Calder James, son of Ester and Evan James, was born on a small island far from the coast of Fiore. He was born with a head of dark hair and baby blue eyes that soon changed to a vibrant green. He was the youngest of three, with an older sister in Emily and an older brother in Dustin who eight and five respectively at the time.

As a newborn Calder was relatively calm, but when he would cry and scream the only way to calm him down was to place him in water. It became normal for some of the other villagers to see Ester, Evan, or occasionally Emily sitting in the shallows at the shore with a now giggling baby splashing the water that lapped around them.

At two years old Evan and Ester learned that there was something that made Calder different than the rest of their children, or any of the children in the village. Dustin had been climbing a small cliffside behind their home that looked out over the ocean. Emily was watching Calder splash back as the tide came in. Emily was talking with Evan as he prepared some fish to be cooked later for lunch.

Standing just as a wave hit the rocks Dustin slipped, pushed by the water, and began to fall towards the sharper rocks at the base where land met sea. Ester and Emily screamed as Evan dropped what he was doing a futilely tried to run and make it in time. Suddenly there was a loud piercing shriek and a sphere of water rose from the ocean and caught Dustin, stopping his fall, and slowly brought the boy do the sandy shore safe. The family looked towards the source of the shriek, young Calder, who now sported snow white hair and eyes a deep blue. Seeing Dustin now safe the toddler giggled and reached out to his older brother as the water seemed to affectionally wrap itself around him.

Quickly Evan and Ester looked around to see if anyone else had seen what had happened. When no one else was spotted they quickly gathered their family and brought them into the safety of their home. They sat down and tried to explain to the children what happened and the importance of no one else finding out about Calder. The villagers were distrustful of magic. The magic user born on the island had disappeared, no one knew for sure if they had left or if some of the more outspoken villagers had done something.

The James family banded together to keep Calder's secret safe. Calder was kept inside for the next few months and with the help of one of the older members of the village his physical changes were explained as a rare illness that can affect young children. The family became a bit separated from the rest of the village, as Ester and Evan grew paranoid of the secret coming out. Their home was already on the outskirts of the village, and they kept Calder away as much as possible. The children didn't seem to notice, happy to play and grow together.

~Age 4~

"Mommy!" Ester turns towards her youngest, seeing him bouncing in excitement, "Emily said she's going to teach me how to swim today!"

"I know Sweetie," Smiling down she places her hands on either side of Calder's face, "But I need you to calm down just a little bit." She eyes a glass of water on the table that was splashing water in time with his jumps.

Calder turns to where his mother was looking and spots the glass. Smiling a bit sheepishly he stops his bouncing, "Sorry Mommy."

She kisses his head, finally looking away as the water stayed still. "It's okay."

"Ready to go Rain-Drop?" Emily entered the main room in her swim clothes, she was smiling wide at the boy.

"Yes!" Calder jumps away from his mom, who winces slightly as the water splashes again, and runs to his sister's side. "Let's go! Let's go!" He happily tugs Emily towards the door as she laughs.

"Remember no magic!" Ester reminds sternly, "And stay near the house, don't go out towards the village."

Emily nods to her as Calder stills for a moment. With a smile Emily leads him out into the sun. Calder takes a deep breath as they exit and enjoys the humidity in the air. He can't stop the grin as he sees the edge of the water. Knowing Emily wouldn't be far behind he took off to the water. As he got close the water reached out towards him, as though welcoming him back. The grin grew and he felt his muscles relax as he laid down on his back eyes closed. His magic thrummed happily.

Emily looks around, as usual there was no-one in sight. She knew her mother would want her to stop him, but Calder had explained how not using his magic at all made him feel unhappy and tense, so she let him take in the moment before there lesson. With no one around there wasn't any danger and she would let him know if any boats appeared. Besides, it wasn't like he was throwing water around, he was just pushing it to swirl around him.

After a few minutes Emily nudges Calder's leg to get his attention. He opens his eyes and looks at her apologetically, "Sorry Em."

She shakes her head smiling, "Ready to swim Rain-Drop?"

"Yes! Do you think we'll see a dolphin?"

"If we're lucky."

~A New Life~

Dustin walks through the market holding Calder's hand. He had been told to go get some flour as they were getting low. Calder has asked him if he could come and Dustin couldn't say no, even as their mom frowned. Smiling as he listens to Calder's happy chatter as they walk along. He was pointing out all the different things he saw from crabs on the ground to Mrs. Merle inspecting each fish before choosing one.

They were heading to Granny Rose's stall. Granny Rose wasn't related to the James', but she had helped their parents in the past and would dote on the kids whenever she saw them. She maned the small booth where she traded flour and rice from the mainland. Her grandsons would go out once a week and bring back the few things they couldn't grow on the island. Most kids would stop by if they could because she was known for giving out goodies.

"Well if it isn't Dustin. And young Calder too, not that's a lovely surprise." Granny Rose looked up from her chair as they approached and grinned.

"Granny!" Calder let go of Dustin's hand to run forward and gave the woman a hug. "Em took me swimming and we saw a dolphin! We really did!"

"Now that is something special." Granny Rose laughs as Calder excitedly began to tell the story in detail.

Dustin began to fill a small bag with flour as the two talked. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted some dark clouds heading their way. A few others in the market were noticing as well and were trying to finish up quickly.

Dustin drew closer to the pair still talking and Granny Rose looked up, "Just the flour today Dustin?" At his nod she took the bag and weighed it as he placed the bundle of fish on the table to trade. Taking the fish, she looked them over before handing the bag that was slightly heavier back to him. Then she reached behind and revealed a tray with lemon squares and handed it to Calder, whose eyes widened.

Frowning as he looked between the flour, the dessert, and the fish Dustin tried to determine if it was enough. Granny Rose's voice drew his attention, "We have to close up today early and those treats are better fresh." She winked, "Plus they're your mother's favorite."

Dustin felt himself grin as he took in Calder's excited gasp. "All of them?" His eyes seemed to light up at the thought, they were also Calder's favorite.

"All of them." Granny Rose confirmed as she ruffled the white locks. "You boys best be on your way if you're going to beat the rain."

Saluting back to show he heard Dustin took Calder's hand and they started walking back home. The walk wasn't too far but the clouds were rolling in fast. They existed the village and the house was in sight, but Dustin knew they weren't going to make it in time. He tried to cover the bag of flour to keep it dry as he heard rain close by. Keeping a solid grip on Calder's hand he braced for the cold rain to hit.

It never did.

Though the rain was now pouring all around them the brothers were dry. Looking around it seemed as though an invisible barrier was pushing the rain to fall around them. Calder smiled as their eyes met, his blue eyes bright. Dustin knew he should be angry at the use of magic, but he was proud of the show of control. No one was around, everyone now in the safety of their homes and it was helpful. The flour would be ruined if it got wet.

Upon the boys entering the house Ester was ready to try and dry them off, but she noticed they were suspiciously dry. "What did you do?" Sighing she looks to Calder, one eyebrow raised.

"Kept us dry." Dustin stated. He saw Calder's face drop at their mother's question. "Everyone's inside anyway." Placing the flour safely on the table he saw Calder offer a lemon square as a peace offering.

"Sorry Mommy." She kissed his head and took the treat.

"Go clean up and get ready for supper." Calder quickly went further into the house and Dustin followed him with his eyes. They didn't understand magic, but it was a part of Calder that couldn't simply be locked away. As Ester ate the lemon square, he went to find his siblings.

~Age 5~

"Dad?"

In front of Evan stood Calder, head bent with his white hair covering his eyes. He was clutching the toy dolphin Emily had worked hard to make for him the previous year.

"What's wrong son?" Reaching out with a hand Evan lifted Calder's face so he could look into his eyes.

"There's something wrong with the water." The dolphin was squeezed tighter in his grip, eyes watering.

Evan bent down to be eye level with his youngest son. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging his shoulders Calder shook his head, "I don't know. It feels bad. My chest feels tight and my stomach hurts."

"Son, I'm sure everything is fine. There is supposed to be a storm soon. That's probably what you're feeling."

Calder looks into his eyes frowning, "But I never felt this way before when there was storms."

With a thumb Evan wiped away a tear, "Maybe it just shows you've grown stronger." Sniffling Calder looks away, "You know your mother and I are very proud of you."

"Really?" Calder pulls out of his hold and takes a step back, seeming calmer.

"You know we'll do everything we can to protect you kids." Ester kneels in front of Calder after entering the room. She gives him a quick hug. "Now get ready for bed Sweetie."

"Okay Mommy, night Dad." Calder leaves to go find Emily and Dustin, leaving his parents alone in the main room. The two adults look outside at the dark clouds before heading to bed themselves.

~A New Life~

It happened in the night.

Without any warning the ocean swallowed the small island.

Wave after wave dragged homes and people into the depts.

Families were torn from their beds.

Children screamed and cried for their mothers as water filled their lungs.

Chaos engulfed the island.

The last thing Calder saw before the blackness took him was his mother's lifeless body sinking into the water.

It was Calder's scream as his world crumbled that summoned the beast.