The Sweet Lullaby : a Watersong Fanfic

Growing Urges - Ch. Four

Gemma woke up while it was still dark out, and she barely made it to the bathroom in time. She leaned over the porcelain bowl, retching up what little contents she had in her stomach. It was Friday, and the last time she'd eaten anything was the contents that Penn had handed her.

It had scared her when she actually enjoyed eating the weird-meaty substance. After, seeing Penn comfort her, it had dislodged any ideas of Penn not caring. Gemma had seen a new side to the leader of the sirens, and she didn't know what to think.

Once she'd finished throwing up, Gemma leaned back against the tiles of bathroom wall and tried to catch her breath. Her mind swirled, dizzy and aching for more of the meaty substance.

A shower seemed like the best solution. It wouldn't completely erase the way she felt, but it might ease her sickness a bit.

Outside, the sky was starting to lighten, and dim blue light spilled in through the bathroom window. Gemma decided to leave the light off, preferring the semidarkness.

When she turned on the faucet, she kept it cool, even though she still had the chills. The cold sweat left her shivering. But she thought a cold shower might clear her head, instead of thinking about the need for more, and the way her body had felt.

Standing under the spray, she found it hard not to sing. She hadn't sung since she'd accidentally called to Alex back at her house in Capri, and she'd nearly hurt him. Even worse, it had left him more susceptible to the other sirens.

So though the lyrics played on her tongue she had to bite her lip to keep them from escaping. Gemma didn't sing. She was too afraid of accidentally luring another guy into her crazed-up life.

If Sawyer weren't living here with them, she might have been tempted to try a soft lullaby or humming to herself. But it was bad enough that Penn and Lexi had him wrapped around their fingers. Gemma didn't want to control him, at least not yet.

The shower was not helping, although her body craved the water, tap water was only second to the call of the ocean. Normally, when we skin got wet, she'd feel this fluttering sensation in her legs as they tried to transform into a tail. It wouldn't work, not fully, because only the ocean induced the transition.

Gemma moved into washing her hair, an she caught herself humming despite her attempts not to. The sound of the running water would probably drown it out, though, so she decided to go with it.

Her voice was soft at first, then she began to sing louder. Gemma, washed her hair, something tangled in her fingers. She pulled her hand out to inspect it in the ever-brightening morning light. It was a whole clump of her own hair, and Gemma yelped in shock.

She reached up and pulled at her hair. While she'd never considered herself particularly vain, the sight I her hair falling out was a terrible shock. It wasn't about the way she would look so much as that she associated hair loss with people dying, like cancer patients.

The shower curtain flew open, and Gemma hurried to cover herself with her arms so she wasn't standing there so exposed. Penn stood on the other side of the tub, and her face was one of knowing. She didn't look mad, but her face had a hint of worry. Which surprised Gemma.

"Gemma, when did you swim last?" Penn asked. Penn grabbed Gemma, as Gemma almost slipped out of the tub.

"Is everything ok, babe. "

"Everything is fine Sawyer, now go back to sleep. "

"Gemma. "

Gemma couldn't hear Penn. The ache to swim, but also the hunger for something more overruled everything. Gemma, weighed the cons, she didn't think Penn liked Sawyer enough. So, she gave in. Her feet carried her over to Sawyer, Sawyer smiled at Gemma. Clearly, under the spell of the Sirens.

"Gemma, you need to give in. Your dying, and you can't have any supplements. Your going to feed for real. You need to get away from all emotions, and give in to your inner beast. Then, you can truly become what we meant for you to be. "

"I know, hopefully Sawyer isn't a big of a loss?" Gemma surprisingly found herself saying with confidence.

"He isn't. But, he will be sorely missed. He was the longest surviving guy that Lexi and I had the pleasure of knowing. " Penn explained.

"Gemma, it's alright. "Lexi explained.

Gemma drowned out the others, and focused on herself for once. Listening to what her body needed, and she then, began to sing. Luring Sawyer into her grasp.