Sirens Walk Among Us

Sweet little Evelyn looked in the mirror at her seven year old reflection.  Brown hair, freckles, and one missing tooth, she was an adorable sight to behold.  In her arms was a tattered, leather-bound book with pages barely holding to their place.  It was her favorite book.  It was from Maria.

To everyone else, Maria had been a crazy old hermit and a hoarder to boot.  To Evelyn, she had been her closest friend since the girl had moved in to the house two doors down from her.  Evelyn enjoyed Maria.  Maria believed in all sorts of mythical creatures and magical lands that most adults would find silly.  She would tell Evelyn about the sprites that inhabited the forests of Ireland and the great Megalodon that secretly still reigned over the oceans. She spoke of witches, werewolves and vampires.  But out of all the creatures she spoke about, the siren interested Evelyn the most.

"Do you know that sirens don't just live in the water?" She would say, "Sirens can change forms and their song can trick the senses.  They could make you think that you were a bird if they wanted too!" She would exclaim with her arms lifting towards the ceiling.

Her theories on sirens were incredible.  Sirens used to live on the jagged rocks of the ocean because sailing ships were needed in life and they carried many delicious men aboard.  It was simply a smart place to be if you wanted the guarantee of a filling meal.

But sirens, Maria would say, had began walking on land when ships stopped being the main form of transportation for humans. They thirsted for human life forces and would take whatever form in whatever place in order to have their meals.

Maria also claimed that they didn't just consume the life forces of men.  Any human life force would do.  Although, most didn't eat children, though the reason was unknown.  It happened on occasion but was a rare thing indeed.

Maria's stories didn't scare Evelyn; she wasn't your normal seven year old girl.  She liked hearing the lore and Maria's theories. As a gift, Maria had put together the large leather book on sirens with decades of her research. Oh, Evelyn enjoyed Maria... but all good things had to come to an end.  Maria died at the ripe age of 87 and now all Evelyn had of her was the messy book and her memories. 

"Remember child, "Maria would say, "If you trust your instincts and stay on your toes, you are less likely to be tricked!"

Evelyn repeated those words in her head as she stared seriously at her reflection. You see, Evelyn knew in her heart that she was facing a danger. Evelyn's knew her new teacher was a siren.

She was sure of it! The woman was unnaturally beautiful with long auburn hair and grey eyes. Everyone felt an immediate trust for the woman.  Everyone but Evelyn.

Ms. Flynn was her name. To most, she brought a sense of safety and warmth; a non-threatening perfection. No one questioned her; not even the adults.

But Evelyn had seen her true colors. Evelyn had seen her take over the minds of her students.  One day, Evelyn and her peers had all come to school knowing they had a math test. Ms. Flynn went to the dry-erase board and went on teaching as usual.  A tubby boy named Scott raised his hand meekly.

"Yes Scott?" She said in an almost therapeutic voice.

"Wer-weren't we going to have our test today?"

The other kids glared, all hoping Ms. Flynn had forgotten about the test. She looked at Scott and slowly said "We've already taken the test. Haven't we children?" She looked up to the rest of us as she said the last part.

In unison, all the children dreamily said "Yes Ms. Flynn.  We've already taken the test." And they all believed it; all of them except Evelyn. She knew the truth.