Serene Of The Sea

11. Blend

Fire, all consuming. The man on the dock no longer stood alone with flames at his feet. The unmistakable silhouette of Dax lingered behind him, whispering words of encouragement through the inferno. I was being dragged towards them. A sickening smile spread over Dax's stony scrutiny. I broke the lethal gaze and looked down. In place of what should have been my tail, my legs flailed uselessly. That's when I realized I hadn't been breathing. I expelled the air and awaited the cooling ocean. But instead of the welcoming embrace, it cut into my lungs like a razor, searing my insides. I tried to scream, only to sink deeper, reaching desperately for my father on the dock. But he only watched, his mouth forming the words, "You don't belong."

I bolted upright in my bed, clawing at my chest, gulping the air. For a moment I didn't know where I was. I stared blankly across the strange, silver lit room. Slowly my memory filled in the blanks.
You are Serena. You were betrayed by humans. Now you live at the bottom of the ocean in a city of sirens.
I slowed my breathing, trying to stop the trembling. Burying my head in the soft pillows I struggled to rid my mind of the nightmare.
It took a while to get a hold of myself.
Then I rolled over, placing my toes onto the cooling mosaic tiles.
I padded over to the stone banister. Lifting the netted veil I climbed onto the wide lip, leaning my back onto the archway, taking in the city below me in its full glory. Nothing much moved in the silent warm air. But it was truly magnificent. Barely a sound to disrupt the ambience, except my own heartbeat pulsing in my ears. In my palm the skystone glittered, hypnotically twirling inside itself. Then something in the vortex inside it began to change, shifting the colors and movement. It grew brighter and brighter, until my eyes watered and I couldn't look at it any longer. The crystals in the ceiling of the cavern followed suit, shifting into their false sunlight.

Blinking the black spots from my eyes, a strange sound passed into my ears. At first I couldn't make it out. A lone voice, far in the distance. Then more voices joined the alien call. At first I thought it might be the voices of man, coming to the depths to continue their haunt. But soon I realized it was singing, with no words in the odd melodies. Though each call that joined was completely different from the one before, they blended together in an awakening harmony. It grew in volume and texture until hundreds of thousands were lending their voice to the throng. I could only listen in awe.
The surreal moment lasted no longer than a minute before one by one the voices faded away. When it finished I saw the specs of sirens leaving their houses, signaling the beginning of the day. So much for lie in's. I thought to myself.

"Good morning," Anahi's bell like voice rang through the room. She hadn't bothered to knock. I turned my head, not moving from my spot. Today she wore a soft pink dress, her golden curls pinned up on top of her head.
In her hands she held a soft green fabric, "I thought I would bring you something to wear. As I couldn't help but notice you still wore your human clothes to dinner last night."
Walking over to the unmade bed she placed it over the headboard, quickly folding the sheets back to their original state, as if I had not slept there.
"Thank you." I mumbled, trying not to be offended.
She nodded at me, moving to back out of the room, "You should bathe before joining us downstairs. It's something the Seniman's pride themselves on. Cleanliness."
Disappearing behind the curtain I breathed out my growing frustration. If I wasn't certain she didn't think I was one of them, now she had made herself clear. My dream flashed into my head. The seed of doubt now planted in my subconscious.
I moved from my perch nimbly, observing the rock bath. I made sure no one was in sight. It felt awkward with the lack of privacy the curtains offered. When I was sure I was alone as I could be, I peeled off my soiled clothes and let them fall to the ground, dipping my toe to find the water surprisingly pleasant. Submerging myself into the hot waters I immediately relaxed, realizing it was in fact, salt water. It soothed my worries with its oceanic caress. I lay there in the salty warm, letting my thoughts wander.
I couldn't grasp why Anahi sought to get on my bad side. Though I knew I had a firm usage of passive aggressiveness in my time, my reason to use it had been for protection. Why did Anahi want me to feel unwelcome? I hadn't done anything to cause her distaste, as far as I was aware.
I knew I would have to face her downstairs. My bathing quickly turned into stalling.
Stop being a chicken. I scolded myself internally.
With leaden steps I dragged myself from the comforts of the water. My hair fell over my bare shoulder like a mop as I wrang out the water from it, letting it drip on the mosaic tiles. The air was humid. By the time I got to the bed my skin was almost completely dry already. The green silken dress hung over the headboard. Despite the amount of material, it was as light as a feather. Pulling it over my head, it hung around my body like mist, waving at the slightest breath. The fabric was surprisingly freeing. I could barely feel it on my skin.