The Sirens Four

Chapter 1

Atlantis, Florida

10 years later

Zee ees Cassandra Shan weet National Geographic Magazine, and we are exploreeng za eloosiv orca in eets natchooral abitat een zee Artic Ocean. Notice how eet unts for eets prey zee sea lion...

"Hey Jacque Cousteau, that stuffed killer whale is not going to stock itself on the shelf."

"Sorry, Clee," responded Sandra placing the stuffed animal on the display shelf. "Didn't mean to have too much fun with the toys!"

Only a part-time retail worker at the theme park she worked at, the teenager wanted to make a good impression. According to her job application, she sold herself as a godsend to have for the company and her boss, Cleito Richards, seemed impress by her skills. She didn't want to let her down.

Thankfully, Clee's giggle made Sandra feel more at ease. At fifty-three years old, salt and pepper hair tied in a bun, and some distinguished wrinkles, Cleito, simply Clee to her friends, must have been a great beauty in her day. Sandra made a mental imprint in her mind of what she might have looked like. Creamy pale skin like white sand, light blonde hair that radiated like the sun and blue eyes the color of the deepest ocean. The woman could've competed in Miss America back in her time. But she wasn't going to tell her that.

Clee seemed like the type of woman who fought off many male suitors with a stick. Rather, a large bat to be exact from all the female pheromones she emitted. You would have to be blind, not to notice the older male customers looking at her in the store. Sandra hoped some of those pheromones would rub off on her.

As a sixteen-year old in a small coastal tourist area in Florida, Sandra Shan felt out of place as the only person of Asian descent living in a tiny town called Atlantis. Population: 500. The entire town had been founded by the Gregory family who owned a slew of profitable textile factories near the city of Miami.

According to the story, the town's founder Mitchell Gregory had been an amateur explorer hailing tales of discovering the lost city of Atlantis, before returning to America where he created a successful factory operation near the coast of Florida. Since Mitchell grew up in a small town, he wanted to raise his family and descendants in a similar fashion establishing Atlantis in the process. Later his family would exploit the town for profit by focusing all its attention on the tourism trade by advertising the beautiful beaches and creating a nautical theme park called Poseidon's Cove under the guise of a sea life conservation sanctuary. The propaganda worked as visitors came to the town in droves, ten to eleven months out of the year.

Meanwhile, Cassandra Shan, or Sandra as she preferred to be called, moved here with her a family to be the latest suburban casualty. As an Asian American orphan, and the next social pariah, absorbed the awaiting hell that surrounded her. Sandra could certainly be outfitted with the Scarlet Letter branding but instead of an A for adulteress, substitute an L for loser.

Her long black hair, dark eyes, and light olive skin paled in comparison to the other Caucasian residents living in Atlantis. African Americans made the second majority and a few of Latin descent finished up the rest of the inhabitants of the location. Other than her Uncle Lee, Sandra felt like the only Asian minority outsider in the town. It sucks to be me! The school year had not started yet and already she dreaded attending Gregory High.

"So, how are you and your family adjusting to Atlantis?" asked Clee as she opened a shipment of souvenir mugs.

"We're doing okay," said Sandra. "After three months of unpacking, my aunt and uncle seem to be settling in just fine. Uncle Lee's boss seems to be impressed by his work at the brokerage firm and you know Aunt Brit seems to be hitting it off with the park employees as their new HR rep. It's really different from Portland, I can tell you that."