Chapter 7: The Dream

Rain

The dream always started the same. It was one of Romaris’ bad days. He wouldn’t leave the bed, wouldn’t speak. All he did was stare at his bedroom wall, repeatedly clicking a pen that he held in his hand. On these days, I would sit with him and tell him about whatever charity event Mom was planning or about a new country Robyn was visiting. He never responded, but I liked to think I was helping. 

Romaris usually enjoyed being out in the sun, near the water, so I suggested we go out on my boat. The dream was nice at first. I could see Romaris, talk to him. I was happy. Then the dream became a nightmare. I didn’t know how it happened. One second Romaris was on the deck of the boat, and the next, he was in the water. I called out to him. Once. Twice. No answer. No sound. Without a second thought, I jumped in after him. He was drifting toward the bottom. The harder he fought, the deeper he sunk. I dived deeper to reach him. 

Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. 

It sounded like a song somewhere in the distance. The water muffled the sound of the singing. I glanced up, and I was farther from the surface than I would have liked. When I looked below me, Romaris wasn’t moving anymore. I extended my arm to stop him from floating further away. The song became louder, almost screaming inside my head. I knew my hearing aids didn’t work underwater, but I took them off anyway in an attempt to dull the noise. The song was so beautiful. Mesmerizing. I had the strong urge to locate the owner of this majestic voice. 

What was I doing? Where was Romaris? 

I looked to the last place I saw him, but he was no longer there. Panic and fear guided my actions, I took a deep breath, a mistake. My throat and lungs burned as water filled them. I was gasping for air but found none. I had to decide to either save myself or sink with Romaris. 

Breathing was the only thought that occupied my brain when struggling to the surface. Almost at the top, I saw what was singing the song; a strange sea creature. Its skin was gray, and had soulless black eyes, scales, a fin, and claws. The strange creature had a whirlpool of long white hair. I found you. 

Then I woke up. This time I wasn’t in a hospital bed but on a small couch in a boathouse. Reaching up to rub my eyes, I noticed that my face was wet. Sometimes I cried when I dreamt about Romaris, but the tears weren't because I missed him. They were because I failed to save him. I told myself that I wasn’t allowed to miss him because I was the reason he was gone. 

I examined the space where I was resting. Noah’s boathouse was cozy. Just enough room for one, maybe two people. I sat up on the couch, and my eyes met the light spilling into the space giving it a faint yellow glow. I was wearing old sweat shorts and a t-shirt that I had stored on my boat—now docked next to this one. Noah had clothes all around the floor as if he dressed and undressed wherever he pleased. What a weird guy. Siren. Was he human? Or was he pretending to be one?

 The events of yesterday were still vivid in my mind. I touched the bandages on my arms covered in cuts I received trying to get Noah back to the surface. At first, I thought he was having trouble breathing because his hands wrapped around his throat. The fear from the past influenced my actions, and I desperately wanted to get him to safety. It wasn’t until we were back on the boat did I realize what he was.

I heard a muffled sound coming from somewhere. Putting on my hearing aids, I strained my ears to locate the direction of the sound. I trod slowly through the kitchen and into a narrow hallway. The ceiling of the boathouse was low, so I had to duck a little to avoid hitting my head. When I reached the door to Noah’s room, I heard the sound. He was screaming. 

Rushing in, I saw Noah sitting up, clinging to his bedsheets like they were the only thing protecting him. Tears streamed down his face, and  I hesitated on whether or not I should comfort him. He screamed again and again and again. Finally, I climbed onto his bed behind him and embraced him tightly. 

Noah was sweating, which made his hair stick to his forehead and neck. I pushed the hair on his neck to the side to check the bandages wrapped there. I didn’t know the reason as to why he had tried to claw out his own throat in the water. That was the most blood I had ever seen in my life. I tucked the hair that was stuck on his forehead behind his ears. 

“Please tell me. Please. Please,” Noah muttered to himself like a prayer. 

“It's okay,” I whispered back. 

Noah stilled in my arms at the sound of my voice. I almost released him from my grasp until he reached up and held onto my arms. When his eyes met mine, I flinched—the whites of his eyes were unnaturally black, like pools of tar. There were navy blue streaks under his eyes and on his cheeks. Noah quickly looked away and blocked his face from my gaze. 

“Please tell me this is a dream,” croaked Noah.

When I shook my head, Noah sobbed. I held him tighter, thinking that the action alone could take his sadness away. 

“No…no one was supposed… to see me this way,” Noah winced as he spoke, and his hands drifted to his throat where his fingers traced the folds of the bandages.

“Do you want me to leave?” I asked, trying not to stare at his face.

Noah slowly shook his head to avoid hurting his neck. “I don’t want to be alone.”

I pulled Noah closer to me. His head rested comfortably in the crook of my neck, and I gently moved his wavy hair out of my face. 

“You probably shouldn’t touch your neck until the cuts heal. You don’t want to get an infection.” I explained. 

“Your voice is deep,” Noah laughed weakly, wiping the leftover tears from his face. 

“Is that bad?” I asked nervously.

“It’s soothing. I like it.”

I could feel my ears getting red from the unexpected compliment. Noah tilted his head back to look up at me, his eyes no longer black. Human eyes. I stared into them. There was no way he was the same as the creature I saw that day. His eyes were calm and soft. I gently placed my hand on his face to hold him in place to analyze his features. He looked human to me. My hand slid down to his throat, where I could see little dabs of blood that were seeping through the bandages. 

“These bandages need to be changed,” I said, my hand still resting on Noah’s throat. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

“Under the sink in the bathroom.” 

Noah had closed his eyes and I could feel him swallow hard. 

Afraid that I might cause him more pain, I gently moved him so I could get up from the bed. Noah’s bed took up the majority of his bedroom. Three of the sides touched the walls. He had galaxy-printed sheets and pillowcases with a moon cycle on them. I noted mentally that he probably liked astrology. 

After retrieving the first aid kit, I sat next to Noah on the bed and carefully unwrapped his bandages. I tossed the blood-covered wraps away, then put some disinfectant solution on a cotton pad and began wiping. Noah grabbed at my arms, examining my bandages.

“Did…did I do this?” He asked. “Did I hurt you?”

“It doesn’t hurt. Just a few scratches.” I responded.

“The girls? Maya? Did I hurt them too?” Noah’s eyes were wet. 

“No. I held you down,” I paused, “while the girls did…something?” I couldn’t quite explain what I had seen the girls do. “Is the rest of your family like you?”

“Just me,” Noah whispered. 

“And what are you, exactly?”

He paused, thinking about his answer, “Don’t ask dumb questions.”

I nodded my head and finished cleaning his wounds. I didn’t know why I asked him. I saw the claws, the webbed fingers, the fins, and the tail. Siren. But I also saw his blood, his pain, and his sorrow. All things I associated with humans. 

“You’re human,” I said softly. “That’s what I see when I look into your eyes.”

Noah looked toward me in disbelief, like he had a hard time believing what I said. Then he turned away, avoiding my gaze. The moment I stood to leave the room, Noah grabbed my shirt. 

“Don’t leave,” Noah murmured. 

He had pulled back his sheets to invite me to lay next to him. I laid down facing him. Our bodies were less than a foot apart. Noah gently placed his hand on my chest, feeling my heartbeat. A few tears escaped his eyes when he blinked. 

“Human?” Noah asked, voice cracking. 

“Human,” I confirmed.