by Giger, S. L.
Melissa chuckled. “I was used to that look. Men look at us in a different way than if we were human.”
Yes, I’d noticed that already.
“Of course, part of it is natural, but there is also something chemical about it. Our attraction is like a magnet to most men, which is kind of sad because that means in ninety-one percent of cases, they see us as purely sexual objects and wouldn’t care for anything else.”
“And what exactly is the difference in that from any normal man and woman?” Luke interrupted her.
“That Sirens used to kill the men once they attracted them.”
“What are the other nine percent?” Alex asked.
“These men either have a higher interest in you, a more spiritual one we can just call love...” Melissa smiled. “...Or there are the men who had a rough life and something so bad or sad has happened that their antennae are broken. They don’t pick up our vibes.”
I looked at Alex. “I hope you belong to the first part of those nine percent and don’t wake from this spell one day.”
“If I wake up someday, I’ll just fall in love with you again.” He flashed a broad smile at me.
Melissa sighed. “Young love – wonderful. Yet, I still can’t understand why I said ‘yes’ to that coffee. I didn’t think then that you were different from any other man.”
“Why, thank you for that compliment. And you didn’t say ‘yes,’ you said ‘okay.’ I must have picked up the phone, dialed your number, and hung up at least five times before I finally summoned up the courage to call you. I expected a no. No way in the world someone like you would agree to a date with me. When the ‘no’ didn’t come, my mind was somehow too slow to decode what ‘okay’ meant, since it didn’t seem as clear to me as a ‘yes.’”
For a while after that, they argued about which reaction would have been better. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve known each other for fourteen years.
“And you never told Luke about your secret?” Alex asked. “It would have made life so much easier for you.”
“Yeah, didn’t you trust me, honey?” Luke said in mock indignation.
Melissa rolled her eyes. “I would have trusted you with my life. I just didn’t want to endanger yours.”
“And I never suspected anything, anyway,” Luke said. “When I first got to know Melissa, I couldn’t believe my luck that someone like her would actually talk to me without an official letter stating that she had to do it. Or, even better, that she seemed to like me back as much as I liked her. In time, I also met Rosin, Cathy, and some other family members. I thought they all must have the same lucky genes, but in all those years, I never imagined anything that crazy behind all this. I was blind to the facts that Melissa hardly drank and ate anything, or that she often seemed to be a step ahead of me in the cases I had to solve at work. To me, she was that wonderful, smart woman – who, on top of that, was better-looking than any Victoria’s Secret model.”
The affectionate way Luke described Melissa warmed my heart. I gave Alex’s hand a squeeze.
Luke continued. “After going out for two years, I finally convinced her that we should move in together. That was a big step for her. Firstly, because she had been living with two women for so long, and secondly, because she was afraid that I would find out her true nature if we lived together. But I didn’t.”
“Which was hard work for me,” Melissa interrupted him. “Especially at night. So many times, I would have loved to get up and do something, but I was afraid that he would wake up and find me gone. Hence, I stayed next to him – awake - the whole night. And I tried to get as many night shifts at the hospital as possible,” she said with a laugh.
Luke shrugged. “After another year, we got married. But soon after that, Sasha Morris had a terrible day.” He let the words sink in for a moment. “I went to buy some milk and other small things at a little convenience store. Have you ever noticed how many kinds of milk there are? There is organic, two-percent fat, low fat or whole milk... It took me at least ten seconds to spot the one I wanted. During that time, a young guy came in, threatened the cashier with a gun, and demanded that he gave him the money from the register. As the cashier packed it into a paper bag, the guy noticed that I was in the shop, as well. We’d probably have gotten out of this mess all right if I hadn’t been so stupid as to tell him to drop his weapon because I worked for the police. Just like I learned in training.” Luke cringed. “Before I could even take another breath, he shot me.” Luke leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “After that, I don’t remember a thing until I came to myself, so I can only tell you what Melissa told me.” He shot a glance at her.
She threw in, “Yes, of course I was there right away. I had felt that something was wrong with Luke.” Melissa touched her chest where her heart was supposed to be. “I found two bleeding bodies in the shop. The guy must have shot them both and taken off. Luke had lost a lot of blood.” She furrowed her brows. “I had to save him. I went to extract the cashier’s adrenaline and returned to Luke. Like with Cathy’s boyfriend, a shocking thing happened. Instead of falling into a month-long transformation phase to give his body time to change, Luke was unconscious for about a minute. Then, he woke up already having the new Siren energy,” she exclaimed.
Alex nodded and scribbled across the paper.
“Apparently, Melissa had always been watching over me, like a guardian angel,” Luke said. “I’d have died if she hadn’t stuck that needle into my heart, fully aware that she could be creating an uncontrollable monster which rips anybody with a beating heart open.” Luke’s eyes widened. “Because that’s what happens in almost one-hundred percent of cases. That’s why there are only five known cases of us male Sirens.” Luke sighed and Alex frantically wrote down keyword after keyword.
“When I first came to myself,” he continued, “I was beyond furious. I was so hungry and felt all kinds of desires at the same time, which I felt the urge to satisfy immediately. Luckily, Melissa didn’t leave my sight for a minute and looked at me intensely while talking nonstop about what we had lived through together. All our wonderful moments. That she couldn’t lose another love.” Luke faced Alex directly. “You may know that she had been married barely a year, and on top of that, was pregnant when she had an accident with her bicycle. And during her transformation, the baby died.”
I threw an empathetic glance at Melissa, whose nostrils quivered slightly.
“She wasn’t ready to let go of her life and loved ones then. And now she was facing the same thing a second time. It seemed to be her fate to lose the ones who were important to her.” Luke pursed his lips. “She told me that I had to trust her, that she was still the same, only the circumstances were a little different.” He took a breath and continued, “I let her lead me out of the city. I felt like I was drunk because everything was swooshing by.” He gave a short laugh. “We ended up on a rock somewhere ahead of the coast.”
“There, I asked him over and over to promise me that he wouldn’t kill a human,” Melissa added to his recount. “He was a police officer. It was his job to save people.”
“I promised, although I didn’t know what I promised.” Luke turned his head and gazed into the distance. “On that rock, I felt more relaxed. No temptations around. I still was baffled about what exactly was happening, though. We stayed there for several days. Just sat there and talked. It was summer. It was still cold during the nights, but we both didn’t dare leave, and spent the nights huddled together.”
“When Luke felt ready to return to civilization, we also had to explain it to the others,” Melissa said. “And they still weren’t convinced that Luke would be able to contain himself.”
“Melissa fought for me – said that she’d watch me, train me, so to speak. That if I resisted once, I could do it the rest of the time, too. And so far, I have.” Luke smiled at us.
“Phew.” Alex stroked his fingers through his dark brown hair. “So, your birth wasn’t exactly a
walk in the park.”
“No. And still, the initial irritations – like headaches from too many heartbeats – continue to bother me. Being a Siren is not always agreeable. That’s why I like it in quiet areas. It takes a huge amount of self-control to sit opposite of you and act so civilized.”
Alex smiled crookedly. “And our job now is to find the reason behind this safety barrier,” he said. “After hearing this, I’m also pretty sure that it has something to do with either your relationship to Melissa or the way she treated you. Perhaps a close mentor would be enough?”
“I don’t know.” Luke shook his head. “And this is not something we can find out by trial and error.”
Baffled silence filled the room.
Alex finally broke it. “We can hope that your DNA shows something we can use.”
“Yes,” Luke said. “Otherwise, we are walking into a dead end.”
Melissa got up and returned with a pile of paper. “I printed some flyers with our hospital’s official letterhead. It states some addresses of public bunkers and gives a fake explanation why the bunkers are safer from the flu than staying at home or walking around on the streets. This way, people might be less afraid to go and save themselves from the bombings.”
“That’s great,” I said. “Did the chief of the hospital really approve this?”
“I didn’t ask.” One corner of Melissa’s mouth lifted. “But who says it was me?”
Our eyes interlocked and we smiled. Even with the difficult task of facing Dr. Palmer, I felt a lot calmer because I had found my way back to Melissa and Luke. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I needed my new family, and in my heart, I knew they were good people. And even good people make mistakes sometimes.
Chapter 17
I imagined that Alex, Luke, and Cathy brooded in their lab all the time. Thus, when I realized that they were home quite often, I commented about it to Alex.
“Well, we only need the lab if we’re actually testing something that requires machines,” he enlightened me. “We’re still trying to combine cells from Cathy and Luke. That merger should then be able to exist on its own if placed inside an organism.”
“So, this would be like a baby out of Luke and Cathy?” I asked.
“Something like that. The difference is that it will be a cell containing their information which will multiply itself inside someone else’s body. We still have a few active preparations in tubes at the moment.” He paused. “But it’s too early to predict any results. Some of the earlier products divided again and just dried up.”
“Hmm, I wish I could help you with that, but what I had to learn about mitosis at school already went over my head.”
“That’s okay, but you could help me with something else.” He pressed his fingertips together.
“Oh, what?” I asked.
“I thought about...” Alex hesitated and looked at me intensely. “...If there was a book at The Library about relationships between Sirens and humans, maybe we would find something in there.”
“If there is,” I cut in, “Luke must have read it already.”
“Yes. There is and he has. He said there’s nothing helpful for us in there.”
“So, why does it still interest you?” I tilted my head sideways.
“Because he hasn’t looked at it from a biologist’s point of view.” Then, he added quietly, “Plus, I was curious whether I could find out something more about you and me. If others wrote down their stories.”
“What interests you about the others’ stories?” We were doing fine, weren’t we?
“Everything! Did the guys know, or did the Sirens really manage to hide it their whole life? And what happened to them if the guy got older or if he died?”
I groaned. “Why are you even thinking about this? Who knows, you might become a Siren yourself soon, too.”
“Yes. Still, if there were other crossover relationships, it must be valuable to know how they worked. And since I can’t get into this library – although I’m dying to go there – could you please bring me some books on this topic?” He looked at me contritely.
“We’re not allowed to borrow the books. I’m not sure if I could carry it through the wall.”
“You could try,” he encouraged me.
“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll try.” I was curious, myself. If I had known about that library when I first met Alex, it would have been the first place I went to for answers. “I hope none of the ghosts will catch me and lock me inside some hidden dungeon.”
Alex widened his eyes. “Why, is The Library a scary place?”
“No.” I smiled. “It’s marvelous.”
I kissed him goodbye. Then, I rushed to New York, zig-zagging between yellow cabs and skyscrapers. It was already late afternoon, and the public library wouldn’t be open much longer. I didn’t want to get stuck in there at night and stay invisible for so long. Even if Luke liked to be in there for days, I still felt queasy not seeing my body although it was there. A thrill rushed through me when I splashed the special vinegar on me and slid past the solid wall. On the medieval staircase, I took a deep breath. Once again, everything had worked smoothly. I grabbed my lantern and marched to the impressive fountain at the center of the beautiful room. A transparent female ghost brushed past and almost made me drop my lantern. I couldn’t tell if anybody had seen its shaky movement since everybody else was also invisible. I thought about what I should use as keywords. On a paper slip, I wrote “relationship with a human” and added the word “Siren.” Then, I threw the crumpled paper into the fountain and waited expectantly for something to happen. I wasn't sure whether there would be books on that topic. But the words started to float down the vapor, and it was as impressive the second time as it was the first. There were only three strings making their way down into the large basin, so I picked up all of them and fished three paper slips out of the waterfall. I studied them, and since one of them was on that floor, I headed straight to the designated shelf. For a moment, I had to stop and stare at the huge shelf of dark brown wood with hundreds of beautiful leather-bound books. I brushed my hand over the books’ spines. It took me a moment to find the right one, as it was a very thin and small book compared to the others. The Official Codex of Non-Human Creatures. I stroked the inscription, then opened the book. The contents were written in big letters so that the small amount of text filled the whole page.
1. The Golden Rule
It is the duty of all non-human beings to protect our worlds from any harm, mainly to keep our existence a secret from the human beings. A large element of magic is the vague and the hidden. Accordingly, to keep that magic intact, our secrets must, by all means, be kept as such. Any infringement can only be resolved in the most severe punishment before the Orbiters.
I turned the page.
2. All are equal in the face of the Orbiters
The Orbiters are the neutral executives of powers who have the last word in all important matters of crime. Their volition is righteous and measured on what is best for all universes. Verdicts must be accepted.
I wondered what was to come on the third page.
3. Balance of Powers
All creatures should follow their natural instincts in order to keep the self-regulatory character of our universes balanced. Should a creature of one race be more extraordinary than their fellows, the subject is advised to uphold the balance of powers as well. In case said creature is unable to stay large in mind but small in position and tries to claim a bigger part of the universe than its rightful amount, all other creatures are called to unity to work toward the balance of powers.
It continued along these lines until number ten. It seemed as if we were currently experiencing one of these power imbalances. The only point that addressed relationships, though, was page eight. It was the longest entry.
8. Relationships with humankind
Humans are considered a weak race with no special powers except that of their brains, which might help them to create objects
and fluids that give them more power. They are a substantial part of the earth, and the largest and most essential counterpart that the magical world needs in order to continue existing. Hence, humans shall not be harmed or killed, and in the year MMXCI, we must help them to keep from extinguishing themselves.
For creatures that live amongst humans, it is advised to either remain unnoticed or adapt to their cultures and keep a friendly distance. Sexual relationships are on all counts prohibited, for any crossbred children must be killed. Exceptions to this rule are witches/wizards and dwarfs.
Love should be kept within their own races. Howbeit, for the weak ones who falter, there can never be made an exception to the vow of secrecy.
At that point, I slammed the book shut. If they didn’t want creatures to fall in love with a different race, they should stir up some potion to keep creatures from doing something ‘wrong.’ That would have saved me a lot of trouble, too. Especially in the beginning, it was scary to feel so strongly pulled toward Alex. Above all because I knew that he could never find out about me. But then he did, and everything was still fine, so even for the vow of secrecy, there should have been exceptions. Perhaps, in that way, the magical world wouldn’t be in such trouble now, because the people wouldn’t be afraid of witchcraft if they were used to it.
I put the book back on the shelf. This would get us nowhere. I decided that I’d give the other two books a shot, but since the upstairs library would close in less than ten minutes, I had to pick them up and leave immediately. There was something like a psychology section, and that’s where I found the second book. It didn’t look as ancient as some of the other books, and its cheesy guidebook title indicated a rather new publication as well.
