Chapter 20

"Me?" Maris asked, turning her head to see if there was anybody behind.

"Yes, what are you doing in this place?" The queen questioned with hatred dripping from her voice. "You're not welcome here."

"Mother, stop it!" Logan slid in between her and Maris, shielding his consort with his body. "I will not let you make my guest feel neglected."

"I'm not neglecting her," Logan's mother said, eyeing her from head to toe. "She knows who she is and what her kind did."

"My kind?" Maris said in a question like manner with a look of confusion spreading all over her face. "I don't understand."

She took a step back and looked down at her body before taking her gaze higher to the woman.

"Don't play that game with me." The queen scowled then pointed a finger at her.

"Mother, why are you doing this?" Sanna asked, stepping into their midst.

"She is a siren." The mother stated through gritted teeth and her body shook as she took in deep breaths with balled fists.

The crowd gasped. The women covered their mouths and the men allowed their jaws to kiss the porcelain floor. Suddenly, whispers erupted from the crowd and Maris staggered backwards, thoughts flying around in her head.

"Siren?" Maris gulped, but the saliva wasn't enough to push down the lump that had settled in her throat. Her breathing seized for a minute before she exhaled, feeling dizzy.

"Yes, you bitch. Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about." The queen scrunched up her face.

Logan was dazed, there were lines of confusion on his forehead as he stood still, thinking about what his mother had just said.

Instantly, the mother made her way to Maris and poked her hard in the chest with each word she said.

"You," she said, poking Maris' chest and shifting her weight backwards. "–are not welcome here!"

Maris moved back, her heart breaking into tiny pieces as she was being poked. The queen did a sass turn and walked back to the throne. Maris staggered backwards, her vision becoming blurry with clouds of tears as her chest heaved.

"You all know what the sirens did to this kingdom, they brought us heartache and-"

The queen didn't get to finish her sentence because Maris shut her out by staring blankly at the mark on her wrist. It looked like it had been drawn with an ink to achieve the looks of a tattoo. Unconsciously, her fingers trailed lines on it. It mirrored the looks of the sun, but in this manner; there was a full stop surrounded by six apostrophes in black ink.

Suddenly, she slipped into a trance of the past with her mouth agape.

"Mommy!" Maris ran, her red shoulder length hair flying around her as she raced from the play ground to meet her mother.

"Baby!" The mother exclaimed heartily with visible crinkles on the corners of her eyes.

Little Maris pulled up short when she was a finger away from her mother and jumped. Her mother caught her in a bear hug and spun with her, earning an exciting scream from her little bundle of joy.

"What took you so long?" Maris frowned, comfortably balanced on her mother's arms.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I had to go fix some stuffs, but guess what?"

"What, Mommy?" Maris' gray eyes sparkled, she was one that loved surprises a lot.

"Let's get home first, I have a surprise for you. Piggy back ride?" The mother dropped Maris and bent.

"Sure!" She hopped on her mother and shouted gleefully as her mother bop her up and down. She spat out the locks of hair that entered her mouth.

Maris was a replica of her mother. She had inherited her eyes and unique red hair that always made people stop and stare whenever she walked by just the way people were staring right now, enjoying the love and bond the mother and daughter shared.

Maris ran through the front door and flung her bag on the floor as soon as her mother unlocked it.

"Tell me the surprise!" She jumped, tugging on her mother's shirt.

"Hmm," sighed the mother with squinted eyes. "Sugar rush?"

"No, mom. But a nice boy offered me his apple and I said no thank you like you taught me." She explained, hand behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her tiny five year old heels."Then he said, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but I still told him no."

"Good girl." The mother patted her head slightly.

Maris chuckled.

"So for the surprise." The mother searched her bag and pulled out a little brown box.

"Are you proposing to me?" Maris asked.

"No, silly."

They shared a laugh and she pulled the box open, pulling out two beautiful pin earrings from it.

"I want you to have this." Maris' mother's tone was now serious as she placed them in her palms and gave Maris the chance to admire.

"Oh, my. They are beautiful!" Maris exclaimed and marvelled her mother once again. Her daughter was a little too smart for her age.

The earrings had a drawing on the surface. One that was like the sun, but it was a full stop surrounded by apostrophes.

"It has the same drawing on my wrist." Maris chewed her bottom lip and held her wrist out to her mother. "The nice boy that offered me an apple asked me if it was a tattoo."

"He did?" Her mother paid attention to every word she said.

"Yes. Now I'm curious, what's this mark for? Did you actually give me a tattoo when I was born?" Her innocent face softened her mother's heart. She pulled her close and sat her on her laps.

"No. It's not a tattoo, Maris." She smiled sweetly at her daughter with Cupid bow lips adorned in a red lipstick.

"What is it then, mom?" Her tiny voice was angelic and it melted her mother in a good way to see a little her in her child.

"It's your identification. Your birthmark. It is who you are and when the time comes, you'll find out."

These words echoed in Maris' head as she snapped out of her trance to see people throwing scornful gazes at her. She was a siren, that made a lot of sense. No wonder she had the ability to control anyone with her voice.

"But why?" She croaked to no in particular, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. "All these years. No one told me till now?"

Her chest heaved as she almost lost her balance, but clutched on to something for support–that something were strong and rough hands that were like sand paper. Her heart pounded and it felt like there was a hole in it with blood gushing out.

She looked up and met his honey, brown eyes rendering affection. It wasn't Logan. She didn't have the time to look for Logan, she was too confused and couldn't put her thoughts in order.

"I'm with you." He whispered and she swallowed hard.

"I can't be here," she said breathlessly and grabbed her gown from her knees, exposing her legs.

She raised her feet and ran with a thumping heart that could be heard from miles away.

"Use the door and make sure it slaps you in the face on your way out!" The mother exclaimed.

Maris ran till she was out in the cold. Her head snapped from left to right before something unbelievable happened–she paused then gasped and that was it.

Maris hit the ground harshly and her eyes closed–a dark abyss swallowed her.