“You ready?” Landon asked. I nodded, clutching the swaying rowboat with white knuckles. Landon opened his mouth to say something but nothing came up except a sigh.
“Right,” I muttered under my breath. I looked at the calm ocean, it seemed to reflect everything that happened today.
After I spent hours crying from the shock of transportation, and a near death experience (Ispolin is not a giant to be messed with), and seeing my friends in those strange spheres, I went and had a severe anxiety attack on Landon and the girls.
Next gotten myself drugged by swallowing a mug of tea that Vienna spiked with morphine, and as soon as I blinked, awake, Landon took me to say a quick goodbye to the girls, managed to stuff some of the food Eilith made for me, went off shore immediately, and here we are now.
In a little blue rowboat, each wondering if we’re doing the right thing for the past hour.
Landon dipped himself into the waves, held on to the side of the boat and waited for me. I blinked and turned to the distant island that Eilith and Vienna resided at, only an hour ago we bid farewell with tears and hugs. Well Vienna didn’t look to sad for me, maybe it was more for Landon leaving.
I looked back at Landon with fresh tears. He can’t come with me, he has to return to the pirates. We never even had that date. I shook myself out of the thoughts, I wouldn’t be the type to throw everything for a boy. I said I wasn’t and I’m sticking to my word.
Instead, I focused on the events, except my mind kept going back to Landon and my lessons. I didn’t even find out what my skills are. I burned those flowers, didn’t I? but I had a feeling it was Julian. I pinched myself and focused on the water and getting myself in.
Letting out a small yelp as the cold water embraced me, I grabbed Landon’s hand and he gave me a type of seaweed to chew on. “It’ll help you sink faster and breathe underwater.” Was all he said, I didn’t want to look at his face anymore. It held to much pain.
I chewed on the slimy item, willing it to go down my throat. When it finally did, I sank into the depths, my ears popping. Landon joined me as I sank, soon reaching the sand underneath it took Landon only a few seconds to land beside me.
It felt weird breathing underwater. I kept holding my breath out of instinct as much as I can before gasping and swallowing the water that went down casually, not overriding my lungs.
Landon started calling out for the siren in a weird airy voice. It took a while so I studied the area, only noticing everything was neon-like. The fish resembled puckered lips instead of the usual shapes. Tiny lizard, opened disk-like wings spinning around us creating eerie lights in the humid glow of the ocean. The plants had a bright texture to them, yellow and green leaves with pale worms nibbling on them. None of the animals I recognized even after all my years of watching Animal Planet. There even was a willow tree swaying a little farther from us. At least I think it’s a willow.
“You’d be wanting a kiss?” a serene voice asked. Startled I looked to see a beautiful woman curving into a fit human body until reaching the waist it became a siren’s tail. Her blue hair twirled with calmness around her face that was set into a snarl. I felt a pang as her hair reminded me to much of Zorya.
Landon, thankfully, answered for me since I seemed to be in a trance. Was it me or was there something about that siren that screamed danger? That all her words have double meaning, and she haven’t even spoken anything to strike my suspicion.
“Yes, --“ Landon started but stopped when the siren held her hand out and swam to me. She picked my black hair with distaste then let it float back, scowled at my ragged features, and shook her head.
“You’d have to offer me a lot to accept this one.” She said daintily. I frowned, marking up the words. Offer? Accept? It sounded like I was being sold as a slave. Landon seemed unfazed though.
It’s not like he’s going to sell me, I’m his mate! I got the power to make him do whatever I want. My mind worked itself until it was defensive against the two people around me. I took a step back and bared my fangs as I crouched into the attacking position.
Landon finally showed shock but the siren remained the same, snarling and scowling. “Tilda, I promise it’s a worthwhile deal, just one kiss.” He begged, his voice seeming to crack. “Audrey, just bear with me for a moment.” Landon said, focusing on me with those amber eyes that could proudly be my only weakness.
I weakened as my brain scampered trying to find safety between his words. He wouldn’t leave me in the sirens hands, he promised he’d return me to Wildmasters. Landon knows how much I needed to get back to find a way to destroy Julian and find out about the spheres.
Everything around my life sang evil except for Landon. Even Dakota, Sabina, Jason and the others are plastered with evil. I just have to know why. It’s simple for Landon, he has a pirate life waiting for him, as for I? I have no clue if I’m even right for returning.
What if the evil around my friends is their death nearing, something is telling me I could stop it, if so. My thoughts kept gotten jumbled up, gliding over each thought it made no sense. I tried to list then mentally.
Spheres, Julian, friends, evil…
Make sense Audrey. Make sense.
- Find out what the spheres are and do.
- Destroy Julian but not before figuring out what he wants exactly.
- Assemble friends, and figure out the evil aura around them.
I’ll dwell on the details later, when I’m not being glared at by a siren. I straightened myself but kept my fangs bared. Shoot me for saying, but the having my fangs out actually felt good. As if I finally accepted, I’m a vampire. A true vampire by all means.
What a true vampire is? I don’t exactly know yet.
Another reason to return, as much as Landon is helping me with information, it isn’t enough.
- Find out what the spheres are and do.
- Destroy Julian but not before figuring out what he wants exactly.
- Assemble friends, and figure out the evil aura around them.
- Discover the traits of a vampire.
Not my best list, but it got my mind working past the fog of worries. Tilda looked at me with slight panic in her eyes, I smirked and turned away to face Landon. He looked defiant. I got into a defensive pose and waited.
“Fine, I’ll kiss her.” Tilda murmured disdainfully, after a long silence. I shuddered at the thought of her lips on mine but said nothing. She was going to be my first kiss, great. Well never mind that, it’s just a kiss.
Forgetting that there might be a trick on Landon’s part, my feet moved until I was a few steps away, I took the closing steps and kissed Landon who took his time to return the kiss after passing his shock.
I guess I minded to whom my first kiss belongs too.
Sparks didn’t fly, like the movies promised. Neither did I feel the insufferable heat from the passion, instead I felt happy and satisfied with a racing heart. Kissing underwater was magical, especially since our surroundings added to that feeling of a fairytale.
Except, it isn’t a fairytale. I pulled away, and avoided Landon’s intense gaze. Stopped mopping for my soon-to-be lost mate and braced myself for that sirens kiss. I hid my grimace as I inched towards her, the food Eilith made me eat threatening to resurface.
Our lips touched, and poison ran through me lightening fast. I scrunched up in pain as the venom all darting to one place. My heart. The animals slowed down, the oceans hum sickened into a low beat to faint for my ears to pick up, the willow tree stopped it’s swaying.
“You’re mines now.” Tilda said. I blinked trying to make sense of the haze, only to see she wasn’t facing me, but Landon. It took a few seconds to settle in and another few seconds until I wrapped my head around the idea.
My suspicions confirmed. He knew what the deal is to bargain with a water siren, he sold himself to Tilda. He sold himself, forgetting his past life of pirate hood, uncaring for the present that once flashed neon bright now just dull and grey and as for the future…
What future exactly? He burdened himself with Tilda, the gloomy water siren.
I’m a somebody that just destroyed another’s life for my own.
Opening my mouth to scream something, anything to Landon, but only gagged as the water flowed into my system. The poison seemed to have won over the effects of the seaweed. The pain tormenting me, my body started numbing as if preparing for death.
But it’s not death that’s waiting, I’m just returning to Wildmasters.
I woke up dazed, my body scorched by the heat of the sun even though it’s long gone. Light fog surrounded me in coldness yet I felt blistering, I looked around me taking a while before I recognized the place.
Wildmasters graveyard.
Pine cones, twigs, and leaves lay scattered around the gloomy place. Everything illuminated by the silver of the moon, I lifted myself onto my elbows and glanced at the grave beside me. I shrieked as I re-read the name.
Sabina pierce.
I blinked a few times, and the name melted to be replaced with; Kalian Evans. My muscles unchained themselves, visibly relaxing as the misunderstanding left my mind.
- Find out what the spheres are and do.
- Destroy Julian but not before figuring out what he wants exactly.
- Assemble friends, and figure out the evil aura around them.
- Discover the traits of vampires.
- Why am I so demented, discover and treat.
I thought of my goals to calm myself. As if somebody stabbed my heart, I felt heartsick for Landon. Cold of me to think of him last instead of him seared into my first waking thoughts.
I’m cold, literally and figuratively.
Small paws grabbed my torso, managing to wrap themselves around me all the way. I jumped against the limbs, startled.
Mylings.
I’m at the cemetery though, they don’t need me to carry them there. I started struggling as I sank deeper into the dark dirt. I screamed for help, but only resulted in more paws emerging underground for me.
I frantically wondered what they wanted from me. Food, I’m an highly edible, not-so-thin, good-looking vampire filled with yummy magical blue blood. Better than a unicorn even. I smiled wryly at my thoughts. If Landon were here, he would have commented something stupid at my thoughts and then rescued me once he remembered I’m in trouble.
Landon gave himself up only for me to return and find death waiting for me, sneakily underneath me, hiding in those tiny Mylings bodies.
“What a waste,” I thought as I closed my eyes and allowed myself to go underneath the cemetery without letting loose my fighting spirit and only releasing a bitter smile.