That evening, rows of purple, blue and red decorated the sky and was reflected on the surface of the lake. The trees on the other side of the lake looked like a stroke of black paint. By the large wooden ledge, on the near side of the lake, sat scores of people. 

All I could see was their silhouettes. Steeling my heart, I held my head up high and walked towards them. As I moved closer, I noticed the features I had missed before.

One word I could use to describe sirens was, 'sharp'. Angular faces, sharp noses, pointed shoulders and fingers. I'd always had a prominent collar bone, but mine was nothing compared to theirs. 

As I walked further, all of their heads turned to me in sync as if they had smelt me. It was creepy and I almost shot away from them. My mother had always said to me that I was allowed to feel fear, but not show it. Taking a deep breath, I pressed on. Left leg, right leg, left, then right. I kept walking until I was in their midst.

"You're that girl who challenged Ryne de today, aren't you?" a melodious voice rang out. I searched for its source and found a girl resting on a lounge chair. 

She had long curly hair. In the dim light it looked like a teal shade, but it could be anything. She wore a white knee length summer dress with a plunging neckline.

I focused on her face but had to look away when her eyes captured mine. I wanted to argue that technically I hadn't challenged him. But I couldn't find my voice.

"You must be here for the mark. Do you already have the other two?" she asked as she sat up and leaned back on her arms.

I only nodded.

She appeared to laugh, but I heard the sound of wind chimes. I had never faced a siren before but all the legends about their heavenly voices must be true. This feeling resembled the time I had alcohol on my sixteenth birthday. 

My head felt heavy, my senses were diluted and I felt like I was floating. I took an unconscious step forward before realizing what I was doing.

My energy was blocked which meant that I was nothing more than a human now. It concealed me, but also made me vulnerable to a lot of things, sirens' voices included. I shook my head violently and heard chuckles from around me.

'You are stronger than this. You are stronger than them, Meredith,' I told myself.

"I am here for your mark," I said, finally finding my voice.

Her eyes widened and then she smiled.

"A human with a strong will, this is interesting," she said.

I now became more aware of the people around me. The heady feeling was still there, but I kept fighting it. It would be so easy to give in, but the fear of what they would do to me once I lost myself kept me awake.

"I can't give it away so easily, though. You'll have to work for it," she said as she looked at her nails.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Bring Ryne Novak to me."

A splash of cold water. That's what it felt like and I was sober all of a sudden. She wanted what?

"The ti-eglor?"

"Yes, him. I have been trying so hard to have him, that delicious piece of crispy yum-yum. But he keeps evading me. So, bring him to me and I'll give you the mark," she said and I began seeing her for the teenager that she was unlike the ethereal being she looked like before.

"So... you want to eat him?" I asked, confused.

"Not in the way I would like to eat you," she said and I just stood there opening and closing my mouth before clamping it shut.

"He'll be in the male dorms right now. Warlocks are in the South Wing. Hurry, quickly!" she said, practically beaming.

I nodded and turned to leave but realized that I couldn't exactly trust her words.

"Just to make sure, do you swear by the Lake P'Koi, that if I bring Ryne Novak to you, you will give me the mark of the siren echelon?" I asked. I had heard a legend that an oath made in the name of a water body was binding for a siren. I just hoped that it was true.

She chuckled and I again heard the sound of wind chimes, "You're good, I'll give you that."

She looked at the sirens around her, took a deep breath and said, "I swear in the name of Lake P'Koi that if you bring Ryne Novak to me, I will give you the siren mark."

I smiled and began retreating. Now, I just needed to find that douchebag and try not to kill him before dragging him to the lake.