From a young age, Mars had been warned about sirens and the monstrosities that came with them. Despite never believing any of it as a kid, the mythology had fascinated her. Why had she looked it up again?

Oh right, it started with the woman that Mars' dad left her mom for.

'Siren' had been one of the more child-appropriate terms her mom had called the other woman in a string of heated words. Not knowing what that meant, Mars took it upon herself to look it up on the internet. She looked up some of the not so child-appropriate words too and learned many colorful terms that day. But sirens led her down a rabbit hole, and she was able to distract herself from her mother's wrath by learning about their mythology.

She took all this information with a grain of salt, knowing in fact that sirens and gods were not real. Rather, a way for people to explain their misfortunes and losses. Like when your husband left you for the bank teller on Larsen Street.

That day was the day Mars' home fell apart. Even when her parents had been together, her home could not be called nurturing. Even so, it was the closest thing to stability she’d ever had. From that day forth, it would only get worse.

Mars looked like her dad. That's what her mother told her. She spoke like her dad and walked like her dad, so she might as well have been her dad. Her mother treated her that way anyway.

She knew it wasn't her fault or her mother’s. Bad things happened. Bad things happened often. But as long as there was a way to make music, Mars would be alright.