The Siren's Last Song

With him, I am whole; with him, I am home. On an uncharted island somewhere in the south-east hemisphere of the earth, inhabits a small colony of Sirens. No humans have ever declared this land, but not for a lack of effort. Our colony goes back thousands of years. Humans don't understand anything about sirens, they think we are vile creatures who kill for fun. That misconception is why we keep humans far away from here. For our protection and theirs. We are a proud race who will defend ourselves to the death. Sirens are mystical beings, our songs contain the most potent form of magic. A siren's song is how we find our soulmates. That song can only be heard by one individual, everyone else will simply hear a hypnotic trance that lures you into a state of self-mutilation. We only sing to protect, or call out the ones who possess the other halves to our souls. I am an outcast among others. They seem to see me as intimidating or cruel, but I know this is far from the truth. I merely keep to myself after learning not everyone can understand the individual that you are, so I would rather stay secluded than have constant misrepresentation. The waiting game for my eternity has been a tremendous one. Every night after most have gone to sleep, I swim hundreds of miles out from our isle to a lone protruding rock under the moonlight and sing my song, hoping he will come. Shots Fired The morning that followed started in utter chaos. Everyone was in a frenzy over a ship on the horizon. Our people hadn't had any explorers come this way in years. As I approached the crowd that gathered, it appeared it was a ship that could hold around 50 men. I found myself oddly excited, I had this feeling in my stomach that burned, bubbled, and tingled all at once. I have never felt this way before. I have lived over a hundred years now, and not once have I felt this way. Something big was coming. Everyone was anticipating what was going to arrive. It could be simple explorers discovering what they believe to be an uninhabited island, or it could be this colony's demise. From our calculations, the ship would be arriving in about three days. We had to prepare for any scenario. The plan was typically always the same in these circumstances; stay out of sight and prepare for the worst. Most human men tend to scout around for treasures or just to claim land for no other reason than status. The ways of humans have always been so curious, the things they value could not differ more from sirens. Our way of life is harmonious. Living for constant conquering sounds exhausting. Living for the beauty of life and all that it has to offer has always been the priority here. I laid on the beach feeling the waves wash over me in rhythmic strides as I let the flow of sporadic intrusive thoughts swarm my mind. I could not stop the never ending questions in my head about what could possibly be coming. I was lying there watching the sunset when my best friend Cora swam up to me and, without a word, sat next to me. After a few minutes she let out a sigh and said "Aika, do you think we should be worried about this ship? Something feels off ", I looked over at her with her long brown hair tussled all around her with a worried look in her amber eyes. "Something does feel different about this ship, I can't put my finger on it, but I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way." She then got this bizarre look on her face with eyes gleaming, "You really are stunning" she beams. I blushed and told her to shut up. She laughed and said "No, really, your long black hair and green eyes are mesmerizing, not to mention basically everything else". I've always had a hard time accepting compliments from others. Seeing myself as beautiful is not a strong suit of mine. "So did you come all the way over to me just for flattery?" I asked teasingly. She rolled her eyes and said "I'm worried about this ship, I know things should be fine, but what if something bad happens?". "What do you think could happen?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What if they discover us and kill us all?" she said with eyes wide. "Dramatic much?" I retort, "I understand the worry of uncertainty, but we can't assume it's a malicious event". The male sirens around did have a habit of trying to earn my favor, even knowing my song would never be for them. Others have told me I drive men wild knowing they can never have me. In my room in an underground cave, I have collected many unique oddities. One of my favorites is a large, elaborately decorated mirror. I would stare at my reflection trying to see what others claimed to see. My long dark hair flowed past my hips, my tail a deep metallic black, my petite frame made for speed. I'm one of the few sirens who are unmated, which bothers me sometimes. I'd stare at my large, deep green eyes searching for anything. That night, after Cora went to bed, I took my nightly swim out to my rock. The crisp night air gave off a light breeze while the waves lapped off the rock and my long tail. As I sang, I saw a light in the distance. I immediately hushed myself to listen to what was coming. A sharp chill ran down my spine as I realized I was hearing voices speaking. I snapped myself from my frozen state and dove back into the water. How were they so close? I couldn't stop myself from swimming up to the ship to get a closer look, it's been so many years since I've seen a human. And there was something drawing me to them. Emerging from the water at the stern of the ship, I can now clearly hear the voices conversing with one another. All on board seemed to be male, they were laughing and hollering about everything. The heavy smell of rum emanated from them. Swimming around the ship, I saw there was a small window near where the water line was. I peeked inside to see a man sitting alone writing inside a book. His face was very concentrated but full of wonder all at once. I was entranced by him. He was handsome in a rugged but somehow gentle way. As I watched him intensely, he turned his head and made direct eye contact with me. I don't think I've ever swam away faster in my entire life. When the morning came I swam as fast as I could to Cora's place. I had to tell her what I had seen. I burst into her room, eliciting a hiss from her surprise. "Calm yourself, it's only me" I stated. "What's the big fuss?" She asked, looking at me like a crazy lady. To be fair, I have never been one for mornings and she knew this. "I saw the ship", I blurted out. Her eyes grew wide with shock, "What do you mean you saw it?" she asked. "I was out quite a ways last night when suddenly I saw a light and heard something. I realized it was the ship we had seen. I had to see". I looked down as I said the last part. "What did you do?" she exclaims, "What if one of them had seen you?". "About that...." I trailed off. The look on her face didn't need words. "Tell me everything now" she demanded.