siren// tyler joseph

one

it began in the ocean.

the day was beautiful. perfect. almost a little too perfect. you were out on a yacht, celebrating the wedding of a distant relative in your family. they had a lot of money, so it was pretty extravagant. fancy decorations, exquisite food, and you couldn't even count how many people were here. you were meeting cousins and members of your family that you hadn't even known existed before.

you were hanging out with your cousin when it happened. the sky had suddenly faded into a dark gray and the waves were becoming taller and taller. at first, it just looked as if a thunderstorm was coming. but eventually the waves rose so high, they splashed over the edge of the boat, flooding the entire floor.

people began to notice, so they hustled to safety and tried calling for help. after a few minutes, it had turned to total chaos. you were still with your cousin, trying to find a safe place to stay. meanwhile, the waters only became more rough.

you got a glimpse of the ocean below you. around the boat, the water seemed to swirl, creating some sort of whirlpool. more water was flowing in, and the boat was becoming heavier and heavier. you didn't think it could've been possible, but the boat was sinking. the last thing you saw before you blacked out was a gigantic wave wash over the boat.

but somehow, you survived.

you woke up on some rocks, the ocean still surrounding you. you weren't alone either. the faces of four other strange girls looked over you, rubbing your arm and putting your hair back into place. and...was that a tail? no, it couldn't have been. you were confused, to say the least. where was your family? where was everyone on the boat?

"who... who are you?" you stuttered out, the taste of salt water stinging your tongue. you were freezing, your entire body was still soaked with water.

"i'm callista," the girl who was rubbing your arm said. she had wavy dirty blonde hair that went down to her hips, and teal eyes that seemed to match the color of the ocean. "we saved you from the wreck."

"thank you," you managed to choke out. "but... where's everyone else?" the girl frowned, putting her hand on your arm once again.

"they're gone. you see, we're sirens, we're required to cause these accidents. the ocean wants us to. sometimes we can save people, so we chose you," she explained. your heart dropped at that. they saved you, and only you. everyone you loved was gone, so what did it matter if you were saved? "but... to stay alive, you have to become a siren as well," she finished. "a one hundred year sentence, but you don't age a day. when your time is up, you get to live a normal life again. however, your memory of your life as a siren will be erased."

you thought about it. you could've told them to forget about it, to drown you right now. but maybe they picked you for a reason. maybe there was still something out there for you, something to live for. and besides, being twenty five years old for the next one hundred years couldn't be as terrible as it sounded, right? so you nodded your head, accepting the offer.