《The Tide Wars: Emerging》 Prologue Adeline was birthed in the ocean. Twenty years ago, her Ascent Storm raged for thirty hours, battering the navy sea and churning white crests of waves into the inky black sky. Her mother held her body close for only a moment before they were pulled into the depths below. Her father had to choose. His wife or his child. He chose wrong. It is the origin of all Virtues to be born in an ocean storm. To come into the world the way they leave. Screaming. Voices drowned by the power of the crashing waves. Adeline¡¯s parents were only young. Like all Virtues and Sirens younger than thirty, they were supposed to be protected by the Truce of a Thousand Tides. But in the watery gap of the world between England and France, they were taken from Adeline. It is a Siren¡¯s nature to lie. To cheat. To kill. Adeline would never know which wicked beast had killed her parents but it didn¡¯t matter. They were gone all the same. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. When the Gulf clan plucked her out of the shore break, small body cold and silent among the salty sea spray, they swore they would protect her like their own. Her emerald green tail revealed her as a daughter of the Delta. Yet, it was too dangerous to return her to her people. The Gulfs would keep her safe in a world created to tear her apart. If only Adeline had listened to their warnings as she grew. Shopkeepers Maggie and Dennis welcomed her into their beach side home with its tall windows and European Oak floors and endless laughter. They had already handled twin babies, Samuel and Sara, who were four when Adeline arrived. So, it was decided that they would also be able to handle their newborn, Simon, while raising the orphan babe. It would be good for the newcomer to have some family, the Elders of the Gulf reasoned. To feel a connection to people with the flaming orange scales. Adeline grew up on Glacier Isle with her five adoptive siblings, hair bleaching in the sun, skin tanning, and eyes always watching the horizon. Something told her that the Siren who killed her parents would not be contented until she was gone, too. Something told her that her involvement in the Tide Wars had only just begun. ONE "Are you kidding me?" Adeline cried as she tapped on her busted phone. She could see the texts from her adoptive brother, Simon. But her phone was refusing to cooperate and allow her to reply.
Absolutely not. Last time Simon weaseled his way into talking to Will, he had dished about the time Adeline ate so many skittles, she vomited rainbows for a week. There was no way she was going to let her snake of a brother talk to Will without her there to run interference. It would be a disaster. Not to mention she was missing the Opening Ceremony at her brand new school. The University of Atlantia North sprawled in front of her with shiny new buildings and clean concrete paths. Simon and Adeline had only just transferred from the local College and she was more than ready to get herself the kind of art supplies $25k a semester would afford her at the University. Not that she was paying that. Her perfect grades and test scores from the last two years had netted her a neat little scholarship sum. She needed the money. It wasn''t like she had wealthy parents to fall back on like Will and his sister Gabrielle. At least Simon understood that, too. Their parents couldn''t afford to send all five of the Gulf kids, Adeline the only adoptee, to one of the big fancy schools on Glacier Island. Her older sister Sara was helping her parents run their coffee shop turned book store turned last remaining cool spot. Sam was at University of Oceacadia on a music scholarship. The prevalence of Sirens at the liberal arts school still turned Adeline''s stomach. And then there was the youngest Gulf child, Susan. Even at sixteen, she was likely to be the most successful of their little family. A bike whizzed past and Adeline flinched back. It wasn''t her fault she was late. Well, mostly not her fault. She could have grabbed a ride with Simon in his busted up Subaru. She could have borrowed Sara''s bike and trekked across town. She could have done anything other than what she did. How was she supposed to know it took an hour to walk from the bus depot to the giant auditorium? This campus was huge. She had refused Simon''s offer because she thought starting the day listening to his bizarre mix of indie Soundcloud songs was the last thing she needed. She declined the bike offer because she didn''t want to arrive sweltering under the last of the summer sun. She figured a bus ride made the most sense. Bus passes were included in their tuition and she''d flashed her student pass with pride at the grumpy old driver. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Nerves churned in her stomach. She had worked so hard to get here and now she was missing out on the experience already. "Excuse me," she asked a passing student. "Do you know where the Opening Ceremony is?" "Freshman?" the woman replied, snapping minty gum and unhooking her earpods. Pop music blared out. "It can be hard when you first arrive." "Er, no. A transfer." Something about the notion made Adeline feel embarrassed. As though the redhead she''d stopped to ask for help could already sense her weakness. As though Simon''s hand me down band shirt and her holey jeans screamed "scholarship kid." Compared to the redhead''s designer yoga pants, sixty dollar water bottle, and perfectly waved hair tumbling around freckled shoulders, Adeline felt less like one of the brightest young minds and more like the dullest crayon in the thrift store box. "Ah! Yeah, that too." The redhead grinned and Adeline felt guilty for judging her. Rich women could be nice, too, after all. Gabrielle proved that. "Smart, though. To transfer in. Same degree as the rest of us, just half the price." "Right!" Adeline tried to sound as bubbly as the redhead but she knew it sounded fake. Her palms were sweating and her blonde hair was trailing in damp strands around her neck. "Anyway, Opening Ceremony, huh? It should be at the Oscar Auditorium, back by the rose garden. Take a left when you get to the look out. Can''t miss it." "Thank you so much!" "That''s my boyfriend waiting for me over there so I gotta go. But I''m sure I''ll see you around. It''s Eleanor, by the way. Nice to meet you." Adeline took her outstretched hand. "Adeline. Nice to meet you too." As their skin connected, pain ripped through Adeline''s palm. She jolted back but a look of recognition passed across Eleanor''s face. "Virtue," Eleanor hissed. "Just what this place needed. Another traitor." All good will in her voice had vanished. All friendly connection and helpful advice dead. When a Siren and a Virtue meet, there is no time for pleasantries. Not at the University of Atlantia North. Not on Glacier Isle. Not anywhere. Adeline clenched her hands into fists, holding back a flinch at the pain. She couldn''t speak. If Will had been there, maybe it would have been different. Or, if one of her sisters had been there to back her up, soothe her goosebump pricked arms, maybe she would have had the strength to speak. It wasn''t different. She was late. And she was alone. With a Siren. Adeline fled. If things had been different, maybe she wouldn''t have ended up on her back facing the blue sky and white, billowing clouds. The boyfriend. How could she have forgotten about him? He stood above her. And he was grinning. TWO Her phone was buzzing. At least that function still worked. "Don''t touch me or I''ll call the police."
Calling the police was an empty threat. Adeline rarely lied but desperate times... Besides, it wasn''t an intentional lie, really. She wanted to call the police. She would certainly try if she needed to, after all. It''s just that she knew her outdated, broken-screen, software-update-required, no-space-left phone was not going to be calling anyone. But it sounded like someone was calling her and that was enough of a threat. Eleanor''s boyfriend was tall. Stupidly tall. He looked like he ought to play sports and he had the broad shoulders and sinewy arm muscles of a player. Adeline briefly wondered if he played for one of University of Atlantia North''s teams. She doubted they were ranked very high. Not that she would know. She only she paid attention to sports when Will was around and, even then, sports were often far from their minds. He was also handsome. Equally, stupidly handsome. His silver hair caught the light and his startling blue eyes stared out from above chiseled cheekbones. "Go ahead," the man sneered, snapping her back to reality. "Call. Tell the police how the mean man existed near you." Right, he was likely a Siren. Just like his girlfriend who had moved to drape herself on him. Which made him utterly detestable in every single way. And, if Adeline had been a violent woman, she would have jumped up and slapped the sneer right off of his face. Instead, with shaking hands, she pulled her phone out of her jean pockets. It was Will. Gabs had left a dozen texts, too. Simon was still blowing her up. She took a deep breath. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Okay, scratch the police plan. My friends and family are looking for me because I''m late. And, given the truce, I doubt you''re actually going to try anything. Let alone in broad day light." She sounded more confident than she felt. Her only run-ins with Sirens had all technically been within the bounds of the truce. All above water, so to speak. Technically. But they weren''t known to fight fair. And Adeline was very aware she was outnumbered. "So, if you''ll excuse me." The man waved for her to step past him with a sinister smile. And Eleanor whispered something in his ear Adeline pretended she didn''t care about. "What''s your name?" the man called as Adeline wobbled past, rubbing her sore back. She turned to him, clutching her phone tightly almost as though its mere existence was a threat. "Adeline." "No." Something wicked flashed in his eyes and Adeline felt her stomach twist. "You know what I mean." All Sirens and Virtues had a real name. One given to them by the sea. Adeline''s was Ever. And that was something no Siren could ever know. If they ever found out her real name, she would be joining her parents at the bottom of a watery grave. Not even the Gulfs knew her real name. The ocean whispered it to her on quiet nights and sang it in her heart. She had promised to keep it to only herself. To speak it to another was too dangerous. A name is a powerful thing. "What''s yours?" Adeline snapped back. "Viktor." Ocean names were unusual. Eleanor, Sara, Adeline. Those were their given names. Their real names spoke to their hearts. They would never be as simple as Viktor. When spoken, the air would shatter and the stars would fall and a truth would be known. Viktor, Adeline scoffed. Please. "Coward," Adeline said, again with more confidence than she felt. "Asking for mine when you won''t give your own." Viktor shrugged. "You''re a Virtue. Not exactly the most self-preserving. Or clever. Figured it might just be that easy." Rage rose up in her but she squashed it down. He wasn''t worth her time or her feelings. No Siren was. Not even silver haired, gray eyed demons like the one in front of her. Not his redhead girlfriend dripping off his shoulder. No one. He was still grinning when Adeline stalked toward the rose garden. She couldn''t get his stupid face out of her mind and she regretted not slapping him with every step she took. Squash, slap, squash, slap. Her flip flops joined her in solidarity. "Del, are you kidding?" a voice called out. THREE ¡°You¡¯ve nearly missed the whole thing, come on!¡± Good ol¡¯ Sy. Adeline¡¯s whole body relaxed at his presence. But he looked past her at the redhead and her silver haired boyfriend, his eyes narrowing. Her brother grabbed her by her shaking elbow and heaved her past the rose garden, across the look out, into a gigantic auditorium, and up a flight of stairs. ¡°Sirens, huh?¡± Simon muttered under his breath as he took the stairs two at a time. He had always been better than her at identifying them. An innate ability to spot them in a crowd. Adeline felt guilt at her own inability. How could she have talked to that redhead Siren in such a familiar, friendly way? ¡°Sy, wait.¡± Adeline pulled her elbow out of his reach and grabbed the handle of the staircase. Her breathing was hard and fast and not only because of Simon¡¯s breakneck pace. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Wait?¡± Sy span around a few steps above her. ¡°For what? Wait for them follow us? Or ought I wait longer? Wait for them to wipe us all out? Come on, Del! We can¡¯t escape them anywhere, can we?¡± There had been a few at the Glacier Isle College, not that Adeline sought them out. There was just that glint in their eyes. The friction in their touch. But to meet two on her first day at the University of Atlantia North sent ripples of fear down her spine. They weren¡¯t from the Isle, she knew that much. The Gulfs had taught their children the names and jobs of every Siren on the entire island. After all, they were dangerous no matter the truce. Not that Adeline had to be warned of their threat. Sirens had taken her parents from her. And while she was glad for the family she had, she would always wonder about the family she had lost. ¡°No,¡± she managed to gasp. ¡°Wait for me to catch my breath!¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Simon snapped and he ran his shaky hands through his black hair. ¡°Alright?¡± Adeline gave him a pointed look. ¡°You certainly don¡¯t sound sorry.¡± ¡°I am sorry.¡± This time his voice was softer. Brotherly again. ¡°They just rattle me. You know that.¡± ¡°I know. Listen, I¡¯ve already missed enough of the Opening Ceremony. Could we please go see whatever is left? At a normal, human pace?¡± The Opening Ceremony took place in one of the campus¡¯ theater buildings. A podium was in the middle of the stage but the heavy curtains were drawn. They shuffled into the curved rows and found Gabrielle and William sitting and waiting during an intermission. ¡°Hey, girl!¡± Gabrielle said with a relieved smile. She scooted back on the bench to let Adeline pass. ¡°Normally only freshers and transfers come to these things but when the boys said they hadn¡¯t heard from you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Adeline said with a smile, answering Gabrielle¡¯s unasked question. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. Thank you for joining us.¡± ¡°No,¡± Simon said in an angry stage-whisper. ¡°She¡¯s not fine. She was held up.¡± ¡°Held up?¡± William leaned forward over his older sister. ¡°Held up how?¡± Will was one of the reasons Adeline had transferred here with Simon. That and the generous scholarship to study art. He¡¯d attended since his first year studying oceanology, of all things. Three years ago he would have been right here in the theater for his own Opening Ceremony. He was only here for her and she hadn¡¯t even made it on time. Adeline squeezed past Gabrielle and collapsed gratefully next to Will. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hi, you,¡± she said dropping her head on his shoulder. He was always so grounded. So strong. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She drew from his strength and felt her shoulders relax. Virtues had to stick together. It was survival. But it was also just pleasant. Something about Will was so different from Viktor. Will smelled warm, like a crackling fire and marshmallows. She breathed in deep and pressed her cool hands against her hot cheeks. ¡°So?¡± Gabrielle asked looking between Adeline and Simon, who was still shifting in next to her. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°A redhead and a blond guy. She was sporty. Wearing yoga pants. The guy almost looked like he had white hair. Tall.¡± Simon¡¯s words were clipped, his voice tight. The Sound siblings didn¡¯t have to hear the word Siren to know what Simon meant. ¡°I know them,¡± Gabrielle said with a sigh. ¡°Viktor and Eleanor.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Adeline said, sitting up from William¡¯s comforting embrace. ¡°That was them.¡± ¡°Del¡ª¡± Gabrielle gnawed on her bottom lip. ¡°I know you don¡¯t need me to tell you this but you need to stay away from them. They¡¯re the worst of the worst. Eleanor is mostly harmless. Coast. But Viktor¡­ He¡¯s a Trench.¡± The worst of the worst, indeed. The Trenches dominated the deepest parts of the oceans. The trenches were the dark, miserable, and frightening channels running like gaping wounds on the ocean floor. Why the Trenches would send one of their own to Glacier Isle was beyond Adeline. Unlike the other clans, they didn¡¯t like to come above the water. They thrived in the places unseen. Sounds, Gulfs, and Deltas were territories close to land. It reasoned some would settle on islands or coastlines and set up shop with the humans. But, Trenches? Adeline had never even met one before. ¡°He was vile,¡± Adeline said with a new understanding. So the silver haired man was a Trench, and his girlfriend was a Coast. Both Ocean types. ¡°Ale had a run in with him last week, believe it or not.¡± Gabrielle pulled out clear, fruity lip gloss and began to apply it. She always smelled light and sweet, unlike her younger brother. ¡°Caught Viktor at Beans and Bindery. Viktor¡¯s a transfer, although who knows if he actually attended a college before or not. I saw Eleanor last year at the gym. She¡¯s in her second year and she¡¯s on the football team, I think.¡± Ailmer was the youngest Sound, still in secondary school and the most likely to pick a fight with a Siren. It figured he had already met the newcomer. He loitered at Beans and Bindery after school, the Gulf¡¯s coffee shop meets bookstore next to the Sound¡¯s art gallery turned tea tasting shop. Ailmer was hardly interested in the family business. Everyone knew he loitered near the shops only because he had a raging crush on the barista, Claire. But, in a desperate attempt to protect his pride and a fruitless attempt to conceal his feelings, he had recently positioned himself as some kind of intellectual. Having known him since he was ten, Adeline had to laugh every time Ailmer pulled out a thick book and pointedly read looking over his glasses. Ailmer was more likely to use a book as a weapon than to actually absorb its contents. ¡°And Ale¡¯s alright?¡± Simon asked with a frown. Good Ol¡¯ Sy, Adeline thought again. She looked over at her brother and smiled. No matter what had brought her to this Island, no matter who had taken her parents, she wouldn¡¯t trade her brothers for the world. ¡°Oh, you know Ale. Gives as good as he gets. Said the Trench wasn¡¯t too interested in an all out brawl. Strange that. I¡¯d always heard that Sirens from the Trenches are the most brutal.¡± Gabrielle shivered. ¡°Say,¡± Adeline began, ¡°have any of you ever actually met a Siren from the Trenches before?¡± Simon shot her a look and Gabrielle paused to think. Will pulled Adeline back against his chest. ¡°No¡ª look," Will said. "The ceremony is resuming now. Let¡¯s watch. Forget those freaks, yeah?¡± But even as the Chancellor of the school came out to give a speech, Adeline¡¯s thoughts remained on the two Sirens. Her first time meeting a Trench. It was significant. The thought almost thrilled her. If only he had been a Virtue, instead. Maybe they could¡¯ve been friends, she thought, as his steely eyes floated in her mind. Our Melancholic Melody Oh, meet us deep in the ocean, our alabaster bone shifts tide, where maroon blood is our potion, and fear becomes broken inside. Oh, seek us deep in the sea storm, but our voices fade by the gales, Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.where our cries in endless gulfs form, so please steal not voices with scales. Oh, sing in waters, salvation, from the coast to the trench we plead, curse breaker, be our creation, find Virtues and Sirens in need. FOUR They looped through a smoothie store on the way down to the beach. They then began to descend the million stairs carved into the cliff-side and followed the call of the Ocean. Adeline regretted the grainy protein powder she impulsively added to her smoothie. She had chosen the Spirulina Ginger Goddess something or other which simply tasted of the color green. Will caught her grimace. ¡°Here, try mine.¡± She sipped on his sunset colored smoothie. A sweet, berry taste with a hint of pineapple covered her tongue. ¡°Oh my goodness, what is this one? ¡°The Honey Bear Beach Breeze. Your choice is notoriously the worst. For the uber-healthy green freaks. You should¡¯ve listened to me.¡± He laughed and then grabbed her revolting drink away from her. ¡°But, luckily for you, coach makes us drink stuff even more vile than this.¡± Simon gulped a stream from his enormous, dented and sticker-covered thermos. He rolled his brown eyes. ¡°You know what¡¯s always a safe bet? Water.¡± ¡°Sure, but no fun.¡± Gabrielle teased, between sips of her neon pink monstrosity which had boasted 5g of natural caffeine, whatever that meant. Sy didn¡¯t only drink water for the simplicity and neutrality, although that was definitely a plus. He chose water because the smoothies were ten bucks a pop and that was five bucks he didn¡¯t have. Adeline would¡¯ve drank from his thermos, germs and all, if Will hadn¡¯t offered to grab her a smoothie. The Gulf kids weren¡¯t exactly flush with cash. Gabrielle and Will were Sounds. Their parents owned the art gallery as a side hustle and didn¡¯t care much for profits, hence the addition of the adjoining tea room. Their real business was in transport. Gulfs and Sounds were similar at a surface level. But while Gulfs were deep and large and private, Sounds could be shallow and narrow and open. Gulfs had larger populations which only meant the Elders had more mouths to feed and families to prop up. Especially during the Tide Wars when many had become stuck in their boundless bodies of water, trapped by land, forced in by the Sirens. Over time, the decedents had watched any possible opportunities dwindle away. Sounds were longer, less enclosed, and shallower. Less of a focus for any war, easier to transition to land. The Sounds on Glacier Isle were a relaxed group who lived off the skimmed profits from swollen bank accounts. Gulfs were scraping by. And bookstores were hardly making a killing these days. Adeline never knew why Virtue wouldn¡¯t just help Virtue. Why the Gulfs wore hand me downs and applied for scholarships while the Sounds sipped $10 smoothies and drove sleek cars around the island¡¯s winding roads. Gulfs and Sounds were barely any different culturally, anyway. Fjords were enclosed by glaciers and they had a tendency to be independent, stronger, and a little frightening. Estuaries, living in the mouths of rivers, were fresh water Virtues and a rushing, enveloping sort. Straits were diplomats. Harbors were business-minded. Wetlanders¡ª Adeline shivered. Those were the rulers of where land met sea. It made sense there was distance between all those Clans. But Gulfs and Sounds should have been as tight as Bays and Coves. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The steps grew sandy beneath her flip flops. They were close to the water now. She could feel the hum of energy over her skin. The sound of waves crashed over her ringing ears. She hadn¡¯t realized how tense she had been holding herself. Her shoulder blades lowered and relaxed. Her hips loosened as she took each step. The ocean¡¯s call grew louder. Adeline couldn¡¯t understand why the Sounds let the Gulfs flounder and watched their children struggle. She sipped the Honey Bear smoothie and shook her head. Will was generous. It wasn¡¯t the Sound¡¯s fault that the Sirens had decimated the oceans and split the Virtues. And the Gulfs kept accepting orphans into their fold even when they couldn¡¯t support them. Not that Adeline judged them for that. After all, she was one of those orphans. Before she knew it they had finished walking down the steps. No one had interrupted her thoughts. That was the nice thing about both the Gulfs and Sounds. They were peaceful. Quiet. Not like the Waterfall rushing toward her now. ¡°Oh. My. Goddess!¡± Amanda sprinted across the warm sand with an even warmer grin. ¡°You¡¯re here! You made it! Oh my goddess!¡± Adeline was enveloped in a crush. Amanda¡¯s curly hair was expertly woven into a million sky blue braids. She flicked them over her shoulder after releasing Adeline. ¡°Becks is here somewhere. She¡¯s out swimming. This beach gets pretty busy once classes start but, for now, the long way down stops most students. Lazy bones they are!¡± We¡¯re safe here, Amanda¡¯s illuminated eyes said. We can be ourselves. ¡°Well, let¡¯s join her!¡± Gabrielle said with a grin of her own. Amanda and Gabrielle were like two sides of the same coin. Where Gabrielle was a bit more reserved with her joy, more contained, Amanda was a riot of blissful energy. If Gabrielle was a warm candle, Amanda was a crackling fireplace. Both made Adeline feel full with peace and warmth. Simon and Will were already racing across the shifting sand to the ocean¡¯s edge. ¡°Hey!¡± Amanda cried after them but there was only playfulness in her voice. ¡°No fair. You cheats!¡± Adeline took after them. She was faster than them both. If she had been interested in sports, she probably could make a team. But for now, she running for the fun of it was enough. She beat the boys to the edge, despite their head start, kicked her flip flops away, pulled her top and shorts off, and raced into the water. It takes a Virtue a full minute before the transformation begins. A minute of full submersion in the cool waves. Sirens have them beat in that regard. They could transform in seconds. But, when the magic takes hold, Adeline was sure it must feel the same. Her bones, her fingernails, the hair on her arms. All were enveloped by the water. All hummed with power. The ocean was no longer calling. Adeline had arrived. The ocean¡¯s voice filled Adeline¡¯s ears, her nose, her mouth. Her true name rang like bells. Screamed like the seagulls littering the shore. Sang like orca and dolphins. It filled her stomach and her knees and her hands. Ever. And she was one with the water. And she was transformed.