Sanitized

Chapter 25; It's Tres

I turned to Elliot.
"Umm, shouldn't Opal be back by now?" I asked urgently.
"Yeah..." he said.
We turned to the door and ran towards the beach.
I saw Steven running for us.
"Guys, Opal is sanitized!" he screamed.
Steven then fell to the ground and passed out and started turning sanitized.
I looked at Elliot in fear, "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE. Now." Elliot said to me.
He then grabbed my hand and we ran out the door.
Steven and Opal were right behind us, both sanitized.
I looked behind them, and saw Phoenix and Paxton turn sanitized, and Pearl too.
"No." I said, "What's happening?!"
"We've got to go." Elliot said urgently.
I held his hand, and we ran for the bus in front of the hotel.
We jumped into the doorway before it closed, and the bus started moving.
Elliot and I sat down, out of breath.
"Now what?" Elliot said.
"I don't know, why are you asking me?" I said feistily.
"Woah jeez, Princess, it was a rhetorical question." Elliot said, putting his hands up.
I smirked at him, and then said, "Well, if it was rhetorical, what's the answer?"
"The answer is: I have no idea." Elliot said.
I smiled a little and then said, "Where are we going?"
"We should go back to Inkopolis, you're lucky I stole Steven's keys, we can drive back."
"Stole them?" I said, slightly angry at him.
"Okay, I left a note."
I laughed a little in relief.
Okay, well then we need to get off this bus." I said, standing up.
I walked over to the driver and asked him if he could stop for a moment.
He agreed and Elliot and I hopped off the bus.
"Well, we're not too far from the parking lot." I said, motioning to the hotel which was about 10 meters away.
"Yeah."
We started running for the parking lot, and ran past the booth and to Steven's car.
We hurriedly hopped in the front seats and Elliot started driving.
I looked out the window, and all of the other agents were shooting at us.
"Elliot..." I said, pointing to our sanitized friends.
Elliot then slammed on the gas, and burst through the garage doors.
He sped through the streets, and onto the highway.
"We should be good now." I said, telling him to not speed.
"Okay, but we are taking the fastest route home, we need to get back to Marina and Cap." Elliot said.
"Wow, you have some logic in you." I said, teasing him.
"Haha, turns out if you want to become an agent, you've got to be smart." he said, teasingly.
"Well, I didn't think you were smart, I mean, you went and did turf war instead of working."
He smiled at me.
Elliot began, "Sooooo. You and Isaac, I saw you two-"
"You saw that?!" I said quickly.
Elliot nodded and smirked, "so what? You guys are dating now?"
"No." I said blushing, "he just wanted to make me happier, he even said so."
"Well, I want to make you happy, but that doesn't mean I'll kiss you." Elliot said, still smirking.
"Sure."  I said sarcastically.
"Sure what? Sure, I want to make you happy, or, sure, I won't kiss you?" Elliot asked teasingly.
I turned completely red, and blushed like crazy.
"Don't even." I said,angrily, keeping my head down.
"Ahuh, sure, sure." Elliot said.
I then said, "Well, what do you want to do for the next 13 hours?"
"Talk?" Elliot said.
"Okay, I'm not sure that there's anything to talk about though." I said, hugging the seat.
"There's always something to talk about, I don't know everything about you." Elliot said.
"Well, I don't know if there's anything that I have to say."
"Really? I've never heard any stories from you, you don't really like to talk to me."
"Well, there's just so much to talk about you with, I mean, you're an interesting character, to say the least."
"Well, I mean, you're right. We don't talk about anything except my great personality."
We laughed.
"Well, the only time that you weren't here..." I stopped in my own words, I didn't usually tell that story.
"Are you going to tell it, or dramatically stare off into the distance, and expect me to join in your flashback?" Elliot said.
I laughed with guilt.
...
I started walking in the night. I was soaking wet because of the rainfall.
I made it to Steven's house and opened the door.
He saw me and gave me an apologetic and scared look. I just looked at him. Then burst into tears.
Every night since then I've been hard.
I was a loner.
I trained hard. Worked hard. Made sure that I would never be a nobody. The words still echo in my mind to this day.
I never tried to let that sort of anger loose again.
Every day from then on I was never the same.
You guys know that though. There was one thing that proved to me, that I wasn't the same person anymore.
It was about a month after I had moved into Steven's home, and I had figured out that he was Agent 6.
"Morning,Tres!" Steven said cheerfully.
"What?" I said harshly.
"What's wrong? I just said good morning."
"Well, you didn't need to disrupt me."
"Disrupt you from what?" Steven asked condescendingly.
"My quiet time."
"Do you want your lucky number 5 coffee mug?" Steven asked cheerfully.
"I don't believe in that carp about luck."
"But you said you loved it when you first met me..."
"Well, now I don't."
"Um, okay." Steven said walking up to me, "Need anything?"
"No." I said.
"Okay."
"Go away."
"You know what Tres? Lately you haven't been yourself." Steven said not as sweet.
"Yeah, maybe I'm not the little kid anymore."
"Well, the little kid was at least nicer."
"The little kid isn't as strong as me."
"I wouldn't care how strong the little kid was, I liked her for her upbeat personality."
"Well, the little kid is gone."
I opened up the screen on my phone and began to play a game.
"You can't treat this  like it isn't a big deal, Tres."
"Okay, so what if it is? I'm fine, and I'm better than I was before."
"I doubt that."
"Well, don't."
"Tres, want some coffee?" Steven said, trying to change the subject.
"No. Not if it comes in that little kid mug." I responded, distractedly playing on my shellphone.
"Ughhhhhhhh. Come back and be my friend!"
"I am your acquaintance, I don't have friends."
"Well then, why are you living in my house?!"
"Because I'm going through some rough times!"
"Really? Because that seems like a thing only a friend would understand!" Steven yelled.
"Lucky 5, just isn't lucky for me anymore."
"Really? Then come back when it is, and when someone who is just like you used to be, give them 5!"
"What do you mean, "come back"?"
"I mean..."  Steven slammed the coffee mug onto the ground, smashing it into a million pieces.
I felt a piece of me go away.
I'd had that mug since forever, and it'd meant everything to me.
5 wasn't my lucky number, but that wasn't the reason why I didn't want that cup anymore, and Steven knew that.
"As long as you're salty and mean, and can't show an ounce of gratitude, don't stay at my house!" Steven screamed.
I looked up at him in surprise.
"Go pack your things." Steven said quieter, putting his hand to his forehead.
I hopped off the chair and grabbed my stuff.
I knew that I wasn't myself, and that myself would have to be someone else that I knew would be that 5.
I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. Not with the way I was.
...
"You don't want to talk about it?" Elliot asked with sympathetic and sincere eyes.
I didn't tell him the story, and instead just stayed silent. I hated this guy too much to want to share that with him. He would probably go off gabbing and tell everyone, "Tres' got tons of problems!" Or something along those lines. No matter how much people skills he used, he was not going to get it out of me.
"Well- well- I just- I don't know..." I said unsure of myself, but had the obvious answer in my mind.
"Princess..." Elliot said.
I looked at Elliot with wide eyes, and said harshly, "why do you care so much about this?"
"Because like I said earlier, I care about everyone." Elliot said, looking away for a moment.
"Thanks, I guess." I said.
"Are you okay, Princess?" Elliot asked.
"Well of course I am." I said, looking away.
"Okay?" Elliot asked.
"I don't..." I said, looking down.
Elliot looked at me with genuine, heartfelt, eyes. I looked at him back.
I looked at him carefully.
"They're here." Elliot said, pointing to the distance.
I looked and saw the sanitized agents, running for us.
"You seem like you need to get yourself together." he said.
"What do you mean by that?" I said harshly.
"You seem a little unstable." he said bluntly.
"Well, I'm sorry if I haven't blown up a statue or two."
"Yeah, but you've saved and solved more problems than me. I've caused problems, because I was-"
"Yeah, mind controlled." I said, trying to finish his sentence.
He stayed silent for a moment.
...
I sat down on the castle's balcony.
"Elliot! Time for battle!" My mother called.
I smiled and walked towards her.
"Today we're going to have some fun." she began.
I looked at her. She had long turquoise tentacles, pulled into a low ponytail. She had gorgeous striking green eyes, fair skin, and a sweet and kind personality, that no one could ever compare to.
"Coming mom!" I said excitedly.
I ran towards her, and jumped into her outstretched arms.
"My Queen..." a servant said from behind her.
"Yes?" my mother responded.
"The people are waiting."
"Well, then, we shall change that!" she said cheerfully.
"Where's daddy?" I asked her.
"I think he's waiting for us." she said.
She grabbed my hand and walked me to the castle's other balcony.
We overlooked a large crowd, filled with octolings wearing shades.
We didn't have to wear the shades, because we were royalty, and had promised loyalty to the Octarian Army.
I sometimes felt bad for the people who had to wear the shades, unable to change their actions, but an army that follows directions immediately, is better than a rebellious one.
I saw my father, King Octavio, standing next to me.
"Hello there my son." he said.
He had his usual outfit on, and had his usual kingly aura of calm.
I looked at him, and then out to the crowd.
"When will I be able to fight with them?" I asked in awe.
"Today, my son" he responded.
"Really?!" I asked with excitement.
"Yes really." he responded with a smile.
"I'll be taking you out onto the course." my mother replied.
"Yay!" I said, jumping up and down.
There was a crash downstairs.
"An INKLING HAS INVADED!" I heard a servant scream.
I heard more windows crash, and ran downstairs to see an inkling man, attacking the octolings everywhere.
I looked at him in fear.
What could I do? A seven year old with no absolute advantage, do to protect everyone?
I ran at the man, and aimed my fists, the man pointed his ink gun, and began to shoot.
Almost in slow motion, my mother ran in front of me.
And was splatted.
Forever.
I looked at the ground in fear, devastated.
From then on, I was set on destroying the inklings.
I had a hate so large, that I didn't need hypnotizing shades.
Ever since I've joined the surface, and Squidbeak Splatoon, I was ashamed of that hate.
...
Elliot stayed quiet for a couple moments and said, "Well, I guess then it's not my fault."
"Exactly, I'm so sorry for not feeling important." I snapped.
"Well, I think we found the source of your emotional problems." Elliot said.
"Oh, you little-"
We both looked away from each other.
Elliot didn't look at me, but I caught myself looking at him in anger.
I took one last look, and then drifted off to sleep.