AFTER HOURS OF snooping around in the shop, the siren gets tired and proceeds to rest on the chair next to mine. The spot was always covered either by grandma or Cameron, so having it empty left a vacant space in my heart. However, I wonder if having a siren take that position for himself makes it any better or not. 

“I am bored,” it says looking at me through half-lidded eyes. 

I glance back at the cash book and do the calculations of the day. No one comes around after the sun eases down on them so it became the unsaid time to check the profit made. “Then go back.”

“Not a chance.” it slumps down on the chair. I want to take a look at the creature in an attempt to gauge the thoughts running in its mind but a stubborn part of me, still angry that it had invaded my thoughts again and again during his stay here the entire day, wanted to get back on him. It was almost impossible given its powers. Almost. “I thought we were over that issue a long time ago my dear.”

I inhale sharply and grit my teeth. This thing will never understand. 

 “I will never understand what?”

I am about to retort when I see it looking a bit curious. Its indigo eyes gleam under the golden firefly lights that Victor and Bastian had set up before leaving last day. Fortunately for me, the men never return for a visit after their last one. It’s a habit they picked up after Cameron started his journey as a sailor. 

I sigh and glance away. 'You will never understand that invading someone’s thoughts is an invasion of their privacy.'

It raises a brow. 'Haven’t we already reached the point where privacy doesn’t exist for us anymore?'

 I gasped and set away the cash book far from my reach. With one hand on my waist and the other on the head of the chair, I yank it back making the siren jump in its place. You little- 

Our little glaring match is interrupted when the bell by the door rings. Our head turns to the door at the same time. A feminine figure, covered in the golden afterglow of the sun, steps inside the room. She takes off her jute hat that went along just fine with her cornflower blue dress. It sways with the wind and gets along with the jingles of the bell. Beautiful hazel eyes meet mine and something in me flutters. 

The door shuts close and she basks in the firefly lights, looking like the most beautiful person I’ve seen in years. I blink. She looks familiar. The woman smiles gently and says, “We meet again.”

“Oh, ah,” I trail off, not sure what she meant by that. I take one more look at her face and try to regain a clue on who it is to no avail. 

“It seems that you don’t remember me.” I smile apologetically at that while the siren beside me goes oddly silent. “Please do not fret, I am just a customer who happened to have come here a day ago. I brought one of those wooden sculptures.” she points at Cameron’s creations and beams. Oh. It’s her.

“The lady in white.” I blurt out. The lady blinks confusedly and smiles to hide it. 

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh it's just…you were wearing a white dress on the day we first met,” I explain myself to her. Relief settled inside my being at the realisation that nothing had happened to the lady like how I thought. The one who jumped off must be someone else…

I pause when I hear no response in my head. It makes me look to my right at where the siren is sitting, carefully observing the young lady. Its hand is tucked beneath its jaw while its leg rests above the other one. It gives off an air of aloofness but its eyes are alarmingly intense as they are set on the lady’s face. 

I kick his table as I walk out with my hands folded and an easygoing smile carved on my lips.  

“Well mam, what brings you here today?”

“Well, I am here to pick up something new. Do you have any recommendations?”

I blink at her. “Ah yes. Would like to tell me what it is for? Perhaps a gift or is it for yourself?”A pleasant smile graces her face. “It’s a gift.  My boyfriend is a collector.”

“I see. Then you might love these here,” I guide her to the corner of the room where the neatly arranged antiques were waiting for us. Most of them were designed by Cameron himself and some even made by him. 

Selling them to her makes me feel like I am losing a part of myself and Cameron but business had to run and when Cameron returns and finds out that I didn’t let a customer purchase his hard work for sentimental reasons, he would be disappointed in me. Minutes ticks by. The sun passes down beyond the horizon and the lady is still in the shop. I am packing the gift in a red wrapper when the lady suddenly turns to the siren. 

“Is this your brother?”

“Sorry?”

“Please donot think wrong of me. I just heard rumors that you had a brother who went missing in the sea. It said that he too had blonde hair so I assumed that it was him.”

I laugh awkwardly, the noise catches the attention of the siren. It observes me through its pale lashes and smiles. “Ah no, I am not her brother. Right, dear?”

I glance down at the siren who avoids my eyes and stares at the lady instead. “Right.” I say, “he is just a…” trespasser my mind suggests, “...friend.” I say instead. 

 “Oh, may I know your name?”

My eyes widen. Right. We forgot that part. I’ve been calling him the siren or it in my head the whole time that I forgot that he needed a name while being in the presence of people. I bite my lips as the siren’s smile leaves its eyes. 

“...ven.” I say and the two turn to me. “Hm?” 

“Aven. His name’s Aven.”

The sky is dwelling in its chamber of blues by the time she leaves. I immediately step outside with the broom in my hand to clean up the place. I look up at the sky as the sea below the cliff sets up the melody for me to watch the scenery in peace. The galaxy stretches before me wide and open and I consume every inch of its beauty with my eyes. 

I sit down on the rocky floor after abandoning the broom in my hand. Cameron and I often did stargazing in our childhood and the habit continued till the last of our teenage years. But then he left for college and I stayed behind. When the time came when I would miss him beyond words, I would look up at the stars and reminisce about our times together. It would make me ache for his presence but settle down something fond in my chest at the same time. 

“A tea would be nice,” I say and smile, remembering those times when he would say the same to me. 

“Are you done cleaning up?” a soft but hoarse voice asks from behind. I turn around and see the siren approaching me with two mugs in his hand. I frown.

“What’s in that?”

“The thing you drank this morning. What did you call it again? Tea?”

“So you made tea? But how?”

It shrugs and hands me over my share which I accept gratefully. “I saw you preparing it in the morning and memorised it. No big deal.”

“Oh. Thank you.” I take a sip of the tea, ready to spit it out if it tastes a little off but contrary to my expectations, it turned out great. 

“...Does siren magic come with great tea brewing skills?”

The siren smirks. “You underestimate me a lot mortal.”

I shrug as I take another sip of the tea. “A girl can question.” The siren stands beside me as I finish the glass of tea that it had prepared for me. While it is not Cameron who stands beside me, a presence, familiar or not, was enough for me to forget about my pain for a moment. 

I stand up and hand back the mug to the siren who looks down at it in question. “What is it?”

“You have to clean the mug you know?”

It frowns. “Why do I have to do that?” 

I tilt my head. “Because you made it?”

It narrows its eyes at me and for a moment the glow is back. I am about to give up and just grab the mug and head inside when the siren speaks solemnly. “There is something that I need to tell you.” I pause and glance up at it. “What is it?”

It runs a hand through its golden hair tied to the side with a black bun, my bun, and sighs, “Remember my constant reassurances that nothing was wrong with you? Well, I take it back. There is something wrong with you.”

I glare at it. “Excuse me?” I link my arms together before my chest and wait for him to explain. “Look, when a human and a siren kiss, the siren is supposed to turn completely into a human and the human is supposed to turn into a siren. The siren will lose its entire power while becoming human while the human will attain powers as a siren.”

“What are you getting at?”

It stares at me annoyed like it cannot tell if I am being stupid or simply joking. “Can I control you?”

“Don’t you dare.”

It groans. “Ugh, not like that. But in its literal meaning, can I control you?”

“Yes, you can.” I pause. “Hold on. Why can you still? And why haven’t I?” this question had entered my mind yesterday when he kissed me, but for some reason, I forgot about it as soon as it controlled me. 

“Exactly.” It takes a step towards me and I watch him, completely frozen in my place. “If my assumption is correct, we still have a long way ahead.” It raises its hand and rests it on my face. I flinch back immediately making it smile. “Our transformation process is nowhere near done, my dear Clara.”

WARMTH OF THE WATER slides down my body and I tilt my head to get more of the feeling. The rushing water is enough to cleanse all of my thoughts and my worries. In my time spent inside the room bathing, nothing around me existed to harm me. No siren, no thoughts of Cameron. Nothing at all. I play with the foam in my palm watching the iridescent hue rotating before bursting and destroying itself. I rest my head against the wall of the bathroom and sigh, observing the foam that was gliding away from my feet. 

For some reason, I was taken back to the time when we were children, messing around the house being a pain to grandma, after getting over our father’s absence. We would often blow bubbles while walking on the sand below, enjoying the summer heat as one of us would do something to annoy the other. 

Fights and chaos were ensured but they were harmless and undeniably the best moments of our lives. My heart twists painfully inside my ribcage. I feel my vision blur. Something salty ends up on my lips other than water and I realise that I am crying. 

It is silent. There is no movement at all. The tears keep flowing but I make no sound. I frown. Not again. I am wiping my tears away by exposing myself to the shower when I see it. Specks of blue appear on the pink wall. I stride towards the wall and with each stride, the light grows, becoming more visible. I immediately glance down at my body and gasp out loud. 

Down my hands and my limbs, across my chest and above my neck, similar to the stars splattered across the sky, there are blue glowing spots marring my skin. My heart is racing so fast against its cage when I touch it. I remove my hand from it when I reckon that the touch is familiar. 

It is the same feeling that I got when I touched the siren.