Into the Light (A Splatoon Story)

Curiosity

The next morning, a cheerful Callie made pancakes. She'd seemed to have forgotten all about the storm last night.

Marie glanced up from her plate at me. "Rosa, we're going to have to leave for a while."

Where are we going? I write, interested.

Marie looks suddenly uncomfortable. "You're not coming, Rosa. We're going back to work, at the Studio."

They're leaving me?!

Panic shoots through me. I leap up, not exactly sure what I'm planning to do. I can't exactly get them to stay, after all. I can't find the words to explain how many times someone's left and never come back...

"We've been away from work for too long," Marie explains. "Don't worry, we'll only take a half day."

Callie smiles at me, managing to look reassuring and exciting all at once. "Don't worry, Rosa! We'll be back before you know it!"

I look down at my plate of food, a realization striking me.

They can't keep me forever.

The healthier I get, the closer I get to saying goodbye.

"Aww, what's wrong?" Callie asks, her brow furrowing in concern. "Don't look sad! We'll come back! We always will!"

Not always, I whisper internally. You'll leave me one day, and never come back.

"We have to announce the stages, and talk to our manager about adjusting our schedule a little." Marie says, as if I'll be able to know what she means.

I blink at her, still trying to fight back the wave of tears that suddenly gripped me.

I don't want to leave...

"Come here."

Marie envelopes me in a hug.

"We'll always come back, Rosa." She says, mistaking my sadness to be about them leaving. "Don't be so anxious. We'll come back as quick as we can, and then teach you to write Inklish. Not many people here can read Octarian."

Seeing Callie still staring anxiously at me, I manage a nod. Writing sounds nice...

Marie smiles. "Remember, Rosa, we'll be back soon. No need to be scared."

"Yeah! You can, er, just play while we're gone!" Callie says, sweeping me into another hug.

Before I can blink, they're pulling their coats on. Panic shoots through me, followed by sadness.

They're leaving...

Then, after they shut the door, I realize I don't know what 'play' means.

What do they want me to do? Does that mean I shouldn't touch anything?

I look around the empty room, wondering what to do. My eyes fall on a shelf, lined with things Callie said were books.

A burning feeling rises in me, one I didn't know existed until Callie and Marie explained it.

"You wanna know things!" Callie had said. "You're curious! All little kids are!"

"It means you want to know more about something. It's perfectly normal, don't worry." Marie had added, giving me a half-smile.

That perfectly explains what I'm feeling now. The books look so pretty, lined up the way they are...but what if Callie and Marie get upset? I don't want to touch anything they didn't say was okay...

I stand there, wrestling with my thoughts. I finally manage to tear my gaze from the books.

I can't...it's not worth it. What if they leave me underground? Would they do that?

I turn back to the table, and notice something thin and oddly-shaped sitting there. A small tickle goes through me, like a smaller version of the 'curious' thing they mentioned. I wanna know what it is!

Upon further investigation, I discover it lights up when I push a small button on the side. Pretty patterns swirl in it, trapped behind a wall of glass. If the glass was broken, would the patterns swirl up into the sky?

I recognize Inkling numbers, in a pattern behind the glass. Do I have to tap the glass?

I try it, and the number beneath where I just tapped appears higher on the screen. A small gasp slips out of me before I can stop it.

I made something happen, just by touching it!

Eagerly, I tap a different number. It appears right after the one I'd done previously.

This is so amazing! I never realized how exciting this was!

Suddenly, the patterns change. A picture of Marie appears, with some Inkling writing underneath. And then, the object starts to shake violently. A loud noise bursts from it, startling me.

Terror shoots through me. I drop the object and scramble away, blinded by tears of panic. I'm not sure how I ended up there, but I find myself under my bed. The object's loud noise echoes through the kitchen. Just as I manage to wonder if it'll go on forever, the noise stops.

Silence fills the apartment.

I pull myself into a ball and let myself cry. I'm shaking...or the world's rattling around me, I can't tell which.

What was that? Why did it do that? Was it attacking me?

After I'm through crying, I lay limply. Exhaustion weighs down my limbs. I just want to sleep...

Then...the door creaks open. I struggle to sit up, panic once again clawing at my insides.

Who...who's coming?!

Then, a voice reaches my ears.

"Rosa?"