I didn't edit this chapter as thoroughly as I usually do, so sorry for the errors. I just wanted to get it up so I can get started on the next chapter. Enjoy!

A/N: Still don't own The Thirteenth Year, but now I can watch it as much as I want thanks to Disney + !

The pool water looked warm and inviting. Sniffing the air, Jess was surprised he didn't smell chlorine.

"It's all ocean water," said Dr. May. He was sitting nearby in a chair, a notebook and some instruments on a tray table nearby. "We pump it in. That way we all stay healthier with our, how should I say, conditions." He gave a big smile, his gray mustache twitching.

Abigail was standing off to the side, watching him, her foot tapping slightly in her white sneakers.

Jess hadn't expected to feel so nervous. It's not like he hadn't swum multiple times since Cody had left. And he'd never noticed anything out of the ordinary. Why did this swim feel so different?

"Alright, we will start with the breath hold," said Dr. May. He grabbed a stop watch from the table. "If you would jump in, please."

Here goes nothing. Out of old habit, Jess pinched his nose and then jumped unceremoniously into the water.

Bubbles surrounded him as he let himself sink for a moment, then kicked quickly back to the surface. Other people swam around him, but kept their distance. Most of the people at Safe Haven needed to swim daily and many liked to do so before or just after breakfast.

"As soon as your head goes under," called Dr. May, "I'll start the watch."

Jess gave a quick glance at his mom. Abigail was watching him, her arms crossed and her face expressionless. It was clear she was merely there as an observer.

Thinking back to what Sam had taught him, Jess inhaled deeply and then exhaled. He did it another two times, took a final, deep breath, then sank below the surface.

In all his time learning to swim, Cody had never gone over breath holding techniques. Heck, Cody was lucky if Jess was willing to put his underwater while in the pool. After Cody had left, Jess had worked hard to become a good swimmer. Sam had picked up with the swimming lessons and Jess had taken to it.

Now, fully submerged, Jess focused simply on not breathing. He distracted himself by watching the others who were in the pool. Many of them staid fully underwater as they swam, easily holding their breath. It was so strange being around so many people who were like Cody, yet not.

A pressure began to build in Jess's lungs, but he ignored it. Dr. May had said they rarely tested the theory of any of them being able to breathe underwater. It felt too much like drowning. And, if you couldn't breathe underwater, you could actually drown. Besides, he'd been assured that almost nobody couldn't actually breathe water. That seemed a trait only possessed by those who'd been affected to the extreme. Something about underdeveloped gills and overdeveloped lungs.

Finally, the pressure became too much and Jess couldn't hold on any longer. Having sunk nearly to the bottom of the pool, he kicked hard and shot to the surface of the water with ease. Both Dr. May and Abigail were nodding their approval as he shook the water from his hair and rubbed it away from his eyes.

"Eight minutes and twenty-three seconds. Not bad for a first go," said Dr. May.

"Well, I have work to do. Chris, we'll catch up later." Abigail gave Jess a slight smile, then frowned. "I hope you'll start taking this more seriously now."

Jess gave her a glare.

"I'll see you at lunch," said Abigail. She nodded at the both of them and then walked out the doors Sean had gone through the night before.

"Don't worry about your mom, Jess." Dr. May was scribbling away in a notebook. "That was a very good result."

Shaking his head, Jess swam to the edge of the tank and stared at the doctor. "I really held my breath that long?"

"Yup. Welcome to the club. I've only clocked myself at a little over nine minutes, but others here can go up to almost thirty." Dr. May closed his notebook. "Alright, why don't you do some laps for me? I want to check you speed."

That was how the rest of Jess's morning continued. He went through the drills as directed by Dr. May, surprised with how easy it was all coming to him. By the time he was climbing out of the pool, he was exhausted and mentally tired. He was definitely no longer just human. The way he now swam and the breath hold… Jess was definitely different.

-TSLOF-

When Cody finally woke, he was surprised to see it was well into the next day. He'd been asleep almost twenty-four hours. He guessed the change must have taken more out of him than he could have expected. Having finally gotten out of bed, he now stood at the top of the stairs. He had stopped to figure out how he was going to safely get down the winding steps to the kitchen. He'd managed to hobble from his bedroom, but now he felt stuck.

His legs weren't responding correctly. His knees kept buckling funny and he'd already fallen half a dozen times. Carefully, he lowered himself to the ground and sat on the top step. He'd have to try sliding down on his butt.

He was half way down when his mom came around the corner.

"Cody?" Sharon stared at her son, puzzled. "What are you doing, honey?"

'I'm trying to not ask for help,' Cody thought to her, blushing slightly.

"Oh, Cody." Shaking her head in slight exasperation, Sharon walked over to her son and helped him stand.

Leaning on his mom she helped him shuffle his way into the kitchen. Sharon didn't comment on how he was having a hard time walking.

'Where's Dad?' Asked Cody.

Sharon stared at him, a worried expression on her face. Pulling out a chair next to him, she sat down and grabbed her son's hand.

"He's gone out to help Jon look for Jess. It seems he hasn't been able to get ahold of him, and it looks like he didn't come home last night."

'What?' Cody shook his head. He must still be half asleep.

Reaching into his pocket, Cody pulled out his phone and checked through his messages. There were a couple from Sam, but nothing from Jess.

'He's missing?' Cody looked up at his mom.

"We don't know that yet," said Sharon. "The police our aware and out looking for him as well."

Slumping Cody stared up at the ceiling. 'Why didn't you guys wake me up?' He moved to stand from his chair. 'I need to go find him.'

As soon as Cody stood he felt his knees buckle. He wobbled and fell to the floor, a guttural sound escaping his throat.

"Cody!" Sharon rushed to her son. "Hey, it's okay."

The young merman shook his head. 'No it's not. I've been sleeping away and my best friend has gone missing. I need to help.'

Sharon placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Cody, the police, your dad and Mr. Wheatley are out looking for him. You need to focus on getting better."

Tugging him up, she helped her son back into his chair.

"You're probably starving. Let me make a sandwich for you, okay? Your dad will call as soon as they know anything." Sharon ran her hand through her son's hair, then walked over to the fridge to fix them some food.

'Has anyone asked Sam if she knows anything?' Cody was beginning to feel pretty useless.

"She hasn't heard from him either," said Sharon. "Cody, we will find him." She gave him a pointed look as she placed the sandwich meat on the counter.

Cody shook his head. He needed to do something. He made a move to stand again, but his knees wouldn't hold. He could have thrown something in frustration. Pulling out his phone again, he started a text for Jess.

Hey, where are you? Everything okay?

He hit send and then stared at his phone, waiting – no, hoping – for his reply. Usually, unless they were in class, it didn't take him longer than a minute to respond.

There was still no response when his mom slid a plate in front of him.

"Here," said Sharon. She sat down next to him and gave his back a gentle rub.

'Thanks,' thought Cody.

The afternoon continued as Sharon went about her business, trying to keep herself busy with this and that. She helped Cody to the living room, where he turned on a movie. Neither wanted to talk, both trying to distract themselves from worrying about Jess.

It was close to dinner time when Whit finally walked through the door. Sharon followed him into the living room where Cody had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Cody? Son?" Whit shook the young merman's shoulder.

'Dad?' Cody sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Whit sat down next to his son as he moved into a sitting position.

Sharon sat on Cody's other side. She couldn't help but think how the last time they were like this was when Cody tried to tell them there was something strange happening to him. It was amazing how much had changed for them in a year.

'Did you find him? Is Jess okay?' Cody asked.

Whit shook his head and squeezed Cody's shoulder. "No. They found his bike though. It was just down the road, in a row of bushes."

'He was headed here?' Cody leaned back in the couch. 'But he didn't make it.'

"Cody," Whit looked his son in the eyes. "That's not all. The police received a call from Sean's dad. He's also gone missing."

"Sean?" Sharon put a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Do they think there's a connection?"

"They don't know yet," said Whit.

'Sean's also missing?' Cody rubbed his hands through his hair. Things were just getting worse and worse.

"Don't the police have any theories?" Sharon grabbed her son's hand.

White paused, then sighed. "They think they might have been kidnapped. They have patrols out looking and they're going to issue an amber alert," said Whit. "Cody, you need to stay home until they know anything more."

Cody shook his head. 'I need to be out there looking for Jess. What if he went swimming? What if he got lost somewhere?' Cody tried to push himself off the couch, but his knees wobbled again and he fell back into his seat.

"You are in no shape to be out there," said Whit, a little more forcefully than he had meant. "Let the police do their job. Jon said he'll let us know as soon as they find him."

Feeling helpless, Cody let his mom help him back up the stairs and to his bed. He texted Sam, and she said her parents had told her the same thing.

Cody lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His fish tank gurgled quietly in the corner. Did he do the right thing coming back? Nothing had gone right since he'd been on land. Sean now knew his secret and was missing. Jess had disappeared. What about Sam? He sent her a quick text, asking her to be careful.

It was nearly midnight when he finally drifted off to sleep.

-TSLOF-

As Bryce walked him back to his bedroom to change for lunch, Jess couldn't help but think about what Cody had done to him and to Sean. He was certain his best friend had no idea about what his electric current did to people. His friend would never hurt anyone like that. Heck, most of the time he seemed just as surprised by what he could do.

Lunch was tuna salad and Jess felt his stomach growl as he grabbed a serving. Bryce accompanied him, as usual. Together they made their way over to where Abigail sat, talking with Dr. May.

"Jess, Bryce." Abigail nodded at them.

Bryce just nodded, immediately turning to his phone.

"Dr. May was telling me how well you did," said Abigail, her tone light.

"Thanks, I guess," said Jess.

"If you feel like you ever need to go swimming, just let Bryce know and he'll take you." Abigail sipped her coffee, a peeled orange on the napkin in front of her.

"Jess, your mother was just telling me you know the young man they brought in last night," said Dr. May. "We are having a hard time with him. No doubt a familiar face might help us get through to him."

Jess looked at his mom. She was sipping her coffee, reading something on her phone.

"You saw his reaction to me last night," said Jess, turning back to the doctor. "He and I aren't exactly friends. Pretty sure he hates me." He pushed his food around with his fork. "Sean isn't going to want me anywhere near him."

"Maybe you'd think differently if you saw him," said Abigail.

"Why?" Jess was curious, and a little anxious.

Abigail grabbed her coffee and orange peel. "Chris, can you show him?" She looked at Bryce. "I need your help."

"Finally." Bryce gave Jess a disdainful frown in Jess's direction then got up to follow Abigail out of the cafeteria.

"I could really use your help." Dr. May gave him a tentative smile.

Jess paused for a second more, then quickly finished his lunch. "Alright. But if he throws something at me, I'm out."

"I assure you there won't be any of that." The doctor's voice was dead serious and made Jess pause. "Come with me."

The doctor got up and Jess was quick to follow.

They took a different way than Jess had used the night before. Instead of going through the pool deck, they took a side hallway and went up a small flight of stairs. The door opened into a wide hallway with windowed rooms lining the sides.

"This is the sick bay." Dr. May gestured at the mostly empty rooms. "On occasion we rescue some people who need a transitional period after their ordeal. Here they are closest to the pool and so we are able to help them best."

Jess glanced through the windows as they passed. Most of them were empty. Only a couple held people who appeared to be sleeping.

"How many people come here?" Asked Jess.

"Well," the doctor scratched his chin in thought, "that depends on the time of year. We rescue nearly everyone between the months of January and March. March is really the busiest. I think one year the most was five people." He looked back the way they had come. "The two whom you saw have been at Sea Haven for a long time already, just here with the flu. You and Sean are our only new editions this year."

Jess wondered why it only happened during certain times of the year. He briefly wondered if Cody's kind migrated. Had Cody ever mentioned anything like that? He didn't remember.

"Here we are," said Dr. May, stopped in front of locked door. This one had a keypad just like his room. "Now, Jess." He scratched his chin again. "I need to caution you. As you saw, most of us have only ever had brief encounters with merfolk. Our changes, considering, are relatively minor. Some are more advanced than others, but I would never say we can't be classified as human."

"Right." That was what Jess had gathered from everyone he'd seen so far.

"Sean is not that way. What Cody has done to him is beyond anything we have ever seen before," said Dr. May.

"What do you mean?" Jess was really worried now. He thought of the pictures he'd seen on his mom's phone the night before. Cody had looked like he'd been attacking Sean. But why would he?

"You will see. But, please, it's important we try and keep him calm. We are trying to avoid sedating him again, if we can."

Dr. May keyed them into the room and Jess braced himself for what he might see.

There were clusters of tanks in varying sizes scattered throughout the room. Some of them had different fish swimming around, but most of them were empty. In the back, against the far wall, was a tall one that was two thirds of the way filled. Jess could tell it was meant to hold something large.

Currently, it held a very angry teenager who was floating in the water, glaring at them. Sean did not look happy at all, but that wasn't what drew Jess forward. It was how much Sean didn't look human. He looked almost exactly how Cody had before his mom had helped him become a full merman.

Where his feet should have been, Sean had silver and green flippers. Scales covered his calves and up past where his knees should have been. By the looks of it, his knee joints had been replaced with cartilage, bending inhumanly. On top of that, his arms were webbed and there were scales covering his palms.

"Sean?" Jess stepped up to the glass, unable to stop himself from staring.

"Where's Cody?" Sean had his arms folded across his bare chest.

"He's not here. He did this to you?" Asked Jess. He knew the answer, but he needed Sean to confirm it for him.

"Of course that freak did this to me!" Sean lunged forward and banged his fists against the thick glass. "Where is he?"

"Sean, calm down." Dr. May stood right behind Jess. "Dr. Wheatley told you it hurts less if you remain calm."

Glaring, Sean turned away and sunk down into the water. Jess was shocked to see the scales that rode up his spine.

"Can he breathe underwater?" Jess turned to look up at Dr. May.

"Yes. He acquired that ability overnight," said Dr. May. He walked over to a computer station and Jess followed.

"I don't get it. How does he look like this?" Jess looked back at Sean again. "He was completely human two days ago."

"Abigail showed you the pictures yesterday." Dr. May logged into the computer. "He and Cody fought and Cody gave him a nasty shock. He would have died if that young merman hadn't taken him into the water. We're still not quite sure it worked." Dr. May looked up and gave Jess a pointed stare. "He's very lucky he didn't die on the sand."

"What? Cody would never…" Jess was interrupted by more banging on the glass from Sean.

"Are you blind? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!" Sean was yelling at them again. "How could I be turning into a merman freak if not for Cody!" Sean through himself at the glass again, only to double over in pain.

Jess rushed forward, placing his hands on the glass. "Sean!"

"He's changing beyond what his body can handle." Dr. May tapped away on his keyboard. "We looked at a sample of his blood, and it seems that whatever Cody did is still happening."

"Is he going to be okay?" Jess was scared. "You guys are helping him, right?"

Dr. May stared at Sean, not meeting Jess's gaze.

Jess looked at his classmate. He was clutching at his stomach, his shoulders shaking in pain.

"Sean?"

"He's not going to get better." Abigail spoke right behind Jess.

Jumping, Jess whirled around to stare at his mom. "What?"

"We can't stop what's happening. Whatever Cody did is causing Sean to start developing his own electrical charge." Abigail placed a well-manicured hand on the tank wall, a look of pity on her face.

"You don't mean…" Jess stared at Sean, no longer shaking, and now staring at the three humans, glaring.

"His body is rewiring itself, cell by cell. He's becoming a merman." Abigail grabbed Jess's elbow and pulled him over to the computer. "However, since Cody clearly has no idea what he is doing, the affect wasn't quite strong enough." She opened the data they had collected so far, pulling up slides of Sean's bloodwork.

"Jess, if we don't get Cody here, Sean will die." Abigail gestured at the screen. "His body can't handle these changes. He's in pain and the more he changes the worse it will get. If his body keeps changing like this, the electrical charge building in his system will kill him."

Jess shook his head and pulled away. "You have to get him out of the water!" He ran towards the tank. "When Cody changed, being in the water only made it progress faster. If he's dry it will slow down!"

"He's not actually a merman, Jess." Dr. May crossed his arms over his chest. "We tried to keep him dry but he couldn't breathe. The changes are happening randomly. Taking him out of the water will make it worse."

What was Jess supposed to do? He stared at Sean, who was once again doubled over in pain. He lay at the bottom of the tank, clutching at his stomach. As Jess watch, the flippers that had replaced his feet seemed to stretch even longer.

"What can Cody even do?" Jess looked back at his mom. She was leaning over Dr. May's shoulder, pointing at something on the screen.

"If we can get a blood sample from him, we might be able to find a way to stop the changes in Sean." Abigail crossed her arms over her chest. "Jess, this young man is going to die if you keep protecting Cody."

Jess stared at Sean, who was watching them. His eyes were wide and he was motionless, floating in the water. He was scared, Jess realized. And why shouldn't he be? He was becoming some strange creature and there was nothing to stop that. The crème of the crop was that death was coming at the end of it.

"Okay," whispered Jess, hanging his head. "I'll help."

He couldn't see any other way. He was going to have to betray his best friend.

-TSLOF-

Dark water surrounded Cody, pulling him down. Tall columns of seaweed grew around him as he swam aimlessly. No light shone in the distance and he turned in the water, lost and confused. A coldness seeped into his bones and he shivered in the water. A pressure in his lungs began to build and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Opening his mouth, water rushed in and he screamed as he began to drown.

"Cody!"

His mom stood over him as Cody jerked upright in his bed. He was covered in sweat and his lungs were burning.

'Water,' he thought to his mom.

Nodding, she rushed to the bathroom and brought him back a tall glass.

Cody gulped it down and leaned back against his headboard, trying to catch his breath. His lungs felt tight and his bones ached. A pull in his stomach nearly convinced him to climb out of bed and go down to the cove. He pushed the feeling away, trying to ignore it.

Light shone in through the window as his mom wiped a cool washcloth across his forehead.

"Are you alright?" Asked Sharon. "You were screaming."

'I'm okay,' he thought to her. He tried to recall his dream, but it had already gone fuzzy. 'I think I just had a nightmare.'

"It's okay, honey. You're okay." Sharon pulled the cloth away and frowned. "Your dad went down to the docks to check on the boat and meet up with Jon. He should be home in a couple hours."

'Okay.' Cody closed his eyes. His lungs were still aching.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Asked his mom.

Cody opened his eyes and looked at her. 'I'm worried about Jess. Any news?'

Sharon shook her head. "You just rest. Sam called. She's at school but she'd like you to text her and she'll try to answer."

'Thanks, mom.'

Sharon leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, then shut his bedroom door behind her.

Sitting up a little straighter, Cody grabbed his phone and checked the time. He couldn't believe it was already well past lunch time. That meant Sam would be in chemistry. Their teacher was a stickler in that class. No way would she be able to check his texts. Either way, his battery was almost dead. He fished for his charger, hiding under his covers, and plugged it in.

Carefully he pulled his legs over the side of the bed and tested his weight as he stood. His knees felt much more solid today as he gingerly made his way to the bathroom.

He was just coming out of a quick shower when he heard his phone go off. Eager to see who it was from, he slipped as he tried to run, landing face first in the carpet. Okay, maybe his knees weren't as good to go as he had thought. Chagrined, he half crawled, half dragged himself back over to his bed.

A text message flashed at him and he unlocked his phone quickly.

It wasn't Jess. Actually, it wasn't a number that he recognized.

Hey, is this Cody?

Should he answer it? Cody tapped back a quick reply.

Yeah, who's this?

A reply came back almost immediately.

A friend of Jess's. Can we meet? I heard he was missing.

A friend? Cody stared at the text. Maybe it was kind of rude for him to think this, but he'd assumed that he and Sam were Jess's only friends. He certainly hadn't seen him ever hanging out with anyone else.

What's your name? How do you know him?

Name's Bryce. He and I did a couple lab projects together last year.

Cody couldn't recall Jess having ever mentioned a Bryce. But, then again, they both had never really talked before they'd become lab partners themselves.

I'm home sick. Not really up for meeting.

Bummer. Sorry to hear that. I just thought I might have some ideas of where he could have gone. I wanted to go over it with someone who knew him before I told the police. No point sending them on a wild goose chase if I'm wrong.

This guy had some ideas? Cody thought about it. If they brainstormed together, maybe they could think of a place Jess would have gone. If he just met the guy at his house, he wouldn't even have to leave. He was sure his mom would be fine with that.

I guess we can meet. Do you know where the lighthouse is? I'll meet you outside.

The reply took a little longer to come through.

Sounds great. I'll be there in a half hour.

Cody got dressed as quickly as he dared. He left his phone charging on his bed and then carefully made his way downstairs.

'Mom?' he thought out.

No response.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw a sticky note on the fridge. She'd gone out to get groceries and he was to stay home until his dad got there.

Sighing, Cody threw the note away then went hunting for his tablet. A nervous flutter jumped around in his gut. Up to this point, he'd avoided really talking to his classmates with his tablet. It wasn't like he could just talk to this kid with his mind though.

He had it plugged in and charging in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Shoot! He was supposed to meet Bryce outside so he could find the place easier. He shuffled to the door, and opened it with a smile.

Mwahahaha. That's all have to say. On a happier note, it looks like my muse has decided to make this story much longer than originally planned. I can't say for certain how many chapters to expect after this one, but there will be more. As always, I hope you are enjoying the story. Don't forget, reviews are love. Happy swimming!