The Anastasia rocked back and forth as the two men heckled each other about there past. Caspien sighed while wiping a tear from his eye, “well old pal, it’s always great to laugh with you about the past but now it’s time to look towards the future of my crew!” He slapped Scotty on the back and headed for the door, “I’ll be in the market collecting some grub for the trip back to Arla. If you see anyone else on the boat it might be the loading team, so don’t worry too much!” He chuckled while Scotty trailed behind feeling embarrassed.

“What do you want me to do Captain?”

Caspien swung open the door but paused while thinking of what he can do, “I’d say whatever everyone else in the crew is doing.”

“Well…”

“If you really have to ask,” Caspien stopped as he saw Scotty’s head tilt down. He sighed, “just find the girl I was talking to earlier.”

The two of them left the room while Scotty nervously asked, “what does she look like Cap? I just want to make sure I’m looking for the right girl.”

Caspien stepped off of his ship and turned to look at the front of his ship at a familiar wooden maiden. Without turning to his old friend he valiantly said, “well, when she walked up to me, her eyes shifted from the most brilliant lavender to a hazel color to match the wood of the ship.”

“Like yours, captain?”

“I suppose so. But her hair, well, it reminded me of my mother. Except, her’s was wavy like the ripples you’d see in a pond after tossing a stone. She had a way of being direct and to the point, while also wafting the languid scent of calming lavender around her. I couldn’t try to describe her much better than that.” Looking back at Scotty, he saw his best friend trying to stifle his laughter. He stood tall above him and asked with his arms crossed, “and, what’s so funny?”

Scotty stood straight as a rod the second he saw his captain’s face, “absolutely nothing captain!”

As soon as the wooden door swung close and the two men’s voices faded from the ship, Venus burst through the door of the closet and booked it for the deck. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her as she ran down the docks away from her own personal hell she’d never dreamed of seeing before. With every step she took, her skin deepened to an olive color while her hair shrunk to her shoulders and darkened to match her newly found brown eye color.

Bursting through the doors of a nearby tavern with her luscious royal blue dress swaying to a stop, Venus caught her breath and steadily sat by the bar. The prying eyes around her didn’t impact her thoughts of what she just encountered, ‘those were definitely severed siren tails,’ she thought to herself. ‘At least I’ll never have to be in contact with that man again. At best, I’ll see the underside of his boat.’ She laughed uneasily to herself as a heavyset groggy man flopped next to her and slumped on her shoulder. She shrugged him off but he just slung his arm over her shoulder.

Opening his mouth and slurring his drunken words, the man hiccupped, “you got a sweet getup sweetie. Ya need help gettin’ out of it tonight?” He tugged at her straps making her roll her eyes and slap his hands away. Whimpering in her ear he slurred, “ah come on. Just walk me back to my room and I’ll make it worth your while.” He gave her a sly smile while she swatted him away again. The drunkard scoffed and grabbed onto Venus’ wrist pulling her from the stool. They both stumbled as he cackled, “don’t worry I’ll take care of you, sweetheart. There’s no reason to be shy.” She rolled her eyes as he dragged her out of the tavern and down the street to the motel he was staying in.

Swinging open the door, he flopped on the bed and started to unbuckle his pants. Venus looks out of his window towards the sea and asks him sweetly, “may I sing you a song for inviting me to your home?”

Drunk as a sailor matching his friends’ drinks, the man pulled Venus by the waist and slobbered over her neck while slurring, “you can sing all you want, sweetie. A little early if you ask me.” He slipped his hands to the back of her dress looking for buttons that weren’t there.

Without a care for the stumbling man that had captured her waist in his sweaty hands, Venus took a deep breath before letting her tantalizing voice swarm the room as she sang:

Hear my voice beneath the sea

Sleeping now so peacefully

At the bottom of the sea

Sleep for all eternity

With the first verse, the roots of her dark hair began to glow as if the sunlight were growing from her scalp. With one blink, her once hazel eyes burned red with a rage she’d never shown to another human being before. They glowed with every word she said making the drunkard fall deeper and deeper into her voice.

Sailors live so restlessly

Come with me, sleep peacefully

Listen to this siren's song

Worry not for nothing's wrong

Let my voice lead you this way

I will not lead you astray

Trust me as we reach the side

Jumping out where men have died

Hear my voice beneath the sea

Sleeping now so peacefully

At the bottom of the sea

Sleep for all eternity

He stood up from the bed while his limbs fell from her hips now numb to his own control. Walking towards the single window he faced the sea as if he was longing to be free from the land, as did she.

Let the ocean fill your lungs

Struggle not, soon peace will come

Taking in your final breath

Sink down to the ocean's depths

"I wish I could always be

In the ocean's arms, you see"

He who'd wanted nothing more

Sleeps now at the ocean floor

Ocean was your lover's name

You had loved her all the same

Now you'll always be together

Sirens are so very clever

Hear my voice beneath the sea

Sleeping now so peacefully

At the bottom of the sea,

Without being able to restrain himself, the man grabbed ahold of the window sill and hoisted himself up to stand on the ledge. Swaying back and forth with the breeze gently caressing his blushed cheeks, he obediently awaited Venus’ last words. His hazed over eyes began to melt away to bring back color while pulling him back into his own consciousness.

Sleep for all eternity

With her final words to him, the man snapped out of his trance as his body fell forward and splat on the ground below.

Walking toward the window, Venus blinked the fiery red from her eyes and leaned on the sill watching as the surrounding townspeople gasped at the drunken man’s suicide. While women gasped and children hid in fear, Venus alone stood slouched against the window with a smirk dripping down her lips. She jumped up on the sill and down to the dirt next to the pool of blood gathering next to the man she’d entranced head. She skipped in each step she took while the people around her scattered to find someone to report the situation to. Before getting too far, she began to hear people whisper about a navy scattering around the area. Thinking it best to leave while she still could, she turned towards the water to rid herself of the town forever but ran into someone else instead. Looking up, she was about to ask what the man needed before he cupped his hand over her mouth and dragged her to the edge of the town. With no one paying attention to her. Venus was taken from the scene before anyone was there to remember her face or even her shifting eyes. 

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These are the opening chapters of this book I was working on before quarantine began.  

For anyone reading this, please tell me what you think and subscribe if you'd like the other chapters I have!

I haven't been able to write because of finals and online classes so 'Unrequited' has been pushed back until further notice. 

For more information visit my Instagram: wt_sofran4

~SoFran