Serene Of The Sea

34. Mind

I hadn't been here in a long time.

Grass tickled the bottom of my bare feet. My Seniman dress billowed in the winds on Mullion's cliff side. People are going to ask me why I'm dressed strangely. Voices call to me, but this time it's not the voice of man, but the voices of Siren.

"They're coming, aren't they?" He asks behind me.

I turn to see a little boy I've never met. His very human brown eyes look at me with wide eyed wonder.

"You can hear that?" I ask him, wondering if he is some sort of Siren too.

He shakes his messy brown hair, "They always come. Until we're all gone. Are you a monster too?"

How can I tell him I'm one of them? Lights begin to play on his face as he backs away from me slowly. I turn to see the whole ocean is on fire, breaching the land, slowly chipping it away.

"No time to hesitate," Phy's voice whispers into my mind.

That's when my limbs start to move without my consent. I'm thrown from my body. Watching down on the scene like it's a movie.

I watch my body turn back to the boy, a cruel smile creeps across my features. I look terribly like my mother.

I feel my heart begin to beat frantically in my chest as I realise what I'm about to do, "NO!" I yell helplessly at my shell.

But my face turns to look at me, "But you chose this."

My body turns back to the child as he shrieks in horror.

"This isn't me," I cry out, begging myself to stop.

"Then save us," The boy now speaks with absolute serenity, the land melting away until I'm falling into the fire.

-

I realise then that it's just a dream. My mind begins to fill in the blanks.

The uncomfortable army cot is digging into my back. The scratchy sheets prickling against my skin, an unwelcome reminder of where I am.

Gentle breathing echoes around me. Everyone in a deep sleep.

I concentrate on the rise and fall of my own chest, trying to push away the sinking feeling. My dream was falling away like sand in a sieve, until I couldn't remember why I was so unsettled.

I wiped away the moisture on my cheeks. I wouldn't allow them to see me weak. The air in the small dome was thick and musty. Someone had locked us in since I had fallen asleep. I wasn't sure if the moisture was from sweat or tears.

Elena had told me to sleep in my uniform, as she said we were often woken in the night for surprise training. I was determined not to be caught unaware. This place would not be the end of me.

Nothing can be heard but the presence of those in the room. Not a whisper of a breeze stirs in the air. It's almost unsettling.

My ears prickle when I hear a bell ringing in the distance. A groan emits from Blake across the room.

"Ugh. Rise and shine folks," Elena sighs above my head. For once I am aching for the day to begin. The rigid cot makes sure of that. Sitting up, I feel my bones creak from the awkward angle my body had slept in. Arching my back, I feel my vertibrae releasing in painful cracks.

"They don't get any comfier," Blake comments as he rolls out his shoulder, the joints popping in protest.

I stand, feeling out the aches until standing isn't so uncomfortable. There wasn't anything to be done, as I was already dressed.

I used my fingers to tug out the knots in my thick hair, then scraped it back as best I could into a high ponytail.
My breath wasn't the freshest. But in seeing the others, I gathered that wasn't considered a problem here.

"Make your bed," Elena warns, "They'll be in soon to check. And they're not kind if its wrong."

I watch her make her own, and copy as best I can until mine looks the same.

As if sensing our readiness we hear the heavy steps approaching, "72! ATTENTION!" The voice barks. The sound causes many feet to stomp outside.

Everyone inside stands rigid, hands behind their backs. My short time training in Senima before, allowed me to follow suit without hesitation.

The Sargent pushes into the room with a military precision, followed obediently by two guards. He is a smaller man. His greying hair is slicked to his head, unmoving to any force. His face is scarred and serious, the biggest of his scars stretches right over his left eye, splitting his eyebrow in two. The engravings on his leather shoulder pads indicate his high rank.

They march around the room, checking every inch. Even opening our lockers. One of the guards takes out my soiled Seniman dress, "All clear, Sargent." The guard barks like a robot, handing him the dress as they return to their formation at his side.

"New recruit, stand forward," He orders. I step out of line without a word, feeling no fear towards this man. I had dealt with his kind before.

He walks around me like I'm a piece of meat, with the dress in his hand, "I've heard about you. Survived among humans for half of your life. Broke out from the palace. Single-handedly ended the Siren rebellion. But don't think you will be treated special here. This is war we are preparing for, and war strips us of all our titles. Back in line."

His eyes watch me as I obey, like a trainer to his pup. He dangles the dress in front of me, "Comfort is for the weak weaver. We don't tolerate such things in my army. You will no longer answer to your previous life. You are 72."

So I was to be a number. I hated him already. This place could not sway me.

He looks over our group with a cold lack of empathy, "72. Report for the morning march. Dismissed!"

I follow my team out the door, to find a whole squadron of about one hundred Sirens standing to attention. We join the ranks. I take my place at the back next to Elena.

"Turn, stomp, left, right," Elena says under her breath.
Before she can finish someone at the front yells an unintelligible sound. Thank god for Elena so I know how to keep up with the movements. We begin to march.