Calum was daydreaming when he entered his art class for the last time before summer. He had been thinking about drawing something that was a bit out of his comfort zone. He sat at the back and looked out the window to see the beautiful sparkling ocean. At first, he thought he saw something in the water, but when he looked for it, there was nothing there. 

Calum shrugged and pulled out his notepad to begin sketching a merman. Calum had always been fascinated by the supernatural and all things weird and out of the ordinary. His college professors always thought he was crazy for being so enthralled by something unreal, but Calum couldn’t help it. 

Before he knew it, the class was already halfway done and Calum hadn’t even realized it had started yet.

“Mr. Delasti.” His art teacher, Miss Trale, was looking down at him with a hand on her hip. Her messy bun had splatters of paint in it, but she paid it no mind. If she did, he would’ve thought something was wrong. “Are you going to join the class today?”

Calum stifled a sigh and flipped to the next page of his notebook. He started to sketch the assigned work, even if it was boring as hell. 

When the bell rang, Calum raced out of the classroom before he was pulled back to stay after class. Art was his last class before he had to go home and he was grateful for the cool sea breeze.  

Calum left the big building to head back home. He looked out to the ocean and saw something shimmer, but ignored it. The ocean always shimmered under the sun. He found himself becoming thankful to be able to live on the beach. Calum wouldn’t know what to do if he was miles from the beach. The ocean was his haven. His escape from judging eyes and pitying glances. Everyone knew what was wrong with him. Everyone knew that his mom died in the ocean. Everyone knew the tough time Calum’s family was going through. But they didn’t care. No one cared. They only pretended to so that they didn’t seem like horrible people. Even at college, it happened. Every time he walked through the halls, the students avoided him like the plague and the professors looked at him with pity. They never cared about him, but they had to pretend that they did. 

Of course, this was all speculation on Calum’s part. His train of thought broke when someone patted his shoulder. He looked up to see his twin brother, Jack, looking at him with an encouraging smile, a twinkle in his navy eyes. “Come on.” Jack put an arm around his brother and led him down the path to their house. His twin had always been there for him. He knew through thick and thin Jack would always be his shoulder to lean on. Jack was the best brother Calum could’ve asked for. “You can’t end Friday on a bad note. Let those bad thoughts go, Cal.” Jack always knew what was going on in Calum’s head. 

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Calum looked up and gave Jack a smile. He grinned back, pulling Calum closer to his chest. “Hey, you know what? There’s going to be a couple of my friends on the beach tonight to celebrate the end of school. You should come.” Jack looked at his brother, hopefulness flashed in his eyes, but Calum hadn’t been listening. He had been staring at the ocean as it glowed orange from the sunset. He had always loved the ocean, no matter the temperature. 

But Calum wasn’t staring at it for no reason. He was staring at it because he was sure there were eyes in the giant pool of water staring at him. He had a feeling and glanced around the ocean, hoping to catch the culprit, but nothing came into view. 

“Cal, did you hear me?” Jack tapped Calum’s shoulder and the younger twin looked at him with his turquoise eyes. He relaxed once he saw Jack. Jack’s gaze softened and he gave his brother an apologetic smile. “Do you want to come to the bonfire on the beach later? A couple of my friends will be there to celebrate the end of freshmen year.” 

Calum shrugged his shoulders and climbed up onto the porch. He always loved his small house. It may not seem like much, but it was enough for the three of them. He opened the door to hear his dad struggling to cook something. He smiled a genuine smile and grinned when the sound of the pan hitting the floor echoed around the living space. “Need help?” He asked, humor evident in his voice. 

Their father, Howard, turned towards Calum’s voice. “Yes, please.” Calum was already in the kitchen as he grabbed the pan and turned down the heat on the stove. “I don’t understand how you can cook so easily, Cal. It’s hard.” 

Calum let out a small chuckle. “You just can’t cook. Dad, why do you always try to cook for us? We’re eighteen, we can cook-” He gasped in pain, collapsing to the floor and grabbed his head. A high-pitched whining screamed in his head. 

“Cal?” Howard ran towards his son, worry sounding in his voice. “Jack, get the medicine!” He yelled as he held Calum who cried hot tears of pain. His head pounded with unexplainable pain. Ever since he turned eighteen, the episodes had been getting more frequent and more painful. “Cal, did you not take your pills today?! Goddammit, of course, you didn’t! Calum, stay with me!”

He barely registered Howard talking to him soothingly. His vision was blurred by tears. The high-pitched whining got louder, causing his brain to bang against his skull. Calum squeezed his eyes shut and was shocked to see eyes in his pain. They were the color of the sunrise. He wasn’t sure if they were red, orange, yellow, or even purple. The colors mixed and churned and Calum found himself mesmerized by the eyes.

He almost choked when a pill was shoved into his mouth. His eyes opened to see his brother and father leaning over him. He was handed a glass of water and chugged half of it so that the pill slipped down his throat. Calum already felt the episode passing. He found himself somewhat disappointed that the eyes weren’t there when he blinked. 

Cold sweat dripped down his face and he realized he couldn’t be cramped up in this house tonight. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer, Jack.” He gave them a weak smile, trying to push down the pain now forming in his chest. He had never quite felt anything in his chest and didn’t want to mention it in fear of being taken to the doctor again. But the episode was his normal. It always had been. Because Calum’s been burdened by an incurable and unknown mental illness.