Chapter I

"Is anyone out there?"

The voice soared through the forest, cutting through the thick trees with ease. It was masculine, but not harsh, slicing through any other present sound, yet pleasant to hear; or it would have been had I not been hiding.

People were looking for me and like most people trying to hide their existence for whatever amount of time, I did not want to be found.

I ran into the forest because, 1) I was familiar with it, and 2) the citizens of this kingdom were terribly frightened of the creatures that were said to lurk in the darkness of the trees.

I, however, had nothing to fear because I am one of the creatures feared by most: a siren. I am able to lure people to their deaths or bid them to do my wishes, whatever they may be. People may try to resist, but they are always quickly enraptured with the beauty of a siren.

I hate this life. Men, once taking a glance at a siren, will try to follow her to the end of existence, compelled by an unseen force. A siren can try to wish them away, but that is the one wish never granted. For many sirens, it is what drives them to kill.

I had never killed. Instead, I had locked myself away from society. I hid now in rags; barely any clothing at all. My silver hair was knotted and tangled, my pearl-like skin dirty, but I would forever be beautiful.

I peaked from my hiding spot behind a large rock, eyes looking for the source of the voice. They fell upon a strange man who was searching the forest for something (probably me). He was tall and slender, but under his clothing his body was obviously toned. His eyes were familiar. Not like those of someone I had met before, since I had never met anybody, but the way they looked: wide and a pale green that could only be found in shallow seas.

They looked remarkably like mine.

The man moved suddenly and I ducked out of sight once more, looking for another spot to hide. I soon found one: a large fir tree. I quickly and discreetly looked over the rock. The man was nowhere to be seen.

He must have left, I thought to myself.

I prepared to scramble towards my future place of refuge, taking one last look around for the man. Nothing.

I pushed off the ground, ready to run, and promptly fell flat on my face. Crap! I kicked the stick that lay at my feet, the cause of my not so casual fall. Quickly pushing myself up, I stroked my bruised ego, and prepared for another attempt to get to the tree. I was almost on my feet when I felt a hand suddenly grip my shoulder.

The hand was soft, feeling as though it hadn't seen a lot of work, very unlike most of the kingdom’s residents.

Before the hand could turn me around, I swung my arms over my face, hiding it. This is my defence against people seeing my beauty.

I was spun around to face man. Peaking through my arms, I saw that it was the same person who had been calling out through the forest. He was as handsome up close as from afar. His face was gentle, soft featured, and complemented his pale complexion. His black hair had a shiny, silky quality. He was beautiful, but no sirenson, the male equivalent of a siren. At least, I didn’t think so. I had never met one.

Sirensons are pretty much that: a siren's son. But they are much worse than their female counterpart. They are said to be power hungry and can capture the gaze of even a siren, making her do their bidding.

The man’s face was twisted in puzzlement. His free hand wrapped my arm, tightly. I could feel how much strength he possessed; I wouldn’t be able to move if he so wished. I was not used this feeling, not being strong enough, since we sirens have the strength of several men.

That was when I realized I felt nothing, no pull. There is a magical air around the supernatural, almost like an aura. When someone becomes obsessed with a siren it is as though they swallow part of the wind. The wind then ties a leash around the victim, binding them to the siren for eternity.

But this man made me feel nothing. Nothing. I hadn't felt nothing since…well, forever.

I dropped my hands away from my face, and still, nothing. I stood up, staring in confusion. This was supposed to be impossible.

"Miss, are you alright?" questioned the handsome man.

I shot a look at him, stared into his pale green eyes, and saw that he was all there. I hadn’t stolen his mind. I staggered back, trying to get away from him. I didn’t know what he was and I didn’t like being held captive. Unfortunately, my efforts to escape were useless. His grip was just too strong. So, I did the only thing I could think of: shrieked.

My screams went on and on, which was silly when no one but he was there to hear me. I really wanted him to leave, so I ignored the logical part of my brain and kept going until I couldn’t scream anymore. Then I passed out.

Important lesson: you can't get away if you’re unconscious.

††

I heard the rustling in the forest. It was a faint noise, but there nonetheless. I was just sitting around, taking in the view of the forest, when I heard it. That’s when I felt the present of a siren.

She wasn't far. Earlier that day, when I had been in the village, I’d heard that one was spotted. I had set out soon after to find the creature.

Awful things, sirens are. They aren’t that pretty, if you don’t get captured by their gaze. Few are able to do that, though. Luckily, I am one of the few. I can escape it only because I am a sirenson. However, I hate all sirens. I was almost killed by my mother because of her fear that I would become more powerful than her.

This siren would be no exception to my hate and I would collect a reward for getting rid of it. I had killed three of these creatures in my lifetime. The rewards from these kills had given me more than enough for a life of luxury, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to destroy the race that had wanted me dead first.

I didn’t bring anything with me into the forest. I could just will the siren to die when I found her.

I ended up in the middle of the forest, following the noise. I was in the centre of a little clearing, shaded by the trees surrounding it. Glancing around, I didn’t see anything. But I felt the siren’s presence.

I noticed a large rock nearby, and smirked. That had to be where the siren was hiding.

I tried to will her out into the open, but nothing happened. I frowned.

That’s odd…nothing can escape my will.

I walked towards the rock, but had to duck out of sight. The siren knew I was there. I hid myself in the darkness, my pale skin making it difficult.

After a moment of nothing happening, I carefully stepped from the shadows I had concealed myself in, and floated over to the large rock, ducking behind it.

The siren was restless and I could tell she was going to attempt her escape soon. She suddenly appeared, and I was about to grab her, but a stick stopped her for me. I had never met a siren so clumsy. However, despite her lack of grace, this one was quite determined. She rose again and prepared to dart for another hiding place, but I wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. I reached from my hiding place and quickly grabbed her shoulder, feeling her stiffen. I started to turn her around, but she blocked her eyes with her arms before I could catch her gaze.

What is she doing? She thinks that can stop me? Oh, no, she thinks that will stop her. How amusing.

I tried to hold in the laughter that was rising in my throat at the irony of the situation. I saw the confusion on the siren’s face, which was quickly replaced by fear when she realized I was a sirenson. If time had permitted I would have let my laughter take over, but I wanted to get on with my day.

I started thinking about her; imagining her gone, collapsing, and her so-called “beauty” disappearing. As soon as I started thinking these thoughts, she began screaming.

Good. Her death will be painful.

Finally, her face turned an interesting shade of blue, and she collapsed to the ground. I waited for her beauty to melt away, her mask destroyed. But it didn’t. The other sirens, their mist had fallen away from their bodies and I could always see through their façades. But hers; it was different. I saw her dirty, hair mangled, and the scratches covering her rag-clad body, but she was truly beautiful.

Kneeling down, I checked her pulse; she was still alive. The anger built inside of me. I would not let any siren escape me!

I willed her to burst in flame, to implode, to turn to dust, anything, but nothing happened. She just lay there, unharmed, and beautiful.

So, I had to make a choice. I could leave her there, yet another siren to whore herself out and create more of the filthy creatures, or I could take her with me, a choice that would only result in sacrifice on my part. I bit my lip, weighing the pros and cons. After a few minutes of careful deliberation, I sighed. It had to be the second choice.

Reluctantly, I picked her up, forced to take her with me. This siren would stay with me until I learned a way to destroy her.

†