn't have said what I said."
"We both messed up, but me more."  Steven said, before laughing at himself.
We hugged for a minute.
"Hey. Opal?" Steven said.
"Yeah?"
"You know how you said that it feels different, and that I would protect you?"
"Yeah."
"It is, but even though it is, that doesn't mean I won't protect you."
"Thanks, Steven..."
I got closer to him.
We sat there for a moment, hugging.
Serenity.
That was the word to describe that moment.
The calm in the world.
The resolution.
The completion.
The girl who felt like she couldn't take this moment from me.
"Hey Opal..." a voice said from behind.
I turned around quickly.
It was a girl, unsanitized, yet pointing a sanitizing ink gun at me.
Steven looked at her.
"What are you doing?!" Steven asked.
"Nothing sweetheart."  she said quickly.
She kept the gun pointed at me and then said, "bye..."
She shot me with the ink then disappeared.
She was gone like that.
I was slowly fading.
"Opal! Opal! Opal!"  Steven said.
"Steven." I said sleepily, turning sanitized.
"Opal! Opal, don't go!" Steven said.
"Steven help me!" I said scared.
I looked at my hands, and I saw my skin start to change to sanitized green.
My entire body was changing to sanitize. What were the agents going to do?! My ink was the only ink that unsanitized complete victims of sanitization.
I crouched in and closed my eyes, hugging Steven.
"Steven, just know that if I do anything, after I'm sanitized, I don't mean it."
I felt sick, I started to have a headache.
"OPAL!" Steven screamed.
I shook awake for a moment then fell again.
"Opal, Opal don't go, I love you." Steven said quietly, and sincerely.
I paused and looked at him, I felt fine for a moment.
I blushed, and felt the rest of me turn green, and the ink began to change my tentacles. I felt sick again.
"I love you too." I said, sleepily.
He kissed me, and hugged me.
I kissed him with passion, and cried.
There's no cure for being sanitized except for being attacked by my ink. And my ink only, I wouldn't be coming back.
I felt even more sick, like I was going to die.
"Opal!" Steven screamed.
"Goodbye..." I said, before turning sanitized.
I felt a sick motion, then knew what I would be.
I felt Steven kiss me again.
And smiled a little.
I wanted to talk, but I couldn't, it was too late.
I savored the last few moments, and laid there.
I knew what I was going to be.
Becoming a mindless being, used to kill.
Serenity.
That was the word to describe that moment.
The calm and inability to change.
The moment of pure emotion for someone.
The calm noises in the background.
The girl who still confused me.
I thought about all of this.
Steven kissed my cheek.
Then.
Black.