My Myth Love

Chapter One - Witness

It was a nice day outside, the breeze tousling my hazel brown hair as I breathed in the salty air. A good week for a family cruise. It hadn't been my first choice to leave home for a week, but now that I was here, I was thinking maybe it wasn't such a horrible idea to escape from society. The peace and tranquility was soothing.

At least, until my baby sister started crying, and my two younger brothers began fighting over the last slice of cake. Such was the struggle of being the oldest sibling. A moment of peace is unheard of, impossible.

"Ky, get over here!" My mother's high pitched voice broke into my thoughts, shattering the illusion of peace I had. "Watch your brothers, your father and I are going up to the top deck for a while." Sighing exasperatedly, I slunk over to my brothers and sat down next to them.

They were in the middle of an intense staring contest, each muttering insults about the other under his breath. Out of the two, Jimmy and Terry, Terry was on the verge of tears, since the sun was shining brightly into his eyes.

"Terry, stop, you'll hurt your eyes!" I exclaim, turning his head away from the brightness. Both twins blink.

"Jimmy you blinked!"

"You blinked first though! I only blinked because you blinked!"

"Not true, I saw you blink first!" I could begin to see anger building up inside Terry like lava in a volcano.

"Stop, guys! You both blinked at the same time okay? If you start arguing, I'll tell mom, and she'll call the police." Both twins stopped their argument and stared at me scaredly. "Now, how about I tell you a story." I smiled, proud of myself for thinking of the idea. Stories are always nice.

"Ugh, Ky, don't tell us the one about woodpecker again, it's so boring!" Jimmy whined.

"Have you heard about the one with the two brothers?" They both shook their heads. "Alright then. Once upon a time there were two brothers, and they hated each other. One day they were so angry at each other that one moved away from the other. A few months passed, and they realized that they missed each other. They came back to each other, and they apologized. The end."

"But-" Jimmy began to speak, when the cruise ship shook violently, throwing me back against the wall.

"Guys, are you okay?" I asked. No response. "Guys!" I looked over at them, and they were at the ship's ledge, in some kind of trance. I stood up.

Then I heard it too. The music, the singing. The beautiful voices. It called out to me, begging me to join them. Them? I stood and walked closer to the edge. On an island sat four astonishingly beautiful woman, no, mermaids, their voices purer than gold.

A splash.

When I looked to the right, the twins weren't there. Worry began spreading through me, but the sweet music stopped me from fighting back. Another splash. This time when I looked back at the water, I saw my father swimming towards the island. Splash. A baby girl fell into the ocean. My sister. My breath caught in my throat. I tried calling out, but the music intensified so much that I barely heard the final splash.

The voices surrounded me, and I longed to join the mermaids, more than anything, even if it meant losing my life to the currents. I tried jumping overboard, but my shoes were caught on something, not permitting my jump. I pulled harder, the voices beckoning me powerfully, but I couldn't jump, and I felt it's driving me mad. The beautiful woman, I needed them, I needed to be with them.

Forever.

The ship shook violently again, throwing me backwards against the wall. I hit my head, pain shooting through me.

Then all was darkness.

I woke up the the sound of people, lots of people. My vision sleared, and I saw helicopters in the air, ships in the water. I stood up and scrambled over.

A rescue party.

Then it hit me. I looked back at the island, but the mermaids were gone. I cried out for my family, but I heard no response.

They were all gone.

I choked put a sob, my entire family lost to those monsters. It was purely luck that I didn't go with them. Someone grabbed my shoulder, startling me. It was a member of the rescue party.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" I responded mutely by putting a hand to the back of my head where I had hit the wall.

Tears rushed down my cheeks.

"M-my family..." The officer sighed, her facial expression showing nothing but sorrow.

"I'm really sorry, kid." She helped me to the pathway between our two ships and we crossed it, leaving the last traces of my family behind.

A few days later, after the hospital discharged me, I was called to the police department, and they sent a car for me. I got down at the police station, and was quickly beckoned into a conference room. A few minutes later, two officers walked in, a man and a woman.

"Hello, Kyoto." It had been a long time since I was called my full name, and it felt strange, almost nostalgic. "I'm Dana." The woman said.

"I'm Max." The man said. "We're here to ask some questions about you family's death. As the sole witness do you swear to speak the truth and nothing else?"

"I-I do." They nodded, exchanging a glance,

"Now tell us, beginning to end, every detail."

So I did. I told them everything, without missing a single piece.