Princess Callie

Chapter 26: Marie Confrontation

It was in the middle of the night when I woke up. I tried to close my eyes and go back to sleep but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to shut them. After a few moments I decided to go for a stroll though I wasn't sure where I would want to go. I went to my wardrobe and looked for the darkest clothes I could find for sneaking. The only thing fitting that criteria was my performing outfit which didn't cover me up very well but it was better than going out in my sleepwear.

I grabbed my shades and slowly opened the door. I was surprised to see an armored octoling leaning against the wall on the other side of the door. He felt extremely familiar but I didn't recognize him. I decided to slowly squeeze out through the small crack in the door I made hoping this random guard wouldn't notice me.

Once I was in the hallway I started sneaking away when I heard him shift. My heart stopped and I turned around to see if he was awake. Luckily his head was still hanging so I shifted into my squid form. There wasn't any ink to hide in so I had to crawl away.

Once I turned the corner I let out a sigh of relief. Since when did Octavio start stationing guards just outside my room? That was a mystery I could solve later.

Getting past the armored octoling was the hardest part of sneaking out. Now it was just a matter of leaving the way I normally do. I went to the foyer and slowly went down the stairs while keeping an eye out for guards. Luckily there weren't any nearby so I opened the front door and went to the courtyard.

The next step was getting past the wall. I looked around for any cracks or crevices and found an arrow slit I could squeeze through. I turned into my squid form and squeezed through the crack. It was a long fall towards the moat but I had a plan. As soon as I was through I changed back to my normal form and grabbed onto a nearby rock. It wasn't the safest place to be but at least I was past the wall. Once I was ready, I switched back to my squid form and super jumped as far as I could from the wall.

I landed safely but now I had no idea where I wanted to go. I didn't want people to recognize me so anywhere in Octopolis wasn't an option. The only other place I could imagine myself going to was Inkopolis. Maybe I could find someplace to hang out there. I went to the nearest kettle which acted like gateways between the Inkling world and the Octarian world and jumped in.

When I emerged from the kettle I found myself back on the surface. It's been years since I've seen the sky. The stars and the full moon were as beautiful as I remembered. If it were possible, I would've spent the rest of my life admiring it but I had to stay focused. I still had to make sure I got home before Octavio realizes I was gone. I took a moment to observe my surroundings. I was on a floating island in Octocanyon. There was a nearby board with a map detailing the area. I could also something written in Octarian. It read, "Welcome to Tentakeel Outpost"

At least I knew where I was. According to the map the sewer tunnel that led to Inkopolis was just past a small bridge. As I approached the bridge I heard some music coming from what looked like a small cabin. It was a slow paced song that was oddly familiar. This piqued my curiosity and I lost all awareness of my surroundings as I followed the sound of the music.

As I turned the corner I noticed a familiar inkling sitting in front of the cabin. Her tentacles were milk white but had green spots on the end. She wore a black and green kimono while holding a green parasol. I knew immediately she was Marie. My abusive cousin who hated me. As soon as I realized it was her, she turned her head in my direction and was looking directly at me.

My first instinct was to turn around and start running. Who knows what Marie would do if she caught me but my legs refused to move. I just stood there while Marie got up and ran towards me arms held wide. She quickly hugged me which greatly confused me.

"Oh my gosh Callie! You're safe!" she exclaimed, sounding relieved. "I was so worried about you. I thought I would never see you again. Thank goodness you're here."

"Why are you hugging me?" I asked. I wiggled out of her arms.

"What do you mean?" Marie asked then she gasped. "Callie, you're still wearing those hypnoshades?"

I was too confused by her behavior to respond. She always hated me and even helped grandpa throw me out of the house. Now she was happy to see me alive and well? Something didn't seem right. She wasn't acting at all like how I remembered her.

I snapped back into reality when Marie began reaching for my shades. This caused a sudden unnatural wave of anger to wash over me. I charged at Marie, tackling her to the ground. Before she could recover I climbed on top of her and grabbed her throat while keeping her pinned down.

Marie began uselessly trying to push me off while struggling to breathe. "Callie... please." she was gasping for air.

I tightened my grip and Marie responded by trying to pull my arms away from her throat. She wasn't even able to speak anymore as her strength waned. It wouldn't be much longer. "This is for everything you and grandpa have done to me!" I yelled in a pure uncontrolled rage.

Just before she could pass out, I heard the sounds of someone or something coming out of the nearby sewer grate. As I looked up to see who it was, I felt something heavy crash onto my head. I fell to my side and went unconscious instantly.