I Am The Sea || Choi San

kraken

The deck is quiet, unnervingly so.
Theo stands next to San and Hongjoong by the steering wheel, looking over the main deck and the entire crew, standing rushed together back to back.
No one is speaking.
Theo's hand finds San's and their fingers intertwine, San's thumb stroking back and forth over her knuckles in effort to calm Theo, to keep her grounded.

The ringing did not subside inside her head, and it is so loud that Theo can barely hear anything else.
When San turns to look at her as Theo shakes her head rigidly, he catches sight of her eyes - flickering silvery light brightening them inhumanly. She tries blinking the light away, San can tell, but the white sheen pushes itself over her eyes again and again.
San knew about this.

Ever since Hongjoong and Seonghwa had noticed it that first time, they had warned the crew. Had told them never to mention it to Theo for fear she could not handle the truth: that she is not completely human, even though none of them knew what had possessed Theo.
The captain had made it very clear that there was something about Theo that he could not explain.
Glowing eyes, bright like the full moon.
Knowing things she could not possibly know.

The captain had also made it very clear that none of them were to broach the subject to her in any shape or form.
Not before the Captain himself and his trusted crew had figured out what was going on, until they could provide answers for the questions Theo would have should she find out about this on her own.

So when San looks into Theo's wide eyes, and they glow back at him, and there is so much fear in them - fear and confusion - there is nothing San wants to do more than  wrap her up in his arms again.
Hold her close.
But he doesn't. Instead he watches the sea around the Inception, constantly turning his head from left to right. There was nothing on the water.
"Do you still feel it?" San murmurs quietly to Theo.
She nods slowly.

It's been only a few minutes since Theo had woken them all up.
Minutes, since she had told them there is something in the water.
But now, the entire crew at the ready, the water is empty.
There is nothing out there. None of the crew members can see anything, as the sky slowly starts turning a light shade of grey.

And even though they can't see it, they know it's there.
They can hear it.
A low, grumbling sound - almost like a sighing or an outcry. The vibrancy of it so strong it shakes the ship's entire body.
With nowhere left to go, San knew that there was only one place where it - whatever it is - could hide away from their sight.

"It's beneath us," he says.
Hongjoong does not look at San, but he nods gravely, his eyes trained on the open sea.
The tension is unbearable, thick like cream and prickly like a lit fuse. Tangible.
Everyone is waiting, waiting for the monster to attack, waiting for something to happen, waiting for it to disappear.
Theo starts counting every breath she takes.

After two breaths taken, she can hear it again.

I am here for you.
I came for you.

She can feel it. And even though she is scared down to her bones, there is another feeling inside her, more quiet and smaller.
A feeling of recognition.
She knows this creature.
She knows it like she knew there were cliffs beneath the surface all those months ago, like she knew the sirens were there to greet her in the middle of the night, like she knew the whales would travel by the Inception just a week or two ago.

She knows it's here. She can hear it, feel it, she can almost even see it in her mind.
Half of her wants to greet it, half of her wants to hide.

After six more breaths taken, Theo presses San's hand.
"It's moving," she whispers by his side and turns to the starboard side of the ship.
San follows her eyes.
And the breath escapes him.