Siren Song | Cam Mitchell

A Merman Appears

A flash of light...

Moonlight overhead...

A boy crying out until he hits the water...

Loreley gasped, her eyes flying open. She took in her surroundings, realizing she was safe in her bedroom, tightly gripping onto her blankets. Her alarm clock gave her another fright as it began to blare loudly only moments later; she quickly smashed her hand against it to silence its annoying sounds.

That was the third time she'd had the same dream... or nightmare, rather. Whatever it meant, she couldn't say, but having the same dream repeatedly, especially as a siren, was never a good thing.

Loreley didn't have much time to plague herself with her own thoughts before her alarm went off again. Rolling her eyes, she knew it was finally time for her to get up. The summer holiday was almost over and school was about to begin once more. One of the ultimate curses of living on land. If she continued having that same dream, however, she'd definitely prefer going to Advanced Chemistry for the rest of her life.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Loreley heaved her beach tote farther onto her shoulder as she smiled out at the waves. The beach wasn't too crowded, though most people had gone to the nearby Ocean Café for lunch. She made her way onto the sand, trying to find a spot to relax. Usually, she would stay as far away as she could, finding refuge near some rocks just around the bluff... and away from the prying eyes of the surf patrol.

As she made her way to her regular spot, Loreley passed the lifeguards' chair. She felt a sudden jolt surge through her body and looked up at the boy sitting atop the tower. His face was mostly hidden by binoculars, though she could clearly make out his head of dark hair. Her vision flashed—

A dense jungle...

A bright blue tail...

A glowing trident alone in the sea...

Loreley blinked and tried to shake herself out of her thoughts. It couldn't possibly be the boy she saw in her dreams. It couldn't be—

She tried not to gasp as the boy pulled the binoculars away from his face. Before he could turn to look at her, Loreley decided it was best for her to carry on with her business. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself. Besides, there was no way the boy from her dream had been Zac Blakely. He was a lifeguard, after all. If he was a merman, then he was nothing but a fool.

Before Loreley could get around the bluff, she felt the need to look at Zac one more time. She quickly realized why.

Three girls, one brunette and two blondes, were staring at him. Loreley couldn't help but chuckle at their outfits. It was as though they had never dressed themselves before. However, Loreley knew why. Sirens could always sense when another person of the sea was near, even if they weren't sirens themselves. These three had to be—

"Mermaids."

The tallest of the three girls reached out a hand before a sudden gust of wind sent Zac into a panic. Loreley raised her eyebrows. What did they want with Zac? Had she been right? No... no one had seen a merman in ages.

Just as another, and much stronger, gust of wind flowed through the air, Zac was leaping from the lifeguards' chair and sprinting towards the ocean. Loreley's gaze followed him and spotted what he was after. A little girl was struggling to swim and her mother was calling out to her from her place on the sand.

Perhaps her dreams had finally been wrong. If Zac was a merman, then he'd be an idiot for diving into the water... or very brave, depending on who you asked. Loreley watched as he reached the little girl and placed her back onto her bodyboard, pushing her to the shore. The girl quickly ran to her mother, but Zac had disappeared from the water entirely when Loreley glanced back.

Another boy, who Loreley recognized as Cam Mitchell, approached the two. He asked the mother a question before turning his attention to the water, obviously searching for something in the distance with his hands on his head. He turned in surprise when Zac began approaching with a smile on his face... and completely dry...

Despite being so far away, the little girl was very loud as she exclaimed, "He's a fish! He had a tail!"

Loreley smirked. While her mother clearly didn't believe her, Loreley knew better. She was surprised, however, because if Zac Blakely was a merman... when did he become one...?

Thinking back to her dream, she remembered the dense jungle, thick with green plants and wild animals. It had to be Mako Island, a place that wasn't too far from the coast. Loreley had heard about a pod of mermaids living there, but she had never actually encountered any of them, seeing as she wanted to respect the group's territory. She suspected the three girls were from that pod, but why did they leave to chase after a teenage boy? Had Zac been the one falling into that pool of water? Her dream did feature a full moon.

With sudden realization and a desire to visit the mysterious Mako Island, Loreley came to a conclusion. Zac Blakely hadn't been a merman before, but he was now. Somehow, he had transformed... and she was going to find out why. For now, however, Loreley felt eyes piercing through her. Looking over, she met three sets of eyes.

They had sensed her too.