by Giger, S. L.
“Of course, we wouldn’t kidnap you and keep you with us against your will. But, at least for the first few months, you should be with someone who can help you adapt to a life like this. None of us were alone.” Melissa exchanged a brief glance with Roisin and Cathy.
“Don’t look at me; you know I want to be here exactly as little as she does,” Cathy glanced at me. “There prodigy, we’ve got one thing in common.”
“Shut up, Cathy,” Roisin silenced her.
Melissa tried again. “I’m sure you will have many more questions, and there is so much more to learn; we would have a fun time. Besides, where else would you go?”
Gosh, are you really that slow? Home, I would go home.
Roisin came to her help. “I don’t know how many more times we have to tell you this. It will remain the same answer and as painful every time. You cannot go back to your old life. I’m sorry.” She placed both her hands over her heart. “I had to accept it too. See it as a vacation. Come with us and start over. I promise you, once you arrive in New York, you will never want to leave.”
Whatever.
“We will see,” I sighed.
“Was I that skeptical when you changed me?” Roisin looked at Melissa.
Melissa snorted. “Are you kidding? I would never have left Ireland if your stubbornness wouldn’t have endangered our secret. You would have sneaked away to your friends at any opportunity. Luckily, you always had a sense of adventure. It seemed like as soon as we arrived in NYC, you owned that city.”
“Well, that’s me. I can wrap a metropolis around my finger.” Roisin laughed in a bright voice.
“Besides, I liked it there too. You should give it a shot Nathalie.” Melissa said.
I flinched. “If you want to talk to Nathalie, you have to find one.”
“Come on, now, at least pretend to make an effort. We are all trying here as well.” Roisin tightened her hands into fists.
I pressed my lips together. “Fine, so what’s next in Siren school?”
“That’s better. Now, extract the sarcasm, and we could almost call you cheerful.” Roisin clapped on my back. “How about a running exercise? You seem to be good at that. Once we run through cities, it will be a little tougher, not to run into anything, since people and cars move as well.”
I did like the running part. It was amazing to have such a contradiction between moving fast but at the same time noticing everything very clear.
“So, first, we will run around the forest, and one of us will be holding a red scarf. Sometimes, we will switch it from one person to the next, and you have to keep following the one with the scarf. Got it?” Roisin asked.
I nodded.
So, we started this game of catch, and I did very well. They couldn’t trick me once. When we were done with this exercise, the boot camp continued with more training. For example, moving all my body parts at human speed without appearing like a mime artist or like someone having spasms. Further eye-training and interviews where I had to give correct information about my newly invented past. Eventually, I had passed their test.
“Good, now you should be ready to mingle with some humans,” Melissa said. “But we will start slow. You know, even if you think you would like to see your family, that doesn’t guarantee that it would end well for them.”
“Do you think I would attack them?”
“That’s a possibility, but we’re hoping that you will be strong enough and able to resist. That’s why we will first try it with only a few people around. The aura you had as a human speaks for you — that you should be able to resist. Don’t lose your focus.” She didn’t look 100% convinced.
“You will do fine,” Roisin said more firmly.
“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” Cathy added. “Anyway, seems like all is going according to plan here. I should get back to my patients now. I guess we will run into each other again sooner than I’d prefer.” She nodded at the three of us and ran away.
“I thought she disliked me but actually, you are not on her BFF list either,” I stated. “Then why was she around all the time. And what is my plan?”
“Oh, that’s just the way Cathy is, don’t worry about her.” Roisin waved my comment off. “Some bad things happened to her, and now she doesn’t want to let anybody too close. Anyway, if you want to know what to expect, imagine the sound of the animal hearts about ten times louder. That’s how the human hearts will sound. Having this constantly in your head can get on your nerves,” Roisin added much to my dismay.
I never liked hearing the metronome during the guitar lesson. Now she was telling me that I would have to live with thousands of metronomes in my head. Sounds that couldn’t be turned off. Awesome, that was going to be agreeable — not.
Melissa and Roisin guided me to a small village. Already several miles away I could hear the different heartbeats. I detected more chickens and pigs than humans. Their heartbeats mixed together weren’t a nice rhythmic sound but hundreds of thuds in a cacophony. We kept our distance to the village, but five kilometers within that radius already gave me a headache.
“How do you live with that?” I pressed my hands over my ears.
“It’s hard to believe, but they will go to the background just like the animal sounds. It’s all about focus. In the end, only the heartbeats you want to hear will stand out.” Melissa said, staring into the direction the thuds were coming from.
I only groaned.
“Alright, let’s go back.” Melissa nodded.
We returned to the cave and the further we got, the better I felt.
“Oh, heavenly silence.” I exhaled when we reached the cave. “I can’t believe you don’t all live in an isolated church somewhere up on a mountain.”
“You will be able to live a normal life again, too. I’m not so worried about you anymore after today,” Melissa admitted.
Well, thanks for the slack.
“Why did you transform me?” I wondered.
“It’s a Siren’s duty to save a woman who can be saved and like we said, the aura must be right, and with you, everything was a match,” Roisin said.
“That’s it? It sounds so far-fetched,” I said. Some of Cathy’s remarks were still lingering in my head. “Why did Cathy keep calling me prodigy? I certainly feel like I am doing very bad at this.”
“No, you are doing fine,” Melissa contradicted me. “In the beginning, it's difficult for all the Sirens, and there is so much to learn. Therefore, I really think that you should stay with me for the time being,” she tried again. Once more, she had swiftly ignored my question and continued with a topic of her choice. I wondered if she did it on purpose because they had something to hide.
“I live in a very lovely cottage right at the beach,” Melissa continued. “You can smell the ocean and hear the waves behind the dunes. Most importantly, we hardly have any neighbors, which means; it’s a rather quiet place. It will be like a free spa retreat after all this stress.”
I tried to picture her house. I liked beaches; living close to the sea had always been one of my dreams. Also, if I said yes now, I might be able to escape on the way there. “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to try.”
Chapter 5
We spent one more week in Malaysia and traveled to several more villages. They taught me that I always had to take off and arrive in a deserted place so that nobody would get confused. Digital surveillance didn’t make things easier. So, one of the constant tasks of my life as a Siren was to memorize all the surveillance cameras in public places.
Over time, the steady beating of human hearts which felt like a tinnitus faded to the background. In the end, I was even strolling through busy Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, without my head exploding.
For the journey to Melissa’s home and my escape, I had it all planned in my mind. When we were leaving for New York, we’d travel north to Kazakhstan. Then, via Russia, the Ukraine and Austria to Ireland. From there, we’d cross the Atlantic. Whereby traveling meant running. It would take a l
ittle longer because we weren’t supposed to run the whole distance in one bit. But at least, it didn’t cost us a thing, since we would be spending the nights with European cousins. On the way from Volgograd to Dublin, I’d break away in Poland and run to my home in Switzerland. I couldn’t let my family believe that I was dead when I wasn’t.
I was excited when we left the cave for the final time. Now that I got somewhat used to my body, I didn’t see how I managed to stay in there for so long in the first place. I would gladly exchange the dirty cave with clean white walls. The others seemed to feel similarly.
“Bye, bye cave,” Roisin waved. Melissa carried the mirror, and Roisin, a trash bag with the candle leftovers. The cave looked like we were never there.
“I hope you will appreciate it one day that we stayed here with you this whole time. I so miss my roof top terrace.” Roisin then said.
The first leg of our journey led us toward Volgograd. This was the longest stretch I have ever run in one bit, and it felt wonderful. I felt incredibly alive breathing the air that was swooshing by. I was still amazed at how clearly I saw every small detail of the things we passed, although they should have been a blurry color mix.
The night in Volgograd, we spent with Valentina and her husband, Dimitry. She was a European cousin. Well, not technically a cousin but Sirens call each other cousins, even if they are not related. Valentina married a prospering businessman when they were both in their late twenties. Now, Dimitry was in his sixties, and Valentina looked half his age.
“Don’t tell the family anything about us. Not even Dimitry knows.” Melissa had warned me before we got there.
I looked at her in disbelief. “How can you live with someone without noticing that your partner doesn’t have a heartbeat? Or never gets any wrinkles?”
“He might suspect something, but unnatural things like that are scary. Rather leave the rose-colored glasses on and give your wife some money for the beauty salon visits she likes so much. She spends a lot of that money on charity by the way. It’s not like she actually needs the appointments,” Melissa chuckled.
I looked at the house in awe, while we were waiting in front of the gate. It wasn’t huge but looked like a beautiful castle. Roisin rang the bell and a short while after, the male head that appeared on a screen who said, “Ah Miss Roisin, I’ll let you in.”
“That was their butler.” Roisin pointed out.
I would have guessed that without Roisin’s comment. Jeez, they must be swimming in millions. The gate opened automatically. We proceeded on a smooth driveway and walked toward a white mansion. Stairs lead up from two sides to a big wooden door in the middle of the house.
“There are my girls,” a pretty blonde woman said with a Russian accent. She hurried down the stairs, rushing in a human kind of speed and thereby holding on to the handrail. She was dressed like a business lady. Black tights, a tight black skirt that went a little above her knees and a soft, white blouse. Her high heels would have left me stumbling all over the place.
First, she hugged Melissa and then Roisin, before she dedicated her attention to me.
“So, this must be our newest family addition,” she also gave me a hug and then whispered, “I told Dimitry that these two took you on a European trip for a belated sweet sixteen,” she pointed to Roisin and Melissa. “Dinner will be ready in half an hour; we can go have a drink in the meanwhile. Dimitry is waiting in the fire room.”
We walked through a big hallway with a fluffy green carpet. Lots of paintings decorated the wall and several doors lead to other rooms. Valentina was talking her head off until she stopped in front of an open door. A white-haired man was sitting on a hard, brown leather couch, reading the newspaper. When he noticed us, he folded the paper and got up with some effort.
“Melissa, Roisin, still as beautiful as I remembered you. Why am I the only one who seems to get older here?”
“Dimitry, you’re the same charmer that you used to be. Perhaps because we don’t have to grapple with boring numbers and figures.” Melissa smiled.
I almost had to laugh out loud. I couldn’t help but think of Hugh Hefner and his playboy bunnies. But Valentina and he actually were about the same age in human years. I shook my head because I suddenly questioned all relationships with huge age differences.
I was greeted, too, and then some obligatory questions followed. How was school and did I know what I wanted to study. I hesitated for a moment and looked at Valentina. She smiled at me encouragingly. I had been to the US twice, and I knew somewhat how life was there from the movies. However, now that it came down to describing a life I hadn't entered so far, I found it rather difficult.
“It’s good. I can’t wait for graduation, though.”
“It always is like that. And then you will miss the protected and easy environment you had.” He said. “What are your plans after school then?” Dimitry sat back down. We did the same, Valentina choosing a seat next to her husband, Melissa and me on the second couch and Roisin on a round brown leather stool.
“Studying psychology.” That was an easy answer since I knew exactly that I wanted to study this.
“Any idea at what university?” He probed.
“Not really yet,” I replied.
“Well, there is time.” Valentina chipped in. But let’s not bore that girl with questions about her studies while she’s on vacation. Who wants to have a drink?”
I was glad that the center of attention was moved away from me, but then I already saw the next problem coming. The butler, who had been patiently waiting next to the door handed everybody a glass of Vodka and a glass of orange juice for myself. Since we had something to drink in Kuala Lumpur, I didn't think we needed more liquid already. I was a bit confused that the others accepted their glass so welcomingly.
“Nastrovje.”
I noticed that Dimitry took an actual gulp, while the women nibbled at their drinks. In an unattended moment, Melissa emptied hers into a flower pot. She winked at me. I chuckled and shook my head again. That wasn’t the last time this evening.
Roisin and even Valentina did the same thing with their drinks.
“Well, I’m sorry about that. You must have preferred Vodka too, but I know how strict you Americans are with the drinking age.” Dimitry remarked when I was the only one who still had a full glass. “Here, you could already drink at eighteen.”
I smiled and shrugged. In Switzerland, I could already drink beer at sixteen.
“You will have to come back when you are allowed to have a real Vodka. You won’t find the good stuff at home anyway.” He concluded.
We walked into the dining room, where I could see the next complication lying around the corner. If they served us food, how would I make it disappear? I frantically looked from Melissa to Roisin to make eye contact with one of them. Roisin winked at me and gave me a thumbs up sign. Great, what was I supposed to do with that? I made a face, and Melissa was too engaged in a conversation with Valentina to notice. Of course, they also had a helpful tactic ready here. ‘Napkin’ Roisin formed with her lips, once we sat down and pointed to the big cotton napkin, which we were placing on our knees. The butler only served us diet portions, except for Dimitry. He seemed to know that the ladies in this house only eat a bird’s meal. As a normal person, I’d have had to buy a snack or empty out the fridge after such a small portion. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep on such an empty stomach. Now, on the contrary, I saw how they let piece by piece of their salad and then meat, beans and rice disappear on the napkin. I tried to do the same, whenever Dimitry and the butler didn’t watch and was glad that they didn’t serve soup. I wondered why we were going through all this trouble. We could have said that we had eaten on the way already.
Valentina helped the butler carry out the dishes, making sure he didn’t touch any of the napkins.
Later, we all sat down and talked until Dimitry decided that it was late, and he was going to bed. He gave his wife a kiss and bid us good night. We stayed up longe
r. It wasn’t as if we were tired, but at some point, we decided that we should go to bed too, only to keep up the game. We all had our own rooms. It was odd to be in such a luxurious environment. A big queen-sized bed with many pillows, the fluffy green carpet and the oil paintings of landscapes — the contradiction to the simple cave from before couldn't have been bigger. However, the biggest change was that I was suddenly alone. For the first time since the transformation, they didn’t have their watchful eyes on me. I sat on the bed for a while and listened to the sounds in the house. Would it be possible to escape now? After an hour or two, I softly opened the door and checked if anybody was in the corridor. All doors were closed. I quietly walked toward the front door, and when I passed the living room, there was Melissa reading a book. She spotted me right away, and I sighed. I would stick to my initial plan and run away from them in Poland tomorrow.
“Where are you going?” Melissa whispered.
“I am bored.”
She beckoned me toward her and so I sat down on the opposite couch. “I know nights can be long when you don’t sleep. You have to find things that interest you. Thanks to all this time, we are able to reach much more in life than an average person could.”
“I don’t know. This is all so new to me. Can you tell me more about the life of a Siren? There has to be so much I don’t know.”
“Hmmm, okay. For example, it’s not possible for men to be transformed. Something in their genes hinders them to be able to withstand the urge to kill humans. They turn into a dangerous weapon.”
She let the words sink in.
“Okay, it kind of makes sense that a Siren has to be female.”
“Yet,” she made a dramatic pause, “there are currently five living male Sirens, and one of them is my husband. But he is a really nice guy and hasn’t hurt anybody, ever.”
“You have a husband?” I never pictured her with anybody, since she spent the past month with me in a cave.
“Yes, his name is Luke. You will like him; he is funny. But, Nathalie, you need to know that his existence is not something that’s accepted in the Siren world. Some would kill him if they knew about him. So, please don’t tell anybody. Only our closest friends know.” She was waiting for me to give her my word.
