Siren Bay

IV

December 15th | Sixteen Days Until NYE

I jolted awake when my phone vibrated beneath me, quickly twisting and turning off the alarm before my friends woke up. Blinking rapidly, I shook aside the dream of dark water and glowing stars, and took a moment to collect my thoughts. The cool air-conditioning gently ruffled her unruly hair and the room was covered in shadow.

Wake up at 2am. Sneak out of Benji's house. Go to Siren Bay. Don't get caught.

Sighing, I looked to my left to see Leah's thick lashes flutter in slumber, her long brows wild from a restless sleep. Benji, on my right, slept on his back with his mouth open wide. His light snoring luckily covered the sound of my vibrating phone.

I slowly removed my arms from my sleeping bag, and drew myself out in time with Benji's snores, thanking my friend for his loud nature even when unconscious to cover the sounds of escape. With an eye on Leah, the lightest sleeper I knew, I gently breathed out in relief when my feet emerged and I could stand, taking a few silent steps away from my friends.

Halting for a moment, seeing them sleeping peacefully with no idea what I was doing, guilt anchored in my belly. I'd promised myself after my eighteenth there would be no more lies, no more secrets, but the last one I kept before my vow was the biggest one of them all.

I had to go to Siren Bay, where it all began, to know whether my secret was worth it.

Walking to the bathroom to quickly throw on a light jumper over my summer PJ's, I kept reminding myself of my promise, my friends and family, and hoped they would remain oblivious - they wouldn't forgive me if I was caught.

I picked up my sandals and phone, checking one last time that my friends were asleep, before venturing to Benji's front door. They never locked it so I could sneak back in, but I still grabbed the door stopper from the corner of the hallway and held it close.

The door handle ticked in the silent night as I pushed it. I winced, moving slower, before finally opening the slick door completely. The hot summer air brushed my legs as I moved and closed it once outside, the cool air from the house following my betraying steps. I bit my lip when I shoved the door stopper underneath the hinges, leaving it just off the cusp of completely sealed.

I waited for a moment, scanning the dark home, and let out a breath of relief when no lights came on and no sound echoed in my ears besides the nocturnal life around me. The rest of the world seemed to pause and wait for my next step.

Go to Siren Bay. Don't get caught.

The night air was warm and comforting but the darkness bit at my skin as I walked down the path to the deserted bike in Benji's garden. Carefully moving it away from the fence, I set it on the road and rode down to Siren Bay. My heart was pounding in my chest as I cycled down the winding roads to the beach, my hair loose behind me. The wind tugged at my clothes, trying to push me back to my friends, but my heart was buried in the waters of Siren Bay.

The streets bathed in shadow were identical to the night of my eighteenth six months ago. I swallowed as the memory slapped me in the face. Twisting around the bends on Maureen's bike, following the same route I'd taken yesterday with Leah and Benji, but also the same as my birthday.

I'd been crying, my chest was cleaved in two. A broken-hearted girl in a glitzy party dress running barefoot through the streets to her only solace - Siren Bay.

I hadn't returned to the shores for two days.

Until today, months later. I was breaking my promise to my parents sixteen days early, lying to my friends, but I couldn't explain why. The last secret I was keeping was the most dangerous of them all.