Serender: The Accidental Super Villain

Chapter 2

    "I can't remember where I was actually born. I don't remember what happened to my family. My clear memories start when I was 14. When I arrived in Japan, I moved into a dorm at the Fujishimoto Research facilities. Any other information about myself I was able to gain about my childhood could be found on the internet. Even crazier is that none of the articles mention my family. I was pretty sure then that the research facility was trying to erase my past.

    The research facility was not large. Only 4 students were admitted to the program. We studied DNA manipulation which spanned from human survival in zero gravity to changing DNA structures using nonhuman or animal characteristics. After 4 years, I had proven research that showed I could adjust human DNA so that humans could live on the sun. The director wanted experimentation to start as soon as possible. That's when the facility started experimenting on adults who needed money for their family, taking advantage of their financial shortcomings. After a couple of years I spoke out and was put in a cell with research participants. 

    They all experienced the process differently. One guy's hand would spontaneously catch fire for about 5 minutes. Leaving him screaming in agony. Others had body parts turn into what looked like flowing lava, but they were alive. One thing I did not take into account is the human pain threshold. While the experiments were a "success", the participants were in constant pain. Some committed suicide in their holding area or bit their tongue off during the experiment itself. All facets of the process were torturous and it was all thanks to me.

    I knew I could fix it. Make the pain go away. I did but the experiment only edged closer to success which is not what I wanted. I wanted the experiments to end. I wanted those people to live to go back home to their families. In the end, they all died. That's when I vowed to complete the research on my own as long as they did not bring another guinea pig in. 

    Fast forward 8 years, I was able to engulf my entire body in flames and use the oxygen output to fly. That is what I was doing when I encountered your lovely voice." He said while gazing into her eyes.

"Do you not see my gray skin?" She chuckled and looked away.

"I see it and I also see someone who I want to protect. I know we just met but if it's okay with you, I would like to keep you company." He said with a serious face.

He continued, "I've been looking for a second chance at life and just an escape from my skeletons. Not sure if those are good reasons for you to accept me but please think about it."

Aiosha stared into Xander's big brown eyes. He was a handsome man. She wasn't looking for a second chance but a way to live the rest of her life on that island, in that personal prison.

    "You can stay for 2 weeks and we will see how things go." She said then winked at Xander.

He smiled big. His teeth were perfect. She could tell they pampered him at the facility, probably to make sure he never wanted to leave. Aiosha looked back at Xander, he made her heart beat weirdly. That scared her more than having him stay in her home.

    "What am I going to do about clothes?" Xander asked.

"Good question. If I leave now I can make it to shore before the stores close." She looked at him for approval.

"Are you kidding? That is pretty far."

"I am a siren, remember? I can swim 4 times as fast as the fastest human. I have the ability to communicate with sea creatures. Like I said before, I have done this millions of times but I normally stay overnight. I am sure I can make it back late this evening though." Aiosha proclaimed.

Xander looked at her with a raised eyebrow then looked back at the towel. It was the only thing keeping him from being ousted as a complete pervert. He smirked and looked back at Aiosha. 

"If you trust in your ability to come back to me..{clears throat} I mean this island, then I won't hold you back."

"Then it's settled." Aiosha picked up her waterproof backpack and verified her wallet was inside.

"Wait. What size shirt and shorts do you wear? Pretty sure that's important." Aiosha giggled.

Xander wrote down his measurements and handed them to her. He was captivated by her. 

"Stop staring. You are making me blush." She said then looked away from him. 

"Oh. Sorry. uhm. okay. I will see you later then." He scratched his head then shyly looked away from Aiosha.

Aiosha made her way out to the dock near her house. She threw her backpack on her back and then waved goodbye to Xander. She jumped head first into the ocean.  

She was leaving her home in the hands of a completely naked gorgeous dark chocolate man. Thinking about his smile made her smile. She should've been worried about her things, or even being found out. But it never crossed her mind that he was out to get her.

    She dove down about 10 feet into the water. She swam the fastest when she was fully submerged. Every time she swam to South America, she ran into a family of dolphins who would travel with her. They were a goofy bunch. They made her swim seem less arduous. 

    This time she didn't need their fellowship to be excited or even motivated. What she felt could only be described as pure happiness. "I wonder how he would feel if he saw my true form." She thought to herself.

She didn't resemble a beautiful mermaid like in the myths. She looked more like an electric eel with large black webbed wings. Most humans would take her for a demon. She looked like a large bat flying deep in the water.   "I wonder what Xander is doing? I hope he waits for me." She thought to herself.

    Xander sat and watched the ocean for a while after Aiosha jumped in. He felt a sense of freedom, he hadn't felt in a while. His luck was looking up. In his heart he hoped and wished that she would accept him. "You just met her. Calm down." Xander said then chuckled to himself. 

    He headed back into Aiosha's house. It was a large beach house. He was sure anyone on the mainland would pay millions to purchase such prime real estate. He didn't want  anyone to know it existed. He wanted her and him to stay tucked away in the shadows of the palm trees and the vast ocean.

    Everything from the furniture to paintings on the walls looked like antiques that you would find in a museum. The large painting in the living area looked like it was a portrait of Aiosha and her parents. She looked like she had barely aged. From the amount of despair Xander felt, he believed she had been alone for hundreds of years.

    Her home was immaculate like she cleaned more than once a day. No dust, not even the smallest particle of sand could be seen. Xander continued looking through the pictures that surrounded the room.  There were so many pictures showing a face that he had not seen from Aiosha yet. She looked like she was having fun being mischievous. Her smile was huge. Her eyes were full of life. The more pictures he looked at the more he could see the light fading from her eyes. Her smile was forced like she didn't want anyone around her to see her pain. 

    Before he knew it, he found himself quickly following the trail of pictures down the hallway. They seemed like a timeline depicting the declination of her happiness. "Did all of these sirens....die?" Xander thought to himself. The closer he got to the end of the hallway the smaller the number of pictures that hung on the wall.  In fact, she was no longer 'photobombing' or even included in the last 50 or so pictures. The people in those pictures also had somber faces like the pictures were for record keeping not capturing a beautiful moment.

    His heart grew cold and lonely. He wanted to hug Aiosha, if she would let him.  The closer to evening it got the more uncertain he became about her making the trip to Chile. He peeked in the rooms and checked out the surroundings quickly. The home had a total of 6 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms. The kitchen was large and full of plenty of pot, pans, and food. 

    She had everything she needed to live a decent life on the island.  Xander looked out the balcony door at the back of the house. He could see other houses tucked into the trees. He had never thought to even look for other houses even knowing that there used to be a whole species living on the island.  He wanted to venture out but the sun was starting to go down and he was wearing a toga, badly. He would get eaten alive by mosquitos or whatever else lived out in the vastness of the forest behind her house.

    "I wonder if she is on her way back," he thought.

After picking out several outfits and some male toiletries, Aiosha was ready to head back home. She left the clothes and things in their bags and pushed them deep into her backpack. She felt faint but she wanted to get back to him. In the back of her mind she kept thinking, "What if he flies away? What  if everything he said was just to get me away from the island."   Aiosha had bought a tofu taco plate from one of the street vendors. She would use  that protein to get herself back to him at all costs. 

She quickly ate the tacos and guzzled a bottle of water. She laid on the rocks next to the ocean staring at the sun getting ready to hit the horizon. She loved watching the sunset. [Tomorrow maybe I will watch the sun rise with him.] The thought made her want to sing and jump up and down. 

    She threw her bag on her back and walked into the ocean. At night she had to rely on her echo senses to get home. She couldn't see in the dark but she always made it back home.

    About 5 miles out she felt herself losing consciousness. She called out to her dolphin friends whom she knew stayed close by. As her body sank to the bottom of the ocean under the weight of the backpack, all she could think was "I just wanted to see him again."

Xander had started pacing furiously the moment the moon touched the sky above the house. She wasn't back and he had no way of contacting or finding her.  All he could do was wait. He laid on the couch in the living room staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He wasn't going to sleep until she was back with him. Soon the sun started to rise, his heart jumped repeatedly in his chest. He felt lost. Every dream that he had from the moment he saw her beautiful gray face seemed to be fading.

    Fear took him. All he could do was cry. He ran out to the pier and called out to the ocean. That's when he saw a family of dolphins slowly approaching the beach. The closer they came the better he could see what looked like Aiosha's backpack. [Oh no...] Xander's heart was working overtime. He ripped off his toga and jumped into the water.