Sirens of the Abyss

Chapter 3

After we drank from the goblet I almost puked. It was nasty. All I could taste was copper. Ellie's face made me laugh though. She looked like she had eaten something sour. My mother took Ellie's hand and raised it. "Now that the blood is coursing through their bodies. Who will claim Ellie and help her descend!" I looked over my shoulder at the voice who claimed Ellie. 

"I shall help her descend." I knew that soft voice. It was Ellie's Aunt, Leanna. She had on a white robe like my mother, but her red hair stood out like bleach on black clothing. Leanna took Ellie's visibly shaking hand and lead her into the water. After Ellie my mother came an took both my hands she stared into my eyes and smiled, then pulled me into a hug and whispered softly " I am so proud of you Faleen..." and broke our embrace. I bite back my words. I couldn't let my emotions control me now.

She raised my hand next. "Now who will claim Faleen and help her descend!" I knew all too well who would be the one to descend me. "I shall help her descend mother." Cleo gracefully glided towards me and took my hand ever so gently. Why did this feel so fake? Cleo was gentle yes but she was going to be the one to drown me. Her own sister...and she was okay with that? I didn't look at her. I couldn't look at her. The last thing I wanted to see was her face when I slipped into this watery grave. Could I even call it a grave? I was coming back...but I was coming back different. Yes I would call it a grave. A grave were your innocence and humanity is ripped from you.  A murderers grave.  

Ellie and I were lead into the water until our heads barely floated above us. Cleo and Leanna had already changed forms and we're not longer themselves...this was the scary part. We didn't know when we would be drowned and we were left there to wade in the water. Like two seals waiting for the inevitable bite of a great white. Ellie struggle to keep her head above water.  "Well...I guess this...is the hard part, right?" She said as her head bobbed in and out of the water. My heart was pounding and felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I swam closer to Ellie to help her keep her head above water. I reached my arm out to help lift her up. She took hold of my hand and lifted her head up. 

"Better?" I asked. "Yes" she replied.  "Much better" she laughed and smiled. 

 I thought they would of taken us down by now it's been more than 10-15 minutes maybe. It felt like forever. I could of swam for shore but knowing Cleo she would of caught me before I got a chance to touch the sand.

 " I'm...getting tired..." Ellie said between huffs of breath. I tried my best to hold her up but I was getting tired as well. My arms were stinging and my legs were on fire. The Full moon was out, brighter than I've ever seen it. The stars looked like pools of glitter. It was beautiful. Ellie saw them too. She was in awe of the other worldly beauty of the night sky. 

As soon as we got lost In the night sky Ellie's nails dug into my shoulder and pulled me down underwater. I opened my eyes to see it wasn't Ellie, but Leanna. Leanna's body had changed. Her tail was beaming red and so was her hair. Her eyes were that of a snakes and her upper torso was human but she had white spikes all down her back and at the end of it as well. She hissed at me showing me her white needle prick teeth and pulled Ellie under. Ellie let go of my shoulder. The last thing I saw was her face. That sweet freckled face scared and frightened. I bolted upwards and gasped.

 "Ellie! No...no...no," I started to panic. I looked below water but saw no one.    

My adrenaline had kicked in now and I was able to hold myself above water effortlessly.  I was alone now. Part of me wished it was me taken first...not Ellie. In the end I probably would have ended up alone anyway. After a while the night grew silent and the water was calm. The adrenaline I had from before was wearing off and I was tired. So very tired of trying to keep myself a float. I looked up to the moon again. 

How could something so beautiful be up there and something so horrible be below me?

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise and felt the ever so little rise of water from behind me. My eyes widened. I didn't want to look behind me.

 I would look at the sky. I would forget what was happening even if it were for a second. I would forget and lose myself within it. I felt the sharp pain of nails grab my shoulders and plunge me under. I didn't want to look at Cleo. I was so scared...scared of her and scared of what she looked like now. I couldn't breath and the burning was painful, for when I tried to breath all I sucked in was water. Water replacing the air in my lungs, my nose and mouth. I was panicking which was the worse thing you could do but I was frightened. I felt Cleo's hold on me release and I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of her golden shimmering tail. I was dying I could feel it, I was no longer in control of my body. My lungs no longer tried to breath in air and soon I felt myself slip into darkness and silence.

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The first thing I felt was pain.Every cell felt like it was on fire. I opened my eyes and realized I was still underwater. Did it happen? Was the transformation complete? I didn't want to look but I had to. I looked down at my feet, which were no longer feet but a shimmering emerald green tail. My heart fluttered in my chest. I looked at my hands next. They were webbed with razor sharp claws. I glanced at my chest and to my surprise I was almost flat chested. My body had changed. I'd died and had been reborn Into this. 

I winced as the burning sensation in my throat intensified and this was not the burning sensation I had felt when I drowning. 

This felt like hunger. A deep hunger that is never satisfied. I thought of heading to the surface but I didn't need to. I could breath underwater now. I took a minute or two to look at my surroundings. The water was murky but I could sense movement. Fish, crabs and people. I could feel the vibrations in the water. I could feel faint heart beats and then this fragrant smell. 

A smell that drove my hunger to a new level. 

Without thinking I swam right towards the smell. It's like I already knew how to use this new body and I'd only changed a minute ago. I was getting closer to the smell and soon I could feel hearts beating.

 Three of them. My instincts told me not to get too close...yet. I slightly brought my head above water just so my eyes peeped out. Men, three men were in the shallow end of the water. 

" Get closer.." I followed the voice inside my head without thinking. I swam ever so gently as to not disturb the water and so they wouldn't see me until I wanted them to. 

" Hey Calvin! Go Deep!" One of the men shouted as he threw a football far into the water. " Damn it Ian. What the hell!?" A blonde haired man raised his voice and with a frustrated grunt dove into the water to get the ball. My senses were at their peek. My new body moved without me having to tell it too. It knew were to go and what it wanted. 

" Prey."