Chapter Seven

I spent the majority of the next day sitting by the edge of the ocean, impatiently waiting for the humans to leave. I had already called Garret to come feed my pets while I was gone. He's the only guy I'd trust to feed my animals while I was away. He'd probably know what would happen to him if they were harmed in any way. I can tell you this much, it wouldn't be good.

Of all the days the beach could be crowded it would be today when I had to travel to Lumina. Why are there so many humans here?

The swelling waves washed over my legs, sparkling in the sunlight. I was wearing a black tank top that was starting to feel really hot against my skin. I had a cheap lavender bikini bottom on, ready to take off at the first sign of vacancy and shapeshift. I was practically glaring at the group of girls floating leisurely in their bright green tube rings.

“I just love the ocean. I could literally stay out here all day.” An unnatural blonde girl said with a happy sigh. Her sunglasses were white rimmed and huge. It made her look like an insect.

I growled internally. This group of girls looked like they were pretty content to stay on their floats all day just as she said. I was getting really irritated. I glanced to my right, seeing several children screaming and splashing each other. They were boogie boarding with their dad.

An hour went by, and the girls still haven't moved from their spot yet. They were bronzing in the sun without a care in the world. Didn't they get sunburn? Their glorious tans annoyed me. I will never look like that. I'm stuck looking like a pale freak for all eternity. “Get out of water you UV ray resistant mutants.” I mumbled quietly.

The boogie boarders had already left the ocean, but then another family full of children took their place. Why, oh why does this have to happen today? My house was the least crowded beach spot for miles, otherwise I'd try to dive somewhere else. Other places around here are extremely touristy.

Time was running out, and the Coves were several miles away from the shore. I wanted to get this over with. If I waited any longer, I would arrive around dusk. Prime feeding time for sharks wasn't exactly my favorite time of the day. Sharks usually leave Mers alone, as well as humans, but there was just something unnerving about being around sharks during a feeding frenzy. Accidents can happen. Probably not around me, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'd just have to make this swim with humans surrounding me.

          I stood up, watching the gentle waves smash against my legs. I moved closer to the basking group of girls. If for some reason I couldn't control myself, I'd rather it be the tanned mutants than the children. No, but seriously, there wasn't anything funny about what I was about to do. I shouldn't make jokes about this.

          Taking a moment to calm my quivering, anxious body with deep breaths, I headed out towards the ocean. I forced my way through the crashing waves, walking deeper and deeper into the sea. I stopped when the water was about to my neck. I took one final glance around my surroundings. I wanted to make sure I was utterly prepared and ready for this.

          The four teenagers were still basking in their floating tubes several yards away from me. My eyes scanned the glistening water until I saw the family. The little kids were pretty far away from where I stood. I'd still be able to sense them after I shapeshifted, but it wouldn't be nearly as potent as those girls. Their eyes were directed towards the shore. I didn't think that anyone even noticed me swim out here.

          With a final breath, I quietly slipped under the water. I causally took off the purple bikini bottoms and let the waves drift them away. It would be hilarious to watch someone discover them and make up steamy stories for why they thought a pair of bikini bottoms were in the ocean.

          I relaxed my body and let go of my human form. My legs started to tingle, sending silent vibrations through the sea. The slits down my neck suddenly ripped open, and I took several deep breaths, readying myself for the big one. The Crest came to life against my chest, emitting a faint dark blue light that only happens around humans.

          It slammed into me like a powerful steam engine. I literally started to choke from the force of the taunting energies that crashed into me at that moment. The Crest started throbbing against my chest, painfully demanding that I swam over to the mortals and suck out the life from them.

         I gripped the sides of my head, trying to distract myself from the delicious auras. They were all around me. With a dark look, I glanced behind me in the water. I could barely see the bottom of several legs, leisurely kicking and stirring up sand. The ring of energy surrounding the teenage girls shifted with their movements, showing a beautiful luminescent aura. The human's legs were practically glowing with their vibrant energy and life force. My Crest throbbed, almost like a heartbeat, begging me to swim closer and relieve the blinding pain with the promise of a mortal's life.

          Before I could listen to my less noble side, I quickly swam further and further, taking me away from temptation's path.

        I was very deep in the water by this point, and I stopped swimming, taking several deep breaths to calm my nerves. I glanced down and noticed that my navy blue tattoo was no longer glowing its deathly shine.

        Once my thoughts were cleared and pain free, I realized that I could feel both of my sisters through the bond. Once again, Chloe must be in the water. How odd? She was swimming last time I shapeshifted too.

          I continued my journey to the Coves. Queen Atargatis had arranged a safe location and personal home for us Sirens to have as a luxury for being the Protectors of Lumina. These were called the Coves. It was just an underwater sea cave that was private and meant for a living area for Sirens. Each of my sisters have one. Chloe's is located in the Pacific ocean west of South America and Tiresias' is located north of Antarctica. Unlike Tiresias, Chloe and I lived on land and rarely used ours for any long measure of time.

          I continued swimming, pumping my tail and rolling my body like a wave. The sun was still out and penetrated the water, making the sea look cerulean blue. Overhead, I could hear the sound of a rumbling engine, and a dark shadow suddenly covered me. I glanced up to see a motorboat pass through. It left a white trail of stirred water and bubbles as it moved. I was too deep in the water for anyone to see me down here. The Atlantic ocean wasn't nearly as clear as the Caribbean.

          The sharp sting of human energies rolled into me, and I quickly darted away from the boat as fast as I could.

          A flash of silver suddenly caught my attention as I glanced over to my right. A large school of Atlantic herring abruptly swam in the opposite direction of me, reflecting their silver scales with the sun. There was so many of them. As a whole, they looked roughly the size of a whale. I've always sort of wanted to dive into the large group, making them frantically scatter in all different directions, but that would be mean. Hilarious yes, but mean.

          After several miles of swimming, I finally found what I had been looking for. Large black rock formations suddenly made their appearance beneath me. I swam deeper and deeper, watching the brilliant blue of the ocean grow darker and darker. I swam right next to the giant rock and searched for the opening.

          I found the small crevice I was looking for and slipped through. I was suddenly encased in darkness before my eyes transitioned to the light difference. After a moment, I could see perfectly clear again.

          My sea cave was pretty bare compared to Chloe's and Tiresias. It was circular and small with black rock formations surrounding the entire base and walls. My only possession in here was a green floor length mirror that sat in the corner gathering algae. The mirror was supposed to be a glistening gold, but with all the algae, it looked slimy green. Ew.

          If the mirror wasn't a necessity, I wouldn't have anything at all. Underwater caves were naturally beautiful and not meant to be corrupted with personal items.

            I swam closer to the mirror and used my hand to wipe some of the green mush away. I flicked the slimy remains off of my hand and watched them drift and separate in the water. Has it really been that long since I've been down here? I really should clean this thing more often.

          The glass in the golden mirror acted as a portal to Lumina. Back when there were several Sirens still around, one named Kyros specialized in dimensional magic. He had created these lovely inventions so that we were all able to experience the outside world without having to be too far away from home.

          Lumina was in fact located in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. Mermaids were actually the reason for most of the strange disappearances of ships and humans in the Bermuda Triangle. Queen Atargatis was not someone you wanted to mess with, especially if you were human. She holds a personal grudge against them all.

          Lumina was hundreds of miles away from the east coast, where my Cove was nested. Once I slipped through the portal, it would transport me to Lumina within seconds. Being half Nymph really had its perks sometimes.

          I glanced in the mirror and looked at my reflection. Dark blue eyes met mine with a pale face and deep red lips. My wavy midnight blue hair was wild and floated weightlessly around my head. The tip of my Crest barely peaked above my black tank top that clung very tightly to my chest. I hated wearing loose clothing underwater. They always wanted to float away every time that I moved.

          My black top stopped just above my navel where a gradual transition of scales began to form. My fin was dark blue, thickened near my waist and slimmed down all the way to the bottom where it fanned out like a flipper. The end of my fin was horizontal like a whale's. My scales felt reptilian, like lizard rather than a fish. It was rough instead of smooth and slick. If I ran my palms up my tail rather than down, it actually felt like it could cut my skin.

          I deliberately poked the glass of the mirror with my index finger, watching the portal ripple underneath my touch. The glass took on a liquid-like form when activated. The portal could only activate for a sea creature. If a human discovered my cave, the secrets of Lumina would still be safe even if they touched the mirror. The glass continued to ripple in a rhythmic pattern, waiting for its recipient.

          With a final glance at my reflection, I dove head first into the active portal.

Reviews

[Daydreamer54]

I loved the descriptions and I can't wait to see what Lumina is like. Good thing she didn;t give in to temptation, but I bet there will be one time when the need to take a human life will be too strong.

[Strigoikillerr]

Lylie is pretty strong, but we shall see. Some calls are too powerful to ignore. ^^