Beyond the Song

When I close my eyes, can I pretend that this world is a fairy tale that will always end happily ever after? When the Heroin meets the Prince Charming or the hero, or whatever it is, that will help me and ends up on a aisle? Getting married like a dream come true. That all the hardships that i did will be repaid with a definite happy ending? Unfortunately, life is not that easy.

Life is not about someone being born and signing a happy contract at the end of their life. Life is not that simple. Sometimes they'll die before they're even born, or moments after they've seen the world, but haven't had a chance to say a single word, or... become one with the waves and the ocean. As in what is currently being shown on television.

The cigarette that I lit was only half gone. The cigar fell to the floor, but I only inhaled it once. My attention was too focused on the unfortunate people jumping off that cliffs, or the sinking ships in the ocean. Like their lives worth nothing.

Too many deaths in the ocean in the past month.

The news reporter on the television was explaining what the hell is happening in that place, based on the results of the interview with the local police, when Aiden grabbed my chin and took me in a demanding kiss. His hand reached for the remote and turned off the television, making the quiet room silenced.

He stopped kissing me, but I could still feel his breath on the corner of my lips.

"Let's not waste our time with that sad news, Vynnia!"

I chuckled. "Too much death, Aiden. Too close."

"Really?" He muttered skeptically.

Aiden was not one to mourn. He was not one to stand at a funeral and speak favorably of his dead acquaintances, and talking about sweet lies about them. Especially when the news involved people he had never met. The only thing that would catch his attention was when it had an impact on his business.

I don't blame him. Most humans are like that.

Greedy. Selfish.

They will devour everything in their favor. They will destroy anything that stands in their way.

Aiden Russ is living proof of all the mortal sins that humans can have.

It doesn't matter. It will only make things better, because I won't have to feel guilty when all of this lies over.

I gently reached for his chin, feeling the soft skin of the chin that was neatly shaved every morning, feeling it with my fingertips until it stopped under his lips.

Aiden smiled.

I mumbled a chant.

Slowly, I got up from my seat. The half remaining cigarette fell to the floor. Forgotten.

I didn't stop the intoxicating murmur of singing. Aiden took my hand and kissed my knuckles gently. His expression slowly changed as if I had just choked him with slugs of vodka. His eyes lost what humans call consciousness. Only focused on me. Desiring. Drunk. Stunned.

Losing himself.

I smiled.

I could order him to slit him own throat, and then he would kneel down and do it happily. Asking me the approval of what he did. Like i was his Goddess.

I am.

I slowly pushed him onto the sofa and sat on him lap. Slowly kissed his chin, cheeks, and the tip of his nose. The man just sighed without being able to say anything.

"Aiden," I murmured. My singing echoed. "Do you love me?"

My heart is beating too fast. I need this. I want him to melt and murmur intoxicating words of love. Love that feels a poison that i will happily take.

"Yes."

My hand clenched on his shoulder. "Then give me your wealth, Aiden."

When in the end, I left with a wad of money and a new car, I knew my ability had not faded at all. The ability to bring people, especially men, to their knees. To my singing.

Siren.

That's the word that first popped up in my google search ten years ago, when I first realized my singing could get people drunk and ultimately happy to do anything for me. To pray to me, like i'm sort of goddess who descended from the heaven.

Today, I'm 24 years old and I use my singing to live.

In Greek mythology, in the Odyssey, Sirens were depicted as half-bird women who lived on the steep rocks. They would sing and tempt sailors to take their ships to the rocks and sink.

Other tales say the Siren is a half-fish woman. She is similar to mermaids, but while mermaids are depicted with incomparable beauty and pearls, Sirens are cruel creatures who will drown sailors with their intoxicating songs.

No matter where the legend comes from, the Siren is a cruel and evil creature that will tempt humans to their death.

I am a cursed creature that will lead humanity to its destruction.

My hands gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.

I don't like it.

That thought soon disappeared when I finally arrived at Petra's workshop.Petra was stunned when I arrived with a new car. My high school classmate laughed. Her brownish, oil-soiled hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She was pretty. Way prettier than me, but Petra never used her beauty to attract men. She never use it to deceive them. Even so, not a few men were captivated by her.

Those poor, stupid men were flatly rejected.

"You've only been dating Aiden for three days, and you've already bought a car."

I shrugged. "I simply asked. He gave me.""

Petra laughed. But her laughter soon stopped when a man tapped her shoulder. The man was tall and stocky, probably reaching 6' 3" with biceps bigger than my thighs. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off him when our eyes met. Blue eyes that made me feel like I was looking at the ocean in the middle of the day.

Beautiful. So damn beautiful.

However, no matter how beautiful he is, no human being is truly perfect.

Behind those eyes that looked so captivating, I could feel the cruelty behind them, as if those beautiful eyes had seen too much. As if he had been through too much. Perhaps, the long scar on her left cheek held various tale that were told.

"Hey!"

His baritone voice startled me, but before I could think he was talking to me, he had focused his gaze on Petra. He pointed at her right hand, and we reflexively looked down.

A little kid? Eight years old, I think. A little girl with a big smile. Her eyes flashed with the cunning of a mischievous child. I don't think, it's a good think to bring this kid anywhere.

I looked at her again, then at the little boy again, before turning back to him. "Your daughter?" The girl didn't have the beautiful eyes like this stranger, but who knows, right? "It must have been hard to have a daughter when you were young. Early marriage?"

"No." The man growled in annoyance. It is wrong for to think that that growl was so sexy. "I found this kid running around in the park. I'm new in town. I don't know where the police station is and people will think I kidnapped her if I bring her there myself."

"People do like to think badly, but hey, maybe not all, as a proof, I thought you were the father."

"Doesn't make things better."

"I guess." I extended my hand to her. "Vynnia." When she just stared at me, I added, "Kane. She's Petra Young. Daughter of the owner of this workshop, but technically, she's already managing it fully."

The man grabbed my hand. Oh! His hand was so rough and I could feel the prominent scars. He then shook Petra's hand. "Kenneth."

"Just Kenneth?" Kenneth did not answer. "Okay, Ken Doll."

Her eyes looked at me sharply. "Don't!"

"What are you doing here? Enjoying the beach?"

Kenneth snorted, but before he could reply, the sneaky little girl ran away after snatching Kenneth's wallet.

Oh shit! That is the bad feeling from.

It was not that she took Kenneth's wallet that was the problem, but the girl running towards the highway, with cars speeding by. Without even looking at it. Some were able to avoid her, but the one car that was headed towards the little girl did not slow down.

Kenneth tried to save the girl by running into the street, but that would only get them both hit.

I grunts. "What a stupid prick!"

Petra yelled next to me.

"Shit." I growled. I didn't like using my singing like this, but I had no other choice.

"It's an order! Look to the streets and avoid them!"

The squeal of brakes echoed. The car didn't have enough time to brake, so it slammed the steering wheel and slammed into my car with a loud noise. Destroying both cars. However, I didn't have time to worry about my car.

It was because Kenneth was staring at me without blinking. The frightened little boy was on his left hand, while on his right hand, the tattoos were starting to fade.

My mouth suddenly felt dry.

I've heard of people like him.

Hunters.

Damn. That explains everything.

The posture, the wound, the eyes as bright as the midday ocean that seemed to have seen too much, the rough hands.

When Kenneth walked towards me with the little girl in his arms, his eyes did not stop looking at me.

"You asked me why I came to this town, didn't you?" he asked, stopping right in front of me. I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. "I was looking for the birds."