The Siren's Secret

by Heather Ostler

  “Well, you definitely beat me today.”

  She nodded. “Maybe today just wasn’t your day.”

  “Yeah.” Julia definitely agreed with that statement. She might have even admitted that it wasn’t her year.

  The weather became colder as the weeks went on, and Julia drudged through classes. As Christmas break approached, exams came closer too.

  When she finished each test, Julia felt as though she hadn’t done well. Her exam scores for every class had been mediocre, including Mr. Knightly’s—which she felt happy to pass at all.

  This year his exam consisted of the same skills that they’d worked on earlier—running, climbing, and using claws for destruction. Julia completed the necessary tasks and felt relieved when he didn’t fail her.

  Later, when Sierra asked Julia about her exams, she shrugged, not wanting to go into detail. Julia didn’t necessarily feel upset or angry with Sierra, but she just couldn’t get their chemistry right again. Their friendship had become work, and lately she felt like they disagreed on everything. It became easier to just be quiet.

  Gabe and Sierra ended up bonding more, due to Julia being so mentally distant, and it didn’t surprise her.

  “All right. That’s it!” Sierra said to her at dinner one evening. “I just said the most hilarious joke, and you didn’t even crack a smile.”

  Julia looked up from her dinner. “Oh, sorry. I missed it.

  Say it again.”

  Sierra tapped her fingers on the table. “Julia, I’ve tried to talk sense into you about the,” she lowered her voice, “siren thing, but you never let me talk to you anymore.”

  “That’s because I know how it will end,” she said. “You’re going to think what you think, and I’m going to think what I think. Neither of us will change our minds.”

  “But what if I asked Gabe to research the curse—”

  Julia shook her head. “No. He can’t know about it. If my dad found out that I told anyone else, he’d probably take me back to New York.”

  “Okay,” Sierra answered, disappointed. “I’ll drop it.”

  During the week before Christmas break, Julia couldn’t stop thinking about how Terrence wouldn’t be coming. What did he think about their situation? Maybe he’d talk to Lancer and change his mind. That would be the best present.

  The Saturday before Christmas break, Julia sat on a window ledge by the library. The hallways were empty, and for thirty minutes she watched the snow fall.

  “Julia?”

  She flipped around to see Scarlet standing above her. She wore a thick black sweater dress, and her hair twisted in a golden bun.

  “Hi, Scarlet.” Julia stood up from the cold ledge. “I finished my homework early, so—”

  “So you thought you’d rather look out the window than find something fun to do with Sierra?” She raised her eyebrows.

  “Well, they wanted to go to the game room.” Julia shrugged. “I wasn’t in the mood.”

  Scarlet seemed to consider her words. “Does this have anything to do with your father’s punishment?”

  “He told you about that?” she asked.

  Scarlet nodded sympathetically.

  “Well, it is a bit of a downer,” Julia answered. “I hardly get to see Terrence as it is. Now I can’t even talk with him.” She glanced out the window again.

  “Julia, can I speak with you in my office?”

  She followed Scarlet as they climbed one flight of stairs and into her office. She had been there one time before, earlier in the year when she confronted Caleb about his note.

  Now as she observed the spacious office, she noticed a window that overlooked Lockham’s indoor pool. Sierra had mentioned last year that Scarlet had held her water class there periodically.

  As she sat at her desk, Scarlet turned to Julia. “I’m worried about you,” she said bluntly. “I know why your dad punished you, but obviously there’s a lot more going on.”

  Julia didn’t respond. What did Scarlet want her to say?

  “Before Lancer left, he mentioned that the siren queen, Loretta, talked with you about a curse?”

  She sighed. “Scarlet, I really appreciate this, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I know you don’t,” she responded. “But we need to. Do you honestly believe that you can never be happy?”

  She intertwined her hands. “I think I can be happy, just not in the way I’d like to be. I don’t want to end up like Alexis.”

  “You are not Alexis,” Scarlet said firmly.

  “I know I’m not. But I think if I ever tried to have a relationship or fall in love or get married, it would end badly.

  And I would never go into a relationship knowing that I could only hurt the other person.”

  “So are you going to end things with Terrence then?”

  “How can I not?” Julia said. “Why would I try to have a relationship if it’s doomed to fail?”

  Scarlet tilted her head. “You know, for every curse there is a cure. So if I did believe that you were cursed—which I’m still trying to research and figure out—then that would also mean there’s a way to break it.”

  “If there was a cure, wouldn’t Alexis have found it?” Julia asked.

  “I don’t think so,” she replied. “I don’t think she views herself as cursed.”

  “That’s strange.”

  Scarlet looked worried. “Julia, I know you want to wallow in self-pity, but before you make a decision about anything, I think you need to know all the details, get all the information.”

  “But how can I when my dad won’t let me go back to Sirenity?” Julia felt frustrated. “I don’t think I can talk about it anymore.” She turned to leave the office.

  “Wait,” Scarlet said. “I want to look into this. Please, just don’t make up your mind until we understand the curse completely.”

  Julia paused in the doorway. “Okay.” She would say whatever Scarlet wanted to hear. However, she knew the truth, and no amount of research would change it.

  Finally, the week progressed into Christmas break.

  Once students began to slowly leave the castle to go home for the break, Julia noticed Sierra’s familiar luggage sitting next to the door. She came into the room with a small smile on her face, but her eyes didn’t reflect happiness.

  “You all ready to go?” Julia asked her.

  “I guess.” Sierra sat on her bed. “I’m just wondering if this is a good idea.”

  Julia shrugged. “What do you mean?”

  “I feel bad leaving you here like this. You’re not yourself.

  It’s like you’re … lifeless.”

  She tried to laugh. “That’s a little harsh.”

  “I’m being honest,” Sierra said. “I know that you’re unhappy about the curse, but Scarlet’s right. You shouldn’t make up your mind until we know all the information.”

  “You shouldn’t have talked to Scarlet about this,” she replied. “It won’t change things.”

  “What choice did I have? We’re all worried about you.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” Julia replied. “I hope you have a good Christmas break. There’s no point in both of us being miserable.”

  Sierra nodded. “All right then.” She picked up her luggage and headed out the door. “Merry Christmas.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  The Prophecy

  The following morning, soldiers began to arrive.

  Every year the Soldier Union held a Christmas dinner for the soldiers and their families as they reunited at Lockham.

  The castle would be decorated in endless sparkling decorations, and Julia’s memories of the previous year were wonderful.

  Today, however, Julia didn’t wait for her father in the main hall. Lancer would see her soon enough. Instead, she looked up information about sirens in the library.

  “Sirens are also daughters of Glaucus and Melusine, the parents of all water creatures,” she read. “Even though they share this con
nection with water nymphs, the two creatures have no correspondence or record of living together.”

  Julia shut the book. It didn’t surprise her that she couldn’t find much information about sirens. She found basic facts, but even those didn’t seem very accurate. She read that some sirens feasted on human flesh, which she knew was a horrible, fabricated myth.

  The library had been completely empty for hours. Only Julia and the bored-looking librarian shared the space, so when the main door swung open, Julia was surprised to see Lancer walk in.

  Snapping the encyclopedia shut, she rose from her chair and hurried over to her father.

  He hugged her tightly. “Thanks for greeting me when I came. I can see just how excited you were for me to be here,”

  he said sarcastically.

  “Sorry,” Julia answered with a small smile. “I just got caught up here.”

  “Doing homework during Christmas break? I’m impressed.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”

  Leaving the library, Lancer turned to her. “You almost ready to eat?”

  Julia looked at him hesitantly. “Actually, I don’t know.

  I’m not really hungry.”

  He stopped, and his eyebrows creased. “You don’t want to come to dinner? Even though you know it’s the Soldier Union Christmas dinner?”

  “Well, it’s a formal thing, and I don’t have a dress.”

  “Scarlet’s already taken care of all that,” he replied. “What’s really going on here? Are you still upset about Terrence?”

  Julia gave him a stern look. “Well, that doesn’t exactly help.”

  “Julia,” Lancer began, “you broke the rules, and you were punished. There’s no point in moping about it. I’d like you to come to dinner tonight. Okay?”

  She nodded solemnly. “Fine.”

  When she entered her dormitory, she saw a simple, dark-green gown hanging up in her closet. Scarlet was a fashion connoisseur and always helped out Julia when she needed a formal ensemble.

  The dress looked beautiful, but who was she getting dressed up for? Sierra wasn’t there to admire it with her. Terrence wouldn’t see how pretty she looked in it.

  She got dressed but felt disappointed. She wanted to see Terrence tonight, but he wouldn’t be coming. Maybe he would sneak into her room again like last year and say hi.

  Suddenly she found a little more motivation to get ready.

  She tied her hair into an elegant knot and even applied green eye shadow to match the gown.

  Whether the curse controlled her future or not, Julia couldn’t help but long for Terrence. She missed him, now more than ever.

  Julia made her way to the dining hall, trying to walk smoothly in her long dress. She stopped as a wave of aroma hit her. The hall smelled amazing. There were the usual towering gingerbread houses and peppermint and cocoa candles, but the smell of dinner made her hungry.

  Scarlet waved to Julia and walked over in a gorgeous golden gown.

  “Julia,” she beamed. “You look so elegant.”

  “Thanks, Scarlet,” she replied. “You always pick out the perfect dress.”

  “Well, I always have fun picking out gowns for you. You look beautiful in everything.”

  As Julia sat down, soldiers and family members filed in.

  She glanced around, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Caleb.

  He spoke with another soldier, unaware of Julia watching him. As she observed him, she noticed how different Caleb looked compared to last year. When Julia first met him, Caleb had been gangly with shaggy hair. Now he looked stronger, and his clean cut black hair made him look more grown up.

  For a moment he looked past the soldier he spoke with and straight at Julia. She turned her head away from him.

  Immature, shal ow, and vain were the words he had called Julia and never apologized for.

  She tried to sit by Lancer, but every chair by her father had already been taken. As head of the Soldier Union, people would often surround Lancer and ask several questions.

  A clock chimed loudly in the room, signaling the start of dinner. Everyone shuffled around, and Julia quickly took an open seat. As Julia picked up her napkin, she saw the chair pull out next to her.

  She looked up to see Caleb slip into the seat.

  “You can’t sit here,” Julia said. “You’ll have to move.”

  “Julia,” he whispered, “I need to talk to you.”

  The room grew quiet as Lancer stood up to welcome everyone.

  “No,” she answered. “I don’t want to talk to anyone that’s called me vain.” She turned away from him and watched her father.

  “Hey,” he whispered, touching her hand. “Would you listen to me for a second?”

  Julia pulled her hand away from him. “No. I won’t waste my time with you. Perhaps I’m just immature like that.” She stood up in the middle of Lancer’s speech and left the table.

  Scarlet had saved a chair next to her, most likely for Caleb, so Julia slipped into it, explaining that he had already picked a different table to sit at.

  Lancer finished with a small toast to the Soldier Union, and dinner began.

  The amazing meal included mashed potatoes, gourmet vegetables, and steaming salmon. The dinner ended perfectly with dessert, a large mug filled with thick hot chocolate. A mountain of whipped cream sat on top, with shavings of both chocolate and peppermint to complete the masterpiece.

  Julia made small talk with the other members of the table.

  She wanted to make sure Caleb never had a window of silence to come and confront her again. Every time she looked to him, he watched her. Other soldiers and staff members talked with him, but his eyes always flashed back at Julia.

  Toward the end of the evening, Lancer sat down next to Caleb, taking his attention off Julia. She took advantage of his distraction, quickly saying good night to Scarlet, and left the room, unnoticed.

  The hallways felt icy, and Julia’s tall shoes echoed against the marble floor with each step. She hurried up the stairs in her gown and entered her dormitory.

  This time last year, Terrence had snuck into her room and greeted her with a kiss. Her heart beat fast as she imagined him waiting there for her.

  She flung open the door and almost ran inside.

  “Terrence?” she whispered into the silence. She heard no reply.

  For the rest of the night, Julia kept expecting Terrence to appear, only to be disappointed. He would not be coming, and why would he? Lancer probably had done an excellent job at scaring him away.

  Julia lay in bed that night, becoming more upset. How long would she go without seeing Terrence? Even if she could see him, she couldn’t tell him about the curse or about being a siren. What would become of their relationship? She knew that she could never be happy in a relationship. So that meant that eventually, she’d have to end things with Terrence.

  Tears streamed down her eyes as she imagined telling him that they couldn’t be together any longer. She felt so alone in her quiet bedroom. She and Sierra weren’t on good terms, and she only had herself to blame. She didn’t have their friendship right now to comfort her. She didn’t have Terrence’s love to comfort her. And she even had pushed Lancer away. The curse seemed to already be in effect. Julia felt alone even right then.

  For the next couple of days, she spent most of her time either curled up in front of a fire or in the sauna. When Christmas finally came, she tried to put on a happy face, but it didn’t feel real.

  On Christmas morning, Julia opened the gifts from her father. He gave her candy, gold pieces, and several new books that she’d wanted. She felt guilty unwrapping every single present.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is that not the right book?”

  “No, it is,” she responded. “I just didn’t get you anything, and I feel bad.”

  Lancer smiled. “Julia, we’ve talked about this. I don’t expect anything from you. When you’re not allowed to leave Lockham, how would
you go Christmas shopping?”

  “I know. I just wish I could at least give you something.”

  He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “Your gift to me is spending time with me.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” She glanced at her new books. “Everything’s perfect.”

  “I’m glad. So are you ready to go meet Liam, Scarlet, and Caleb? They wanted to eat and then play games.”

  “Sure, sounds like fun.” She knew that as long as she stayed near her father or Caleb’s parents, Caleb wouldn’t talk to her about the letter.

  That evening when they met up for dinner, Scarlet greeted them enthusiastically.

  “How’s your Christmas going?” she asked Julia.

  “It’s great,” she answered absentmindedly. She looked to Caleb, who sat alone at the dining table.

  Lancer walked over to him and clasped his shoulder.

  “And how are you, Caleb?”

  He looked up and nodded. “I’m doing all right.”

  “He’s actually not feeling well.” Scarlet frowned. “I think he might have come down with something.”

  “That’s too bad. I’m sorry it’s on Christmas,” Lancer said.

  Sighing, Caleb brought a hand to his forehead. “I’m actually feeling worse.”

  Scarlet came to his side. “Oh no. What is it?”

  “I don’t know.” He turned and looked straight at Julia.

  “All of a sudden I just feel a whole lot worse.”

  Julia looked away.

  “Do you want me to contact Dr. Leon?” Scarlet asked.

  “No.” He shook his head. “I think I’ll just excuse myself.”

  He stood up and left the dining hall.

  Lancer sat down next to Julia at the table. “That’s too bad.

  I wonder what he caught.”

  Liam didn’t seem concerned. “He’ll be fine.”

  After dinner, the four of them made their way to the common room and started a fire.

  Even though Julia protested, Scarlet placed a red gift box in front of Julia. “It’s just one gift,” she said.

  Julia untied the satin ribbon on the box, and the top popped open. Inside was a long, rolled-up piece of parchment.