Inkling life (1): The start of a change

Prologue: A flower from the depths

Chrissy was the 5-year-old daughter of one of the richest families of all the Octoling domes. She was living inside the biggest house in her dome section. Since "the Great Turf War" in-between Inklings and Octolings around 73 years ago, Octolings have decided to live hidden from the surface, underground in what they call "domes" since they were defeated. These domes have two energy sources: Zapfish, a living creature that generates electricity from their bodies, and combustion of a mineral they called "Carbonium". The carbonium was found during their digging for the dome creation but isn't sufficient enough to be their only source of energy. The Octolings follow a democratic political system. Recently, energy has been the concern of their society, so political figures have used it to their advantage promising a "solution" to the mysterious disappearances of the Zapfish. Today is the election of the youngest president of the Octolings, who is also the son of Octavios, named Oren. The biggest dome was used today, not as a park, but as a reunion center for the election. Chrissy's family was attending the reunion. Her mother, Linda, 30 years old, voted for Octavios son. Her father, Thomas, also 30 years old, voted for the only other candidate, Ivor. Almost the whole population of Octolings is present, so around a million.

Oren stepped onto the podium in front of the crowd,

"Thank you! Thank you dear Octolings to put your trust in me!" Exclaimed Oren, with a nervous but triumphant smile on his face.

Oren sighed as he looked around, a little worried as he removes the sweat from his brow

"But I fear you've all made a mistake..."

Suddenly yelling was heard in the far back of the crowd, pain and sadness were spreading.

"I fear that you shouldn't have trusted me..." he said, with a smug look.

Gunshots were fired in the crowd by soldiers hired by Oren to kill anyone who voted for the other candidates.

"This world will be only ours! OCTOLINGS!" Shouted Oren, watching as the crowd got thinner.

Octolings were killed by the thousand that night. The soldiers were closer and closer to Chrissy's family. She was too young to understand the panic around her. she looked up to see her mother kissing her father on the cheek lovingly, but soon were they separated in the commotion. Linda was running with Chrissy in her arms, hoping to find a safe exit to the surface, she didn't want to make her child grow within the domes under the control of someone like Oren.

"Oh, Chrissy..." Linda said, her eyes darting around looking for an escape

She petted her head and put her on the floor, so she could walk.

"What's going on mama?!?" Chrissy cried, too scared to even contemplate moving

it seemed like shots were coming from all directions

"You see the ladder over there? Go, Chrissy, get out of here as fast as you can, I want to find your father" Linda pointed to the other side of the dome.

"Yes, mama b-but why?" Chrissy asked again, still very confused about everything going on

Linda hugged her child with all her love, she realized that the soldiers were also shooting people who voted for Oren, he lied. She knew she wouldn't escape.

"We'll catch up with you...run as much as you can my little purple flower..." Linda begged her daughter, replacing the purple flower that was in Chrissy's short tentacles so that it wouldn't fall off
"Go now...your mother loves you Chrissy remember that..." Linda then finished and slowly disappeared into the crowd

" I love you too mom..." Chrissy cried into the hoards of people, hoping her mother would hear.

Chrissy turned around and started running toward the ladder as her tears were falling down her face. She ran around the soldiers and people getting shot down and finally reach the ladder. Before climbing she peeked behind her, people were fighting with the rage of living with no success. Oren was watching the massacre happening while holding the hand of a mysterious octoling girl the same age as him.

"Let the new Octoling era begin!" Oren declared his hands in the air.

"With the population so high and with that energy issue we can't keep everyone alive here! So why not start with the one who couldn't vote for me..." He laughed

Chrissy was climbing up, trying to reach the surface. before opening the trap door, she took one last look down in the dome, and her gaze crossed with Oren's, he saw her.

"Soldiers block the exit, NOW!" He shouted, shoving a soldier in the direction of the ladder

Chrissy realized that soldiers were climbing up and she finally opened the trap door. The light of the sun punched her face and the soldiers. For Chrissy, it was the first time seeing natural light. She quickly got out and closed the trapdoor behind her. She stood up and got down from the top of the little platform made around the trapdoor, her feet landed on the ground, covered with green grass. She reached down and touched it, she felt grass for the first time ever. But no time to waste, it was sunset and the soldiers were coming up. She ran into the forest to hide only to hear loud noises coming. She hid behind a tree, also her first time seeing one outside of coloring books. A giant machine rolled towards the trapdoor, which is located right in the middle of a small clearing of the forest. ( It's actually an Octoling army truck, but she is too young to know what it is. ). Male Octolings soldiers with guns came out and the last thing she remembers is someone taking her from behind that whispered: "Don't worry, I'll protect you"