Sirens

by M.M. Gavillet

Chapter Eleven

  Hannah

  “Isn’t she beautiful?” Rae asked as we stood in front of the bigger-than-life portrait of a young girl with red hair seated by a stormy ocean. She was wearing a blue satin dress and looked uncomfortable. “This is Lygia. She’s the first siren to claim Murk Island as the homeland for the race of sirens.” Rae looked over her shoulder at us.

  “She’s lovely,” Sophie said taking a step closer.

  Though she was beautiful, she didn’t look like she had the power to claim an island as the land of sirens. She looked like she should be just some rich lady somewhere instead of the proclaimed leader of the first siren race. She should at least be holding a sword of some implement that made her appear threatening and powerful. She looked like she was waiting for her tea.

  “They usually have guided tours, but that’s just on the weekends. I’ll be your personal guide today.” Rae smiled at all of us.

  I’d compare the Lygia Museum to one on earth. I mean, how many ways can you cut it? Museums basically had old historical things displayed for viewing. I hadn’t been to that many museums, and didn’t care for them. Sophie, on the other hand, along with Beannca, looked like kids in a toy store that had candy as well.

  We looked at portraits, jewels, pottery, old calling shells, and other relics of the past. History wasn’t interesting to me. It was the past, and we should be more concerned about the future, especially our future. I pacified Sophie will nods of agreeing on how interesting everything was. It was interesting for a little while, but grew to be boring very quickly.

  “I can see it on your face.” Sophie whispered in my ear.

  “What?”

  “You are bored out of your mind. I can’t sense it like I used to with that mark tattooed on your arm, but it’s written plainly on your face.”

  I sighed. “You’re right, I’m bored. I mean this stuff is the past.”

  “Futures are built on the past, and this is our history.”

  Sophie was right, this was our history, but I still found it boring. From the broken pieces of pottery to the intricate jewelry, was the path to what the siren race is today. I should be more interested in it, but I only looked that way to please Sophie and not insult Rae.

  I found out Sophie liked to read all of the plaques telling about what each item was, and then either asked me what I thought about it or she’d say how interesting it was.

  “This is the last room.” Rae announced, and I wanted to yell out with relief.

  “Through trials we will prevail.” Beannca read aloud the inscription carved into the stone archway. “What does that mean?”

  Rae gazed up at it for a moment as we joined her. “It means whatever happens to the race of sirens, we will always find a way to exist.” Her eyes met each of ours before she went into the room.

  There were no windows, only orillions to light the nearly vacant room. A glass case sat in the middle of the circular room that contained a shell. I know now it was no ordinary shell, but a calling shell. It was as clear as water, and glistened under the light that illuminated it. It almost reminded me of a sparkling diamond.

  “That is the first calling shell,” Rae said behind me. “It was created and used by Lygia herself, and made the first portal here. In fact, the old portal platform wasn’t far from the one you arrived on.”

  “So she made this shell into a calling shell?” Rae nodded. “But why did she use a shell in the first place?”

  “Have you not been paying even the smallest amount of attention to everything we looked at?” Sophie asked standing beside me.

  “Kind of…” Sophie crossed her arms, and I moaned. “I tried, but it was boring.” I looked over at Rae. “Sorry.”

  Rae smiled as she looked between Sophie and me. “Museums are not for everyone, but I think this room might interest you.”

  Rae told us how sirens were the lesser race of Mers and in trying to gain independence, Lygia founded Murk Island. She gained respect among the Alliance, and eventually through that respect, the Alliance recognized sirens as a separate race. They had a seat at council where they had a voice in the government that ruled over them. It was a major feat, and because sirens possessed the power to influence others, they played a major role in the development of Atlantis.

  “For years the Mers held us under their thumbs. They held our powers at bay, and with the playing field leveled,” Rae stood in front of Lygia’s portrait. “Revenge for the Mers hung on the horizon. But Lygia didn’t want revenge. She wanted the future for sirens to be one of respect, not pettiness. Others around her didn’t feel that way.”

  I gazed up at the painting of Lygia. The more I stared, the more I could see the strength, compassion and desire she had for us. “But that all changed one day,” I said my thoughts aloud.

  Rae turned to me. “Yes, it did. And if we aren’t careful, we’ll be reliving that day.”

  “There were lots of people leaving that day.” I closed my eyes as I allowed flickers of images—memories—form in my head. I longed to see them no matter how much it pained me to visualize my father’s face. “Mers…they were coming.”

  “They knew of the attack planned on them.” Rae’s voice filled my ears. “But that wasn’t all. Other sirens had used persuasion to gain allies and turn against the Alliance. Lygia was losing control…she had no army of her own. She had just herself.”

  “Humanitarian efforts,” I said the two words I remembered hearing after I was evacuated from my home. “That’s what the librarianship called it.” I could no longer hold back the tears that stung my eyes. “I can still see my father’s face.” I began to sob.

  Sophie wrapped her arms around me. I could feel her warm breath on top of my head, and I found comfort in it. The emotions I had bottled up for so long, I felt were now pouring out like someone had slit them open with a quick slash of a dagger.

  “The librarianship saved you Hannah, from a certain death. Not all children were saved. I lost a sister, and was nearly killed as well. But that’s in the past; it’s the future that needs us.”

  Rae tucked her finger under my chin, and I met her steel-grey eyes surrounded by her white hair. Even through the coolness of her appearance, I could see the warmth inside burn through.

  “I leave this world with the mark of my children. Those were Lygia’s last words before fading into blackness.” Rae gently slid her fingers through a section of my hair, and then smiled. “Sirens don’t normally have red hair. Brown, blonde, and even white, yes, but red is unique.” She grabbed my hands, lifted me to my feet, and pulled me beside her as we gazed up at the portrait of Lygia. “Her mark was left in this world for her children to continue after her, and you, Hannah Black,” Rae’s eyes slid over to me as Sophie tightened her grip on my arm. “You are a child of Lygia, and this world beckons for her presence once again.”

  Mae

  “I would love to have you come to my home in Port Mer, which is on the other side of the island. That is, if you wish to come.” My mother, Laura, as I now know her name, asked sitting across from Nolan and I.

  I wanted to wrap my arms around her and yell yes over and over. But I had my baby and Nolan to think about as well. I looked over at Nolan as I placed my hand over my stomach.

  “You don’t have to answer me right away. It’s just an invitation, and I will be wherever you are. We have so much to talk about.” I smiled as I reached for her hand.

  “For the first time in my life, I feel complete.” I squeezed her hand. “But I’m not sure where I want or should be. I think things are still being decided, and right now I’m just concentrating on my pregnancy.”

  “I know it’s an important time, and this place…it’s sometimes…”

  “University Hill is not only the capitol of Murk Island, but also a major school of Atlantis,” Karinna said standing in the doorway. “Many people from all over come here to st
udy, and to settle here takes some getting used to if you’re accustomed to a rural area. I can understand your concern, Laura.” She stood behind my mother gazing down at her with a smile. My mother looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, it probably seemed like I was eavesdropping, but I didn’t mean to. I have the ability to hear voices from distances away, sometimes even through thick walls. It can be a burden as well blessing at times.”

  “So you were tuned into us? Is that what you’re saying?” I asked.

  Karinna looked at me with her mismatched eyes that looked like uncut gems. “I was headed up here anyhow, so no I wasn’t “tuned in” to your discussion, and would never use my ability to impose on your privacy. To me, your conversation was like you were yelling at each other for all to hear. Imagine standing outside the room where a loud conversation was taking place. It would be impossible to not hear something.” I nodded my head in understanding. “That’s what it’s like for me, so please, forgive me if I made you feel like I was intruding on your privacy.”

  Karinna was genuine. Not only could I tell through her honesty, but I could see it inside of her.

  “So is there any word on what was decided at council?” Nolan asked.

  “That’s what I came up her for. Since Mae is expecting, and you Nolan have dismissed yourself from the guardianship and are the father to Mae’s child, you are both considered residents of Murk Island.”

  “But are they free from under the council?” My mother asked.

  Karinna nodded and then looked at me. “Mae, you and Nolan can live where you wish on this island. I will care for you through your pregnancy and can come where you are.” She shifted her eyes over to my mother. “And yes, this city can sometimes be difficult.” She held my mother’s gaze for a moment before she turned to Nolan and me. “As a well-traveled resident of Atlantis, I would choose a quiet area to be rather than a sometimes noisy one.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but Karinna, are you ready?” Zach, the blonde haired boy that helped Karinna said standing in the doorway.

  “Yes,” she said looking at him from over her shoulder. “I have to return to Kangee for a couple of days, but I will be back. When you decide where you want to stay, let Sean know and he will send message.”

  I waved goodbye to Zach and Karinna as tears welled in my eyes. I felt embarrassed for letting myself get so emotional, and tried to be discreet at wiping them away.

  “Mae, are you alright?” My mother asked kneeling next to me.

  “Yes,” I sobbed. “I’m just so happy.” She tenderly tucked my hair behind my ear.

  Nolan wrapped his arm around me as my mother chuckled holding my hands and told me she was happy too. I felt a flood of emotions swirl inside of me turning me into a blubbering mess. I was Mae White, the siren that could rule over storms, trick cops out of a speeding ticket, and control crowds of people. What was I doing and how do I stop? I couldn’t, but for right now, I was Mae White, the pregnant siren who was so happy she couldn’t stop crying.

  “What should we do?” I asked Nolan as we walked along the beach. “Where do you want to live?”

  The waves caressed our feet, and the afternoon sun was slowly sinking into the horizon.

  “I think right now we need to be somewhere quiet where we can concentrate on just us. I think your mother is right, we should go to Port Mer.”

  I stopped and turned to look at the ocean. “Are you sure?”

  “Why wouldn’t I? It’s your mother’s home, why wouldn’t you want to go?” Nolan asked as he bent down and picked up a shell.

  He held the tiny shell between his fingers. “You’re scared.” His pale blue eyes reached into me.

  “You’re wrong—I’m terrified.” I took the shell from his fingers and rolled it between mine.

  “Of what?” he asked tenderly.

  I looked away for a moment. “What if something bad happens? Like we can’t find a house at Port Mer, or they find a reason we can’t go there or…” I felt that black emptiness fill me again as I reached for my belly.

  Nolan smiled, and placed his hand over mine. “This baby girl, our daughter, will be born in Port Mer and she will grow up knowing her grandmother and who she is.”

  I looked into Nolan’s eyes. Immediately, the stormy clouds that always seemed to linger around me parted. His eyes were soft blue like a baby’s blanket, but strong enough to burn the shadow always looming over me. He was my cellar to the tornado that followed me wherever I went. But since I came to Murk Island, that tornado has weakened.

  I reached for Nolan’s hand, smiled up at him, and tugged on his arm. “Come on, it’s low tide. Let’s go see if we can find some more shells.”

  “You’re moving away,” Beannca said in a sad voice.

  “Only on the other side of the island,” I tried to reassure her. “You can come and visit anytime.”

  We haven’t known each other for very long, but I felt a connection that we’d always share. We had come here together, and ties had been knotted.

  “When do you leave?” Sophie asked.

  “I’m not sure. I suppose when arrangements have been made. Karinna said Nolan and I are free to live where we want.”

  “That is until your child is born. Then it may be a different matter.” Rae in all of her whiteness reminded me of the icicles that hung on the eaves of our farmhouse in the middle of January. I shivered at her words.

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked.

  “You’re a sight siren, and your baby will be a sight siren as well. The Alliance likes to keep tabs on those kinds of sirens. You will more likely end up on Kangee or Meropsis—both are headquarters for the Alliance. That is, if your baby isn’t stillborn.” Rae’s words were casual, but sent a shock wave through me.

  “Don’t speak to my wife that way,” Nolan said standing in front of me as Beannca grabbed my hand and told me everything will be fine.

  “You shouldn’t presume things, much less speak them so willingly in front of Mae and Nolan,” Sophie stepped forward and stood beside Nolan. “Or is one of your qualities of being siren rudeness?”

  Rae glanced between them with a smug look on her face. She shook her head with a chuckle. “Why sugar coat things for her?” Her eyes darted to me. “It’s hard for sirens to get pregnant, much less a sight siren.” She pressed her lips together and looked away.

  Rae was like looking through frosted glass—what you thought you saw correctly isn’t anything close to what was real.

  “I’m not trying to sound mean. I’m trying to be realistic. Trust me,” Rae said looking between Nolan and me. “I had hopes and dreams too, and when they shattered, so did I.” Her eyes cast in shadow. “I wish someone would’ve brought me down from my cloud so the fall wouldn’t have been so hard.” Rae stepped towards the door. “Sorry.” She mumbled before leaving.

  We sat in silence as Sophie quietly talked to Hannah. She acted like she wanted to go and talk to Rae, but Hannah stopped her along with Beannca. They talked among themselves as Nolan wrapped his arms around me and I thought of Rae’s words.

  Rae reminded me of the roots of the Wintergreen Vine. It was a delicate plant that looked easy enough to weed out, but had roots like tiny iron threads that clung to the earth and to life. I could sense only flashes of what she was emitting, and even then, I think she was allowing me to pick up on them.

  “Rae’s right,” I said staring emptily at the fireplace.

  “She isn’t right, so don’t think that way.” Nolan turned me around, and pinched my chin between his fingers so I met his eyes. “You can’t let her negative words get to you. Just because she had something bad happen to her doesn’t mean something bad will happen to us. We have to stay positive.”

  “You don’t understand. She wasn’t trying to hurt us; she was trying to help us.” I grabbed his hand and laced my fingers through his. “She had been hurt and didn’t want to
see us hurt as well. Rae wasn’t trying to ruin things or put negative thoughts in our heads. It’s just her way of trying to prepare us for what might happen.” Nolan had a questionable look on his face. I let out a sigh—he didn’t understand that I could feel her emotions and understood things differently.

  “Is this a siren thing?” He finally asked.

  I smiled, nodded my head, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Yes, and no matter what happens, I will always love you.”

  Sophie

  I had gotten a tattoo. I was so adamant about not getting one, and what did I do? I practically jumped in the chair and told the cloaked artist that I couldn’t live another second without my mark, so start slinging the ink!

  “It’s beautiful, and it’s you.” Hannah, the reason I got the mark, looked at it with me.

  “I’m a nanny for goodness sakes.” I flipped my sleeve over the spiral shaped tattoo that looked like two snakes intertwined together. “Now who’s going to want to hire a nanny with a tattoo? It’s even right on my shoulder—tell me, who?”

  Hannah’s lips curled into a smile. “Well, I did see this bikerish looking bar when we went to go get our marks. Maybe one of the sirens in there is in need of a nanny and you might even compare your tats with theirs.”

  Hannah found humor in my moment of stupidity, but I couldn’t help but to laugh with her. “It may have been the wrong thing to do, but it really does feel right.” I glanced over at Hannah.

  A knock came to our bedroom door. It was Rae. I hadn’t seen her since she made her comments on Mae’s pregnancy in front of all of us.

  Hannah and I looked at her as she gazed back at us. I still had doubts about this siren, but something kept pulling me towards her. I had already fallen for her idea to get a tattoo, and I did it without hearing all of the details. I was normally never this way. I had better commonsense at one time, but something, call it instinct had taken over.

  “Come with me to the garden. I have something to share with you as promised.” Rae turned and left Hannah and I looking at each other.

  Without a word, Hannah bolted for the door and her heavy footsteps could be heard tromping down the stairs like children to a Christmas tree. I followed behind, cursing under my breath. Yes, we were going to get this game we had going settled once and for all.

  The wispy grey clouds floated overhead like retreating ships from a battle. The usual blue waters of the Sanudra Ocean had turned steel grey. Everything had been cast over in an unexpected coolness that filled me with a foreboding feeling.

  I lagged behind Hannah, who had sneakers on, while I had on my nanny-shoes that were flats with slick bottoms. I was glad not many other sirens were out on this blustery day as they would see three other sirens chasing after one another. If a possible employer would have witnessed me running after Hannah, I’d never be hired. But why did that bother me? I wasn’t a nanny anymore.

  I stopped running.

  The wind caught my hair as I turned and looked back at the buildings from where we came. They stood like carved giants made of sand surrounded by palm trees and colorful flowers that even on a day like today, didn’t lose their luster.

  My feet ached.

  I looked down at my scuffed shoes. At one time, that would have been disastrous. Now scratched shoes, messy hair, and running like a crazed lunatic made the worries that once bother me, seem unimportant.

  Hannah had run down the grassy hill and stopped. She motioned erratically for me to come.

  I looked one more time at my shoes, and then took them off. No sense in trying to salvage my non-existent resume.

  The broad blades of grass poked at my tender feet. But instead of stopping, I continued to run finding comfort in the rough texture of the grass. The hill was steep and my gait was nearly out of control. My legs were like wet noodles and my arms flailed over my head. My voice was caught somewhere between a laugh and a scream. Hannah just watched with crossed arms.

  I caught my breath between laughing when I reached the bottom.

  That…was…fun!” I exclaimed. “I’ve never done anything like that before. No wonder Ann liked to do it.”

  “You mean to tell me you never ran down a hill before?” Hannah asked with a raise of her left eyebrow.

  “Nannies do not run down hills or anything else. We exit in a mannerly way.” I tried to contain my laugh, but it burst out of me like a released balloon. “But…” I calmed myself, and looked at Hannah. “I’m not a nanny anymore, and never will be again.”

  Hannah laced her fingers in mine. “You’re a siren, and a resident of Murk Island—you can be anything you want.”

  The sound of Rae clearing her voice brought me back to my senses. “You won’t be anything if you don’t listen to what I have to say.”

  “Right, sorry. And Rae,” I said with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I burst out earlier with Mae and…” Rae motioned with her hand for me to stop.

  “I’m not offended. You were just protecting Mae, and it was a little blunt. I should have said it a little differently.” Rae smiled warmly. “We don’t have much time here.”

  Rae went up a flight of stone steps embedded in the ground. They were nearly covered with grass and looked like they had been there for a long time. When we reached the top of the hill, stood stone pillars in a perfect circle. There were seven of them, and each one was a different size. The stones were weathered, and some had crumbled to the ground nearly being taken over by the vigorously growing grass. This was an ancient place that had been abandoned. I looked at Rae. Did she have something up her sleeve?

  “I don’t have anything up my sleeve.” Rae’s words caught me off guard. “I brought you here to tell you about a small piece of Murk Island history, Sophie.” Her lips curled into a clever smile. “That is what you were thinking, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, but how—”

  “We are standing in a vortex circle. It was used by sight sirens a long time ago. Though this one is the last one standing, and barely at that. And to answer your question,” She looked at me with the grey sky and churning ocean framing her. “I have the ability to pick up on your thoughts even stronger here. Think of this place as a telescope or magnifying glass.”

  “But what is it supposed to do?” Hannah asked.

  “As you know sight sirens can transmit their enchantments for long distances, and this gives them a boost. Though it’s in shambles now, it was a magnificent achievement of the siren race. The Alliance owns this small patch of ground to make sure it never is rebuilt. But they also underestimate the desire and will of the sirens.”

  I looked at the crumbling stones and then back at Rae. What did she want us to get involved in? We were new to Atlantis and all its ways, I didn’t want to break any rules with the Alliance and jeopardize our residency here.

  I tugged on Hannah’s hand. “We should leave.”

  “We aren’t doing anything wrong by being here. It’s what being built in secret that will.” Rae placed her hand on top of mine that was holding Hannah’s.

  I should at least listen to her and don’t be too hasty. Rae, I could see clearly was trying to help us. She slowly removed her hand with a smile.

  “I need your help to stop Sean from building a prism.” Rae gazed at us with her eyes that matched the grey sky surrounding us.

  I felt my thoughts were numb as I solely focused on Rae. I should be asking questions, but like a zombie, I nodded my head obediently.

  Beannca

  “Even on a cloudy day it’s still beautiful,” I said walking beside Sean. The brilliant colors had transformed into much duller ones that had a tranquil quality to them.

  “Glad you still like it on such a dismal day.” He smiled.

  I stopped and let the cool water brush past my feet. “The colors, even though they are muted, are pretty in their own way.”

  Sean looked down at me with his soft
green eyes, and half smiled. “It’s true,” he said unexpectedly. “And now, I know it is.”

  “What’s true?” I asked as a gust of wind grabbed my hair.

  “Element sirens never find fault in their surroundings. They only find the beauty in them.” Sean tucked my hair behind my ear as his fingers lingered on my cheek.

  I liked his gentle touch. It wasn’t like Aaron’s. Sean had something that went deeper in a sincere almost troubled way. He liked me and I liked him. We had an instant connection, but I also thought I had a connection with Aaron.

  I opened my eyes and all I could see was Sean’s green eyes. His lips were so close; they tickled the delicate skin on my cheek. He was going to kiss me on the cheek, but I wanted something more. I turned and pressed my lips to his as the rushing sound of the waves mixed with the squawking of the demanding seagulls. The blue-grey landscape engulfed around us as I ran my hand over Sean’s arms. He was not only strong physically he was strong inwardly as well. I could sense it like I was reading the instruction manual on him.

  “Stop,” he said suddenly and pushed me away. “This is too soon not only for me, but you as well.”

  “What do mean too soon?” I asked feeling confused as well as frustrated.

  “You just came out of a relationship—one that you were very passionate about.” Sean stood in front of me as I suddenly felt like an open book to him. How could he be so accurate? “He was handsome and in a powerful position to a world you wanted to belong to.”

  I shook my head. “How—how do you know this?”

  Sean shifted his weight and ran his fingers through his hair as if he had just gotten caught saying too much. “I have to make a confession. I’m not only a grand siren, but a partial element siren. Since I am both, I could sense your relationship with this man because it had recently been severed and still bothers you. It isn’t me searching for your secrets, so I hope you don’t feel that way. Let me put it to you like this,” Sean said wrapping his arm over my shoulder. “If you were this passionate about,” he looked around and then spotted a half destroyed sandcastle, “building sandcastles, I would be able to pick up on it.”

  I nodded my head still feeling embarrassed and slightly violated. I didn’t like him knowing about Aaron. I was trying to bury him, not tote him around like an old duffle bag.

  “Beannca,” he said my name with a sudden desperation.

  I looked into his green eyes that reminded me of the plush moss that grew in one of Bridget’s flower pots that sprouted tiny white flowers from time to time. She hated it while I found it amazingly beautiful.

  “What about you?” I asked in a slow voice as my curiosity turned to him. “You said it’s too soon for you because…” I didn’t have intentions, but it was like Sean was open for me as much as I was for him.

  I held onto his forearms as I closed my eyes. I didn’t see flashes or visions—it was simply emotions.

  “The desire was greater than the risk and…she agreed so willingly. You knew she loved you and you played on that.”

  Manipulation. I stepped away from Sean sensing it as he reeked too much like Aaron.

  Waves began to crash on the beach as if they were trying to destroy it. Sean watched them, and then looked at me.

  “You are mirroring your own emotion on me. You’re entangling what you had with your lover with mine.” His eyebrows burrowed with a sudden realization. “But how can you do that?” He asked more to himself.

  Sean stepped back and gazed at me as if he was evaluating me. He then slipped off the shawl I had wrapped around my shoulders, and wadded it up in his hands as he stared at my right shoulder.

  He stepped back, gazed coldly at my tattoo, and shifted his eyes to mine. “When did you get this?”

  “The other day,” I said timidly. “Rae said everyone had them, and they’d protect us so our emotion couldn’t be sensed by other sirens.” Sean’s warm exterior faded making me shiver. “I-I thought it was what everyone did here…I didn’t mean…”

  Sean let out a deep breath, calmed his anger, and gently wrapped the shawl around my shoulders. “No, I know you didn’t, and you did it because it was suggested…with a little persuasion I’m sure was used.” Sean turned and looked at the distant cliffs as if he was searching for something. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind explaining herself to me.”

  “Sean, what’s going on? Do you mean Rae used persuasion on us to get tattoos?” I felt manipulated and stupid for being so gleefully willing to get a tattoo. I ran my fingers across the arrow shaped leaf mark on my shoulder.

  “It isn’t a tattoo, it’s a mark.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Let’s go and get to the bottom of this.”

  We walked quickly back towards the mansion we were staying at and took a path that led to the top of the cliff. Salty mists filled the air as the hues of blue-greys that colored everything, shifted to darker shades of grey. The sky swirled with churning clouds, and lights from University Hill illuminated the fog-filled sky. Everything was covered in moisture as if the ocean was trying to take over the land one droplet of water at a time. The coarse grass was thick and pricked the bottoms of my bare feet. Sean didn’t seem bothered by anything as he charged up the hill.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Rae?” Sean demanded as we finally reached the top of the hill overlooking the blackened ocean.

  Even in the dimming light, I could see the surprised expression on her face.

  She quickly composed herself. “Stopping you from not only destroying yourself, but taking innocent sirens with you, and it’s about time I did.” Rae’s voice was strong as she stood looking like a living ghost in all of her whiteness. “I took them to get marks so you wouldn’t manipulate them into giving you their power.”

  “We have worked a long time on this, and you know it’s our only way.”

  “Rae told us everything, Sean,” Hannah said stepping forward. “The prism isn’t the way to go.”

  “Two years,” Sean said pacing back and forth ignoring Hannah. “Don’t you see—it was fate that brought these lost sirens to us. It was meant to be this way. Atlantis was built by sirens, and we should forever have power. It was what Lygia designed it to be, and we have the ability right before us.”

  “We can’t take it over by force. Don’t think the Alliance won’t retaliate, have defenses that the prism couldn’t penetrate, and then we’d have a losing battle on our hands. If we failed, we’d lose everything.”

  I looked over at Hannah and Sophie. They had their eyes on Rae and Sean. I was only hearing bits and pieces trying to make sense of what was going on.

  “You already lost too much of yourself, and you want to risk more.” Rae grabbed Sean by the shoulders and peered into his eyes. “Just stop.” She pleaded.

  I stepped beside Rae and Sean, they didn’t notice me. “Sean, what’s going on? What’s this all about?”

  No one said a word. The only sound was the crashing waves below us.

  “Sean,” I prompted again.

  He drew in a breath and looked at me with hollow-looking eyes. It was as if all the life had been drained from him.

  “Rea’s right, my dream, my way of bringing sirens back to Atlantis has been nothing but a disaster.” He shook his head, forced a smile towards me, and left.

  “Sean,” I called after him, and was going to follow when Rae grabbed my arm.

  “Let him go.” Rae whispered in my ear.

  I turned facing her. “Tell me what this is all about.” I demanded.

  Rae nodded her head and told us everything about how Sean was constructing a prism that would amplify his siren persuasion and eventually sway the Alliance to give up power. There would be no war or battle or arguments. They’d never see it coming until it was too late. Sean wanted the race of sirens to return to their glory, not continue to be a resort for the wealthy or prestigious Alliance members.


  “This is called a vortex circle, and was once used to magnify our abilities. The Alliance deemed it dangerous and put it out of use. Without the prism, it is just a circle of stones.” Rae said as I looked up at the crumbling pillars.

  I imagined it being a beautiful place, almost like a sculpture. “And Sean needed our power to finish the prism.” Rae nodded her head.

  “It’s about the size of a pea fight now, but it needs to be at least the size of an orange to work. And even then, it may have not worked. The art of prism making is a dead craft. Sean became fascinated with it, and after several frustrating attempts, he decided to quit. And then you four show up.” Rae glanced at all of us. “I had to do something to protect you and Sean from himself. That’s why I took you to get marks.”

  “But why didn’t he use another siren here on Atlantis?” Hannah asked. “Surly he would have found someone that shared his ideas.”

  Rae’s face paled. “He did.” Her eyes were fixed on Hannah. “Ila died giving herself to the prism. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. Sean wasn’t sure it would even work, but she insisted and paid the price.”

  Ila, she was the reason why Sean was holding himself back. It was still too new and raw to move on. As it was with Aaron, we both needed a buffer time to gather our hurt feelings allowing time to soothe them.

  “Sean needs you, Beannca.” Rae stood inches from me with her grey eyes peering into mine. “Ila was dark and strung Sean around wherever she went. He didn’t see that, but I did. The prism was really her idea—she merely planted the seed in his head. Sean has a good heart, and so do you, Beannca.” She smiled and turned to face the blackened ocean. “But Sean was right about one thing; sirens are going to make their presence here again with your help.” She glanced back at us over her shoulder as the wind curled around us.

  I stood next to Hannah and Sophie as we looked towards the darkness of night. The lights from University Hill glowed strongly behind us even though they were encased in a thickening fog. We didn’t speak or move, but stood like we were weathered statues that sat along with the ruins of the vortex circle.

  Even though I didn’t move, thoughts ran wildly through my head. Atlantis was nothing like I expected, and really, I didn’t know what it would be like. All I knew was that I was running away from a bad relationship and punishment from a crime I didn’t commit. I expected paradise and the premise that goes along with it. Atlantis wasn’t paradise, unless made that way.