Painted

Chapter Twelve

The waxing moon high above those thick clouds is about to be full. There's no time left. I swam to the shore and pushed myself out of the water. My black dress was dripping wet. Letting out a delicate sigh, my body shivered a little. I rubbed my hands on my arms, attempting to warm them up. Irene was sitting on the cliff; her chin on her knees, looking a little wistful. My lips slowly curved into a smile.

Silently, I took small steps toward her. I took a deep breath and I began to sing.

Oh, lonely child

Why do you face the moon?

Stars, miracles and hope

Were you sad because you were unable to attain them?

Why do we even feel sadness?

Were they all part of the emotions deep within us?

Irene got to her feet and turned with a glazed look in her eyes. Finally, I'll be able to attain what I've always wanted. Foolish mortal woman. My lips parted to reveal canines. I grabbed her shoulder and roughly pulled her to me.

"Neira?" She whispered, with a small frown on her forehead. I screamed and struck her on the face with my nails. She fell to the ground, limp and in a trance-like state.

"Shut up! Don't call me by my name!" I pulled her up again and forced her to face me. There were fresh scars on her face, blood dripping down to her neck, splashing all over her white shirt.

"Stop it!" A firm voice shouted from nowhere. I turned furiously and noticed Jason climbing up the cliff rapidly. I released my grip on Irene. When he reached the edge of the cliff, I swiped his face with the back of my hand with such force, he fell back to the ground again.

Without further ado, I aimed for her chest and ripped out her heart. Irene gasped and stared at me in disbelieve. Jason screamed and fell to the ground, clenching his fists tightly in disbelieve. There was fear and anguish in his eyes.

"Well, taunting him a little might be rather fun." I murmured. Jumping off the cliff swiftly, I slowly bit into the heart while facing him. He fell back in shock and began scrambling away from me but I gripped his right leg and pulled him just right beneath me. I laid on top of him. Several bit of tender flesh fell onto his face.

"Stop...stop it!" He screamed, wriggling furiously and trying to get away but of course, he's no match for a siren.

When I'd decided that I've done enough damage, I got up. He cowered and began shaking uncontrollably. "Hey, you...you've just killed someone dear to you!" He finally said in a shaky voice.

"That girl was never someone dear to me. She's just a toy I used in order to get what I want." I felt the change in my body. Arya told me that the change is instant. About two seconds away from now, my wish will be granted. The clock tower in the city chimed, indicating that it's midnight. I can finally walk away from the nightmare.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

At last, everything really did went according to what I'd planned. The shore was empty. The body and the boy had been taken away by the mortals. Why was I able to leave the island? Strange. Didn't Lisa say that the elders can never leave? At the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a shiny object.

The pendant was stained with a few drops of dried blood. As if I was bewitched, my hands moved automatically to grab it. It felt cool to the touch. Somehow this feels nostalgic. I flipped the cover open and gasped when I saw the picture inside. I fell back in shock, hand over my mouth. I gave a strangled cry. It's someone I would never forget. It's someone I've always wanted to see over these past few decades.