"Someone didn't listen. I'm going to teach you a lesson ink sac."
My body tensed, turning around to see Barry with his tentacles waving in the water as if he was warming up his muscles. The blue rings around his body seemed to be brighter than usual, giving him a menacing look.
Why was he outside already? Shouldn't he be celebrating with his parents or hanging with his friends?
"I-I wasn't in the ceremony. I was watching it from the stands," I said, trying to stop myself from shaking as I took a few small steps back.
"I don't care if you weren't on stage. You still came when I told you not to. Now I'm going to bruise up that white face of yours." Barry strided towards me raising his tentacles. "You ruined the ceremony."
"H-how did I-"
"Everything was perfect, but your stupid face had to show up. You didn't deserve to be at the ceremony. You were the worst in school and you're not one of us. The elder's speech wasn't meant for you," said Barry. His tentacles coiled around my limbs, preventing me from moving any further backwards.
No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't move or get out of his grasp. The trembling grew, draining all the strength from my limbs. It was humiliating as he lifted me and pulled me closer to his face. I tried to kick him, but my legs wouldn't reach. My eyes shut, turning my face away as Barry cocked his fist back.
Please don't hurt too much.
"There you are young Squib. Ah young Barry as well."
My feet touched the ground as I opened my eyes to see elder Boba standing behind Barry. Why was elder Boba here? Shouldn't he be talking to the parents with the other elders? I didn't care. I couldn't be happier to see his large purple head.
"Barry, I didn't see your parents anywhere. Did they not come?" asked Boba while stroking his thick grey moustache.
Barry shot me look before turning around to face elder Boba. "My dad said he had more important matters to attend to, but my mom... I guess she was busy too."
"They are both octopuses in high positions within Takoyami. I'm sure they wanted to come," said elder Boba, patting Barry's head with a tentacle.
Barry swatted the tentacle away. "Whatever. I don't need them. I'll be out of their tentacles once I go to exploration school."
"Ahh. I had a feeling you would choose that path. And I'm confident to say that I can see you do great things out there in the future. No pressure or anything," said elder Boba, chuckling out loud. "On that note, I need to have a word with young squib if you don't mind."
Barry clenched his tentacles before stomping away from us. Why did he hate me so much? I didn't do anything to him. I tried my best to avoid others, but he always goes out of his way to mess with me.
"Ah don't forget! The sea horses to exploration school arrive at five at the south gate. Don't be late young Barry. I'll be there to see you all off," shouted elder Boba, before turning to me. "Shall we?"
I followed elder Boba past the reef hall to a smaller secluded building hidden by seaweed. He led me into a building and into a small room. Sponge cushions laid on the ground with a tiny coral desk in the middle.
"Take a seat, anywhere you would like. Don't worry, I'll keep it short so we can both make it to the south gate on time," said elder Boba, giving me a knowing look.
My eyes widened. How did he know?
"Ahh, you are giving me more credit than I deserve. There are a few things I want to say to you young Squib." Elder Babo's eyes closed and a deep breath escaped him before he looked at me. "You see, us octopuses are a prideful bunch. We find honor in being the only creature in the ocean able to use our tentacles so freely."
Why was he telling me this?
"But pride can over inflate our heads and it is not an excuse for us to be so closeminded to other creatures like yourself. I can't speak for the entirety of Takoyami, but I apologize for how you've been treated in the past few years." Elder Babo lowered his head on top of the table.
I frantically waved my hands in the water, as my head shook side to side, not knowing what to do in this situation. Why was he apologizing? He was the only one who wasn't scared of treating me nicely in front of others. It felt uncomfortable seeing him apologize for something he didn't do.
"I-It's okay," I said. The only words that came to mind.
Elder Boba lifted his head with a gentle smile. "Now for a less serious topic. I'm proud of you for growing up to be such a fine creature. Although a little meek, I can see bravery in your eyes. I see a creature who never gave up even when you fell behind in school. But I worry about how you'll fair in exploration school. You see, the curriculum is made for octopuses. There are general classes all creatures can learn from, but the fighting aspect is a different story."
"As I said before, us octopuses are a prideful bunch. That is why we don't use any tools to fight and why I'd like to give you this." A white triangle object appeared behind him. "In hopes of you being able to stand on par or even outperform your peers."
What's that? Looked too smooth to be coral. The end seemed sharp with bumps on the sides, while cracks covered the entire surface of the mysterious object.
"A shark tooth. Specifically, one from a mako. Or so they say. I'm not an expert on teeth. Although it's worn down, I believe it's still useable. Go on have a look," said elder Babo, handing me the tooth.
It was thin but somewhat heavy, holding it with one hand. The handle was smooth and easy to grip. The ridges from the cracks scraped against my hand as I touched the surface. I didn't know what a shark was, but it must be a huge creature having a tooth this big.
"A-are you sure I can have this?"
"Of course, or else I wouldn't give it to you. I'd keep it for myself," said elder Babo, chuckling. "It's really not that special. I hear mako teeth lie around the ocean floor all the time. Ahh, but a great white tooth is another story. Or so they say." He shrugged his shoulders while stroking his moustache.
I didn't care if it wasn't all that special. A gift from the elder himself meant a lot to me. My lips curled as I held the tooth in my hands.
"Oh, look at the time. I'll finish up by saying this. It's been a privilege to see you grow into a teen and you are always welcome to return to Takoyami whenever you please," said elder Babo.
"T-thank you for everything," I said, lowering my head, only to be stopped by a tentacle.
"No need for that young Squib. And I know you'll do great things." Elder Babo stood with a large smile on his face. "Now, shall we head to the south gate?"
"Yea."
I returned the smile, tightly holding on to my tooth as I followed him out of the building, headed towards the south gate.
The tall coral gate which was usually closed off, was wide open with two large groups standing below it.
"Ahhh, I didn't expect this many of you to have chosen to go to exploration school," said elder Babo as we neared the two groups of octopuses. The first group were the parents seeing their kids off while the other was a large group of my peers whom decided to be an explorer. "I think this might be the most we've had for exploration school in years. Such a promising bunch too. Don't you think so principal Stuffy? It's been some time since I've seen you. How have you been?"
A skinny green octopus adorned with a black robe greeted elder Boba. "Quite. It has been quite a while since I've seen you, but yes. I am doing rather stellar, but I couldn't say the same about last year's students," said Stuffy, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?" asked elder Boba.
"Talentless. Every one of them were talentless. Average at best. Such a shame... As the principal and a professor; I hold a standard I expect for them to achieve. Hopefully this year's students won't disappoint me," said Stuffy, scanning the crowd until his eyes landed on me. Disgust was written all over his face before he turned away. He whispered something to elder Boba only to loudly sigh afterwards. "If you may elder, say your speech. I believe the time has come for me and the new students to make our way to the school."
"Ahhh, very well. If I may have everyone's attention. I promise it won't take long," said elder Boba, as everyone turned their attention towards him. "Good luck in school. Make all of us proud to be creatures of Takoyami and feel free to visit and come back anytime you want. With souvenirs of course." He chuckled loudly. "Take care."
Applause filled the air as families said their last goodbyes until only one group remained in the outskirts of the south gate.
There were about fifty students waiting for principal Stuffy to begin talking. I noticed Barry in the front as usual with a few of his friends. Even Umbrie was part of the group, which was a shock. She didn't seem to be the type to want to fight and explore. But what did I know? My eyes locked onto her round glasses, only to see her quickly turn her head away. Should I say sorry for earlier? No, it's probably better if she isn't associated with me.
Behind principal Stuffy was a large coral box with holes, connected by threads of seaweed to four large seahorses. Brown in color with long tails and large bellies, they floated in the water with their eyes closed. Do all seahorses grow to be that big? How cool would it be to ride one?
"Attention. I require everyone's attention at this moment," said principal Stuffy, clearing his voice as he walked near the coral box. "You all will be under my tutelage for the next year, I expect you all to show me and the other professors your utmost respect and your blind trust. We are the most prestigious minds in Takoyami and our exploration school stands on top of all the other octopus reefs. Our high standards must be maintained."
His nasally voice made me uncomfortable as I listened to him speak. What did 'toot a leg' mean? The way he spoke confused me, making me worry I was missing important information about the school.
"Question to pry at your young minds. The carriage behind me is filled with air. The voyage to our destination is approximately thirty minutes. Who here can tell me why we require air to be in the carriage and how we are going to make it to our destination?" asked principal Stuffy, wearing a bored expression on his face as he scanned the group. "Yes, you can speak."
A blue spotted octopus lowered her raised tentacle before speaking. "We can grab a water bubble with us so we can breathe."
"Excellent. Water bubbles allow us to breathe while in air for long durations of time, not that we frequently enter an area completely covered in air. Now can anyone inform me why the carriage is filled with air?"
Silence filled the water as no one knew the answer. I didn't know either. Even the water bubble idea was new to me. I watched as principal Stuffy shook his head with his armed crossed.
"No one? The carriage contains air to mask our scent from sea monsters that frequent the waters outside. Our bodies all produce a certain pheromone that can be smelled by certain monsters and creatures. The air prevents our pheromones from traveling far from ourselves, making our journey exponentially safer," stated principal Stuffy. "Any questions? No? Everyone, make your way onto the carriage."
I had so many questions and so did the others with their tentacles raised, but the principal ignored us all. What was a 'fair a moan'? What kind of monsters could smell us? My head hurt trying to understand the strange words he was using. Was it going to be like this in school?
I followed behind the large group as they entered the carriage one by one. Each octopus hopped into the carriage before grabbing a bubble of water from outside. My body couldn't keep still. As it was nearing my turn to hop into the carriage, I wrapped my two tentacles around the tooth behind me, so I could free my hands. Surprisingly it held on pretty nicely.
Jumping with all my might, I grabbed onto a lower hole of the carriage, lifting myself into the coral box. I held my breath as the air enveloped my body causing me to float as I desperately grabbed onto the sides. It was a strange feeling. I pulled myself towards the window where I entered, reached my hands out into the water, and pulled in a water bubble. Looking at my peers, I followed their lead and placed the water bubble on my head.
Relief washed over me as I took a breath. I looked around to see my peers floating around the carriage. Most of them were against the walls with their tentacles holding them in place, while others were bouncing from wall to wall, having the time of their lives.
A muffled voice filled the room. "Thiry minutes. Do what you like, but stay in the carriage at all times. The fools who exit the carriage will be forgotten and left behind. Do not be the first class to make that mistake. Understand?" said principal Stuffy, before he faced the front with seaweed in hand.
My hearts raced once again as the neighing of the seahorses entered my ears, and the carriage began to move forward.
Exploration school, here I come!