SEND TO SAVE ME

~The one who drowned & the one who dived~

"Sail ahead." one of the fisher's men called. The waves told heavily against the rocking boat, I had to keep my balance carefully. Almost being launched at the edges of the ship.
A hand grabbed my shoulder, holding me upright. "Keep it together boy, this is going to be tough." an old man with a blind eye and crooked teeth warned me.
"Nothing he hasn't experienced before, shadow has her way with toughness." a drunk voice sang in despair. Winking at me.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Doesn't mean you can't tumble with the boy."
"I don't do tumbling, Johan! But slicing your throat I can do." she drew the chopping knife from her waistband where once rested her light yet deadly dagger.
"I should keep her close, a tumble at night and a woman in your arms at dawn will do you good." the blind-eyed man smiled.
"Trust me I know my way with tumbles and love." I pulled the man away resting my back against the damp wood of the mast.
The cold autumn air bellowed through my hair, and the brown-yellow, and red-colored leaves flooded onto the waves of the harbor. The screams of a drinking rounded out by the water, yet still present in the wavering storm.
~~~~~~~~~

As we neared the scream I noticed, crumbled rose petals mixed in with the soaked autumn leaves. Father has told me about the human world and rose pedals. I'm the only one who can see them declaring a lustful night. Pink for making love. Red for pure lust.
I like the pink ones...
But these rose pedals were as red as the blood stains on shadows knife, the velvet of her cloak.
Ancestors what happened?!
"Help, help me." the voice was familiar in my mind.
"Connor?" I whispered into the void of darkness storm.
"What?" shadow looked over the edge to the waves, following my gaze.
A mob of dirt blond hair smudged with the water. A stretched out hand reached for help.
"That is Connor, I know him." I turned to shadow.
Connor was dragged under the waves.
"Who is the best swimmer here?"
"We're sailors no divers."
"You're kidding me Johan?" shadow shot him a look of discussion.
He heaved his shoulders.
"I'm going then." she stripped from her cloak not bothering to take off her other clothes.
The men on deck cheered yet sounded disappointed when she left her clothes on.
"Uhm no, let me." I grabbed her shoulder before she could dive.
"I got this." she nodded at me before disappearing with the wild waves.
The song agàpa me, agóri twirled against the wind.
Sirens...
My stomach folded upside down.
The sailor men heard it too, rushing towards my side, as a shadow popped her head back up from the water, inhaling deeply and diving back in.
"I maybe take a look too." the blinded eye man slung drunkenly.
"No." I snapped.
"It's a beautiful song, the voice sounds a little young tho."
"I can work with a young girl." another man laughed.
My head started to ring, and frustration and too many incentives crawled through me.
These men!
Father has warned me about over-sensitivity when it comes to toxic environments. A lot of masculinity and trash talk about love can tire me out so much that I will pass out.
I started to breathe.
In and out... Slowly.
I shook the negative thoughts off. "Don't listen to the song."
"Jealous, boy?"
"Trust me this has nothing to do with jealously, thank me later for saving you all." I imagined a closed-off room with high walls to protect everything in it.
Then the void formed.
~~~~~~~~~

It took a long time for shadow to come up again. My heart aching in my chest. Waiting for her to reach the surface again. Nothing, the surface of the waves, we're covered by rosebuds now.
Flowering love... Or flirting for lust.
The pink buds bleed to red darker red than blood.
Nonconcential... Rape
Shadow still didn't come up.
Connor was forever dragged under.
Jump!
And I did
The water felt like ice, a million needles of numbness sticking into my body. The void of protection vanished from the ship.
I swam towards the rosebuds coughing and sputtering as salt met my tongue.
When I was in the middle of crumbled autumn leaves and rosebuds, I dove under. Seeing a swarm of light coming towards me. Ropes of seaweed veins teaching me curling around my limps. I gulped a mouthful of water. Yet it didn't reach my throat, I breathed through it, like a fish.
Like a siren...
A siren girl let her hand fall to her side, Grinning at me.
Shadow was at the bottom of the sea. Blood seeping from her leg, chest, and limos strangled with the veins.
I gasped softly, the song still wavering in the distance. My hand found the charm linked to my necklace.
Connor sat crossed legs on the sand of the sea, calm. Laughing with a dark-skinned siren. An arm wrapped around her waist, and her fingers touched his chin softly. All to distract the fact that he was forcefully held down by veins. Blood leaking from his arms.
"Connor."
"You're so pretty where did you learn to sing so beautifully?"
"I was born to sing I was born to love you... Love me boy." she leaned closer to his lips.
"Connor." I yelped out.
"Shawn hey isn't this place beautiful?" he smiled not looking away from the siren.
"We need to go." I stretched my hand out for him.
"Why I could live here if I wanted."
"Connor please I need you to help me with something."
"I'll always help you, new friend, always." he nodded at the siren.
She let him go snapping her fingers, the veins fell limp to the ground.
Connor fell limp too body giving out on him.
The siren girl from before rushed towards him holding him in her arms. "What did you do?" she yelped to the older girl.
"I did my job."
"You dragged him under, I had to seal his lips before he died, you didn't even seal the lips of his friends... I did that." she wiped the blood from Connor's skin, gazing her fingers over the scarred spots.
"Who are you?" my voice was trembling.
"Ocea." she smiled at me. "Is this your friend?"
"Yes his name is Connor, can you help him up I need to take care of something." I looked down at shadow crumbled to the sand.
"Be careful the sealing won't last long longer." she heaved Connor over her shoulder.
"Just get him to the closet Fishersboat." I nodded upwards and watched her go.
I moved to shadow, pulling the veins from her.
She reached for the knife at her side, still holding her blood-soaked leg.
"Not just yet, shadow."
"Did we save your friend?"
"I'm here now, no need to worry."
"I don't want to die." her head swiped from left to right taking in the eerie place, the dagger charm on her necklace lifted into the water.
Protected by Erica
"I'll make sure I'll arrange a memorable funeral for you." I smiled crookedly, taking her in my arms. Swimming to the surface.
I gasped as the cold air met me again, trying to find my normal breathing again. The light of the fisher boat gleamed against the darkness. Ocea dragged Connor over the edge of the boat.
Johan caught my eye. "Heavy them up boys." he nodded at ocea.
She bonded the ropes they tree out around me tightly. Disappearing into the deep water again.
~~~~~~~~~

"Come on girl." Johan basically leaped shadow around like a rag doll.
"I'll be fine." her voice was weary.
Before the others could dwell I pulled her towards me, dragging Connor with me.
"Sail to shore," I commanded. Pulling up the protective void over us.