The Sirens Four

Chapter 9

Flecks of moonlight lit up the surface of the water. Sandra dove down deep, each shadow of the underworld surrounding her, the blackness covering every bit of rock, coral, and plant that light could not pass through. As a mermaid, the young girl had the ability of a fish, meaning that she has a lateral line that ran down her body that houses the neuromast, an innate talent to sense all things around her in environment at night.

Most fish in natural settings do not receive much light, as they do in an aquarium. Water depths are deep and dark, and fish need a way to find food and shelter. Those from deep water have eyes that are suited for such dark environments. Aquatic animals, in general, live in a different light atmosphere than terrestrial species.

Since water absorbs light at decreasing depths, making things less visible, the optical properties of water differ in wavelengths of light being absorbed at varying degrees. Hence, light absorption at multiple depths will affect any animal on land from seeing anything underwater. Neuromast cells within aquatic creatures provides undersea living things to move around when there is very little to light beneath the surface of the water.

For Sandra, it was like having night-vision sonar, she could see the schools of fish, crabs walking across the sea bottom floor, and an eel or two, hiding and hunting for food near a tiny, hidden crevice. The experience, to say the least, was just too surreal.

"Hey, you're holding up the line." Calliope joked, her tail bobbing up and down in the water. "Don't you have some place to be?"

She almost forgot. Sandra had enjoyed swimming so much that she nearly lost track of time.

Behind her, Callisto and Calypso, caught up.

Bubbles shot all around them, as they propelled forward, to get to shore as soon as possible.

Sandra noted how beautiful her sisters were. Swimming with such grace as any dolphin, their fins curling up and down, then from side to side.

"Hurry up slowpoke," Calypso teased. "You're going to be late."

"Calypso's right, Sandra." Callisto agreed. "We don't want your aunt and uncle to be mad. They'll wonder where you are and where you've been."

Sandra sighed. As much as wanted to explore her new mermaid abilities, she needed to get home and come up with an explanation for her tardiness. She wasn't sure if she was ready to take on any punishments. Then the realization hit.

Oh God, Patrick!

Chip mentioned something about hitting him over the head and stealing his phone. She hoped he was all right.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Calliope said, noticing some concern in Sandra's eyes.

"I'm worried over Patrick." She confided. "Chip said he knocked him out. I'm hoping he's okay."

Callisto jumped in. "I'm sure he's fine. Sea demons have an arrogance about them. He would have boasted about murdering your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Sandra argued.

"Not yet," Calypso smirked. "Now that you're a mermaid, you're hot enough to get any guy you want. Call it a siren's gift."

"Siren's gift?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. According to the ancient legends, sirens have this ethereal presence that when combined with a song we sing, we can enthrall any men out there. It's sort of like, hypnosis. You innately seduce any of the male species. It's one of the perks."

"Is that why you chose Chip and Otto?" Sandra snorted.

"No," Callisto interrupted. "That was stupidity on our part. Being idiot human girls, we fell for the jock types. I don't think that will happen again. Lesson learned."