Hilda and the Werepup

Chapter 15 - Fish

Don't mind the title I couldn't think of anything else 😅

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"What-" Callum gasped in such a whisper that made it sound like he was wheezing. Hilda and Callum were right outside the cave entrance behind the wall when they heard Percy's confession. 

"Is he going to say yes?" Hilda whispered, astonished. She sounded as though she was hoping her mum would say yes. Callum shrugged and whispered back, "I really hope so..."

Johanna gave Percy a hug and nodded. Percy beamed brightly, delighted at the response. They wrapped their arms around each other for a hug.

"Did she say yes or no? I hear movement!" Hilda whispered impatiently. Callum peeped into the cave and then turned to Hilda, whispering, "They're hugging so I think she said yes!"

Hilda gasped, a mixture of shock and happiness that her mum now had a boyfriend. "Luke is going to be so happy when he hears this once we get back!"

"We hear you!" came Percy's voice from inside the cave, which instantly stiffened the two. They slowly popped their heads in and saw Percy and Johanna staring at them, smiling smugly. Callum and Hilda trotted in awkwardly and sat down around the campfire.

"Congrats!" Callum grinned at Percy. Percy gave him a thumbs up, "Are you gonna date her?"

"Huh? Who-" Callum stopped dead in his words when he realised who he was referring to. Blushing, he looked away and cupped himself. Percy chuckled. Johanna sighed, "He's only 13! Give him some time!"

But Callum was already slowly turned back towards the campfire, he looked at Hilda, who flinched a bit. 

What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing?! Callum repeated in his mind as he blurted automatically, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Hilda looked at her mum, who just shrugged and smiled, then looked back with a smile and nodded. Callum's eyes widened and he smiled back. 

"Now we are a real family." Percy huffed proudly. The other three laughed and began chatting for the rest of the early evening before heading down to the frozen lake, cracking the ice and collecting some water to make dinner. Johanna pondered out loud as she smiled thoughtfully, "Wonder how Luke'll feel about all this when we return home." 

"Pretty sure he'll be happy that we're a big family now." Callum smiled as he stomped on the ice, cracking it as water leapt. He bent down and saw frozen fish, frozen and motionless, like stone, floating around in the icy water; their eyes stared straight blankly, as though they've been possessed. 

"Are these fish safe to eat?" Callum asked. Hilda peered over his shoulder to see the fish. 

"I think so. This water is like a freezer to them, but the question is can we get them?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, maybe I can use my powers to warm myself once I get back out." Callum said, before removing his jacket, placing it onto a pile of snow and then slow-diving into the water. Coldness struck him as the icy feeling ran through his veins from head to toe, making him quiver as he pulled himself towards a part of the lake where there were a couple of fish floating about. The depths of the lake was pitch black, and it gave Callum the uncomfortable feeling that something huge and scary could appear charging straight up at him any second. He hallucinated a giant crocodile-like monster, as big as a dinosaur, swim across him, its red, striking eyes fixated on him as it swam, a dark shadow of its enormous body passing by. Callum only shivered as his heart beat faster and faster; he quickly grabbed a few fish and swam straight up to the surface as fast as possible. He clumsily pulled himself back onto the back of the lake and panted, all the while producing electric sparks around his body to warm himself up.