Princess Callie

Chapter 5: My Friends

When Octavio opened the door the first thing I noticed was the two octoling boys in a fist fight. One of them had an afro and almost pale skin. The other had a much darker skin and his head was shaved save for a single tentacle that hung over his face. He was wearing some red shades over his eyes. Both of them were too focused on each other to notice us.

I glanced at Octavio. His face was red with anger and I could see his clenched fist. He was doing his best not to hit something in anger. "Stop fighting this instant!" Octavio yelled.

The two octolings froze then quickly turned to face us. The one with a single tentacle stood at attention and saluted to us. The octoling with an afro just stood there arms crossed with a sadistic looking smile.

"I can't leave you two alone for a few hours can I? This is not how you behave in front of the princess." Octavio said loud enough for us to hear. "Callie, let me introduce you to them." Octavio gestured towards the octoling with an afro. "This is Kevin. He is your best friend. You two were inseparable." He then gestured towards the octoling with a single tentacle. "This is Sebastian. He is my most loyal and skilled soldier. He will be your new bodyguard."

"Now I have something important that demands my attention. You're free for the rest of the day." Octavio walked out and closed the door behind him.

I looked back at the two octolings and saw Kevin leaning against the wall with his arms still crossed. He still had that creepy smile. Sebastian was standing upright with his legs together and his arms to his sides. He was looking straight forward and refused to turn his head to look at me.

I looked around my room. The walls were pink. I could see a large wardrobe next to a table with mirror and makeup equipment on it. On the other side of the room, there was a desk with a laptop on it. My bed looked large enough for two people and with a pink fur blanket. There was also a window next to Kevin that was larger than me. Sebastian was standing next to an open door that led to a bathroom.

I was hoping one of them would say something but neither of them wanted to say anything. After a period of uncomfortable silence I decided to speak first.

"So... what were you two fighting about?" I asked a little uncomfortable with the situation I found myself in.

"We were arguing about the need for discipline in the Octarian army. It got heated and turned into a fist fight. I apologize for that princess and I will accept full responsibility." Sebastian answered quickly.

I walked in front of him hoping to get some kind of reaction out of him but he didn't even flinch. I wasn't sure what was more unsettling. Sebastian acting like a statue that talks or Kevin silently observing us. "You don't have to be so tense. Relax a little bit..." I told him trying to liven the mood.

"I'm sorry princess, but I should follow protocols when I am around you. Now, if I am no longer needed here. I should be waiting outside. If you need me just open the door and talk to me." Sebastian quickly marched out of the room before I could say anything.

Protocols? So he is supposed to just stand still until I tell him to do something? I then turned to face Kevin.

I wasn't sure what I was feeling. He was my best friend, yet being alone with him was making me uncomfortable. It was confusing. I nervously said the first thing that came to mind. "So... Kevin. Octavio said you were my best friend. He thinks you can help me remember something."

"I suppose I should. Ask me anything you want." Kevin replied in an annoyed tone.

"Well, how did you end up becoming my friend?" I asked curiously.

"I came from a family of warriors that served the Shogunate. One of our responsibilities is to enforce the law. You used to sneak out of the palace and pretend you weren't royalty. Boy was your father mad when he found out you were mingling with the commoners. From what I remember you telling me, one night some mugger forced you into an alley. During the struggle you managed to scream for help and I was nearby. I think you can figure out the rest." Kevin explained.

I tried to search my memories but I just couldn't remember any of this. It's possible he was making all this up but I didn't really have any reason to believe he would. "Thank you for saving me but I'm sorry. None of this rings a bell." I replied.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "That's a shame." It was like he didn't care. Perhaps he was upset I didn't remember.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and I heard Sebastian's voice. "A messenger has arrived. Kevin's presence has been requested at the war room."

"Looks like I better get going. I'll see you later." Kevin walked out of my room.

Since I was alone I decided to better reacquaint myself with my room. I took off my shades and put them on the nightstand. Then I looked inside my wardrobe. There were only a few choices of clothing. There were a few kimonos, some casual clothing and one set of clothes that caught my attention. It was some tight pants paired with a small shirt, a set of gloves and a hat that looked like an Octarian's tentacle. It had a sticky note on the side, it read. For Performances. So I was a performer?

I closed the wardrobe and turned on my laptop. Maybe I could find more clues about myself there. When the laptop finished I entered the desktop without needing a password. There was barely anything on it. I did notice one sound file labelled, "Bomb Rush Blush - Callie". A song made by me? I opened the file and listened to the music. It was a fast pace, high energy song. I listened to the lyrics and it was clearly me singing it. I tried imagining myself doing the performance. I was wearing a black and pink sleeveless outfit. Strange, I don't remember ever wearing something like that.

Then I suddenly I realized something. That inkling with gray tentacles wore a similar dress to what I was imagining. For some reason my memories of her were much clearer than my memories of anything else. Maybe she was real and I was remembering things about her. What was her name though. I thought long and hard and finally managed to come up with an answer. I didn't know how I came up with it but I was absolutely certain her name was Marie.

I wanted to go out and look for this Marie girl. Maybe she knows me. I would need to come up with some kind of plan before I start my search and the first step would be to understand the layout of the palace. I put my shades back on and opened the door leading to the hallway.

To my left I saw Sebastian standing there casually. It was a lot better than seeing him standing still like a statue. "Excuse me..." I tried to get his attention.

I noticed he jumped when he heard my voice then quickly straightened himself. He was now standing in that same posture from earlier. "Princess! Is something wrong?" he asked with a concerned voice.

"Nothing's wrong. I just want to take a walk. Try to relearn the layout of the palace. Also please stop standing like that. It's making me uncomfortable." I replied.

Sebastian finally decided to go back to standing around casually. "Of course Princess. Please follow me and I'll show you each of the rooms."

Before he could start walking I spoke up. "One last thing... please stop calling me Princess. Just call me Callie." For some reason being called Princess was just weird. I wasn't used to that title.

Sebastian just nodded and started my second tour of the day. Seeing him act more relaxed was comforting. Maybe after the tour I should try to get to know him better.