The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Chapter 24

Recap:

The light flashes again and he sees Sirena standing across from the pirate captain. They weren't saying a word, only staring at each other. The captain looks nervous. Sirena looks excited but worried at the same time. She nods and the captain takes a slow step toward her. He places his only hand at the base of her neck and searches her eyes again. She gives him a slight smile and he leans in. The light flashes again and he wakes up to see Sirena leaning over him.

"Hey, can you hear me? Are you there, Peter?"

"You never call me Peter" he groans, his head throbbing for a moment, then he sinks into the blackness.

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Sirena gently places his head on a folded up blanket she kept in the cave, then stands up and starts pacing. "Oh, Poseidon! What am I going to do?" she thinks out loud. She pulls at her hair in frustration, then takes a deep breath to calm herself. "It's okay, Sirena, everything will be fine. First, which potion was that?" She kneels next to the shattered glass and plucks out the label, trying to avoid the shards. "Oh, crap. No, no, no, no. This is very bad. I gotta get him back to the boys!"

She picks up his head and creates the bubble mask for him over his mouth and nose. She pauses to look at the distance between him and the water. "This is going to be easy," she mumbles to herself in a sarcastic voice. She lifts him up bridal style, grunting. "What are you eating, lead?" She finally gets him in the water, then jumps in herself. "Don't worry, Pan. I'll fix this."

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A few hours later, Sirena got Pan in his bed, with some help from a few Lost Boys. Now, Sirena is pacing around the fire, trying to figure out what to say to the boys who are watching her in silence. Finally, Charlie speaks up, "What happened? Is Pan ok?"

"He dropped a potion of mine and is under its effects. I don't know what will happen to him because it's only meant for mermaids, and this bottle was specifically brewed for me. I have no clue what it will do to him!" she sighs, exasperated. The boys are silent, their eyes opened wide with fear. That's when they hear Pan crying out.

Sirena orders the boys to stay put. Running into his tent, she sees Pan tossing and turning, his eyes rolled back as he moans in pain. She feels his forehead and he's burning up. Not knowing anything else to do to soothe him, she starts to sing a lullaby her mother always sang to calm her. It was in the language of the mermaids and she used her siren voice, so it was a powerful remedy. Once Pan had returned to a calmer state, she places a wet cloth on his forehead and leaves the tent.

When she reached the campfire, all the Lost Boys had a glassy look in their eyes. She may have sung louder than she realized. "Boys?" she asks. Some shake their heads to clear them, others get a smack on the shoulder by someone more awake.

Once everyone snaps out of Sirena's accidental siren spell, one of the boys-Chris-speaks up. "You never sing to us anymore. Can you sing us a song? Without the siren voice, though, please?"

Her thoughts travel to how she'll have to leave the boys again, and the perfect song pops into her head. She smiles, nodding and explains, "This is from the Land Without Magic, so you guys might not understand some of it. But here goes." She sits down by the circle of boys and Charlie instantly climbs into her lap with a smile. She gives him one in return and ruffles his hair before starting the song.

"Your little hand's wrapped around my finger and it's so quiet in the world tonight. Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming so I tuck you in and turn on your favorite nightlight. To you, everything's funny. You got nothing to regret. I'd give all I have honey if you could stay like that."

As she sings the chorus, she meets every Lost Boys' eyes with a small smile. "Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, just stay this little. Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple. No one's ever burned you, nothing's ever left you scarred. And even though you want to, just try to never grow up."

"Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room. Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home. Remember the footsteps, remember the words said, and all your little brother's favorite songs," she laughs to the boys. Then her smile turns into a slight frown as the words take on new meaning for her. "I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone."

"So here I am in my new apartment in a big city, they just dropped me off. It's so much colder than I thought it would be, so I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on." Tears start making their way down her cheeks in silence. "Wish I'd never grown up. I wish I'd never grown up. Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up, could still be little. Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up, it could still be simple."

Tears are flowing now, her words breaking off a few times as she sings. "Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, just stay this little." Charlie looks up when a tear hits his face and throws his arms around her neck to comfort her. "Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple. Don't let nobody hurt you, don't let no one break your heart. And even though you want to, please try to never grow up. Just never grow up."

The boys seem to know the right response at the moment, and crowd around her, hugging her as she shakes from her silent tears. No one says a word. Instead, they surround her with their brotherly love. Charlie went the extra mile, wiping her tears away and giving her a comforting smile. Eventually, the tears stop falling, and the boys step back one by one. She gives them a light smile, thanking them without a word.

AN: I did change the song and cut parts out in an attempt to make it shorter and less of a guilt trip for Sirena. This song was in my head all week so I knew I had to write it in. I'm sorry if you don't like songs in the story, but music is a big part of my life, so it's also a big part of my characters' lives.