the siren † john seed

24

•

Liquorice Converse laid down on the grass, beside Faith Seed.

Per usual, Liquorice was questioning her identity. She wondered if she should just come clean about herself to Faith and everyone else who knew about her.

She desperately wanted to. She felt cornered by her identity. She was afraid.

"Who is Liquorice?" Liquorice thought out loud, Faith hearing this.

"You. You're art, you're unique." Faith replies, stopping between words. "You're Liquorice."

Liquorice smiles.

"Liquorice is a candy thing, though."

Faith sits up. She looks at Liquorice with the most innocent face, Liquorice quickly sitting up too.

"Stop this, L. You've been being nothing but mean to your name lately." Faith pouts before pulling the woman into a hug. "I love your name."

"I don't."

Faith pulls away from the hug, the same pout set lightly on her lip.

"I mean liquorice is a weird thing to say now." Liquorice admits, fixing her own hair.

"Now?" Faith asks, slightly tilting her head in confusion.

Liquorice could feel sweat building up on her forehead. She realizes what she had said, her stomach dropping.

She sighs through parted lips. "Faith."

"Don't tell me. Your name isn't Liquorice Converse."

Liquorice nods sadly. She had a frown on her face as she watched Faith's eyes.

"I don't love you any less, like I had mentioned." Faith smiles sweetly. "Liquorice is a very pretty name to come up with. Tell me about when you first became Liquorice, L."

Liquorice looks at the blue sky. Her throat felt dry.

"I remember being in a field. Dylan Browne had cone out of nowhere and introduced himself." Liquorice recalls the memory of seeing Dylan Browne for the first time and winces. Faith grabs one of her hands, and holds it. "I remembered my cherry twizzlers back at home."

"Where did Converse come from?"

Liquorice smiles at this. Faith was innocent and delicate, Liquorice didn't want to tell her.

"I pulled it out of the corners of my head, I guess. When I had come up with it, I had a pair of light blue converse on." Liquorice says, a white lie coming from her mouth.

"I recognize the way it rings." Faith states, repeating the name Liquorice Converse.

"I guess you've gotten used to it." Liquorice says. "What about Faith?"

"What about it?"

"You once said Faith Seed wasn't your real name." Liquorice remembers the time she had first tried telling Faith about Liquorice.

"It's real enough for me."

Liquorice fixes the lace on her dress, her eyes on the girl.

"Did you come up with the name yourself?" Liquorice asks.

"No. It was given to me, like your necklace had been given to you." Faith smiles, adoring the way the necklace looked on Liquorice's neck. "I was honoured the moment I was given the name Faith Seed."

Liquorice remembers when she made up Liquorice. The name was carved into her identity messily, the name barely covering up her past identity.

"I so very envy you."

••

Liquorice hoped. Hope was dangerous when it came to her. She was ready to have her dreams shattered in her face, but she still hoped.

She plucked the petals off of a deep red rose, waiting for a phone call indicating that John wasn't busy anymore.

She wondered briefly about her mom. Liquorice's mom used to go out to their garden and tend to some red roses, the memory bittersweet as she thought about it.

It had a heavy feeling attached to it.

"You look sad." Faith purses her lips, Cherri resting in her arms.

Liquorice nods. She glances to the once occupied bird cage resting on the counter, the emptiness making a lump form in her throat.

Faith sits beside Liquorice, the sound of Cherri purring the only noise in the room. She catches Liquorice staring at the golden bird cage.

"Don't be sad about Icing. He was sick."

"My mom used to have a birdhouse by her porch." Liquorice turns to look at Faith, wanting to tell Faith about Carmen Willow. "I didn't live with her, but I miss her so much."

Faith rests her head on Liquorice's shoulder, still rubbing Cherri's little head.

"I burnt her pictures, F." Liquorice suddenly felt tears well in her eyes. "I burnt them."

Faith adjusts herself on the couch. "That's fine, it's sometimes the best thing to only remember them in your head. You don't need validation like a picture when you know they exist. I think it's so bittersweet when you can't remember them, but you still can."

Liquorice swallowed every word Faith had said. As she thought about her mom more, she realizes her mom isn't what she had been. Her facial features changed in her mind.

Liquorice and Faith talked until dark, about nothing and everything. Liquorice told her more about her family, and Faith told her little about her past.

Liquorice felt compelled to tell Faith about Carmen Willow.

——