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⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
It was only dawn when the singing started.
Morning haze had engulfed the world, leaving it wrapped in a blanket of mist. Gem stood on the starboard deck of her ship, the Golden Lady, staring at the early morning sky. She had been a lone pirate for a year at this point, sailing the seven seas without a crew, mapping out the world one village at a time. Around her, the sea boiled, her only warning of what was about to come. She was standing near the railing, eating fresh bread from the bakery she had stopped near the day before, when from out of the mist a melody emerged.
At first, it was only a song- beautiful, mesmerising, but escapable. Gem tensed immediately once she heard it. She had heard enough rumors about siren songs to know how it started, and was instantly on edge. Whatever fate befell those who were killed by sirens was unknown - some thought they ate souls or drank blood, others that they took your voice to add to their songs once you were dead – but Gem didn't want to find out.
She dropped her bread and instantly ran to the steering wheel of the ship, trying to move away from the sound, but it was too late.
The tune transformed.
Where before it was sweet, now each note was sharp. Where before it was beautiful, now it was deadly. And Gem was entranced. She stopped moving towards the helm and stood in place. She didn’t hear the creaking of planks underfoot- or maybe she did. Her mind was more clouded than the sky around her at this point.
And then she was in the water, the cold engulfing her, shocking her nervous system and giving her goosebumps. She didn't remember falling in, didn't remember approaching the railing or going over the edge. Bubbles spiraled around her as she spun under the water, until she didn't realise what way was up anymore. Strangely, she didn't care. In front of her, the water swirled and sloshed.
That's when Gem first saw her.
The siren.
A vampire of the sea, as they were known in some places. She was beautiful. Her hair was long and brown, and flowed around her in waves, framing her face and making her look ethereal. She had pale skin and pointy ears with fishhook earrings in them. Behind her ears, she had large fins, red at the top that bled out to dark blue near the bottom that matched her tail. Her eyes were pale blue, washed out so that when the light shifted under the water, they looked grey. She was also upside-down - or was Gem? She couldn't tell either way. The song cut off once she saw the siren, but Gem's mind was still clouded.
She watched bubbles appear from in front of her - her last breaths.
She was about to die. She felt strangely calm about that. The siren moved closer through the water, inspecting Gem's face intently, as though she realised that Gem was drowning. Her face was close enough for Gem to see every detail, and she thought `oh. So sirens do steal your soul and voice.` But the siren didn't do that. As Gem's lungs burned, the siren's lips met Gem's, and she blew air into Gem's lungs.
When she pulled back, Gem's mind was finally clear. Her eyes widened in shock and fear, and she swam towards the surface, which she now realised was closer to her feet than her head (she was upside-down), reaching for the light that crept down until the water until her head broke the surface with a splash.
Around her, the ocean boiled as Gem desperately looked for her ship. Thankfully, it was close, which was the first bit of luck she had had all day. She swam to it and pulled herself up using one of the ropes hanging over the side. Once she was back on deck, she looked into the water to find the siren. There was no sign of her now. Gem walked over to the helm and began steering to the next point on her map, confused. She didn't know how she had gotten away, or why.
Around her, the mist was thicker than ever, but the sea had stopped churning.