#7 - Sanitized

Hypothermia

I woke up. Everything was dark. Was I back in Kamabo!? I tried to sit up. Then I realized that I was in a box in my Octo form. This was getting all too familiar...but the box was big. The ones that I was used to being stuffed in were usually very small.

I could hear muffled voices, mostly Inklings, but also a few Octolings. None of them were Sanitized voices, though. Which meant that I was not in Kamabo. 

Someone opened the box. It was so bright that I had to close my eyes, but I could hear the voices clearly now.

"...NILS?" 

"...Side effects of Sanitization..."

"...Hypothermia,"

"...Really?"

"Know!"

The last voice stuck out to me a lot. It was a young Octoling. 

"Help Octo!"

Then, the Octoling slipped into the box with me. "Veemo!"

I slithered back into the corner. I heard another Octoling's voice. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it. "No, Eight! It's SANITIZED!" She pulled "Eight" out of the box. 

Eight slipped out of the Octoling's hands and fell back in. She used one of her tentacles to close the box. "Octo!!!" She looked at me. "Veemo?" She asked. 

It had been so long since I'd last heard the Octarian language. I was used to Kamabo's modified Hypnoshades, called Hivemind Glasses. We didn't need a language since we could read thoughts. But luckily, I could still use Octospeak and Inklish. "Do I...know you?," I replied. 

Then, the other Octoling (I could see that she had teal fingertips now) grabbed Eight. "Nonononononononnooonoooo!" She scolded. "That's a SANITIZED Octoling! You know, the ones that tried to KILL you?!" She gave Eight a scrambled Rubik's cube. "Forget the Octoling for now. We need to take it to the doctor. Don't worry, she's an Octoling too. And guess what? She's heard of Sanitization!"

I felt someone pick up the box and carry me somewhere. Then, the box opened. "Wow, you weren't joking. It's a real Sanitized," said another Octoling. Then, she took me out of the box. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to squirm out of her grip, but to no avail. "Ack!" She almost dropped me anyways. "You're freezing! And slippery!" She put me back in the box. "I'd be surprised if she didn't have hypothermia," She told the group. "But in our Squid and Octo forms, we don't freeze because our squid and octopus ancestors could survive in freezing water. But she must not be turning back to her normal form because she's cold. I'm going to give her a shot of Low-Tide ink. It's painful, but I can tell that she's already been exposed to it, so it may have some healing properties,"

And when she gave me the shot, it brought back the memories of capture. But I could feel the ink changing something, and when I opened my eyes I could see that all the rings and patterns on my tentacles were glowing. Not their normal color (Which was cyan, by the way), but pink, which was my natural ink color. 

"It's doing something! Huh, her eyes are cyan," said the scientist. "Well, I'd usually say give her food and water and let her rest, but Sanitized don't need to eat or drink," she said. "Although, she will need to eat in a later stage of recovery," She said. "That means, hopefully she'll get her natural ink color back!"

Well, that scientist seemed to know her stuff about Sanitized. After she left, however, the group started talking about me.

"So, who's gonna take her?" asked a short Inkling who was fidgeting with a single Enperry Dualie in her hand.

"Well, Pearl, I don't want to say that Sanitized are bad and I don't want one in my house, but Sanitized are bad and I don't want one in my house," Said the Octoling with cyan fingertips. Wait. Marina Ida!? All the soldiers told me that she died! Oh well. I'm pretty sure that all the Octolings think that I'm dead too, but I'm alive. Well, as alive as a Sanitized can be.

"Well, since Eight likes her so much..." Said Pearl, "I think that Eight should take her!"

"Oh no..." A green-tentacled Cuttleling in a kimono looked like she had just realized something.

"But!" Pearl continued. "Eight doesn't have a house!" Another pink-tentacled Cuttleling had the same look of realization.

"SO! I say...Eight and the Sanitized stay with the SQUID SISTERS!" Pearl exclaimed. Everyone covered their ears. "Sorry," said Pearl.

The kimono Cuttleling groaned. "Callie...We're gonna have to do it, and you know it," she said. "Fine," said Callie. "Marie and I will take them,"

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We arrived at an apartment building. Callie and Marie went into their apartment, and Eight followed, carrying me in the box. 

When the box was opened, I saw my room. For an ordinary person, it was a decent room. maybe a bit small, even. But for someone working at Kamabo for years...

Well, it was the best thing I'd seen in my entire life!

Eight set my box on the bed. I got out and slithered under the covers. Soon, I was fast asleep. 

"Eight? Is she asleep already?"

"Sleep!"

"Wow. That was fast,"