FASCINATION AND FEAR ARE COURSING through my veins, and curiosity is pulsing against my ribcage as I stare down at the glowing fins on my body. They stretch across my breasts and run up my neck like an endless pool of blue. 

The glowing starts to dim a little, and I leave no time wasting, succumbing to my thoughts. I grab my clothes, drape the towel over my skin and head out immediately, anger surging in my head. That son of a fish better has an explanation for this. I find the creature slouching on the couch, half asleep, as it switches between the TV channels. 

'The number of missing cases on the coast has spiked 20% more than last year within a month. Recent cases of unknown suicides have created tension in the area, and none of the bodies have been found yet. The police are continuing their investigation-'

I throw the cloth in my hand at the creature's face. It jumps in its place and regards me with annoyance. "What is the matter with you now?" it pauses and raises its brows. "Well, not the sight I was expecting, but-" It stills. Jumping from the couch it heads over to me with a serious look on its face. Its hand reaches to me and gentle fingers caress the marks on my body in shock. 

"This is interesting." it starts, "you have the mark now."

"Don't interest me you fool! Tell me," I grab it by the collar of its shirt, "what does this mean you damned fish!"

It glances down in thought. It grabs hold of my hand and gently pries off my fingers from Cameron's shirt. 

"Did you come in contact with water?" It brushes the thought away, "No, it cannot be that; you've come in contact with water before and leave just fine."It strides away from me and thinks, calculating all the possible reasons behind the scale-like thing's appearance on my body. It stops suddenly and turns to me. Its brows are furrowed as it speaks.

"Were you sad?" 

My eyes widened in surprise. My feet are frozen in place from shock. "Why do you ask?" I ask almost defensively. It stares into my eyes and then glances away opting to stare at the wall. "...before transforming into a siren, human beings who are lured feel overwhelming negative emotions. During that time, the powers transferred from the siren create fin-like structures on the human body. " It chuckles to itself. It runs a hand through its hair. "Looks like I was worried for nothing."

I glare at the being feeling small all of a sudden. It smirks after taking a glance at my fins and ruffles my hair. "I'll be becoming a human after all."

A cold weight settles inside my chest. I swat away its hand. "Don't touch me."The creature raises its hand in surrender, but its smile remains on its face. "Alright. Alright. I won't, my dear."

My patience snaps at the blatant provocation. Before I know it, I reach up for the creature's neck and hold it in a chokehold. It sputters under my grip and glares at me. 

"Release me, now." It sneers through its teeth. My grip falters but I remain in the same stance as before, trying to hold it under my control. But it doesn't go according to my wishes. A crawling sensation arises from my feet, running up my spine and heading towards my head. My whole body shivers in its coldness and I am struggling to stay on my feet at the next instance. 

I fall on the floor, my hand tightly held in the creature's hand. "Next time you go against me, remember, I have control over you and I would not hold myself back from asserting my powers on you Clara."

My eyes harden as I look up at it, cold fury surging through my entire being. My hands shake, and my eyes quiver. Everything in me despises its control over me, a sense so foreign that it resists. Nevertheless, the cells in me wish to succumb to the temptation as if being enchanted by an aphrodisiac. It's sickening how my body has been reduced to that of a snake dancing to a charmer. 

The siren's cold gaze sweeps over me once again and it lingers on my exposed neck. It suddenly turns away and falls back on the couch. From where it lies, it watches me in thought and beckons me with its slender finger marred in scales. As if noticing it for the first time, it stares at its hand and sighs. 

"Just like how I thought. It is reacting to your emotions. You are turning into a siren but not yet." It pauses. Its beautiful doe eyes glow blue and it whispers. "Come forward."

I do as it says and near it when it grabs me by my wrist and pulls me into its arms. Its fingers trace my skin and the place where they linger frost bites follow. I flinch at the sensation and it hushes me with its seductive tone. Pushing back my hair away from my face and tucking it behind my ear, it stares into my eyes and commands quietly. 

"Kiss me, Clara."

I lean forward as if I was tugged by an invisible string and fall prey to its intentions. Our lips barely brush against each other and I feel its contradicting warmth and softness against mine. A sharp pain hits my head and I flinch back as though I was burned. Countless voices echo in my head and I try shaking them off in a hurry.The siren glares at me, confused and irritated. I think I hear it murmuring a damn it under its breath. 

"What is it now?"

"How would I know?" I seethe at it. I clutch my head in my hand and wait for the pain to settle down. All while it happened, while I stayed in the siren's arm, the siren calculates something in its head. "This is not going to work."

"What do you mean?"

"If I want to become a human fully you need to cooperate which you are not doing. So I suggest you put aside whatever is bothering you and just obey me."

I glare at it. "What makes you think that I wish to be a siren? Whatever is suggesting that is lying to you."

It merely raises a brow and scoffs at itself. "Oh yeah? Then tell me, my dear Clara, was it not you who thought of ending your life at the beach that night?"

I feel my whole body go numb in shock. 

It chuckles. "Like I thought. You didn't think that I would find that out did you?" It tugs at my chain and starts playing with the blue bead. "Your emotions were strong like tides on a stormy night. If I hadn't been there, some other siren would've taken ahold of you. Fortunately or not, the chance was given to me." It stops and lets go off the chain. Its voice drops an octave. "Though I should admit, it is troublesome."

"It should've worked on the first try itself. Then what is delaying it?" It asks itself. At that time I realised one thing- whether I wished for it or not, the siren desired to be a complete human and it would do anything to obtain its path to mortality. Even if it meant forcing me to succumb to its wishes by playing the charmer. 

I feel my stomach turning and bile rises in my throat at that. What have I found myself into?

"I do not wish to be a siren," I muttered despite myself. 

"Pardon?"

"I said, I do not wish to be a siren." 

Silence prevails between us like a barrier holding back something ferocious from jumping out. Maybe it was. Seeing the turmoil in the siren's eyes scares me but I stay by my words. 

"Say something that I will allow Clara." Something in me snaps at its words. "I don't need you to allow me. I can always kick you out or worse kill you if it means I can live."

It rises from its position on the couch and touches its forehead with mine. Mirth dances in its eyes as it mocks me for my words. "And you think you can do that as long as I wield the power?"

Tears prick my eyes and I struggle to hold them back. I look away. Slowly and carefully I detach myself from it and step away from the couch. "I won't be becoming a siren and that's final." It falls back on the couch and a faint sound comes from it hitting its head on the wood. 

"Then find me someone else to pass it on to. " it says as I start heading to my room. 

Eyes drooping, I look at it in question. "What?"

"If it's not you then it has to be someone else. The curse needs a vessel or it would not work." Rubbing its head, it regards me. "This way it works for us both. You can remain a human and I shall turn into one myself. Whoever falls victim to the curse shall navigate their life in the ocean until they find someone for themself. How does that sound?"

The idea doesn't sit right with me at all. It stabs my conscience and wounds my morals but I see no other way out. Before I can think of it more, the siren whispers yet again.

"Do not fret about it. We will make it work. I will make it work and no one would doubt a thing." It tries to convince me. 

"What about their loved ones?" I find myself asking. "Would they not worry about them?" Memories of Cameron and I flood into my mind and I wrap my arms around myself as I feel the void setting into me once again. The siren might've sensed it as well for it suddenly grows tense.

"Loved ones?" It scoffs. "Sorry to break it up to you but not everything in the plan will be according to our comfort. It has to be this way or mine. You have to pick one my dear."

I am torn. My feelings lie on the goodside, I do not want any other person to be hurt because of me. But on the other hand? I didn't wish to abandon my people, the life I created. I did not wish to abandon Cameron. 

Who will be here for him if not me? 

Biting my lips, I take another decision that would haunt me for the rest of my life. And for the second time in my life, I commit a grave sin while being aware of it. 

"I accept." I say and I let my hands fall. "We will find someone."

It's for Cameron. I say and convince myself but for some reason it doesn't settle in my chest. The siren looks dumbfounded for a second but then it smiles, and I feel a shiver run up my spine once again for how sinister it looked on its pretty face. 

"Good girl." it says. "Now I want you to remember one more thing."

"Stop referring to me as it or the siren in your head . It's Aven. You gave me the name yourself so do not, at any cause, forget that.”