Siren Song

(Note - Beluga Bay isn't a real place (as far as I know), and if you know of someplace called Beluga Bay, this story has no purposeful relation to it)

# The Story

## Chapter One

Piper practically flew out of the building as the bell rang, ready to get out of school for the summer. She was happy to get some fresh air inside her lungs instead of stuffy classroom air.

"Hey, Jenna! Wanna go out on your dad's boat this afternoon? I'm gonna grab a few snacks for us to eat on the boat, but we could meet up at four!" Piper yelled across from across the courtyard as she saw her friend Jenna walking past.

"Sure!" Jenna yelled back, equally as eager to get out of the house.

Piper hopped onto her bike and peddled quickly back to her house. Although sure she was going to get to the docks by four o'clock, she wanted to be the first one there so she could drive the boat.

Speeding to a stop, Piper jumped off of her bike and snatched a few granola bars and chip bags, along with a water bottle, from various kitchen cabinets. She stuffed them all in her mom's tote bag and hopped back onto her bike with the food.

Rounding a corner, Piper finally spotted the dock, along with *Jenna and Elliot* Standing near it. *Dang it! I thought I'd get here first* for sure *this time!* Sighing, Piper got off her bike and grabbed a granola bar out of the tote bag before handing it to Elliot.

"Well... which one of you got here first? Was it Jenna again?" Piper groaned.

"Nope, we actually came together, since you were getting the snacks this time, and you actually have gummies at home, so Elliot didn't have to go get his" Jenna chuckled, "You did actually bring the gummies... right?"

"Uhmmm... maybe...?" Piper said awkwardly.

"Dang it, you forgot, didn't you? Haha, it's fine. Anyway, let's go out on the boat, we're wasting time chatting!" Jenna said enthusiastically.

## Chapter Two

Breathing in the fresh ocean breeze, Piper grabbed the binoculars that they had found on the boat and began looking at the various sea birds that were flying overhead.

"Hey, Elliot, look at that pretty bird up there!" Piper said as she spied an unusually large pale-brown colored bird with a white chest fly high over her head, "Do you think it's a hawk? I think it was way bigger than that though..."

"A big bird? I didn't see one" Elliot said, confused.

"Aww man, it must have flown off already!" Piper grumbled, scanning the sky with her binoculars just in case it came back.

"Here, have one of these, you gotta be at least a bit hungry" Elliot proposed, holding out a bag of sea salt and vinegar chips.

"Ooh, yum. Thanks, Elliot!" Piper said as she opened up the bag of chips.

Scanning the sky with her binoculars, Piper was disappointed that the giant brown bird hadn't come back. So, instead, Piper used the binoculars to see the coral reef up close, since she couldn't really go down there herself. *Oh wow, is that brain coral? That coral's bright green! Or is that seaweed...*

 Lost in her thoughts, Piper almost didn't notice the pale, almost glowing, white tail that splashed out of the water for a split second.

*Holy cannoli -- was that a whale? No, it was too small... or maybe a beluga! I guess that is a type of whale... but a beluga? Those have been rumored to be in this town for forever! (This place* is *called Beluga Bay, after all). Maybe I'm the first person to ever* actually *see a beluga in this whole town! Wow, that would be impressive...*

 Suddenly, Piper was jerked out of her thoughts as she saw a human-like face pop out of the water. Momentarily freaked out, she was about to go yell and get Jenna and Elliot (who were currently on the other side of the boat also admiring the fish and coral), when she was that a tail was attached to this 'human'.

The creature didn't seem to notice Piper, however, as it was facing backward. It got up on a rock poking out of the water, and Piper could see that it looked like *a siren?!* Way more freaked out than she had been before, she dropped her bag of chips into the water.

The siren-ish creature swiveled around, saw Piper, and dove back into the water.

## Chapter Three

Hearing the loud splash, Jenna and Elliot were going to go over to Piper to see what the racket was, Piper got to them first.

"Jenna, Elliot, you will not *believe* what I just saw," Piper said, stumbling on her words, "I saw a siren! A real one! I thought it was a beluga at first, but-"

"A *siren?*" Elliot asked, "You've *got* to be kidding me. Sirens aren't real. Maybe you saw a big fish?"

"NO! I saw a siren! I know they aren't real, well, I thought I knew, but I actually saw one! You guys *have* to believe me." Piper whined.

"I mean... I kinda don't? I don't think you're lying, but maybe you saw a beluga or something... which would be equally as cool, right? You'd be the first person to actually see one in Beluga Bay" Jenna said, trying to sound enthusiastic and uplifting.

Visibly uncomfortable, Elliot suggested that they go home since it was getting "kinda dark". It wasn't dark. However, Piper thought it was best that they go home, for now, so she let the fact that it definitely *wasn't dark* slide.

The next morning, Piper called Lily, her girlfriend, to talk about what had happened the day before. They spoke for a minute, and then decided to spend the day together.

"I mean... it's not that I don't believe you, but I just want to make sure that was you saw was real. If sirens are actually real, then that would be a *huge* scientific discovery, right?" Lily said, enthusiastic.

"I honestly don't know how I could show you, though. Oh! Actually, maybe we could go out on Jenna's boat and I could try and see if the siren is still there!" Piper said happily.

"Cool! Wait, are you sure that Jenna wouldn't mind that we used her dad's boat to go look for a siren? A cool siren, I might add..." Lily questioned, a bit worried.

"Nah, it'll be fine," Piper said, "Plus, her dad isn't even working today, and we'll just return it after, no biggie!" Piper said, a mischievous grin on her face.

## Chapter Four

Riding down to the docks on their bikes, Lily and Piper stopped to admire the view.

"Ok, we're here!" Piper said excitedly, "Jenna's dad's boat should be right over... here! Found it".

Stepping onto the boat Piper and Lily scanned the water for any white tails or heads. None to be found, Piper mumbled, "Maybe I was just imagining it...".

"No, nonsense! Don't give up so soon Piper, I'm sure if the siren is real, then you'll find it, er, her" Lily said reassuringly.

"Ok... thanks for cheering me up, Lily" Piper said happily, "I really don't know what I'd do without you".

Blushing a bit, Lily chuckled and they continued to look for anything that could possibly be a siren, this time with Piper using binoculars.

"Hey Lily... do you see that?" Piper whispered, "I think it's a siren! It's really hard to tell though with all this fog... wait, when did we have fog? Ack, it's so foggy, I can barely see you now!"

"W-wait, Piper, there's a weird noise... ack, it's so disorienting... and... beautiful..." Lily mumbled.

Lily was as soon snapped out of her trance as she was put in it, as she watched, it felt like in slow motion, two large talons grip what left she could see of Piper and snatch her out of thin air.

A blood-curdling scream filled her ears as a pair of binoculars clattered to the ground, and where Piper was standing, there was just... nothing. Air. Empty space where she should've been.

Confused and terrified, Lily collapsed to the ground and sobbed hysterically; she had no idea what had just happened, nor how to cope with the fact that Piper had just disappeared.

Tears blurring her vision, Lily picked up what she thought was a lock of Piper's hair on the ground -- it was... brown feathers? A bird took her. She saw the talons... but how could a bird do such a thing, and *why Piper?!*

And the fog... how did that happen either? Did the bird do it? How do birds do that? Are they magic? Is the world being infected by magic birds?!

A million thoughts and questions filling her head, Lily barely noticed the fog dissipate and the shore appear, much farther than they had been before, when they were attached to the dock. There wasn't anyone there either -- no potential proof of what happened and what someone on the dock might've seen.

Nothing.

No proof. No sirens. No Piper.