Siren's Song [h.s.]

01

I sigh, looking out the window as some cheesy pop song plays on the radio in the car.  We've been on the road for hours now, and I'm exhausted. California is all grass, fields, mountains, and cows, contrary to popular belief. The closer we get to the west coast, the more humid it becomes.

My dad rolls down the windows and opens the sunroof.

"Girls, we've officially made it to the West Coast! Smell the salt water, listen to the seagulls!"

My older sister Oceana eagerly puts a bookmark to hold her place in her thick Encyclopedia of Aquatic Life and closes it shut, placing it next to her and looking out the window.

This is her dream.

I roll my eyes.

Yes, it looks nice here. Yes, I'm kind-of-sort-of excited. But I miss my hometown on the quiet east coast. I miss my friends and all the places we'd go to. I miss the memories we made.

California is cool, but it's not the same.

I turn up the volume on my phone and bend down to dig in my bag before pulling out my sketchbook and my favorite pencils.

If I'm gonna live here, I'll need to get used to this place. And the best way to do that is to draw it.

Lucky for me, our new home is a beach house; so I won't need to sneak out far.

I open my sketchbook to a new page and look out the window at the hills of sand and grass and water below. I let my hand wander over the page as I get lost in the music and the landscape.

My family is obsessed with anything marine, my parents being marine biologists and literally being the CEOs of a marine organization and all. Save the Oceans Cor., the company my parents founded to do more research on marine life and provide help on cleaning and saving the environment. Oceana grew up obsessed with anything sea-related, but I didn't really inherit that trait. I enjoy the ocean aesthetic and going down to the beach, but I'm not into it like they are. As an artist, I like what's on the surface. And I don't mean just on land, but instead of looking deep and studying everything, I just like to draw it.

I look up from the drawing on my lap and notice we've already arrived.

I sigh as I put my things back in my backpack and get out of the car, slinging it over my shoulder. The first thing that hits my nose is the salty-scented air of the Pacific Ocean.

Dad puts his hand on his hips and looks out at the oceanview with a smile. "Welcome to California."

I roll my eyes and open the trunk to pull out my suitcase. Our moving container won't get here until tomorrow, so for now the only things we have on us are what's in the car. I might as well go pick my room before my sister hogs the best one.

Thankfully, she's too distracted taking pictures of the new wildlife and plants. She's pretty into that stuff so that should keep her busy.

Mom walks over and helps me take out the remaining baggage.

"How're you doing, sweetie? I know you weren't particularly excited about this move, but try to look on the bright side."

I huff. "What's the bright side, Mom? I left my whole life behind in North Carolina."

Mom looks at me sympathetically. She glances back at Dad before turning back to me and lowering her voice. "I know, Delphie, and I'm sorry. But since we're here at least try to warm up to the place. You never know, you might like it."

I cross my arms and look at the ground, thinking about how I could possibly ever get used to leaving my life behind all the way across the country.

"Just try, for me...Please?"