The noises are buzzing, making it difficult for me to distinguish the voices. My bloody yet dry tail lays limp against the thick branch that is supporting my whole body. It is difficult for me to breathe, using the lungs that are not used to air from land. My gills are no use, making me suffocate internally.

I have never been on land in this form. Now I understand what the phrase 'fish out of water' means. I don't want to ever feel this way again.

That is if I live.

Then it hit me that I may die soon. Today, maybe. The thought of death fears me. I don't want to die! Daddy promised that I will be safe.

A sob comes out of my chest while a stray tear falls down my dry cheeks.

"What are you hiding in the trees, Beth?" the man asks from somewhere below me. The tree protectively curls me in with more branches, almost looking as if I'm in a soft nest. That way, the man will not be able to see me.

"I need you to trust me that I will show you once we are not out in the open," Aunt Beth says solemnly. I can hear how tired she is and it makes me guilty for not paying attention to her lessons before.

It's not my fault that what she taught is boring.

I flinch in surprise when a growl responds to her statement. It sounds so inhuman that makes me wonder what these people are. I know that Uncle Seb and Aunt Beth are Elementals, possessing the power to control an element of their own. Daddy is a shifter, having the ability to shift into a dragon at will.

Me, on the other hand, is something different. Something I do not understand of yet because daddy keeps telling me that I am special. No one grows a tail and have scary teeth once they're underwater. No one looks scary when the ocean touches them.

No one but me...

I remember the time I wandered off the beach too far, just so I can find someone like me. I thought they live somewhere in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, all I found was sea creatures who do not have the ability to communicate with me. I made daddy angry on that day and I regret it to this day.

A twig touches my forehead, waking me up from my memories. The tree uses its three thick branches to hold onto my body while putting me down on a soft bed. I open my eyes to see Uncle Seb and Aunt Beth looking very worried.

"Where are we? Am I going to die?" I whisper fearfully. Aunt Beth clutches onto my webbed hands while kissing me in the forehead.

"You're not going to die," she replies firmly, squeezing my hand to prove her point.

Uncle Seb closes the door or the room once the mangrove tree left. This is the only time I see Uncle Seb very tense although he keeps his tone calm and playful. "We are at an old friend's house. She will know how to fix you up and get you back to normal in a jiffy. Don't you worry, kiddo."

I try to move my tail a little but wince when a jolt of pain shoots up from where the shark bit me. I cannot see how terrible the wound look, except for the red blood that is all over my exposed stomach.

The door opens abruptly. I don't have the strength to turn to see who that person is. Whoever it is, Uncle Seb relaxes a little at the sight.

"Beth? What brings you to – Oh my!" someone – a woman – exclaims in surprise. Her face comes into my view. I can see that she is scared by the way she's trembling. Her surprised eyes fall on Aunt Beth, still unable to overcome her shock. "That's a Siren! What the hell are you trying to do? Kill us?"

"No! Lisbeth, please, I need you to have an open mind. She's not a killer!" Aunt Beth tries to reason, grabbing the woman's arms before she can attempt to leave.

Lisbeth snarls out, "Are you blind, Beth? That thing can kill us – child or no child!"

Aunt Beth is about to speak when a monstrous growl interrupt her. Aunt Beth instantly release the woman and put her hands up in surrender.

"Caleb, kill it," the woman instructs in a cold voice.

Uncle Seb steps next to Aunt Beth, protecting me from whoever these strange people are.

"If you dare harm her, I'll burn the skin out of your bones, Caleb," Uncle Seb growls out. The room starts to feel warmer as Uncle Seb conjures his element in his palm – fire.

It is so hot that I feel my skin drying up even more. Any moist I have left is gone and it is slowly killing me.

"Uncle Seb!" I cry in pain. "Water!"

"Shit," Uncle Seb curse, diminishing the fire. "I'm so sorry, Linda!"

"It spoke," the woman – Lisbeth - states in wonder. "The Siren spoke. That's not possible."

Uncle Seb appears next to me, his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. He curses again. "She's not a goddamn Siren, Lisbeth. She's heating up; can you please move your stubborn ass butts and get some goddamn water?"

"Go Caleb," Lisbeth says, sounding hypnotized. "I'll be fine."

"But love..." Caleb responds warily.

"I'll be fine."

With that, footsteps leave the room. The only people standing near me are Aunt Beth, Uncle Seb and the strange woman who dislikes me. The confused woman takes a good look at me and then looks straight into my eyes.

"What happened to her tail?" the strange woman asks, eyebrows furrow at my wound.

"A shark bit her. Can you heal her?" Aunt Beth says.

The strange woman closes her eyes and then slowly unwinds the towel, revealing my tail. Her gentle yet surprise touch makes me jerk and gasp out loud in pain.

"It hurts," I moan. I want to so badly sleep.

"Don't let her sleep," the woman tells Aunt Beth. "I think I can help heal her, but make sure she doesn't fall asleep in the process."

Aunt Beth lets out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Lisbeth."

"Don't thank me yet," Lisbeth states, folding her sleeves up to her forearm. "I've never healed a sea creature before. And you got a lot of explanations to do, Beth."

"I know," Aunt Beth replies.

A loud ringtone makes all of us jump in surprise. Uncle Seb sheepishly smiles at us and takes out his phone from his pocket.

"It's Augustus, I'll fill him in," Uncle Seb informs us and then left the room.

My tail starts to tingle, making me grip Aunt Beth's hand. I look down to see the strange woman holding up her hands just above my tail. Her eyes close in concentration.

The strange woman wears a white coat, like a doctor. Her long red hair is tied up into a bun. She looks beautiful.

"Who is she, Aunt Beth?" I ask softly.

Aunt Beth smiles sadly. "She's an old friend, sweetie."

I am not satisfied with her answer. There are a lot of things no one is telling me and I want to know what it is. "Why did she want to kill me then? Am I going to die? What is a Siren?"

Aunt Beth lets out an exhausted sigh. There are bags under her eyes, making her look like a panda. "Your father will explain everything to you when the time is right."

"But..."

"You know that I love you, Linda. Uncle Sebastian, your father and I love you for who you are," Aunt Beth firmly tells me. "We will not let you die; do you understand me, Linda?"

"Yes, Aunt Beth," I say, closing my eyes in exhaustion. "I love you too, Aunt Beth."

"Linda, no, don't sleep. Wake up!"

"Don't let her drift off!"

"I'm trying! Get up, Linda!"

"Is this enough water?"

There is a moment of peace and silence before water is splashed into my face, waking me up instantly. I gasp in surprise, the water giving me back the energy I lost. The water feels so good against my skin.

"More..."

"Get more water, Caleb," Aunt Beth orders. "Don't you dare go back to sleep, Melinda Caesar."

"There! All done!" Lisbeth exclaims, coming up to next to Aunt Beth. "What is she, Beth? Where have you all been since the battle?"

Aunt Beth merely gives her a smile. Her attention then snaps back to me. "Do you think you will be able to shift back, Linda?"

I nod slowly, willing myself to transform into my human form. I feel so much more comfortable in land with legs compared to a tail. My tail shrinks as my scales disappear into my soft skin. The jagged teeth straighten into blunt human teeth. The swimsuit I wore reappears on my body.

The strange woman's eyes widen even more, if that is even possible. "Oh my God."

Aunt Beth helps me to get up from the bed and sit up. I take the opportunity to study my surroundings, which is nothing but a hospital-looking bed.

"Linda, this is Lisbeth Muller, an old friend of ours," Aunt Beth introduces. "Lisbeth, this is Melinda, Augustus's daughter."

"Augustus has a daughter?" Lisbeth questions in a trance. "My God."

I give her a careful smile. Aunt Beth always tells me to be nice to elders. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Lisbeth."

Lisbeth cracks a smile and shakes hands with me. "Likewise, Melinda. It's good to know you're not like your father. He doesn't do good at greetings."

The man who is called Caleb enters the room with a bucket of water in his hands. He dropped it in surprise when he sees me sitting on the bed in between Aunt Beth and Lisbeth. The man stomps up to Lisbeth while keeping a close eye on me.

"Caleb, stop. That's Augustus's daughter," Lisbeth explains, pushing Caleb away.

"Daughter?" Caleb repeats in the same surprise. "What – "

"I think it's best if Augustus explains it for himself," Uncle Seb suggests, also entering the room. "It is not our story to tell."

Lisbeth carefully nods. "Okay then? Can you at least tell us what happened to the both of you? Where is Carlisle and Piper?"

"Can we get some food first and we will tell you?" Uncle Seb asks. "You must me hungry, kiddo."

I crack a grin. "Starving."

I jump from my bed and test my healed legs. The pain is no longer there and there is no signs of the shark bite anywhere. I stare at Lisbeth in awe.

"How did you do that?" I ask, touching my legs.

Lisbeth smiles, but she does not answer me.

Author's Note

It feels so good to get back to this story! Picture of Lisbeth Muller above! Please don't forget to:

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-M.