A Siren's Sorrow

7

I look around the room, a myriad of faces returning the gaze. "So, you must be the one we heard Calling us these past few days." One of the girls states in a thick Gaelic accent and a sad smile. "Pardon me, I should introduce myself. I am Aileen and this is my brother, Connor."

"Gee, thanks for taking care of that for me." The boy next to her grins jokingly. "What my sister neglected to mention is that despite the fact we're twins, I'm clearly the more charming one."

The comment brings a laugh tumbling from my lips, which I quickly realize is the first time I've laughed since becoming a Siren. Except, now it's not a light, pretty sound, but the same mangled noise that I make now. It makes everyone turn to me if they weren't before.

"Do you mind if I ask—?" Connor starts to question, but the words quickly die as he's unsure how to finish.

"Madame Vitario took her voice." Ben whispers to the rest of the group, who all nod somberly, but there's no form of pity in their eyes—only a bitter understanding.

The girl with ebony hair leans forward and places a hand over mine. "Well, you're in good company now. Each one of us has suffered and been robbed by a Madame Vitario. We're all searching for answers too. Hopefully you'll let us help you?"

I tilt my head when she mentions 'a Madame Vitario.' Theta seems to have the same question, which she doesn't hesitate to voice. "It's a long story." The ebony haired girl, who quickly introduces herself as Sophie a moment later sighs. "There's no proof to any of it, but when we met, we all realized that the woman who changed us wasn't the same person. She had different eyes and hair. Not to mention, some of us were too far apart for one woman to do it all."

"Too far apart?" I question with scribbles on the quickly filling slip of paper.

"You didn't tell her?" Aileen snaps as she turns to Ben with a cold glare.

"There wasn't exactly a good time to bring it up." He counters.

"I'll take the honor if no one else will." A rugged boy around my age interjects.

"Monty, don't. You'll only frighten her with your exaggerations." Aileen scolds in a tone that's almost motherly. "She needs to understand, not be frightened with you making it one of your stories."

"I promise to present only facts. After all, I'm the eldest. It should be my responsibility to do these things." A Cheshire Cat grin spreads across his face while the others collectively sigh and groan. "What Sophie meant is that we're all much older than we appear. For example, while I may be perpetually trapped at sixteen just like when I was changed, time has marched on. People have gotten older, and places have changed a lot since eighteen seventy—six, I believe."

My world spins at the words, and I clutch at the armrests of my chair in an effort to keep from tumbling out of it. "Monty, why must you always be so dramatic?" Sophie sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Monty just laughs and shakes his head, which sends his blonde curls right across his forehead. "I can't help it. It's a natural talent that even the Madame couldn't take away form me. I don't get why you're complaining. At least, now she knows."

Ben just offers me an apologetic smile. "Okay, that's enough. The point is while we don't understand everything about being a Siren. One thing we've learned is that from the moment of our transition, we stop aging.

"Aside from that, there are a few things you should know—even if you decide not to stay with us." His words weigh heavily as they ring in the air. "We can tell you everything we know—as little as it may seem—but there are some things that we discovered are unique to each of us."