Sanitized

Chapter 4; The Other Agents

I woke up to Opal shaking me, and saying, "Faith, time to get up."
"What time is it?" I said groggily
"I believe the better question is, how late did you stay up last night? Were you scared?" said Tres.
"No, but for some reason I couldn't fall asleep. But seriously, what time is it?"
"Noon" said Opal.
"Ok. What's for breakfast?"
"I do believe pancakes were on the menu." Tres said.
"Yeah, I'm down." said Opal.
"Ok." I said.
"I know we've only known you for about a day, but you seem a bit distracted." Said Opal
"Did you see a boooooyy?" said Tres tauntingly.
I rolled my eyes, smiled, and said, "No, I just have to be somewhere at 1."
"Oh, so do we." said Tres.
"We have to go to a Turf War advanced meeting, so it works out pretty well." Opal said.
"Ok" I said.
We walked out to the kitchen and Tres started to make the pancakes. I already felt like I fit in. Opal and I chatted for a while. She's very nice but it's hard to have a good conversation with someone who's so sweetly shy. She basically likes to listen to me talk, which I don't mind, but I tend to like to hear other people talk, just so it doesn't seem like an uneven conversation, it's more like me giving a speech. 20 minutes later Tres gives us some pancakes.
"What do you want to do in Inkopolis, Faith?" said Tres.
"I don't know, but I kinda want to try Turf Wars."
"We can do that after both of our stuff at one."
"What time do you think you'll be finished?" asked Opal.
"No idea. I barely even know what I'll be doing there."
"Well, we have no idea what time we'll be finished either, so when you're done, call us on your shellphone."
"I don't have a shellphone."
"Uh oh.", said Tres, "we'll just order you one."
"How much money do you have?" said Opal.
"She can't have any she is only a beg-" said Tres but who was cut off by me saying,
"Bout 10,000"
"How did you get that?" asked Opal.
"I must have gotten a money transfer from someone."
I knew where the money was from. It was from Cappy last night.
"Well we have to leave. See ya Faith." said Tres.
"Bye, Faith!" said Opal.
I waved. I then ordered a shellphone over the really old landline. I got the latest version, a Shellphone.011. I put on my hero suit and walked to the drain. The drain was right outside, pretty well hidden. It was here, so it had to belong to one of the neighbors. I went through the pipes and landed back in front of Cuttlefish Cabin.
I knocked on the door, and Cappy answered.
"Why hello there fivey ! Come on in, some of the other agents are here."
"Nice to see you Cap Cut!"
I walked in, and was greeted with a crazy surprise.
Opal.
Tres.
They were sitting on the couch inside the cabin. We stared at each other for what felt like ten minutes.
"Faith? What are you doing here?" said Opal
"As to you." I said.
"Are you Agent 5?" said Tres.
"Ye ye juice. Well that explains why the drain was right by your apartment."
"Explains why you were so distracted." said Opal.
"Let's go over work names. I'm Agent 3." said Tres.
"I'm Agent 7!!" Opal said cheerfully.
"Who's that guy?" I said, pointing to the other squid kid sitting on the couch.
"I'm Steven. But you're supposed to call me Agent 6."
"6 and I went through all the battles together, like when we defeated DJ Octavio." said Tres.
Steven had dark blue tentacles that were pulled into a ponytail. He had sky blue eyes, and had a tannish skin tone. He had a polite and kind manner to him. But I immediately noticed something.
Steven seemed almost distracted, or paranoid. I doubted that he had been through a time where he didn't have to go on a mission, or didn't have a problem to deal with in a while. He seemed fidgety, and seemed to jump at everything. I watched as he calmed down when given PB and J. I laughed at his comfort.
"Sooooooo. This is Steven." Opal said, pointing to him.
"So I've heard." I said smiling.
"He helped me and Agent 8 escape to the surface." Opal said.
"Wow. Quick question: do we call people by their real names, or their agent names?" I asked.
"Everybody asks that. And honestly, it doesn't matter, people respond to either one." Steven said.
I looked at him surprised, as he had finally spoken up. I tried to get a read on him, tried to understand who he was. But for the moment, his walls were up, and he was a bit protective. For the most part, he seemed calm and collected, but I knew that there was more to him. We all sat casually on the chairs in silence.
"Sooooooo. It's been a while since we've just been able to hang out like this." Steven said.
"Yeah, I'm surprised that you two weren't out on a mission." Opal said.
"Yeah, we're busy these days, but it's nothing big." Tres said.
"Yeah, just the occasional rogue octoling." Steven said.
"It's been forever since I've had a Seanwhich! Until Faith came, I forgot how good they were." Tres said.
"How could you forget? Seanwhiches are awesome!" Steven said.
Opal and Tres both laughed, as I viewed the conversation.
"Hey! Do you like Seanwhiches?" Steven asked me.
I giggled and nodded, and said, "It's pretty much unanimous."
Another boy then walks in. He was an octoling, he had yellow amber eyes, and a dark skin tone, and one red tentacle, hanging at his forehead. He stared right at me.
"Who's the new girl?" he said
"I'm Agent 5."
"This is Agent 8. He worked with me when we needed to escape from the underground." said Opal.
"What's your real name?" Agent 8 said.
"Faith. And yours?"
"Well I don't know if I could ever share my name with a girl." He said.
I laughed.
"8, stop that.", Tres said, "He likes to do that."
"My name's Elliot." Agent 8 said.
He livened you the room the second he walked in. Lessening the tension.
He seemed upbeat and lively and easy to talk to, but also extremely cocky. He was funny. He was also very tall and skinny, but also looked strong too. He obviously sensed the tension towards Steven, and said, "Hey! Bro! I brought pizza!"
Everyone laughed.
Cappy came in and said, "Well, does anyone know where Agent 4 is?"
"What about Callie and Marie?" said Tres.
"They're coming with 4." said Cappy Cuddles.
A knock at the door, and then a movement with a key, and then the door was open. Then four pop stars walked in. Callie and Marie, and Marina and Pearl. Each pair was super famous, they made songs and did the news.
Callie was upbeat and positive, and didn't seem like the brightest bulb in the bunch. She was a girly girl, and had black faded into pink tentacles, and had her hair tied into a bow, and the end pigtails that reached her thighs.
"Hey!!!!! I'm Callie!" She said, shaking my hand crazily.
I laughed and said, "Hi! I'm Faith!"
Callie said, "I'm Agent 1! And you are?"
"Agent 5." I responded.
"Yay! Finally, something to spice life up!" Callie said.
"You say that, like life isn't already crazy." another girl said, "I'm Marie, or Agent 2."
Marie had two tentacles pulled into a side bun, with her hair tied into a green bow in the middle. Marie has silver into green tentacles, and looks almost identical to Callie. Callie has eyes that pointed a bit upward, and Marie down. Both of their eyes are yellow, and they both have fair skin. Marie has a beauty mark on the right of her face, and Callie has one on the left. Despite looking alike, these two seemed like polar opposites. Callie was upbeat and lively, and Marie was sarcastic, and mellow. They both seemed nice though.
They both made up the Squid Sisters(who are ironically cousins), which did the news, and were known for their fresh songs.
"Agent 2 helped Agent 4 on their mission to save the Zapfish when it went missing for the second time." Capty said.
"They're agents too?" I said.
"Yep." said Opal.
"We aren't yet though." another girl said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"How could she not know?!" she said.
Another girl said, "She's Pearl, I'm Marina."
"I can't believe you don't know about us!" Pearl said.
Pearl has short white hair that fades into a light bubblegum pink. Pearl has yellow eyes, and a fiery exterior. She has a beauty mark to the right of her mouth, and wears a white into pink crown. She seemed feisty, but fun. She is very short too. Marina on the other hand is almost the complete opposite. She has very dark skin, and is also an octoling. She has long black tentacles that fade into a deep teal. She has grayish yellow eyes, and seems quiet and kind. Marina has a beauty mark to the left of her mouth. They both seemed nice.
"It's kind of like Agent 4, and how he didn't know who the Squid Sisters were." Marie said.
"Where is 4?" said Elliot.
"Right here!" Said an inkling with teal eyes and yellow tentacles that streamed from the front of his head, that bounced up and down.
Steven got up and hugged the so-called 4, and then Elliot piled on top of them.
"You boys, get over here!" said Opal.
I stared at all of them.
"Who's this." said 4.
"I'm Agent 5, or Faith."
"Nice to meet you. But I don't know if I believe your name." he said.
"Haha. I swear my name's Faith."
"Sure, ok, we can all agree that your name is Life."
I laughed.
"No look see", I showed him my ID, "my name is Faith."
He grabs it and says, "Are you sure you read that right, it looks like it says Faithy."
I laugh, and he laughs too. We stop laughing, and he stares at me, smiling. This guy was obviously the most talkative. Isaac seemed more bubbly than Elliot, a little bit more positive. His face reminded me of a little kid on their birthday.
"Ok Faithy-"
"I go by Fivey at work"
"Okay, Fivey, it's nice to meet you."
"You as well."
"Yes verily and forsooth, fancy grammar, I'm Isaac, or Agent 4. Or if you want to, fourey."
"Yay nicknames!" says Cap de Cuddles.
Everyone laughs.
"Hey 5" Tres whispers to me, while everyone is talking, "come with me."
"Ok" I whisper back.
We walk out of the room, and then Tres says, "You know how there is a lot of people"
"Yeah"
"I'm pretty sure everyone likes you, Faith."
"What?"
"Like, everyone thinks you're cool. You fit in!"
"Okay"
So I guess I didn't completely fail at my cool persona.
Already stuff to think about and I haven't even been here for a day.
We walk back out into the room and I walk over to Opal. Tres might be right, Opal was talking to Steven. They were both laughing.
"You really did that?" Opal said to 6.
"Yeah, I guess it is kind of weird." said 6.
"Haha. I think it's smart, and that you just so happen to do two different things."
"Thanks. It's kind of like you, how you kick butt, yet you're super nice."
"Every Agent here kicks butt."
They both laughed.
Opal and Steven kept talking. I was paying close attention until Isaac tapped me on the shoulder.
"Why are you spyin on them?" Elliot asked.
"Why are you over here?"
"Why are you over here?"
I stood up from the chair I was sitting in.
"You want to go out on the course?" Elliot asked.
"Okay. I'll just text Tres an answer."
"Answer to what?"
"None of yo beezwax."
"Okay"
We walked over to the training drain. We went through the course, but instead of grabbing the zap fish and finishing it, Isaac jumped up on some railings.
"Come on up." He said
I followed Elliot all the way up to a large door. We were up really high because of all the rails we climbed to get up there.
"Woah!" I screamed as I almost fell down.
Elliot grabbed my arm and lifted me up.
"We go through this door here if you can stay alive long enough."
We laughed. He opened the door, and motioned for me to follow him.
We walked onto a crane. We both sat down. It had an amazing view of Inkopolis.
I smiled and then said jokingly, "How would someone like you know about a place like this?"
"I felt kind of lonely when I first came here, because everyone had their pairs. Opal and Tres, Steven and Isaac, Marina and Pearl, and Callie and Marie. I just needed someone else, to you know, hang out with. Like buds."
"I'll be your friend."
We both laughed realizing how ridiculous this is.
"So, why were you spying on Opal and Steven?"
"I was just trying to gauge on everyone, I people watch."
"Really? I do too!"
"I'm a bit of a stalker."
"Haha. Yeah, by the way, I'm pretty sure that everyone likes you here."
"That's what Tres said too."
We ended up getting down, and going back into Cuttlefish Cabin to see Tres staring at Elliot sternly.
"Where were you last week?" Tres asked him.
"Uhhhh" Elliot said.
"Obviously not at training." Tres said.
"I'm still good though, it's not like I'll forget how to fight."
"You might do better if you actually paid attention to the tips your mentor gives you." Tres said sternly.
"It's not that big of a deal if I'm not the best" said Elliot
"You should still try harder." said Tres pointing a finger at Elliot. Tres was obviously smaller than Elliot, because Elliot was very tall. Tres was also kind of short.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm still good at my job." said Elliot
"You should be ashamed that you're not better" said Tres, pushing her pointer finger into Elliot's chest.
"You're one to talk, miss put-on-a-tough-act. Just be yourself."
"I don't put on a tough act, I am tough."
"You may be strong, but you're not made of no emotion, pigtails"
"I never said I had no emotion, because I'm pretty angry."
"Well anger isn't the only emotion you can feel."
"Well I must've had enough love" Tres says jokingly, "in my heart in order to save you."
"Are you saying you looooove me?"
"No. Shut up."
"That sounds like a yes."
"Unless we live in an alternate dimension, or are checking antonym homework, no means no."
"If you say so, princess."
"I'm not a princess."
"You sure treat yourself like one."
"Ugh. You're annoying."
"Sure, that's definitely what you think."
Tres then walks away. Isaac walked up to us.
"Hey bro. Girl."
"Sup Elliot?" says Isaac.
"Tres is trying to tell me how I should be better."
I watch the two boys talk.
"Ahhhhh"
"Well excuse her, who defeated someone with all mighty super powered ink, with only an octoshot and bombs? Me."
"And 7"
"Well I defeated Tres, Opal defeated Steven."
"That'd explain why she's so soft on him now."
We all laugh.
"What do you think, Five" says Elliot.
"I don't know, she may be right, but I don't think she had to yell it."
"Well it might be because I never listen, her words."
Elliot goes on and on about how she yells at him, until Four and l say we have to leave.
We walk back up to the crane and sit back down.
"That was interesting." I say.
"Yeah..."
"And it confirms my suspicions that everyone definitely likes you."
"Why would you think that?"
"Everyone thinks you're cool, and what's not to like?"
"Why do you care so much?"
"We are people watching aren't we?"
We both laughed.
We laugh, and then walk back inside Cuttlefish Cabin and see the time.
"Tres!", I say, "It's time to leave! Tres?"
I walk upstairs to see Tres and Isaac talking.
It's probably the most content I've seen Tres, and her expression immediately changed the second she saw Elliot.
"What?" Tres says sternly.
"Nothing, Princess." Elliot responds.
"Yay nicknames!" I mimic Cappy and whisper to Isaac.
He then starts laughing like crazy, and he falls backward, and then I start laughing.
They both notice us, crawling around laughing like crazy.
Then Tres and Elliot stare at us, which makes us laugh even harder. I regain the ability to breath, and then say over giggles, "Tres it's time to... haha, leave."
"Okay, let's go then." Tres says.
We walk downstairs to see Opal and Steven still talking, and then Opal says, "Time to leave? I heard you."
"Yep" I say.
"Just let me grab a soda." Opal says.
I walk over to Cappy.
"You didn't really talk to your soon-to-be mentor." Cap says.
"Wait, who is it?"
"Callie."
"Gasp."
"Your training starts tomorrow."
"Yay!"
"You have training with all the agents tomorrow, ok?"
"Okay!"
I jump up and down, then I walk over to the drain and slide through the pipes to Tres's apartment.
I was overjoyed the next day.