Prologue
Prologue
I could hear the screams whenever I closed my eyes to sleep only to be startled awake by the same nightmare, laying on the damp floor of the cave. The same cave where that weirdo lived that I told my little sister to stay away from. The being that lived here was an entity that was banished from our island yet it held our darkest secrets and I had willingly accepted its help. Each passing moment was filled with it chanting over and over until I emerged from its cave, my mind no longer my own.
“Take back what belongs to you.” It whispered as I dragged my battered body forward and into the water as the waves whipped around me viciously. Inhaling the cold night air, I let the words of the forbidden requiem fall from my lips as the water wrapped around me, pushing me higher into the air. My bruised and battered tan skin lit up with bright blue etchings of ancient writing as the water formed higher, rising above the place I once called home. “Kill them all.” It edged on as the waves crashed down onto the island, screams filling the air for a second before silence surrounded me as I finished the requiem.
Once the water finally cleared away, the sun slowly crept over the horizon. Quietly lowering myself down onto the sand, I stared at the barren land before me. In place of the once large beautiful palm trees that decorated our beaches were debris from the sidewalks and buildings the new occupants had put up. The large trees that led into the forest–where the rest of our multi-species tribe lived–had long been mowed down and replaced with these large resorts.
“What did they do to our home?” I asked nobody in particular while dropping down onto my knees in the sand as my eyes burned with the new onslaught of tears. The only thing I had to remember my family by were my memories and my sister’s favorite silver ribbon that I accidentally tucked away in my pocket the previous morning to give back to her. I pulled it from the pocket of the shorts my papa had made me while tying it into my messy red hair before lying down on the sand. Would the nightmares plague me here as well? Would I still hear the screams and cries of my people? Those questions ran through my head as I wiped my tears away and closed my eyes.
“Wake up.” A distant gruff voice spoke as I ignored it, thinking it was only just a dream. “I said wake up, murderer!” The person screamed as pain shot through my stomach, jolting me awake as I slowly opened my eyes. I was still lying in the sand but this time, I wasn’t alone like I had been when I fell asleep. In fact, I was surrounded by humans who were armed like the previous ones. “Good to see you’re alive, monster.” The man laughed, another sharp pain hitting me again as I realized what was the cause. He was kicking me yet I couldn’t do anything about it. My body was too weak to move and my powers seemed to be tethering between nonexistent or barely there. The requiem was banned for a reason, but there was no going back now. It wouldn’t bring back my island or my people.
“Load her up!” Another voice shouted as the stranger before me grumbled just as I saw him pull a syringe out of his pocket with a wicked smile on his face.
“Time to go night night.” He laughed while stabbing the syringe into my neck incorrectly before something hot coursed through my body, making it harder for me to keep my eyes open. As the burning sensation filled my body, I felt one more sharp pain in my stomach before the world grew dark.
Stirring from my slumber, an unbearable headache pounded against my skull as I groaned in pain. Fuck. I could just go ask papa for something to cure this monstrous headache like I’d usually do. I thought as I slowly opened my eyes while looking around in confusion for a second before it all came back to me.
This was real. This wasn’t a dream. My family, my island, my people, and all of our hard work was gone. There was nothing left. That realization came crashing into me as I floated in some type of pool filled with water that was made of glass as people stood outside of it, staring up at me like I was a fish in a fish tank. Some were armed while others wore civilian clothes, staring at me as if I was a monstrous sight and not a human looking siren with fins on her arms and legs. It was only then, did I realize that this was now my new life. I was alone and locked up in a place where I would die. I would never be able to become a doctor like my papa. All those years I spent training and learning were all a waste and I would never be able to go back.
But, as time went by and people came and left, I realized that I wasn’t truly alone. With my visitors believing I couldn’t understand them or speak their language, they would always come to my containment and speak freely. I had learned quite a bit of things from them by just reading their lips and listening as best and discreetly as I could whenever I touched the glass. To my knowledge, I was currently in a penitentiary for the non-human creatures who committed some type of crime whether it be something as small as pickpocketing to something as big as mass homicide. Most of us were put in here because the humans were afraid of the things they didn’t know while others were put in here after their homes and lives were destroyed. They’d constantly throw around a few names in their lists, but nothing came of it.
Until one day, their list became shorter and they all stood around my tank congratulating each other and gambling on something. Before they left, one of them said something about a mad dog which they had been constantly repeating throughout my time of being here while another one pointed up at me. Staring back at them, I held their gazes as the one who pointed up at me smiled.
“We can add her to the list as well. She won’t last a second on that planet since she’s a siren mermaid thing and they need water. I’ll win this bet in no time.” The individual boasted confidently as the other two looked between each other skeptical.
“I think she’ll survive. Did you not see what she did to that island where they were building the waterparks and resorts?” One of the other two inquired as they focused their gazes back on me again. “Plus, she doesn’t exactly have a tail. She has legs and fins. I’m sure she’ll be able to make it a little further than some of the others. After all, she’s made it this far.” They continued to bicker as I stared between the three, unsure of whether the second person was cheering me on or gambling on my life. Either way, I still didn’t like any of them.
That night, as I was in and out of sleep from the constant nightmares, I jolted awake to the sound of wheels squeaking before looking around. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness around me, I could see several guards walking past my door just outside my large tank. Soon, one of the guards walked into my room before closing the door behind them and switching on the lights. Staring at the individual before me, I watched as they walked over to the otherside of the room before opening up the wall where a large cylinder also slid out. The guard glanced back at me once before pouring something into the cylinder and pushing it back into the wall. Turning full towards me now, I watched in confusion as we stared at each other before my body began to feel heavy and burn.
Banging against the glass, I fought with the overwhelming feeling as I slowly sunk to the bottom of the tank, my lungs now on fire. Casting one more glance at the guard, I was surprised to see a few more had appeared with chains and handcuffs. With one last gasp, darkness filled my vision.
