siren// tyler joseph

three

"what's got you so happy?" pandora asked as you sat down next to her on the leather couch. you had just gotten back from your walk, and the only thing that had been on your mind since then was the boy who had written his number on your arm.

once pandora said that, the other girls all looked over at you, probably noticing your small smile and how you looked a bit more excited than usual. "yeah, what's up with you?" elara asked.

you shrugged. "it's nothing. i just saw a cute dog on the beach," you replied, not telling a complete lie. jim did in fact captivate your heart, and you would've loved to see him again.

"what's that on your arm?" ashley asked, leaning over to read it. "is that a number?" you nodded shyly, hiding your arm so they couldn't read anymore of it.

"a boy's number?" callista asked. you nodded again. "you know how the ocean doesn't condone relationships. don't be falling in love," she said, only half joking. but it was true. the ocean would never save a wife or mother from a sinking because they wouldn't be able to bear the pain of being separated from their husband or child. so, basically, you were forbidden to fall in love. however, you had only just met tyler, so you found the thought of the both of you falling in love to be ridiculous. you didn't have to worry about falling for a boy you didn't even know.

"he only gave it to me so he can send me more photos of jim," you informed them, to which they all looked at each other with confused glances. "it's tyler's dog. well, actually it's josh's, but tyler was playing with him," you explained. you smiled, thinking back to the small conversation you had with him. it was times like these when you really wished you were able to speak. in fact, you just wished you could've been human again. you still had to serve the ocean for twenty more years, and then you could be free. but twenty years was a long time, especially when you were forced to take lives.

you eventually went upstairs to your room, picking up a pen from your desk and grabbing your journal you had kept hidden in your drawer. you didn't want any of the other girls reading it, it'd be too embarrassing. you had been writing in a journal since this whole ordeal started, and it was an easy way for you to drain out your thoughts.

you opened to the first page, reading the first entry you had written in it. it was dated to about a few months ago. this was the twentieth journal you had. and it was no surprise, considering you had been writing everyday ever since the beginning. you even had them all saved in a box, they were too precious for you to throw them out.

january 1st

today's the first day of the new year, and i'm not exactly sure how to feel. every day of this life feels the same anyway, so what does it matter if i celebrate this holiday? the only joy it brings me is knowing that i'm one year closer to being free.

but even then, when i am free, i forget everything. i know i always talk about how straining this life is, but i don't hate every aspect of it. the other sirens are practically my sisters, and i love them wholeheartedly. i don't want to forget them.

and even though they're my only friends, i don't want to forget the other memories i've made. small conversations with strangers, cute dogs that i've pet while walking down the street. those are the things i hold on to.

i just don't know how to feel about any of this anymore.

you sighed, flipping through the many pages until you reached a blank one. you brought the pen to the page, tapping it against the desk as you thought about where to begin.

may 1st

i met a boy today. tyler. i know, this sounds like the beginning of a romance novel. but i try not to think of him like that. it'd be foolish of me. i only just met him.

but when you're restrained from talking to people and forming actual relationships, you feel it when there's a connection. and i don't know what it is, but his smile just made me feel warm, like an instant happiness sparked inside of me. it's not that often i feel like that.

i'm glad i'm good at remembering faces, because if i ever see him again, i'll recognize him immediately. the image of his face has lingered in my mind ever since he looked at me. his eyes strangely resembled jim's. big, brown, and adorable. i have to admit, he's cute.

i really hope i can see him again. he lives in ohio, i think. columbus ohio.