FIFTY-THREE | SIREN SONG

"Does anyone ever get lost out here?" I ask Mikyle, trying to break the wall of ice between us as we head back to the house. The trees seem closer together in this area of the forest, almost like well-placed and staggered posts to block anyone's view straight through in any direction. It's not natural, the area I'm sure we passed through before wasn't like this.

"Not vampires, but there have been some disappearances of unsuspecting humans and puppies over the years." Mikyle smirks, a dark glint lighting up his dark red eyes for a split second. I narrow my eyes at him, frowning.

"Why do you hate them? Wolven?" I'm sick of his attitude towards my other half.

"I don't hate Wolven in general. I *dislike* certain Azures. Though I do *hate* the Reiniers, now that you mention it." Mikyle replies thoughtfully, turning back to study the trees.

"Why? I mean, I kind of hate them, too, but what've they done to you?" I question, a little surprised by his quick response.

"They hurt you." He shrugs, still not looking at me as we weave in and out of the path of the trees. I stumble a little, taken by surprise yet again. Though, nothing he say should surprise me anymore. *Why's he been acting so weird?*

"That's...you've got a twisted sense of loyalty." I mutter, regaining my balance and trying to keep up with him, but he seems to be moving even faster. Now I'm only able to catch up with the path of disturbed earth or the edge of his shoes. To top it off, there's now a heavy mist clinging to the air and making the air heavy. I curse under my breath when his presence suddenly disappears all together and freeze. "Mikyle?" I call, jerking forward and searching for my shadow. *Nothing*.

My heart thuds in my chest, confusion and a strange anxiety twisting at my stomach. I continue in the same direction, thankful we were traveling in a straight line - aside from weaving between the clustered trunks. But still, I can't find my shadow.

"Mikyle, this isn't funny!" I yell at the trees, my frustration warping into a more intense fear. My fingers begin shaking and the muscles in my back begin pulling against the bone. I let out a hiss that sounds oddly cat-like as a blanket of red coats my vision. My footsteps become faster, lighter and my breathing turns shallow and quick. With each new gasp of air I take in, a lingering burning sensation prickles at the base of my throat and spreading down into my lungs. Soon it's like I'm choking on water, unable to breath, but almost like something clogging the airway.

I fall to my knees as my crimson vision swims-

"Scarlett? Hey, I'm right here." Mikyle is there, not six inches from my face, grasping my shoulders, eyes bright red and wild. "There you are." He closes his eyes for a second, relief coating his face. I blink, finding I'm suddenly able to breathe again. I gasp, clutching at my throat only to find the collar of my hoodie is soaked in something warm and sticky.

"Wh-a-?" I sputter, tasting bitterness in my mouth.

"No-no-no, don't try to talk." He warns me, pressing his cold hand to the spot I was touching. Pain streaks through me and I make a gurgling sound instead of the scream I thought would come out. I feel my panic rising again when I realize he's covering some sort of deep wound. "Calm down, princess. The siren's gone." A fresh wave of confusion over-takes me and I feel my lips moving as I try to ask him what the fuck a 'siren' is.

"Long story, princess. Not one I want to get into right now." He rolls his eyes and looks around. The forest looks different. More...normal. The pattern of the surrounding trees is random, not in the strange neat rows like before. "This should be healed already," Mikyle grumbles to himself, his eyes back on my neck, brow twisted. He looks like he's ready to kill someone.

Then I note the large amount of blood on his white button-down shirt. There's only a couple spots of white left on the once-spotless linen - the rest are varying shades of red. My eyes fall on the shredded thing behind him, the scent of salt and decay wafting from the mangled thing with scales. I only manage to smell that much before my insides feel like they're being frozen from the inside-out.

My muscles start tensing along my spine, cramping and spasming like before, only twice as tightly now. I grit my teeth, concentrating on the combination of torturing sensations before making drinking gestures at Mikyle.

"What?" Mikyle frowns at my jerky movements as I pantomime popping a cork and draining a vial. I roll my eyes and swallow at the strange mass in my throat.

"Potion," I manage to garble in a rough, wet whisper. Something hot comes up and bubbles on my lips, dripping down the side of my mouth. The cold inside starts spreading faster, now using my veins to course through me.

"Don't talk. I already tried that." Mikyle squeezes on my throat, making my head swim...though maybe it's the loss of my own blood that's making me dizzy? "I don't understand why this isn't healing." He grumbles to himself. "I didn't want to have to call him, but I guess we don't have a choice." He lets out a sigh and looks around. "Hale!" There's a second of silence, and then my father's suddenly kneeling in front of me, his face stiff and jade eyes filled with concern.

"Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her, Mikyle?" Hale growls, narrowing his eyes at my shadow. I cringe, trying to shake my head, but Mikyle squeezes my neck even tighter, trying to keep me from moving.

"I was- I didn't think the Reiniers had access to a siren-" Mikyle replies stiffly, glaring back at me. "Stop moving!" He hisses at me.

"Siren?" Hale asks slowly, his face getting a little pale.

"That thing," Mikyle nods his head over to the decaying pile of flesh and eviscerated whatever the hell that thing, *siren?*, is.

"They- are you sure it was a siren?" Hale questions, glancing back at the remnants of the body.

"I got a good look, Hale. It was from the Isles." Mikyle replies firmly. "She's not healing!" He grumbles, squeezing tighter on my neck. I feel something warm tickle the hollow of my collarbone, like the warm water from a bubble bath. My head begins feeling fuzzy again an the men's words begin to fade, as if I were walking away from them and towards utter silence.