The War of the Worlds - By Bridgette (A Splatoon Story of Martian Invasion)

Chapter 2-At Nantai

With the next day here, I was already up preparing myself for the upcoming trip the duos had dearly invited me and my friend to. Shorthair herself has already finished making herself look fresh, as I was continuing to work with myself. She was just patiently waiting for me by the couch, her gleeful smile staring down at her phone. I wish I could have been like her at that moment, but the dream I had last night made me feel like I wasn't myself—I was missing my optimistic self. I wasn't making any emotions, only remaining bland the whole time with no smile or muscles moving around except my mouth whenever I wanted to chat with her. I was trying to forget that nightmare, trying to imagine something more positive, but it didn't want to go away until I reached a point where I decided to give up and instead focus on my main objective.

I uncomfortably grabbed my jacket and a nice pair of shocks before I finished it off by grabbing my trusty boots and piercing my hair with a golden toothpick—I was ready for the day. There, we march our way outside to catch a ride from a bus where we were ordered by the duo to meet them up back at the city of color herself—Inkopolis. Some minutes have passed, and aure enough, we instantly spot the two, disguised with a large puffer jacket and glasses, waiting beside a wall with their eyes glued to their devices. Once the bus stopped, I got off, and Shorthair followed after, where together we approached the duos like if we were some bandits in a duel walking up to our opponents.

"'Lissa," said Ruby, bumping her elbow with hers to catch her lover's attention. "They're here."

Instantly, Melissa looked up to see myself and Shorthair getting nearer and nearer every second. She smirked at our presence and began approaching us as well, with Ruby following suit. She immediately reached her arms out, wanting to embrace me in a hug. I smiled for the first time in the day, and, with positive thoughts for the first time since yesterday, I hugged her.

"Bridgette!" Melissa said my name. "I'm glad you two made it."

"What's with the jacket? It's not very windy out here today." Questioned Shorthair.

"We don't want any of our fans to recognize us, remember?" Said Ruby with a brash tone.

"Oh, I forgot."

"What are we waiting for? Let's not sit around and talk out here." Said Ruby

The duo, myself and Shorthair, left the train station and entered into their black, luxury sedan, which Ruby owns, as she herself comes from an elite family with wealth and influence. Right after, the car turned on with a flick of a key, and we were off to visit the place where Ruby and Melissa began their love affair and their idol career. I was seated on the back left side of the vehicle, with my head laying on the window. My excitement flew away from my mind as the traumatic nightmare once again swept back into my mind—my pale, weak face had returned.

I kept talking to myself deep in my mind, where none, not even my dearly trusted friends I was so close with, would ever hear. I kept asking myself about the meaning of the dream, but I kept receiving no answers, only the distinct audio. I forgot how alien it sounded; those howlings were truest out of this world. I was starting to think I was going crazy, thanks to all the years of trauma I had seen and experienced in both my underground life and the metro. At that moment, I realized the possible source of my nightmare—the thing that fueled my fear: my curiosity about the Green Flash Event.

Finally, I couldn't handle myself containing my thoughts, and I looked to the first person to chat with, my sister-in-arms, Shorthair. I lifted my head to face Shorthair, and with a soft, gentle voice, I said, "Shorthair..."

Her eyes quickly turned to look at mine; no longer bound to looking at her phone, she said, "Yeah, Bridgette?"

I placed my finger on my lips, silently telling her to quiet her voice. She questioned it at first, but soon complied with my request.