She's not healing!

Hadassa's voice called from the back seat where Amaryllis laid bleeding in her lap. Miranda held rags over the cuts on her body trying to stop the bleeding. Her body was cold now and she would not move even to the sound of Arthes telling us he knew best. Maddin latched on to the top of the car trying to keep it running the best she could as I floored the pedal down to the floor of the car.

Why isn't she healing?

Avoid flowers of Sapphire Blue.

What?

Blue flowers, they were next to her when I picked her up. Avoid flowers of Sapphire Blue but feathers covered in a bloody scale will lead you to what is true. Arthes, what you dip your blades in, they are from the blue flowers right?

Arthes bit his lip for a moment before turning back to the motionless Amaryllis. A sigh covered his lips and tears began to form in the small mans eyes as he turned to face me.

Yes.

What do you they do?

What do they do? What do they do? Mandii I think you know damn well what they do.

Arthes.

A tear slid down the face of Arthes as he slumped in his chair. Miranda pushed on the open wounds of Amaryllis more and Hadassa looked up with shock in her eyes.

This isn't a poison is it?

For a moment, sometimes longer if given high doses, the blue pigment in the flow reverses the Siren cells. If you are cut with it, a cell is released into your body reverting your Siren cells to human cells. It turns the part you cut into a human for a certain amount of time.

That means?

It means, with the amount of cuts Amaryllis has sustained, she has human cells fighting her Siren cells again. She's in a state like myself now the only difference is her human cells are mutated from the flower. Therefore, she has a war going on in her body and it's causing the Siren blood to stop healing. If we don't stop that bleeding before the Siren Cells take over her body again she will die.

What if the Human cells take over?

I looked over at Arthes who was now looking up at me with worry in his eyes. I knew what he was hiding about it all and now, I understood why that woman in black had met me in the woods on the night I saw the elder.

They won't, they'll mutate until the fight in her body literally rips her from the inside out. We need to get her to a safe place.

I know of a safe place!

Maddin called in from outside of the car. Her head peeking into one of the back windows looking down at Amaryllis and quickly looking up to me.

[We have to hurry in getting there though. I can't guarantee you all will be happy in staying there though.

I shifted gears before laying on the gas a little more. I was the only one who knew Amaryllis was Helen's daughter, so I was the only one who knew she would be the biggest weapon in fighting Helen. Not only that, I was starting to feel like Amrills, Miranda, and Hadassa were the only family right now I had.


Dust was shot into the air as we turned into what seemed like a desert place. I stopped the car as the motor began to die and Maddin jumped from off the top of the car. I pushed open my door and walked to the back seat before pulling Amaryllis out and holding her in my arms. Her arms dangled in the air and it was as if me moving her didn't phase her.

Right up there. We have to walk there.

Where is there?

Where we moved.

Can we get going? Mandii is already walking that way.

I paced my steps feeling heat in my arms. A wind blew picking up dirt and dust and circling around me and Amaryllis. The flower turned Siren Cells into human cells, even just for a while. Right now, Amaryllis was not a full Siren, she was human. I knew I shouldn't have thought about it, but, what if I could control the pigment in the flower and turn myself Human, even if just for a little while. I could know how it was to be human again, I could be human after this war was over.

Maddin! Lex! We have company!



I looked up at hunt looking houses that seemed to be connected together by metal plates. A girl with dirty blonde hair ran from one hunt to another before running down a flight of steps. Suddenly, a group of people started to huddle behind us as we walked to the middle of the houses. I looked around before having Miranda and Hadassa line up with me. Laying Amaryllis down in the dirt, I looked up at the blonde who now looked down on me.

Tell Lex they are with me. This one needs medical attention but only for the night.

The blonde kneeled down to Amaryllis before picking up her wrist and nodding her head. She looked over to a few of the people around us and nodded her head once again. They ran to Amaryllis before picking her up and taking her into a house. I looked up at the blonde, still kneeling on my knee, and nodded my head.

Thank you.

You three can come with me, the man must find and ask for a place to stay. You three can stay in Lex's home for now, that is, until your friend is healed.

I nodded and so did Hadassa and Miranda. We followed the girl into a hunt slightly larger than the rest of them. My eyes wandered the walls where things like gears were hung. Tools laid on a work bench near the back and a small bed was set up on top of a ledge where a ladder lead.

Lex wishes to speak to the one of you who calls themselves leader.

Miranda looked over at me before watching the blonde leave the hunt.

You still smell slightly funny.

I rolled my eyes looking down at what I was wearing. My leather jacket now hung off one of my shoulders slightly while the arm of it had a slit going through it. My pants were covered in blood and dirt with broken pieces of cloth everywhere. I didn't even want to know what my shirt looked like, it was white, I doubt it still was by this time.

My feet shifted over the dirt as I made my way out to where Lex stood. At first the sight from the back made me think it was a girl, I was wrong. He turned to me, dirty blonde hair blowing around with the dirt, and offered me a hand. I took it, stepping up onto a platform, and dusting off my pants. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he looked back at me.



You all are Sirens, not just any Sirens, you are the ones Helen has sent out to be brought back to her.

My eyes shot up to meet his. I bit my bottom lip and my blood ran hot. He was only allowing us to stay here to turn us in, I was sure of it. My eyes ran with a golden brown as he stood looking at me in silence.

Actually she just wants me....Dead. I assume you are going to do the honor of cutting my head off and bringing it to her because that is just what you will have to do if you think you will turn anyone of us over to her. She has to wrapped around her little...

His finger covered over my lips and I looked down at it. My eyes widened as a smile filled his face and he leaned down to my where my face was. A snarl ran across my lips as he removed his finger.

You are a feisty one aren't you.

I'm also supposed to end a world of living things so I wouldn't put your finger over my lips to shut me up again unless you want to lose it.

We do not wish you harm. We don't follow Helen, in fact, few people really do. She only overlords the Sirens and very few woodland life.

Then why the hell did Maddin decide she was going to send lightning bolts through my body like she was fucking Zuse?

He laughed slightly before looking over a small pond of water. Dust blew slightly around it and he watched as though waiting for more. I sighed before crossing my arms over my chest.

She worries for her friends, Miranda and Hadassa. Can you blame her? I'm sure you would have sent my head ringing if you were in her position. However, like I said we owe you no harm.

He turned back to me, running his hand down my face and maneuvering a piece of hair from my face.

No harm at all.

He smiled and leaned it. I felt his bottom lip graz mine before I pulled away, grabbing his hand, and pushing him back with it.

We will be out of here by the morning.


The moon hung in the sky as I sat on the roof of Lex's hut. My eyes watched as the wind blew dirt around in small circles below me. The events over the past few days had given me hopes, dreams, and flashbacks. I was starting to wonder if I was lost in sleep at this very moment, at times, things seemed so real I could have swore I was still human and had Sage next to me. I wished this was all a dream I could wake up from, but deep inside, I knew this was my life.

Mandii.

A small voice called from the opposite side of a metal plate on the roof. Hadassa and made her way out onto the roof with a plate for herself and me. I smiled and looked at her before moving slightly over and allowing her to sit next to me.

I brought you food.

Not hungry.

She frowned before looking down at the plate then up at the moon. She sat next to me and started to eat what she had on her plate before looking over at me once more.

I saw you and Lex today. I thought you would kiss him.

I don't kiss on the first day.

That isn't really it, is it?

I looked over at Hadassa before leaning back on a pole sticking out from the roof. She sighed and looked over the roof at the same dirt circling. I could tell she wanted to talk about something, and it wasn’t Lex trying to kiss me. I stood up, moving closer to her, and sat next to her.

Whats wrong? You got Miranda back, you are now a Siren, in fact now you have the power to fight Helen.

I don't want to fight Helen, I never did. I followed Miranda so she wouldn't get hurt and she ended up being taken from me in the beginning anyway. I never cared for Helen, the only reason I hated her so was because...Because.

She took your father and killed your mother.

She doesn't have our father, he's dead, and she didn't just kill our mother.

Hadassa's eyes lingered before falling down to the food on her plate. She looked over at me, tears in her eyes.

Our mother was with Child and I was the only one to know. Helen struck her down and no one tried to save her due to thinking it was only her. She was unfaithful, I knew, but she was still my mother and her child would still have been my family.

If that hurt you so badly, like it seemed to have, why did you not turn then? I assume that is when Miranda had changed but you didn't until Miranda was taken.

Miranda was born Siren, it ran in her from the day she took a breath. I'm the only one who was different, the only non-Siren there. When Miranda was taken, it was like everything I cared about was gone. My mother died along with my little brother or sister, my father died in captivity, and Miranda had been taken.

She looked at me, sadness in her eyes as she fought back the tears.

I just wanted her back.

I released a sigh before looking up at the stars in the sky. I had Sage taken away from me, the only thing that mattered to me was gone. Hadassa went through a similar experience and now she was going to have to learn what she was. I felt my body cool slightly before looking over to her and putting my hand on her shoulder.

You have her, in fact, you two only have each other. You don't realize the shit you turned away when you said you would follow me. She only has you now Hadassa. Can you handle the fact that you have to take care of her now?

I don't have to do it alone though, she has you and me. We all have you Mandii, you have been the strongest of us all. You said no to Helen when we all could not. Aside from that, you can't tell me you didn't leave anything behind when going to Helen.

I looked down and smiled. Damien, the last I saw of him was sleeping in bed next to me. I left him with a letter, that was all. I missed him, so much I tried to not think of him so I could do what needed to be done.

What did you leave?

I looked over at Hadassa. She still had lingering sadness but now she was searching my face for an answer. I took a deep breath in before looking up at the sky.

I left a few people I hold close to me.

Why don't you go back to them?

It isn't that easy.

Yes it is, just go to them. When I lost my sister you helped me find her, even though it was drawing you away from trying to find a way to defeat Helen. You need to go back to what you hold close.

I stood to my feet and put my hand on her shoulder.

To answer your question, I didn't kiss Lex due to already being in love with someone. He was the reason I went in search of Helen, him and the fact I was in search of a cure.

I patted Hadassa’s back before making my way to the edge of the hunt. She turned around and looked on before getting to her feet.

Wait, where are you going?

I have until the morning.

A smile inched on my face as my feet hit the dirt below.

To be Continued.