Under the Sea ⇔ Cashton ✓

Everything You Love Will Burn Up In The Light

A/N: everyone go check out my new story "Ghost" please, and tell me what you think about it when you do! #shameless #self #promo

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Calum stayed away from the ocean for a few days. He spends most of the time sitting on his couch and frustratingly staring at the television, which broadcasts a series of depressing news segments that Calum hardly listens to. He racks his mind on how he can help get the nets out without blowing his cover, but he hasn't been able to come up with anything. Michael is a bit concerned about him, considering normally he's cracking jokes and being all sarcastic and annoying, but he's not. Michael almost wishes he would be angry or mad. At least then he would be showing emotion.

Calum's skin has become a bit more pallor than usual, and his movements have slackened. Not anything that should worry anyone too much, or even be remotely noticeable, but Michael knows Calum like he knows his himself. He knows being away from the water isn't good for him. Calum doesn't seem to care. He just sits and stares blankly at the television and thinks. Calum can feel himself grow a little weaker, but he can't bring himself to care. It's as though the moon itself has washed its ghostly glare across Calum's body, weighing him down with the weight  of the sky.

The effacement of Calum's apparent strength worries Michael enough to start making him nag Calum about it, urging him to go back underwater, at least for a few hours. Calum doesn't want to. He wants to stay right where he is and suffer silently. He doesn't want to go back to all the others without situation, especially considering he's the one at blame.

It's not until about a week later that Calum finally gets aggravated by Michael's constant arguing, and he tells Michael that he'll go back under. It makes him sick to his stomach already, the idea of going back when he has no idea how to get rid of the nets and boats. But he has to, so that Michael will stop worrying, and because Calum can feel him returning to the state he was before he found out what he was.

Getting up and walking across the house exhibited major effort, and Calum felt excruciatingly similar to how he felt when he was on his deathbed, hardly moving, hardly breathing, hardly living. He had to think about when to breath, and walking too fast made his knees lock. Michael helped him walk down to the front door, smiling and being all encouraging, but Calum saw how tight the skin was when he smiled. He saw the worry laced in the pupils of Michael's wide eyes. He wasn't blind to Michael's concern. It was nauseatingly clear, even in Calum's far-away state.

Calum let his weight lean on Michael's shoulders as they walked down towards the beach. Hot sand burned the bottoms of Calum's feet, but he didn't have the strength to move his feet. The beach was empty, as it usual is mid-afternoon. Kids are at school and adults are at work. The few surfers out struggle to find any waves big enough to ride anyway, so the beach is pretty much abandoned. Calum's glad for it.

They reach the edge of the water, the ocean waves lapping at Calum's feet. His mind is fizzy with exhaustion, but Michael holds him up as they both shuffle further into the water. Calum can feel Michael's body shivering, quivering at the cold water, but he doesn't let go of his best friend. They wade in until the water hits Calum's hips, and then Michael allows himself to slow let go of Calum's waist. Calum can feel the change happening, feels the tingling of the scales folding themselves over Calum's lower half. He plunges himself under water to make it easier and Michael watches him disappear under the slow waves, mildly confused and concerned. He stays under the water for a couple minutes, and Michael is about to dive under to try and see if he's even breathing, but then his surfaces.

Calum blinks water out of his eyes and looks up at Michael. He sees his friend's worried green eyes and says, "I'm okay. Thank you."

And it was true. Calum felt the strength return to his body. Not a lot, and definitely still slow, but certainly much better than how he felt on land. Michael nods a little too quickly.