The Sky Under The Sea {Kellic}

1) Died In California By The Sulfur And The Sea

"Kellin, no!" My dad screams.

"Kellin, stop!" My mom this time.

"Kelli, please come back!" My little sister.

It's funny what you remember before something bad happens.

I continue out through the ocean, diving under the waves expertly. I'm a good swimmer, but I won't be able to swim both myself and this little girl out at the same time. It's one of us or none of us, and I know who it's going to be.

My family does, too, I think. That's why they're screaming so loud, waving their arms so frantically. Who wants to see their teenaged son die so early?

This girl is younger than me, though, and her family is sobbing.

I reach her just as her head goes under, yanking her up by her skinny little arms. She immediately coughs up salt water all over my face, her hands gripped to my shirt.

I notice things that I haven't before. Everything is sharper, more visible, when you're on your death bed.

I see how the little girl is probably about eight or nine years old. She's short, skinny, and has an abundance of freckles littering her face, especially around her nose and cheeks.

Her eyes are wide with fright, she's pale, she's shaking like a leaf, sobbing her big eyes out.

I wrap my arm around her small frame and kick against the waves. They're relentless today, pounding away against my body. The tide reels me in, just to spit me back out again, into the tumbling, turning mess that is the middle of a wave.

"Hang on. I'm gonna get you to safety, okay? What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked, trying to calm the screaming girl after a wave comes right over us, drenching us completely.

Salt water stings in my eyes and the wind whips my hair in my face. I can only imagine what this girl is feeling, she's been out here at least a minute longer than I have.

Poor girl.

"My names Kellin." I say, trying to calm her down. It's hard to hold a squirming child when you're trying to swim in a current that could probably pull twice my body weight, easily, under the water.

"My name is Kari." She said, her little fingers fisted in the thin material of my swim shirt.

We're almost to the shore. Her parents are reaching their hands out, waist deep in water.

I can tell that they're struggling to stand up in the water. This current is unheard of.

I've practically lived in the ocean and I've never seen anything like this.

"Don't worry." I said, managing a forced, tight smile. She smiles in return.

I'm close enough to see the whites in her parents panicked eyes.

I push harder than I have before, wincing. My calves burned, my eyes burned, my body was tired.

I can't fight much longer.

I'm close enough to touch their hands. I hold Kari out, towards her parents, who gratefully sweep her up into their arms, sobbing.

It's a nice image to see before I die. The rain pounds down against the salty water, the clouds dark and menacing. The wind is whipping past me on all sides.

The riptide is what finds me.

I try to fight it, moving towards shore, but I'm suddenly sucked under.

The last thing I hear is my sister's voice, screaming my name.

It's dark underwater, murky. All the sounds are muffled as I'm dragged down, to the depths of the ocean.

I'm fighting to get back up, kicking and moving my arms, but there's no use.

I'm not moving, it's holding me down.

I can't hold my breath for much longer. I close my eyes, praying to whatever god there is to keep my family safe during this terrible storm. I really hope that they didn't come out to try to find me. I'm too far out for anyone to find me.

I look up, seeing the sun emerge from the clouds as I drown.

I open my mouth, breathing in, letting the water take over my lungs. The salty ocean water rushes into my system, and suddenly I can't breathe. There's a pressure on my chest, as if someone were sitting on me.

The last thing I see before I die is the sky from under the sea.