Siren

You’d think that if humans figured out gene mutation that they’d figure out how to live on a place like Mars. You’d be wrong.

Water suffocated me in all corners. I thrashed hating the sensation against my skin. It was pouring in faster and faster. I banged my tiny hands against the glass wall screaming for help. Sickly tears streamed from my eyes as I took my last gulp of air.

~     ~     ~

“Tasi? Tasi!”

I thrashed awake. The panic still clinging to me. Zale’s worried eyes were fixed on me as his hand rested on my bare arm.

“Tasi?”

“I’m fine,” I lied quickly. “It was just a dream.”

“Ok…” He didn’t sound convinced.

I shook my head bringing my disgusting fishlike tail towards my body. My fingers grazed my midnight black scales sending disturbing shivers down my spine.

“Tasi? Was it about the surface?” Zale said softly. I’m sure he only meant well.

I glanced away rubbing at my gills. He knew how much I hate this. The water, the fins, the gills. I hated being a fish.

“Maybe,” I said softly.

“Tasi, you know what they did was for the best. If they didn’t then you’d be dead.”

Death is better than this.

“Tasi,” he scolded as if he could read my thoughts.

I sighed, bubbles leaving my mouth in a little flurry.

“I know, I know. I’ll push the thought away,” I said swimming up off our shared bed. “But I need to go for a walk.”

He swam up following me. “Do you mind if I join? Between your concerning expressions and thrashing in my bed, I think I have the right too.”

A smile tugged at my lips as I shrugged. “Might as well. The water does get cold without you.”

He laughed. His blue scales shimmering in our artificial light. His hair floating like a dark halo around his head.

“Come on Tasi,” he said as he took my hand.

I leaned against him as we swam forward through the beds of all different kinds of plants that swayed in the water.

“There’s been more cases of sirens,” Zale said softly as we swam. “I don’t think they can contain them any longer.”

I glanced away once again. Sirens were a mutation from our mutation. An unwanted after effect. Sirens are known that they tend to grow more and more insane as time goes on. They tend to get aggressive as well. One symptom is purple, green, dark or black scales.

“Hey, I’m just saying we need to be careful.”

I nodded. “Maybe I should stay inside. So, people can’t see me,” I suggested.

He nodded. “I just want to keep you safe.”

“I don’t want to hurt people.”

“Tasi,” he tugged my chin up, “you are not a siren.”

“How can you be sure?”

He smiled. “Because you’d never cause anyone pain.”

Guilt swam in my stomach.

“Let’s go inside.”

~     ~      ~

I sat in our room silent. I couldn’t keep my hands from trembling.

“And stay out!” I heard Zale yell.

Soon his familiar warmth filled the water and he swam in muttering curses. His blue eyes glanced up at me and all the anger faded.

“Are you ok Tasi?” he said moving toward me.

I nodded. “I’m fine,” I lied.

“These people are insane,” he muttered.

“They’re only trying to protect themselves,” I responded softly.

“By kicking you out? You haven’t done anything! It’s their own fault.”

“Zale-“

“No, Tasi. This isn’t acceptable. Why does no one ever give you a choice?”

I glanced away rubbing my arm. “I don’t know.”

He sighed sitting down next to me. “It isn’t fair for you. You can’t help that you have dark scales. No one can help it.”

“They could’ve. Years ago. When all this started.”

“It’s all their fault,” he agreed. “They could’ve stopped before it got this bad.”

I nodded leaning against him. “I hate it down here.”

“And yet we can never speak up.”

“They robbed our chances,” I whispered.

“And threw us in labs,” he finished.

I nodded feeling sleepier. “Our lives never mattered.”

“Only the future of humanity.”

I smiled. “We should never have kids.”

“Why?”

“A final ‘no’ before the end. They want us to have kids, right?”

He smirked down at me. “It’s their fault we’re here after all. Why don’t they suffer with us?”

~     ~     ~

“Leave!” Zale said harshly. Anger flared behind his eyes.

“Citizen Tasiana Terria is a determined Siren. She will come with us.”

“Tasiana hasn’t done anything!”

“Zale,” I said softly behind him.

“No, Tasiana hasn’t hurt anyone,” he growled putting a protective hand in front of me.

“She’s a monster!” someone screamed.

“Zale-“

“She hasn’t done anything!” he roared. “Leave us alone.”

“Kill the siren!”

“No.”

“Z-“

“Kill the devil spawn!”

His eyes burned with anger.

“Zale, please,” I begged softly.

His eyes flicked to me and back.

“Citizen Tasiana Terria will come with us,” the guard demanded.

His feet moved back and forth in the water. The surface dwellers were weaker than us. We could defeat him easily. The precious surface dwellers that had their survival even when they doomed us, their children, to this wet version of hell.

“Citizen Tasiana Terria, come with us.”

“Why?” I said my voice cutting through the shouts for my death.

“You have been determined to be a si-“

“I have not harmed anyone, have I?”

“Tasi-“

“What could I had done?” I said pushing past Zale.

The guard stiffened.

“Or am I just the next danger you created and try to fix by ruining someone’s life.”

The guard glanced away.

“You have no place here, surface dweller. Return to your life in the sun. The life you stole from us.”

The guard glanced around the now silent hall. “Very well. Citizen Tasiana Terria may remain here, but she must stay in this house.”

She must stay in a cage.

“Good, that’s decided, now leave my mate and I alone,” Zale growled moving in front of me once again.

The guard nodded. “If any reports come of violence of Citizen Tasiana Terria, she will be terminated.”

I stiffened. Zale’s expression somehow hardened even more.

“Great, now leave.”

The guard waved his hand and people filled away. Zale swiftly slammed the door the best he could in the water.

“The nerve of these people,” he muttered before turning to me. “Are you ok?”

All anger had faded from his voice.

I forced a strained smile. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to go to bed.”

I turned and left before he could protest as my tears began.

~     ~     ~

I rested my head on the wall. I had some freedom before and now I had none. Zale was my only friend anymore. My only escape from my pitiful life.

The door swung on as a red cloud filled our home. I shrieked moving forward.

“Zale! Zale wh-“

“Tasi! Tasi you have to run.”

“What?”

“They-“ He wincing. Blood gushing from an open wound in his side.

“Zale!”

I moved frantically to help him.

“No, Tasi. It’s no use.”

If it hadn’t been for the damned water, tears would’ve streamed down my cheeks.

“They’re coming for you.”

“What? The guards?”

“No, the villagers. They say,” his jaw clenched, “that you’re a monster and you should die for it.”

“Zale-“

“So you have to leave.” He gripped my hand. “There’s no use trying to help me.”

“Zale-“

“Please, Tasi, go,” he choked.

“No…”

I wrapped my arms around him.

“You must.” He pushed me away. “Please, Tasi, let me die knowing you got free.”

“Zale…”

“I love you more than everything, even the sun,” he whispered.

“I-“

“Go.”

His eyes glazed over as he body floated lifelessly in my arms.

“Zale?” I whimpered. “Please…”

“There’s the monster!”

“She killed him?!”

“Kill her!”

“No,” I begged clinging to him.

“Go,” a voice whispered in my head.

“I’m sorry Zale,” I whispered as I let go.

I needed to get out, and I did, but at what true cost.

~     ~     ~

My eyes were fixed on my pale hands. I could almost see my mate’s body in my grasp. His beautiful caramel skin and scattered blue scales. I clenched my hands into tight fists. They wanted a monster? They were getting, because in the end no one ever gets a choice. You are just what they choose for you to be. You get no say, so I say why should I listen? Why should I care?

I have nothing to lose, and so-

I couldn’t help myself. At the thought of it, I burst into laughter. Chaotic insane laughter that traveled up as bubbles from my mouth.

And so, I’ll drag them down, just like they did to me. I will make them feel my pain and double it. They will suffer with us. In this circle of death.