An Octoling's Tale

Chapter 3

Desti walked home later that night after having lost all of her friends. She opened the door to her apartment and was met with a horrible surprise.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" Stacy bellowed as she threw Desti into a wall. "ANSWER ME!"

Desti looked up and saw anger in her sister's eyes. "I was out with a friend. I didn't expect to be out so long."

"Was it that Ben kid?" Stacy asked. Desti just looked at her. "I don't want you hanging out with him anymore. He's a bad influence on you and he lives in the lower levels."

"He only lives on level twelve," Desti replied.

"Yeah, that's nine levels beneath us," Stacy spat out as she kicked Desti in the stomach. "I think it's time for your punishment. Take off your clothes."

"But-"

"I said take 'em off."

Desti cried as she removed her clothes. After she was finished, Stacy threw a punch to Desti's face, causing her nose to bleed. She then grabbed Desti by the feet and dragged her down the stairs of the apartment and into the basement where a pit of piranhas laid embedded in the ground. She grabbed a chain that was hanging from the ceiling and tied it around Desti's ankles. She then yanked on the other end, forcing Desti to hang above the pit. Desti looked into the water and saw the grinning teeth of the piranhas as they attempted to take a bite out of her.

"Maybe this'll teach you a lesson sis," Stacy said as she attached the chain to the wall. "A night or two down here should do the trick." Stacy went up stairs and returned with Desti's clothes moments later and set them down in a chair. She then returned to her apartment.

"How could this day get any worse?" Desti was able to muster before passing out. She then woke up when she felt her face hit the hard concrete of the basement floor.

"Wake up!"

Desti groaned and looked up to see her sister standing over her.

"I said wake up." Stacy gave Desti a swift kick to her stomach, causing her to groan some more.

Desti got up off of the floor and went to go put her clothes on only to get stopped by Stacy.

"My boyfriend's coming over today, which means you need to stay out of sight," Stacy told Desti. "If you get in our way, there will be severe punishments. Do you hear me?" Desti nodded. "Good. Now come, you need to get yourself cleaned up."

Desti quickly grabbed her clothes and followed Stacy to the bathing pond. No one else was there due to how early it was. Desti set down her clothes and looked into the dirty water as Stacy shoved her in. Desti resurfaced coughing up water.

"What was that for?"

"Get yourself cleaned up and return home when you're finished." Stacy started to walk away.

"Why couldn't I just use the shower at home?"

"Because, I'm going to be using it!"

Desti sat in the pond as she watched her sister walk away from her. She quickly got cleaned up and put her clothes back on before anyone else showed up. While she was on her way home, she bumped into Ben.

"Ben? What are you doing here?" Desti questioned the octoling boy.

"I was worried about you. You weren't returning any of my texts."

"I was kinda being hung over a pit of piranhas."

"Oh Des."

"Ben, I have to get home, or else I'll be in even more trouble with Stacy. I'm sorry." Desti walked away from the octoling and returned to her apartment, where her sister and her sister's boyfriend were waiting.