Sirens and Scales

by Kellie McAllen

  Liam comes over to join us, a puzzled look on his face. “There is one indigenous tribe — the Sentinelese from the Bay of Bengal— who appear to have no knowledge of how to create fire. They preserve embers from lightning strikes, instead. But they still know what fire is, and they know better than to touch it. I can’t imagine her tribe doesn’t have even that basic knowledge.”

  Jude sits down next to us. “Maybe she’s like Mowgli, and she’s been living on her own. She doesn’t seem to have any desire to go back to her people. Maybe she’s doesn’t have any.”

  Liam shakes his head. “But you’re forgetting her hairdo. There’s no way she braided her hair like that by herself.”

  “Well, technically, she probably could have. Haven’t you ever watched any YouTube hair tutorials?” Avery smirks. “But why would she if there’s no one around to appreciate it?”

  “I wish we could communicate with her. We know she’s not mute; we’ve heard her make sounds, but has anyone heard her say anything?” Liam asks, and Jude and Avery shake their heads.

  Gio turns away from the fire and heads over toward us. When I flinch, he sits as far away from me as he can. “She hasn’t said any words that I’ve heard, but I swear sometimes she can understand what we’re saying.” The others nod, but no one has an explanation.

  “Maybe we can try to teach her some basic words, get her talking.” Liam knee-walks over to me and picks up my uninjured hand.

  “Lee-umm.” He enunciates his name slowly, tapping my hand against his chest. “My name is Liam. Can you say that? Liam.”

  I know he’s trying to get me to speak, but I resist. Every time I use my voice, the sound of it unnerves me. I don’t know how to make the sounds he’s making, and I don’t want to look foolish.

  Liam frowns and moves my hand to my own chest. “What’s your name?”

  That one is even more impossible. I’m positive the sound of my name will seem bizarre to them. I doubt I can even make the right sounds outside of the water.

  Liam takes my hesitation as confusion and tries to clarify. He scoots over to Jude and does the same thing, patting him on the chest and saying Jude’s name. Jude repeats it. Liam does the same for each of the guys, then returns to me. When he puts his hand on my chest, my heart flutters, and my mouth falls open, but only a choked cry comes out.

  Liam huffs in frustration. “Even the most undeveloped tribes have some kind of language.”

  “Well, it’s okay by me if she doesn’t want to talk. She’s a woman; if she did, she’d probably just find something to complain about, anyway.” Jude chuckles, and Avery scowls at him.

  “Kidding! Kidding!” Jude holds up his hands.

  “Well, now that I’ve managed to build a fire for you losers, how about if we barbecue some dinner? I’m starving.” The others shake their heads and roll their eyes at him, but rumble their agreement.

  “Let’s scour the beach for crabs or fish that look fresh. Don’t get anything that looks slimy or half-eaten,” Gio says, rising, and the other guys follow him.

  I pull my hand out of the water and stand, wanting to go with them, but the pain immediately returns, and I whimper and sit back down, shoving my hand back in the water. Instead, I watch as the guys head in different directions, each with the same thing on his mind. Fish.

  I could catch enough fish for all of them if I went in the water, but I’m afraid they might see my tail, so I stay put instead, but guilt plagues me, especially when they come back a while later, mostly empty-handed.

  “Well, it’s not exactly a feast, but at least it’s something.” Gio grabs a stick and impales one of the small fish they found. Jude does the same. Liam has one of the crabs I wanted to eat my first day here but was afraid to. They hold them over the fire, and the image I saw in Gio’s mind yesterday comes to life.

  “The fire will help draw attention, but I think we should try to make an SOS sign out of wood or rocks tomorrow,” Liam says.

  I stare curiously at him, trying to understand the picture in his mind. It makes no sense to me, but then, neither does what they’re doing to the fish. Why don’t they just eat them? Why would they want to hurt them by holding them over the fire? The memory brings the pain back to the forefront of my mind again, and I wince.

  “I think this one’s done.” Gio pulls his fish away from the fire and pokes at it, and Jude does the same with his.

  Liam hands them some large leaves he’s collected, and Gio pulls out his knife and uses it to detach the fish from his stick, dropping it onto the leaves. He cuts off a small chunk and pops it in his mouth. His eyes close, and he groans as he swallows.

  “Oh my God, that’s so good.” He quickly cuts the rest of the fish up into small sections and passes it around.

  Everyone else pops it into their mouth immediately, but I hold my piece to my lips, feeling the warmth against my skin and letting the aroma drift to my nostrils. It smells amazing. Like fish, but so different. Smoky like the fire, the heat still curling from it in tiny wisps. I gingerly lay the piece on my tongue and close my eyes as I let my tastebuds take in the flavor. As I chew, I marvel at the difference in taste and texture and the strange sensation of heat in my mouth. When there’s nothing left to chew, I swallow and immediately want more.

  When I open my eyes, all the guys are staring at me. Gio smiles and hands me another chunk, the last of it. I moan a little as I savor it.

  “I think she likes it.” Jude chuckles.

  “If she doesn’t know what fire is, do you think she’s ever eaten cooked food before?” Avery asks.

  Liam wraps his hands around his knees. “Doesn’t look like it. Gio, didn’t you say she ate a raw fish yesterday? And she tried to offer Jude one.”

  Jude and Gio nod, remembering. Now I understand why they found that odd.

  “Oh, I found something else while I was picking leaves.” Liam gives one of his rare smiles and walks towards the woods. When he returns, he’s holding a large, green, oblong object. I have no idea what it is, but the others clearly recognize it and seem excited.

  Liam hands it to Gio, who stabs it with the knife, cutting a notch out. After a few more cuts, he puts down the knife and starts to tear the outer shell off. When he has a section clear, he jabs the knife in deep, then pounds it a few times with a rock till liquid spurts out. Gio smiles and tips the object to his mouth.

  “Ahh!” He licks his lips and wipes his mouth with his arm, passing the object to Liam.

  When Liam hands it to me, I follow suit and am rewarded with a sweet liquid unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. My eyes widen, and Liam glances curiously at me. I take another quick sip before reluctantly relinquishing it.

  “That’s the last of it,” Avery says after his turn, handing it back to Gio. Gio starts whacking at it again with the rock and the knife.

  Eventually, the object splits open, and I sit up on my knees and crane my neck to see what’s inside. It doesn’t look like much of anything, just a white hole in the center of a brown sphere, but Gio starts digging at it till a small chuck pops out. He puts it in his mouth and grins, satisfied, as he chews it.

  Gio digs out more pieces, handing them around the circle, and the guys pop them in their mouths right away, but I rub mine between my fingers, exploring the texture, and hold it to my nose to inhale the scent before sticking out my tongue to lick it. The outside seems okay, so I bite off a tiny chunk and chew it. Like the liquid inside, the taste is sweet, creamy, and completely foreign to me, but I like it, and my belly is growling for more, so I quickly down the rest of it.

  When I look up, Liam is staring at me. His brow is wrinkled, his mouth frowning, and my own smile falters at his inspection.

  “She’s never eaten a coconut before.” He turns his frown towards the others.

  “I don’t think I ever have, either. I mean, not whole like this,” Jude says around a mouthful.

  Liam pinches his eyebrows and his frown deepens as he glances at Jude. “But you don’t live o
n a tropical island.”

  Jude shrugs and sticks another piece in his mouth, gnawing. “I live in Florida; that’s kind of tropical.”

  Liam rolls his eyes at him. “My point is, how could she live on an island full of palm trees and never have eaten a coconut before? Things just don’t add up with her. I don’t think she’s native.”

  “So, where’s she from? And how’d she get here?”

  Liam puckers his brow and stares at me again, and I shiver a little under his gaze. “That’s a mystery I’d like to solve.”

  I”m not sure what Liam is thinking, but I know it’s something about me, something that has him puzzled and on edge. Does he suspect I’m not a human? If so, he doesn’t seem to have any idea what I really am. So far, none of the guys have projected any thoughts about mermaids. Do humans even know about my kind? Liam may be curious, but I think my secret’s safe for now.

  Gio hands me another piece of the coconut, and I savor it slowly, trying to make it last. I’m still hungry, but the food is all gone. I know the guys are in even worse shape. They’re bigger and need a lot more food than me.

  For a moment, I contemplate going off on my own and catching a fish, but I’m pretty sure at least one of them will follow me if I leave. I’ll just have to wait for a better opportunity.

  As the sky grows darker and the air cooler, the five of us huddle around the fire, grateful for the warmth. I stare at the flames, jumping and waving, and watch the wood turn black and crumble. Strange how something so destructive can be so useful and beautiful at the same time. The orange glow casts chaotic shadows on the guys’ faces, distorting their expressions, but at least I can still see them. Tomorrow is my last day here, and I want to absorb every moment of my time with them.

  My hand still throbs, and I hold it up, trying to examine the wound, but it’s hard to see in the dim light.

  “How’s your hand, Princess?” Gio reaches for it, tracing his fingers gently around the redness. “I don’t see any blisters. Hopefully you got it out of there before you could do too much damage.”

  I gasp at the picture that pops into his mind — black, oozing skin, peeling off in big chunks. Is that what could’ve happened to me? No wonder he was so freaked out.

  “We should take turns watching the fire so it doesn’t go out,” Gio says when the guys start to stretch out and get more comfortable. “I’ll take the first shift.”

  The others mumble in agreement, and soon the rest of them are sleeping. I stare at him, wishing I could communicate. There are a million things I want to ask, but instead, I just gaze around, wishing. Gio smiles at me and shakes his head.

  “You don’t have to keep me company, Princess. Go ahead and get some sleep.” In his mind, he pictures me dozing, so I know what he wants, but how can I explain that I don’t want to miss even a moment of my last night here?

  Instead, I lay down, resting my head on my arms, and try not to fall asleep.

  When I open my eyes again, Gio is snoring along with the others. I don’t know how long I’ve been out, but the sky is still black, so it must still be night time. I sit up so I won’t fall back asleep, and I stare at the guys, admiring them.

  Gio is strong and powerful, with giant muscles that flex and ripple every time he moves. He’s gruff and moody, and I was afraid of him at first, but he’s done everything he can to protect me. Now, his strength makes me feel safe.

  Jude is just as big, but not as strong, but his lighthearted nature and his giant smile always make me laugh, even when I don’t know what he’s saying.

  Avery is kind and gentle, like Muriel, only in a gorgeous male body that’s close to perfection. He makes me feel treasured in a way no other man has before. If any of the guys could love me, I think it might be him.

  Liam is beautiful, too, with shiny, black hair and those stunning, green eyes. But it’s the intelligence behind them I find most attractive. His mind is always whirling with thoughts I can’t even begin to understand.

  They’re all so different; how could I ever choose between them? It doesn’t matter, though. Because I’ll never get the chance.

  My face drops, and pressure builds behind my eyes, threatening to leak out as I think about them. I want so badly to stay. For a moment, I hate my grandfather for cursing us, but I understand why he did. No wonder my mother couldn’t resist the pull of the human world. I also understand why Grandfather never allowed me to come to the surface. He knew exactly what would happen if I did — I would be drawn to the humans just like my mother was. He was right.

  I should’ve listened to him and stayed in the shoal. By now, I’d be married to Kai, busy learning to rule the merfolk. Maybe I’d already have a tiny merling growing inside me. I’d know nothing about the four perfect humans struggling to survive on this island.

  Suddenly, I realize this is the opportunity I was waiting for — a chance to go in the sea and catch some fish without them seeing. I quickly rise to my feet, careful not to wake them, and tiptoe down to the water.

  Taking one last glance behind me to make sure no one is watching, I wade into the ocean. The salt water instantly soothes my sunburnt skin, the cool water caressing me. I kick my legs, and they morph back into a tail, shiny scales rippling into place. With one powerful flick I’m swimming again, and my body relaxes into the motion. I turn onto my back and float for a moment, enjoying the familiar sensations. I feel at home again. I didn’t realize how much I missed the sea, I was so caught up in experiencing the land.

  Going back will be okay, I think. The sea is where I belong. Eventually, my time on land will just be a faint memory, a strange and mysterious adventure that I can tell my merlings about. For a moment, I contemplate staying in the water. My time on land is almost up, anyway. But the humans have been so good to me, I want to repay them for their kindness. The least I can do is catch some fish for them so they won’t be hungry tomorrow.

  I see a school of fish swimming nearby, and I swish over to them slowly, hiding behind some coral. I reach out and grab one easily, smacking his head on a nearby rock. He’s small, though, and the humans are large; they’ll need several each to satisfy their appetites, I’m sure.

  An idea comes to me, and I untie the shirt from around my waist and fashion it into a carrier. When I’ve filled it as full as I can with fish, I tie it up tightly, careful not to lose any.

  As I swim back to the surface, some of my favorite kind of coral catches my eye, and on a whim I grab it.

  None of the guys have moved, so I quickly crawl out of the ocean, dragging my catch with me. My tail is still wet, and doesn’t immediately turn back into legs, even though I’m on the land. Panicking, I toss handfuls of sand on it, trying to dry it out, and will it back into legs again. I sigh when my scales melt away, revealing two limbs.

  I scurry back over to the fire and dump the fish out then wrap the shirt around my waist like it was before and settle back down in my spot next to Liam. I’m shaky and breathing hard, so I hold my breath for a moment, waiting to see if anyone heard me, but no one moves. Eventually, I let the breath out, giddy with accomplishment.

  I can’t wait to see their faces in the morning when they wake up to all that fish! I’m tired, but too wound up to sleep, adrenaline coursing through my veins even though my body is flagging.

  I stare at the coral I picked for a moment, admiring the bright pink polyps. I wonder what the humans call coral? I’m sure their name for it is different from ours. Do they even know what it is? If they do, maybe I can make them understand that’s what I’m named after. I want them to know my name. I want them to remember me.

  I know I’ll never forget their names, even though I’ve never said them. Gio, Jude, Avery, Liam. I wonder if I could make the right sounds if I tried. I want to be able to tell Maribel about them.

  Liam’s face is closest to mine, his pearl white skin still in sharp contrast to his dark hair, even in the dim light of the smoldering fire. I open my mouth and try to wrap my tongue around the syllable
s. “Lee-um,” I mouth then whisper quietly. Liam. Liam. Liam. I think I’ve got it!

  I say it too loudly the last time, and Liam’s eyes pop open. He stares at me for a moment, and I stare back, too caught in his gaze to pretend I’m sleeping. His brow wrinkles. “Did you just say my name?” he whispers.

  “Liam,” I whisper back, confident it sounds okay. His eyes widen, and he lifts his head up, propping himself up on an elbow.

  “Say it again.”

  “Liam.” More volume this time, but hopefully not enough to wake the others.

  His puckered expression melts into a giant smile, his teeth glowing even whiter than his skin, his bright eyes shining, and I smile back at him.

  “That’s right, my name is Liam.” He taps himself on the chest then reaches out to me. “What’s your name, Princess? Can you tell me?”

  Instead of saying my name, I reach for the piece of coral, holding it out to him. Liam takes it and turns it around carefully in his hands, marveling at it, before finally looking back up at me.

  “This is bird’s nest coral. Where did you get this?” He wrinkles his brow again.

  I take back the coral and hold it to my chest. He tilts his head, confused. I reach out with my other hand and touch his chest. “Liam.” Then touch the coral to my own chest.

  “Coral? Is your name Coral?”

  I nod eagerly and try the word myself. It takes a few tries, but eventually I get it right. Liam’s smile is bigger than ever. He reaches out and hugs me.

  “Coral, this is amazing! We’re actually communicating! Can you say another word?”

  I look around at the other guys. The only other words I know that he’ll understand are their names. Can I say them, too? They seem a little harder.

  “Ave. Re.” I spit the sounds out individually then try to put them together. “Ave-re. Avery.”

  Liam gives a little clap and urges me to try another.

  As the sun rises, bathing the beach in pink and yellow light, I manage to say all four of their names, and Liam is beaming with excitement. He grabs a hold of my shoulders and pulls me in for a hug, and his long arms are stronger than I imagined. When he lets go, his bright eyes twinkle as he grins at me, and I feel a tangle of desire curling in my belly. Is he going to kiss me like Avery did?