Chapter 10: Sirens

    Hold on, that's not my island. My island is not this dark and creepy unless it experienced a major makeover.

    I've been flying for about forty-five minutes. The island is directly in front of me. It almost looks like the top of a head. The palm trees are twisted and close together, like hair, and a cliff is in the middle of them. Instead of white, fluffy sand, this island's sand is black. No sunshine warms my blue scales. Above is a mountain of clouds.

    It feels like something is waiting for Maddie and me under it, something malicious.

    I land gently on the beach and slide my friend off my head. As soon as I do, I transform back into a boy. My hair flops down over my shoulders.

    Maddie finally wakes up. She is still moderately upset that I'm a dragon. What was she expecting, a knight in shining armor?

    She glares at me. "Get away from me, you beast!" Quickly, she crawls away and hides under a palm tree that hangs over the black sand. Tears stream down her cheeks, and she adds, "Take me back to the Ecstasy! I want my mom and dad!"

    But, Maddie.

    Yep, I definitely think I went a little far with kidnapping her. How can I win back her trust? Does she still love me, or is she going to ditch me?

    I take a step closer to her, but Maddie runs away. She picks up a handful of sand and chucks it in my face. "Get away from me!"

    My eyes burn. Ouch! What the heck, Maddie? I thought you'd be fascinated by my true identity.

    I rub the sand out of my eyes, but when I can finally see again, she is already halfway down the beach. A rumble of thunder shakes the sky, but I chase after her.

    I don't mean to scare you, Maddie. I'm just so naïve.

    I walk for a good while. Every time I get close to her, she throws more sand at me, as well as a few coconuts.

    We reach a mysterious lagoon on the other side of the island. It's buried in a cove, and fog covers it. The water is dark, almost black, and there are eight lines of rocks that look like arms. It's freaky here.

    Maddie shivers, and so do I.

    "What is this place, Dragon Boy?" she asks.

    I don't know, but I don't like it.

    We've already had enough, so we start to leave, but then Maddie inquires, "Hey, what's that?" She points at one of the rock arms, where three figures are sitting. We're not able to get a good look at them because of the fog. They seem to stare at us like a ghost waiting to carry a child to the Afterlife.

    Suddenly, my mind goes completely blank, and all I see are the figures. I love them. They're just as special as Maddie. They've placed me under their spell.

    I push past my friend and hop across a small line of rocks that lead into the lagoon.

    "Will, what are you doing?" she nervously asks.

    There are now two figures sitting on the rocks. One is missing.

    Maddie creeps up behind me, and she takes my shoulders. "What's going on?"

    There is movement in the lagoon, and then a small splash at the line's edge grabs my attention. The missing figure is a mermaid.

    She is absolutely breathtaking. Her hair is long and blonde, and her blue eyes pierce me like a knife. She has a yellow tail and is not wearing a top. However, her hair covers her breasts.

    The mermaid stares deep into my eyes. It isn't long until her two friends join her (the other figures who were on the rocks).

    "Mermaids?" Maddie inquires behind me. "Oh heck. What have I gotten myself into?" She sounds nervous, but why? These mermaids are safe, right?

    The first mermaid sings me a little song. "Come with me, my one true love, and I will take you to the sea."

    Oh, always. Her voice is gorgeous. It's an epic blend of harmonic tones that I can taste and feel.

    I fall to my hands and knees and lean in close to her face. Her breath smells like a budding rose.

    Maddie snatches my arm and tries to pull me away. "Will, stop! They're sirens!"

    I rip it free. Enough, Maddie! Sirens or not, I want to see the mermaids' world.

    The blonde-headed one takes hold of my face, and her friends grab each of my arms. Gently and carefully, they start to drag me into the lagoon.

    "Stop! They're sirens!" Maddie shrieks.

    The mermaids and I ignore her.

    "Calamitous is waiting for you," explains the blonde one.

    "Calamitous." That's the monster Mr. Ritchie mentioned. Wait, monster? What am I saying? Calamitous must be nice if he's friends with such angels.

    I shove Maddie off me. She stumbles back and winds up on the beach.

    Within minutes, the mermaids pull me into the portal that leads to their world–a dark, deep kelp forest. Some of the kelp is at least fifteen feet tall.

    They lure me to The Unknown, but a sudden roar from the surface snaps me out of my trance. Another dragon dives into the lagoon.

    Splash!

    He is much bigger and more powerful than I am. This dragon is not a runt. His face is sea-serpent-like, but he has blueberry, blue eyes like Mr. Ritchie and I. His wings are enormous, but there are a few rips in them, indicating that he's been in a few battles.

    He roars and whacks the mermaids away with his head. Through our song, he tells me to return to the surface before it's too late.

    I listen to him because I feel that, just like Mr. Ritchie, something is familiar about him. With a quick kick of my legs, I start toward the surface, but the kelp forest traps me. Stems and leaves wrap around my body and engulf me in a cocoon. They pull me toward the Depths of Despair.

    I try to break free, but the cocoon only grows tighter. A face appears on the outside. It's another mermaid. Her eyes glow blood red, and she shows off her knife-like fangs.

    I'm terrified. What have I done to get myself in a situation like this? Maddie! Maddie!

    The world grows darker the deeper I sink, but I can still see the other dragon. Not only that but now the mermaids have backup. Instead of three, there are thirty. Where did they come from?

    Maddie!

    I've reached the bottom of the kelp forest, as well as the bottom of the lagoon. Four glowing, yellow eyes appear in front of me, but they are the only thing I see. A monster is in the vicinity, and the sirens are his minions. My naïve behavior has reached an unhealthy level. I should have just let this island be. Why? Because now I know who it belongs to and who this monster is.

    None other than Calamitous himself.