1 Sirens Origin

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

That is all I can feel.

The hidden smiles on their faces and the deceit that was hiding in their false worry. I should have known. I should have known that they weren't to be trusted and, in the end, what happened was my downfall. I am going to die here. It seems that all those foolish years in my youth are finally catching up to me.

I smell the salty spray of the ocean.

I hear the waves crashing into the cliffside.

I hear voices calling me, beckoning me to join them.

I think I'm finally joining you Dad, Mum. I looked after Lucas all these years. I hope I was a good enough role model for him.

I remember my brother. He's going to be alone.

I don't want to die here.

Lucas, oh my brother, I'm sorry I failed you.

I wanted to see you grow up. See you fall in love, get married like you always dreamed of.

I don't want to die.

I think this before I hit the waves.

I'm expecting pain. Instead, it is something … else.

The waves and the sea caress my body.

I lose my breath feeling the water itch through my throat and into my lungs.

I feel the rocks crash into my head and see through my hazy vision the water going red.

I am bleeding.

I am dying.

My lungs and veins turn cold, the blood no longer pumping through them. Floating through the water instead of drowning.

It is then I remember. The ocean is with me. I remember always feeling a pull towards it. Playing at the beach and splashing my brother, heading into the water and never wanting to leave. I remember dunking my head under the sea, loving the rush of coldness as I become part of the water.

These memories bring me comfort.

The ocean is one with me, I think. She is my sister.

The water fills my body. It feels comforting instead of harmful. I realise that the ocean isn't killing me but cradling me. It feels like the warmth of a sister holding up her own blood, a mother soothing her child, a goddess hearing the prayers of her devoted believer and fulfilling them.

I feel myself stop becoming a me and instead become we, an us. I feel the water pushing my legs together, feeling them fuse. The fabric of my jeans combining with my skin turning it into scales. My top slowly combining with my skin. The unneeded parts stripping away seam by seam. I feel myself change even more, and with those changes the pain goes away. It is as if the water is healing me.

I couldn't feel anything anymore, I open my eyes and feel what I've become. A tail shimmering blue with scales. I smile as I run my hand over them. They're the shade of the ocean, the shade of a storm hitting the waves.

Siren, I think. Mermaid, Daughter of the Sea.

It is time.

I have a brother to watch over after all