Teen Romance Fantasy

Act 51 (Ty)

Had I ever mentioned how much I hated storms?

When I was just a child, I used to crawl into my mother's bed every time it stormed outside. She would always sing me a lullaby about a great hero, who fought with a dragon to rescue his princess. Since she was gone, Siren took over her role. Whenever Siren's name came up somewhere, I was excited. Whenever she cried, I cried with her. Whenever she was at her breaking point, I wanted to be with her.

Her pain made me forget about my own problems. The storms could not bother me anymore because Siren was just more important. This was most likely the beginning of my obsession with her.

I guess that was why it did not surprise me to see her at our front door that day. It felt like just a minute ago that I had seen her new stream. I was already aware of what had happened. I knew how she felt.

"I thought I should look after you at least." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to appear taller than she really was.

"And?", I asked calmly. She would not look me in the eyes. It was obvious that she was avoiding my gaze or that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. The clothes she wore had been the ones she wore in her stream and the mask in her bag was Siren's, which she accidentally brought with her.

"I didn't know where else to go.", she admitted reluctantly. I sighed.

"I figured. Come in. I made your favourite curry."

We ate the curry in silence. Neither one of us had the right words to start a conversation. Besides, there was not much to say. She ran away from home and I ran away from school. Funny how similar we really were. Still, she was not to blame, unlike me. Running away from your problems out of pity was one thing. Running away from your problems to survive was something else.

"How is school?", I asked to break the heavy silence around us.

"Same as always. Your friends were wondering why you've been absent the entire week." Siren put a lot of stress on the word friends. I was well aware that she meant Eric, Christian, Kadir and Anthony but I did not bother to ask for details. I was way too depressed to be thinking about Anthony. What did I do this for? How was I ever supposed to face Anthony again after what I had done? Kadir was right, when he told me that I only had eyes for Alexy and totally forgot about my friends.

"Have you gotten any closer to Christian or are you still playing pretend?", I asked in hoped of hearing something more pitiful than my own situation.

"What do you think?"

"That he's still nothing more than a pawn to you."

"Ding, ding, ding. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a winner."

I really could not tell if Siren was serious or just trying to mock me. It was not as if I had no idea about her manipulative ways but I really began wondering what she even wanted with Christian. There was nothing for her to gain from acting all lovey-dovey around him. If I did not know any better, I could have imagined her actually falling in love with him but that was not who Siren was.

I knew why Sarah had accepted the freak. It was her way of protecting herself. If she was known as the freak, nobody would try to get close to her. That way she could not lie to anyone about her real identity. Besides, you cannot lose your friends if you do not have any to begin with.

"So... do you want to talk about what happened with Sam?"

"No."

"I'm a good listener."

"No."

I hated her. Here I was, offering to hear her out but she just declined. I let out a long sigh, listening to the ticking of the clock. Why did she have to be so complicated? There was no need for her to come here, if she did not want to talk.

I really did not understand Siren. What was going on inside of her mind? Why did she come to me? Was I some sort of comfort to her or was it that she had different intentions? When I looked into her eyes, I felt as though I was looking at a deep and dark void. Her eyes were telling me that she was empty.

"Can you put on the mask? I want to see you in it."

I never expected Siren to listen to me but once we finished our curry, she chose to wear the mask. It was nothing special honestly. I saw her wear this mask on a daily basis but yet my heart shattered into a million pieces when I saw her like this. Her mask perfectly described Siren.

Black and white. Fancy and elegant. A hidden face on the top.

As Sarah she wore a metaphoric mask. As Siren she wore a physical mask. As the freak she wore a mask to hide herself. Hidden and yet visible. Those masks were such simple things to rely on but at the same time they were a safe space for her. Somewhere she would not let anyone in.

"You look even more pitiful than usual."

To be honest, when I saw Siren like this, I was the one that must have looked pitiful. I was clutching at my chest, watching her slow and gentle movement, as she strolled towards me. In a swift motion she took off the mask. Her lips curled into a cold smirk, as she noticed that my cheeks flushed, when I looked into her dead eyes once again.

"Was that what you wanted to see, mister Wood?", she whispered.

Her thumb embraced my cheek, feeling pleasant and welcome. I felt the heat rush through my skin, tickling me every so often. There was nothing to think about for me. I began acting on impulse, being led by those wild feelings of mine.

My fingertips rested on her lips, slightly parting them. They were soft and moist, the opposite of what I had expected. I used to think that her lips must have been just as dry as her skin but I was wrong. I remember looking at those precious lips of hers and realising just how fucking kissable they looked.

"What do you want from me Siren?"

"Come back to school."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then do it for me."

Her thumb swiftly brushed over my lower lip, while her deep dark eyes were as empty as always. I could not understand how she felt in that moment. Was her heart not beating as fast as mine? Was she not feeling the thrill of the forbidden act?

"Don't stare at other people's lips. It's creepy.", she whispered, as her face was only inches away from mine. Emotionless and empty.

Step by step she walked away but she never turned around. She looked at me until the very end, judging me every second that passed. Her lips were never closed however. They stayed parted and I could not help but thank god for it.