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"Sirens-the sailor killer mermaids of mythology."

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HALLWAY BOY WAS in the restricted area!

My eyes followed his figure as he disappeared into the darkness, seemingly going deeper into the restricted area. What was he doing there at midnight?

Questions flooded my mind as curiosity peaked, gazing at the spot he had disappeared in. I wondered where he was going.

I stood up to my full height, now solely focused on the dark spot he had vanished into. I wanted to know. I had to know. Despite all the warning bells going off in my head, I could feel my feet moving toward the bushes he had disappeared into. Looking back one more time, I made the worst decision of my life.

I walked right into the bushes, coming out to a narrow pathway, with thick bushes on each side. Standing still for a moment I decided not to think anything over, or I was sure I was going to bolt right back into the King's Garden. Instead, I decided to follow the pathway despite my brain screaming at me;

Curiosity killed the cat, curiosity murdered it!!

Being extremely careful to avoid any twigs snapping, I used my ninja-level sneaking techniques to quietly maneuver down the path, frowning when it led me directly into two bushes.

Scratching my scalp, I looked back into the darkness to where I had just come from and then around, making sure I had not made any kind of wrong turn. There was nothing that depicted what I had. Then where did he disappear to?

Oh my gosh...I froze when a frantic thought took over me.

What if he had invisibility powers? What if he had sensed me and was now about to attack? I frantically looked around, cursing the darkness around me.

An attack?

He would have attacked already if he desired to, but then again, why attack me? I had the sweetest face on earth, I'm sure I could negotiate some sort of survival.

Darn it, I left my notebook.

That's it, I'm going to die.

I turned around suddenly when I heard a twig snap, eyebrows coming together when I realized it came from the direction of the two bushes. Curiously I moved slowly toward them, parting them apart, surprised to see another clearing.

Glancing back, I made the swift decision to once again, disappear through the scary bushes like any normal girl would, eyes widening at the sight of hallway boy's figure standing at the edge of what I assumed was some sort of water pool, detached from the ocean. I quickly dived into some bushes, eyes still on him.

From this position, I could see that the moonlight was focused on him, like that single rose, illuminating every inch of that face that had left Claire and me speechless.

I could barely see his eyes from this distance, but that was a good thing. I could see everything else including- w-what the hell was he doing?

My eyes widened as he threw his shirt off revealing smooth milky skin that looked like it had only been graced by the moonlight and never the sun's harsh rays. His well-defined abs took center stage of my magnetic gaze.

He reached out to undo his belt and I looked away, back against the bushes, one hand over my mouth, heart thudding. Did I come all this way just to watch a boy strip?

Oh if Zali or mom could see me now, I would be given a three-day lecture on how to be a decent person after my eyes had been gouged out. This was a stupid idea.

I should have just gotten my roses and left.

After a second I snuck a peak, just in time to see him walk into the pool, thankfully still maintaining some sort of coverage over his lower half, I believe they were called boxers.

I shook my head after acknowledging I indeed knew the name of this piece of material, what a disgrace to my virgin eyes. I watched as he walked in the pool cooly until the water reached right above his waist.

Did he only come into the restricted area for a swim? Why?

I understand the need for privacy but not midnight amongst the dark shadows he strangely seemed more than comfortable in. This place was littered with shadows. It wasn't just private it was also secluded and scary.

I watched him for a second, gaze shifting over and suddenly understanding the peace he felt as he had a perfect view of the wide pool I was sure extended into the ocean. Everything was calm and quiet.

The wind blew in a light breeze and the air though slightly salty felt refreshing and cool. It was scary yes, especially with the light mist in the air, but I had to admit, there was a certain beauty in this serenity.

My eyebrows furrowed at the sudden movement of water a distance out, in the direction he was currently facing. It began with slow small ripples spreading out the water and then a face slowly protruded from the dark shaded surface that reflected the bed of stars above.

I looked closer at the strange face, only halfway out of the water, the most alluring reptilian green eyes peering directly at him. Two more heads peered out of the water right behind the first, with the same pair of grass-green eyes.

My eyes widened at the sight watching them uncovering more of their faces, almost as if they were standing at the deep end of the pool, a slight splash came up from behind them. I caught sight of scales glimmering in the moonlight and I held a breath realizing I knew what these creatures were.

Sirens- the sailor killer mermaids of mythology.

My eyes quickly snapped to Hallway Boy, heart thudding. Had he seen them? Fricking sirens in the water! I thought sirens and mermaids were just fairytales- I should have known nothing is as I believe ever since I stepped onto Kingsland.

My heart hammered within me. Did he see them? They could kill him. That's what they did right? Kill men?

I watched as they slowly and gingerly approached him.

They would rip him to shreds! I had to do something, get his attention in some way.

My eyes trailed back to the hallway boy stopping at him for a minute eye narrowing as I noticed his eyes were fixed steadily on the three sirens, his elbows resting on the side of the river bank he was leaning against, the calmest look on his face as he watched the approach him.

He knew them.

I blinked hard at this revelation, not understanding how he could possibly be calm-

Curiously, I studied the sirens' movements watching as they stopped a few feet away from him, peering at him, heads half in water, so only their snake-like eyes were watching him through the soft ripples of water.

His hand slightly moved, motioning them to come closer. The first siren approached him slowly as if it was nervous, pulling out of the water into the moonlight where I would see the most perfect heart-shaped face I had ever seen with long thick black hair, against pale light green skin.

He reached out a hand toward it and it remained perfectly still, eyes staring straight into his, almost as if it was paralyzed.

I knew that feeling, that feeling of looking into his eyes and completely freezing.

His fingers caressed her cheek and a noise was coming from her, one that sounded like the gurgle of a brook, or water, mixed with an animal's purr, rubbing her cheek against the palm of his hand.

She suddenly moved back, purring something and I watched as he nodded as if he could understand her, taking a step closer to the three sirens.

They swam in a circle around them, one of them moving closer to him. I was unsure if it was the same siren as before because I realized they were all identical, at least from this distance they were. Green reptilic eyes and black hair.

Her webbed hands moved up his abs until she stopped at his chest, craning up to look into his icy eyes, which succeeded in capturing hers yet again, as his finger traveled under her chin,

"It's going to hurt," he said clearly, his English accent graced each word, looking straight into her eyes.

She gurgled and I watched in the utmost shock as she moved upwards, her lips meeting his.

I moved back in shock at the action, falling back on some twigs.

I cringed at the crack they made freezing in the exact spot I was. After a lingering second, I took a courageous step to peer through the bush once more, seeing that, hallway boy was now hovering right above the siren, their lips a whisper apart, still locked in his stolen gaze.

The other sirens, however, were murmuring something indistinctive from their position beneath the waves.

"I know," he calmly replied, as his fingers dropped from beneath her chin, moving back to the edge of the bank, the sirens still around him, his elbows back against the bank. Fingers sifted through the siren's dark locks as they purred around him.

"It's rude to stare," he suddenly said, his tone calm but louder than before, and I froze as all the three sirens' gazes were fixed on my position by the bushes. Despite this, he remained focused on the first siren's dark hair. My heart was pounding from within me, not even having the chance to hope he wasn't talking to me-

"Come out so I can see you."

I didn't even have a chance to even comprehend what was happening, only watching the plastic of flowers I had in my hands drop to the ground as I stood up mindlessly, my feet walking of their own accord towards him, my soul trapped somewhere at the back of my mind unable to control its own body.

I was panicking as one would but I had no expression on my face. I wanted to run back to the safety of the King's Gardens but my body was not mine anymore. I had never seen a convert ability that could do that, approaching the edge of the water, I didn't even hesitate to walk into what I now realized was ice-cold water, with my clothes still on.

I could feel everything, yet couldn't control any of it.

Couldn't control me.

The two sirens moved back a good distance away as the waters reached just below my breast, I was shorter compared to him, walking until I was right before him.

He looked up from the first siren, and I loathed the position I was now in. Trapped in his icy gaze, a position I promised myself I would never find myself in again, and yet here I was a bare day later.

He stood up straight from his leaning position against the bank, the water dripping from his skin as he accepted his height, towering over me, his dark hair somehow dripping, as a shallow smirk appeared on his face.

"If it isn't hallway girl," He smirked.

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I hope you enjoyed the update! Leave a comment on your thoughts on the chapter, vote to boost the book if you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave me a comment or a question on my discord channel, (link in bio)
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