The Siren's Call

Chapter 8

The sound of Ashlynn's tail thumping was louder than usual, gaining a few looks from the other young sirens surrounding her. Today was the day. Ashlynn was no longer a child, she was finally 18.

"It's the excitement," she told herself. It was a lie. As much as she had dreamed of this day, the anxiety of it finally having arrived hit her like a boulder to the head. No, it was most definitely the attention. Being in the spotlight like this made her much more nervous than she was excited. At the very least, none of the older sirens were questioning it. It was normal to be nervous about these types of things.

While that remained true, it was a bit different for Ashlynn. Sure, she had to sing lead vocals this time, but the times that a young siren wrote her own song for her birthday were very few and far between. To spare herself some of the anxiety, she told one of the elders about the song beforehand, so that they could teach the other sirens in preparation. She hoped it wasn't too much of an inconvenience for everyone else.

Ashlynn had to force herself to stop thumping her tail. She couldn't stay here and dwell on those thoughts forever. She had to get out there and sing, or the other sirens would cast her away. She would have to hide away for the rest of her life. No one could avoid the coming of age ceremony. Ashlynn couldn't take that risk. If she was made to hide away, she would never see Arthur again, and she wasn't sure how Hannah would see her afterwards. And her dear old mother, how she would worry. She didn't want to think about all the trouble and embarrassment it would bring to her mother, having her daughter be an outcast.

All of that didn't have to happen, though. It was her responsibility. Bringing herself out of the spot she had been in for the past 20 minutes, she approached the center of the crowd of sirens. The world seemed to slow down. Ashlynn shook her head. If she was going to do this, she needed to be in her right mind. It was time to start the music.

She spared one last glance to her mother at the edge of the crowd, Hannah located next to her. They were all waiting for the beginning note. So she began. She held one note, so that the others could join her. When all of their voices joined together, she took the lead. Her heart was thrumming in her ears, but she continued anyway.

Arthur was sitting just out of view at the edge of the pond. She knew this, but she tried not to think about it. If she did, she was sure she would stumble. Ashlynn didn't want that, she wanted this to be special for them. The thought of Arthur's proud smile eased her nerves as she let her melodies flow from her lips. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted to be proud with him now that their song had been fleshed out like they had hoped for.

"I feel your heart,

when I can't see you.

You are my light in the dark..."

Ashlynn felt her chest swell with emotion. She could hear every siren's voice in unison. Her voice became stronger, and she resonated with every word that passed her lips. She had come so far in the past few months. Where would she be without Arthur? She would still be pulling her hair out. She would still be trembling outside of the crowd. He and Hannah gave her the strength to perform for the biggest moment of her life to that day, and for that, she would be eternally grateful.

She could feel the support from her peers in every note that they sang around her. They were all proud of her, and she could tell. She looked around at them, seeing all of their smiles. They were all happy for her. Ashlynn smiled at them in return. She had never felt such genuine love for her people before. They were all there so that when one stumbled, they had someone to lean on. They may not have seemed like it before, but when it came down to it, they all wanted the best for each other. Ashlynn began to swim above the crown of sirens, leaving them to support her even in her absence. The music never stopped, however. She swam closer to the surface, knowing that Arthur could hear her. She wouldn't breach the surface, but she intended to let him know that they did what they set out to do. They had gotten this far together, and she couldn't wait to see his excitement when it was all over. Bending backward, Ashlynn began to swim back down to her people, each note tapering off as she let the song come to a close.

The whole pond lingered in silence for a moment. Before she could see it coming, the cheers of the other sirens erupted around her. She grinned wider than she ever had before, exchanging warm embraces with several of the other sirens. She found that a few of the males had come to watch the performance as well, bringing some of the children with them. Ashlynn made her way to the edge of the crowd, finding her mother and best friend among the cheering people.

Her mother immediately caught her in the tightest hug she could possibly give, making her chuckle. One look at her face told a whole story on its own. Her mother looked several years younger, and she looked happier than she had in years. The pride shined from her smile, and the sight made Ashlynn want to cry. She hadn't let her mother down, after all.

Hannah embraced her the moment her mother let go, a rapid succession of trills and clicks flying from her tongue. Ashlynn hugged her back, squeezing tightly.

"We did it, Han!" she smiled, before leaning closer to whisper in her ear. "How about we pay him a visit when all this calms down?"

Hannah nodded rapidly. They broke their hug only after Ashlynn's mother called out to them. They would be having a big dinner back at the cave. Her mother looked so excited, Ashlynn couldn't possibly say no. She supposed Arthur would have to wait a bit. He wouldn't leave her yet, she was confident. He would understand.