-Water-

Bodil didn't like the water for several reasons.

One, the heavy rain always weighed his wings down to the point that flying was nearly impossible.

Two, he had been attacked by a squid a few years back. He still couldn't get over the fact that it had tried to drag him to the bottom of the ocean. He still clearly remembered the feeling of the cold, slimy tentacles coiling around him. It made him shiver just thinking about it.

Three, normal people found it normal to wear a swimsuit when they went swimming. He couldn't do that unless he wanted to show his wings, and even as a Fallen that was still taboo.

And the... undertow. He didn't-he doesn't like to think about what had happened. He could remember the feeling of her hand slipping out of his as he was dragged to safety. He had dropped her. He had failed his duty as a guardian.

He could still remember that look she had given him as she sank back down. He would never forget those wide, terrified chocolate eyes. Her stare bore deep into his mind, rooting into the shadows that he tried to push away. But the image sill lingered there, wide and pleading and terrified and wondering why he just couldn't save her.

And he hadn't grown close to another child since. Sure, he still protected them, but he didn't get into any emotional relation with them. He didn't think he would be able to take another one leaving so suddenly because he just couldn't save her and it was all his fault.

He couldn't save her.

...

Bodil stared at the lake with wide eyes. Undertow. His mind screamed at him, even though he was only ankle-deep in the lapping waves. The rest of his friends were out in the deeper waters, splashing each other and tossing a giant, colorful beach ball around. But here he was, sitting on the bank with memories of how he had failed.

But that was the past. And right now Sky was calling him into the water to join the others. Bodil stood, taking a tentative step into the lake that surely housed the skeleton of her body. That thought made him back away several feet, furiously shaking his head and hugging his arms to his chest. Undertow.

"Stop," he muttered to himself, "you can do this, Bodil. It's just water. There's nothing to... be afraid of."

So with those-slightly-encouraging words, he waded out into deeper waters. He was met with a beach ball smacking into his chest, toppling him over and sending him under the water.

For a moment, his chest seized up as he couldn't tell which way was up or down. Undertow. He shook his head and opened his eyes, looking around frantically. Then he flailed, turning himself right-side-up. Panic swathed his mind, making him see black. Her eyes looked black as she sank deeper, further out of his reach.

Undertow.

And then a hand grabbed his shoulder, hauling him to the surface. Bodil gasped, lungs frantically drawing in oxygen. He glanced around and stood, suddenly self-conscious with all the stares he was getting. He looked down and realized he was only waist-deep in water. Bodil wished he could have felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment, like a formal person would, but instead he just stared down at the murky water. He swallowed and turned abruptly, water cascading off his black wings. He remembered how they had been too heavy, and the water had made him sink even deeper.

Bodil shook the image away and trudged back onto land, grabbing a flowery green beach towel from the pile of stuff they had brought to the lake.

"I'm going home," he said. With that, he left.

Some things just couldn't be forgotten.