Oceanus

"Why are they letting the squid come with us? It'll make us look bad."

"I don't like him either. Remember when he inked and got my tentacles dirty? I used so much air but I still couldn't get it off. It smelled so bad too."

"He better not ruin the school's reputation or else I'll kick him out myself."

They said tentacles and corals may break your muscles, but words should never hurt you. Well, the elders were wrong. The usual mean remarks and judgmental stares continued to stab at my three hearts after all this time, no matter how hard I tried not to dwell on them.

"Hey ink sac. What are you doing here in the park?"

The all too familiar voice belonging to Barry Octo made my shoulders tense as he stood in front of me with a scowl on his face. His blue ringed tentacles rose in the water as if they were itching to punch me.

"W-waiting for the cere-"

"I didn't ask what. I asked why are you here."

"W-why can't I sit here?"

"Because you'll stink up the park. But I guess you should make yourself comfortable since you aren't going to the ceremony."

"S-sorry what?"

"I said you better not show up to the ceremony today or you are in for a sea of beating," said Barry with his arms crossed. His tentacles inched closer towards me.

"W-why? The elders said I could go with you guys to explor-"

"Exploration school? They only said that because they don't want you causing any trouble in our reef. They don't really want you there or here. No one does."

"I-I don't think that's true. The elders are nice creatures, they wouldn't-."

"Are you calling me a liar then?" Barry wrapped one of his tentacles around my neck. His grip tightened making my body tremble.

"N-no. I'm sorry."

"That's what I thought." He used another tentacle to roughly tap me on my face. "Besides, you shouldn't go to exploration school. You can't fight. You only have two tentacles you can't even use. It would be a waste of a seat if you went. Instead of going to the ceremony, maybe you could find something else to do. Like cleaning the corals or collecting air near the airfalls. But with you farting all over the place, it might be better if you stayed away from anything clean."

Laughter and chuckles came from the other octopuses playing around the park, making my face turn hot.

"Why don't you lock yourself inside a coral and stay out of trouble, okay?"

I nodded, only to receive another tap before his tentacle rescinded from my neck. Barry always knew what to say to make me feel bad about myself. He walked away with his friends, snickering to each other as they exited the park. I held my tentacle with both hands only to see it fall to my side. Why am I so different?

It was a question I often asked myself. Why did I only have two tentacles? Why was my head so pointy? Why am I the only one that farts? The elders told me that I was a squid, but I didn't know what that meant.

Why couldn't I be born as an octopus? Having eight tentacles and two arms sounded like a dream. I wouldn't be so behind in school or always finish last in recess. I wouldn't fart or have such a weird shaped head. Most importantly of all, I wouldn't be alone.

"Umm Squib, are you okay?"

My thoughts were interrupted by an orange octopus with flap-like tentacles bobbing from her head as she sat on a coral beside me. Her large spiraling glasses covered her eyes, making her hard to read, but I knew she was nice. Umbrie was the only one who would talk to me occasionally.

"Yea, I'm okay," I said, forcing a smile.

"Oh, okay..." Silenced filled the water as we sat there for a few seconds staring at the younger kids swinging on bars. "Umm, have you eaten today?"

"I had a bit of sardines earlier today. Why?"

Umbrie pulled out a bowl from beside her, handing it to me. "Umm, I-I made you a shrimp bowl. O-only if you want to eat it. I might have cooked it wrong so I don't mind if you don't."

For me? I glanced back and forth at the bowl with tiny shrimp and at Umbrie in surprise. No one's ever went out of the way to cook for me. I couldn't help but smile as I took the bowl from her hand. "Thanks."

A handful of tiny shrimps entered my mouth, glazing my tongue with a sweet flavor. Overboiled, but for some reason, it was the tastiest thing I had ever eaten.

"Are you going to the ceremony later today?" asked Umbrie. Her hands poked against each other.

"I want to, but... Maybe I shouldn't go."

"Why not?"

"I don't think I belong. I'm... different."

"I know how that feels."

It took some time for her words to sink into my head, but when it did, I stood and shot a glance at her. "What do you know about being different? You're an octopus."

"I didn't mean-"

"Why are you even talking to me? Aren't you scared of your parents finding out? Look, people are already giving us weird looks." I pointed to the octopuses stealing glances at us as they walked by.

Umbrie stood and nodded her head frantically. "I'm sorry," she said before she ran away, disappearing into the distance.

Slumping down onto the coral seat, I buried my face into my knees. She didn't know how I felt. No one did. How could she know what it's like being a squid? The lingering taste of shrimp gave me an uncomfortable feeling in my chest as I sat there. Maybe I was too mean.

After a few minutes of sulking, I looked forward to see the water around me covered in black. Oh no, not again. I jolted onto my feet, trying my best to swat the ink away from the water and from the white outlines of the coral seats. Please don't stain the seats. Please.

The white outlines of the park slowly returned to their normal colors as the black ink dissipated in the water. Relief spread over me, seeing that the coral seats seemed to be the only thing slightly stained in black, only noticeable from up close. I glanced around to see a few pair of eyes staring daggers at me, making me shrink before running out of the park.

The stares continued as I walked through the coral streets, heading towards reef hall where the ceremony would be held. If I stayed in the back tucked away with the adults, maybe I'll be able to attend the ceremony. I won't be seen by Barry and I could at least listen and watch what happens.

A gentle flow of water brushed my face making my tentacles float behind me as I passed by brightly colored coral houses and fields. Past shops and other buildings. A school of sardines swam above, basking in the sunlight. Seaweed swayed and danced to the flow of water. Takoyami was beautiful as always.

The streets grew crowded the closer I neared reef hall, with octopuses of all shapes and sizes standing in line to enter the domed building for the ceremony. I snuck past the line and into the building to see rows of benches surrounded the middle stage, rising the further it went. On the stage were the three elders who sat behind a desk and my peers who stood in the middle of the stage. I found a seat on the side of the highest row before scanning the crowd.

Barry stood in the front of the group of what seemed to be in the hundreds. It wasn't hard to notice him with his distinct blue rings that he always bragged about. He occasionally scanned the room, making me duck behind the octopus sitting in front of me.

The only other octopus I noticed was Umbrie who stood in the far back with her orange head and her large glasses. Although she stood with the rest of the class, there seemed to be more space between her and the others. I looked around me to see the same. Some of the adults had scooted away from me.

The uncomfortable feeling greeted my chest again as I looked at her. I should apologize after this is over. When it's just the two of us.

It didn't take long for the whole room to be filled, as creatures settled in to wait for the ceremony to begin. The murmurs and conversations came to a stop as a loud voice resonated throughout the room.

"Hello friends and family. Welcome to our annual 'of age ceremony' where we have the privilege to see our young grow into teenagers and send them off on their next path in life. My name is elder Boba. Boba is my first name not elder." A deep chuckle filled the room from the large octopus who stood in the middle of two others behind the desk. "I'm honored to be the speaker once again for this wonderful ceremony. Alongside elder Chum and elder Ann." Elder Ann nodding with a smile on her face, waving a tentacle in the air while elder Chum remained stoic.

"We gather here today to celebrate the future of these young ones and honor their choices. Whether it be learning the trade of collecting air in the airfalls for our reef to survive and prosper. Whether it be keeping our reef safe and clean of trash and outside invaders. Whether it be opening a shop or catching and farming food. Every path is important for our reef to stay alive. I remember the time when..."

Elder Boba went on a rant about his earlier days and what brought him to make his decision. I yawned as his deep voice continued to fill the room. Everyone seemed to feel the same as some the older octopuses had fallen asleep while the adults gave each other tired expressions.

My peers also seemed bored as some of them were whispering to each other, Umbrie was nodding her head, and Barry was looking directly at... Me? My eyes widened to see Barry facing my direction while bringing one of his tentacles across his neck. I gulped as Barry turned to face the front.

Oh boy... He definitely saw me. Should I leave now? But the ceremony hasn't ended yet. If I leave a little early, maybe I could find a place to hide long enough for Barry to leave our reef to go to exploration school. I had never seen him this angry and I didn't want to find out what he was planning to do to me.

"And now for those who are brave and want to go to our exploration school. I applaud you in taking the first steps toward exploring the vast ocean, spreading the knowledge and pride of us octopuses. You will meet new creatures, fight sea monsters, and travel through exotic and dangerous lands. What you will learn in our exploration school is just the surface of how to survive out there. I implore those who graduate from our school and are serious in becoming an explorer, to attend Oceanus academy. The most prestigious exploration school in our part of the ocean, where many famed voyagers attended..."

New creatures? Did that mean I wouldn't be the only different one? Would I be able to meet another squid? My hearts raced at the thought of meeting different creatures, possibly making a friend. Someone who wouldn't make fun of me or was ashamed to talk to me.

"Good wishes to all and may you achieve your dreams. I look forward to hearing many great things from you all and I look forward to working with some of you in the future. May Takoyami prosper and may our futures be bright. Thank you."

The room exploded in cheers and claps as the ceremony ended. Waves of parents walked down onto the stage to congratulate their children. Tears were shed, hugs were shared, and laughter filled the water.

I was so entranced by Elder Boba's speech, I forgot to leave early to hide from Barry. Weaving through the families of octopuses, I made my way out of the reef hall and back onto the streets.

The energy I received from his speech lingered in my body as I stood outside with a smile on my face. Elder Boba said it was my choice and mine alone on what path I wanted to take. If so, I wanted to go to exploration school and then attend Oceanus academy. What other creatures were there? How big was Oceanus?

The questions in my head only fueled my excitement until I heard a voice from behind me.

"Someone didn't listen. I'm going to teach you a lesson ink sac."