《Siren's Calling》 Chapter 1: A tail and a half He pushed me. He pushed me! everything I had done since my parents died was for this man. Yet he had taken it and thrown me out. It wasn''t possible, there had to be an explanation, there had to be. He wouldn''t do this, I know he wouldn''t. It''s not possible.
hatever,I thought swimming with surprising ease to catch up to Bart. I guess we''ll see. Chapter 2: 1 Fish, 2 Fish huge. It reminded me of something I had seen before.
College. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what that was, but it brought to mind an image which had a similar layout to this school. Although the buildings themselves looked quite different. They had soaring steeples and enchanting detailing that depicted many different fish and mermen. There were five buildings all centered around a large open area that was full of people doing all different activities. The building we were headed to was about twice the size of the other buildings. ¡°The buildings are separated by the Core Disciplines.¡± Bart explained. ¡°we have Mystical, Musical, Elemental, Physical, and Healing Disciplines. There are more focused Specialty Disciplines in each Core, but you can only choose one Core Discipline to learn. We are heading to the Mystical Arts building; it is the biggest one in the middle. It happens to be the biggest because not only is it the most popular Core, but it is also the building where the staff offices are located.¡± ¡°What do you do?¡± I asked rushing to keep up with his quick pace. ¡°I teach the intro to magic theory class; all new students are required to take it.¡± He replied with a glance back at me. ¡°Hey teach!¡± I heard someone call from the entrance of the Mystical Arts building. ¡°Hello, Sean.¡± Bart replied with a small sigh.Stolen story; please report. A merman came swimming up to us waving jovially at Bart. He had a mix of red and yellow scales that covered all his skin except his face. He had relatively short yellow hair that created a hallow around his head. As he turned to look at me my attention was captured by his golden eyes that almost seemed to glow. ¡°Who is this?¡± He asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around before.¡± ¡°I just met her.¡± Bart interjected before I could answer. ¡°She seems to have a memory problem so I¡¯m taking her to get curse checked.¡± ¡°Ah, well in that case I¡¯ll leave you to it, but I do have some questions for next time, teach.¡± Sean proclaimed already swimming off. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it.¡± Bart sighed while watching Sean¡¯s retreating form. ¡°Well, come on the sooner we see the headmistress, the sooner you can get yourself sorted out.¡± And with that lovely encounter behind us we headed into the building. After walking for what seemed like forever and walking down many a hallway, we finally came to a stop in front of a door. ¡°This is my office, why don¡¯t you wait here while I go find Mrs. Lumi?¡± Bart asked before walking down the hall. Turning back to the door I took a deep breath. This had already been an overwhelming day, and I was starting to feel it. Well might as well sit down for the wait. I thought while opening the door to Bart¡¯s office. Only to come face to face with a mermaid that had flowing green hair to well past her waist. My eyes couldn¡¯t help snapping to her scales which were green and red and covered her entire body. Then as she stated talking my eyes were drawn to hers which where the deepest shade of green I had ever seen. ¡°Oh! Hello, I was just looking for Mr. Mart, would you happen to know where he is?¡± She asked stepping aside to let me in his office. ¡°Ya, just went down that hall, but he should be back soon if you would prefer to wait.¡± I said putting on a light smile. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s ok I¡¯ll just come back later, but thanks for the help.¡± She called as the door swung shut behind her. She seemed nice; I wonder if I¡¯ll see any of these people again. This place just seems so big, I wonder how many students they have? I thought turning to sit in one of the provided chairs while looking around the room. The small room seemed to be dominated by a large wooden desk that held a pile of papers so tall, a light breeze could bring it toppling down. The chair I was sitting in had identical chairs on either side, all facing the large desk. The wall behind me was covered by a large bookshelf, which in tern was covered by books of all sizes and colors. Then as I turned back to the desk in front of me the door to the office opened to show yet another new face. Chapter 3: Cursed? The mermaid who walked through the door was much older than the others I had seen today. She had dark blue and silver scales that covered the same areas as the other two merfolk I had seen. She also had dark blue hair tied back in a loose bun that seemed to float around her face. I was startled out of my thoughts when my eyes met with hers. They were a bright silver that almost sparkled when they caught the light, but also held a sadness that made them hard to look at. ¡°Hello, I am Mrs. lumi, I have been told you are having memory problems?¡± She asked while taking a seat beside me. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, watching Bart take the seat behind his desk. ¡°I don¡¯t really remember anything before today.¡± ¡°I see,¡± She said with a confused frown. ¡°Well in order to check for a curse I will have to do a scan of your magic. I will need to hold your hand, is that alright?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I said holding out my hand. She lightly held my hand as she closed her eyes. Then I stiffened as I felt something I had never felt before poked at me. It was almost like sensing the presence of a person next to me but even more palpable. I felt like I was being cocooned in a warm blanket, but then the warmth spread to my insides. It was simultaneously comforting and alien in a way that made me want to take a few steps back. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry dear, did I make you uncomfortable?¡± She asked retracting her hand. ¡°No, Mrs. Lumi.¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve just never felt anything like that before.¡± She frowned thoughtfully while scanning my face. ¡°Well, I did not find anything untoward, which means you have not been cursed. That leaves us with the mystery of how you lost your memory. Can you really remember nothing before today? Any little thing may help.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I frowned while searching through what little I had remembered since meeting Bart. I did remember bits and pieces, but they didn¡¯t seem to fit into what I had seen of this world. I didn¡¯t feel comfortable revealing what I had remembered of living above water. What if they thought I was crazy¡­ well maybe I am crazy. Either way, I did not want to talk about it, but I also didn¡¯t want to lie to them. ¡°I don¡¯t remember this place at all.¡± I said. There, I thought. Not a lie. ¡°Hmm, well since you don¡¯t have a place to stay and you don¡¯t seem to have any knowledge of magic. How would you like to attend my school? We have dorms that you can stay in, and you can leave at any time if your memory returns.¡± She said seeming to enjoy the thought of my enrolment. ¡°Just like that?¡± I asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I need to pay?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied with a small smile. ¡°This is the only school that teaches magic, and it is run on donations from former students who graduate. Since magic is so rare among our people, those who graduate tend to make a grate deal of money and want to support the thing that made them so successful. The only requirement to attend is to have magic running through your system, which you do. Of course, if you cause trouble or break our rules you will be immediately escorted off the premises, but you don¡¯t seem like the kind to cause a ruckus. So, what do you say?¡± she asked hopefully. ¡°I would love to.¡± I said after only a moment of hesitation. After all, where else could I go? I also really wanted to learn about magic, what if I could figure out a way to get my legs back? Though, if I am going to stay underwater it might be easier to stick with the tail. ¡°Lovely,¡± She said with a growing smile. ¡°I¡¯ll send Sarah to show you around the dorms and help you get settled. Bart, would you help her pick out a schedule?¡± ¡°always happy to be of service.¡± Bart called after her retreating form. ¡°So,¡± He said turning his attention to me. ¡°First you must pick a core discipline, don¡¯t worry if you are not sure you can always change later. But you will have to choose one before the end of your first month.¡± ¡°Music.¡± I blurted out as fast as I could. Bart paused to examine my face. ¡°You seem very sure about that.¡± He said raising an eyebrow. I ¡­ It had seemed so natural to choose music I hadn¡¯t even questioned it. I love music, I know that, but how is it possible for me to love something I don¡¯t remember? ¡°Don¡¯t over think it,¡± He said after I had been silent for a while. ¡°If that was the first thing that caught your eye then just go with it. Music may not be the most popular discipline, but those who choose it tend to get a lot of enjoyment out of it.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go with that.¡± I said watching him scribble something on a paper. ¡°Good, that¡¯s basically all you have to do. Since you are a first year you will have to take the introductory classes for each discipline and a couple more in-depth classes for your chosen discipline.¡± He said with out even looking up from the paper. Just as he started to open his mouth to say something else, the door to his office opened to show the girl I had met in his office earlier. ¡°Oh, hello again!¡± She said smiling at me warmly. ¡°You must be the new student, I¡¯m Sarah.¡± ¡°Perfect timing Sarah why don¡¯t you two get to it. I need finish this and make sure it will be ready in time for her to start with everyone else.¡± Bart said shooing us with one of his fins. ¡°Sure thing, Mr. Bart.¡± Sarah said pulling me out the door. I took one last look back and saw Bart bristle at Sarah¡¯s reply just as the door closed. Chapter 4: To room or not to room, that is my quest. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name?¡± Sarah asked leading me out of the building. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m not really sure.¡± I replied wincing slightly at how silly I sounded. ¡°Memory problems huh? How bad are we dealing with?¡± She asked seeming to find this situation totally normal. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t remember anything before today. Is it really so common for someone to lose their memory that you can just treat it as normal?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°It¡¯s not common per say, but it happens often enough that if you tell someone you are having memory problems, they will probably be willing to help out.¡± She said smiling at me as we swam around to the back of the Mystical Arts building. There where four more buildings back here that I hadn¡¯t even noticed before. They were set up in a square with two in front and two in back, and they all where painted the same greyish green that blended quite nicely with the water around it. ¡°The two on the right are for boys and the two on the left are for girls. We are not allowed in the boy¡¯s rooms after eight and vice versa. Also, you will need to choose a roommate to stay with. We currently only have one person available, but if you two don¡¯t click you can choose an unoccupied room and wait for a better match.¡± She explained leading me to the furthest back girl¡¯s dorm. ¡°How many more people will be arriving?¡± I asked. I had already seen a lot of people, but if this was the only magic school then people probably came from far and wide. ¡°Not too many more.¡± She replied leading me up a staircase. ¡°Classes start in a few days, so most people have already moved in. We always have a few transfers throughout the year too. Late bloomers who didn¡¯t discover their magic until they were a little older. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m sure you will get along with the available roomy, she is a little odd but once you get to know her, she is very nice.¡± Just as Sarah ended her cheerful assessment we came to a stop in front of a room and Sarah knocked a little tune on the door.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Open up, Sam I have a new potential roommate here to see you!¡± She practically chirped at the door. I heard some muffled shuffling and what could have been a groan, before the door finally opened. The girl standing before me was definitely different then the other people I had met today. She had shoulder length, pitch black hair that was slightly mushed into her cheek like she had been sleeping. Her scales were black and purple, but what really drew my attention was the grumpy frown that she leveled at Sarah before turning to me. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care who ends up as my roommate. As long as you are quiet while I sleep and don¡¯t try to wake me up you can do whatever you like.¡± She stated before slumping off. I shared a look with Sarah before shrugging and stepping into the door Sam had left open. The entryway was a little hall with a door on either side and I could see a small kitchen and living area at the end of the hall. Since I had seen Sam go into the door on the right, I poked my head into the door on the left. Inside was just enough room for a small bed and a desk, and to the right of the room was another door that lead to a bathroom with all the amenities. ¡°What do you think?¡± Sarah asked from the doorway. ¡°I like it.¡± I said taking another look around. ¡°Not so small that it feels confining, and not so big that there is wasted space.¡± ¡°A fair assessment.¡± Sarah agreed. ¡°What about Sam, do you think you could get along with her?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems like as long as I don¡¯t get in her way, we won¡¯t have any problems. Plus, I appreciate how straight forward she is with what she wants from me. I think we will get along just fine.¡± I said as I took a seat on the bed. ¡°If you are sure then I can get you a key and get all the paperwork sorted¡± She said while sitting down on the desk seat. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure.¡± I said putting on my brightest smile. ¡°Ok, then there just one more thing I wanted to discuss.¡± Sarah said looking a little less chirpy than normal. ¡°You need to decide on a name to use until you can remember your real name. If you would like some help, I can give you some suggestions, and if you ever need help with something you don¡¯t understand please don¡¯t hesitate to ask. My room is just down the hall and I will answer any time I am home.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I said truly thankful for having at least one person I could go to if I had a problem. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure about a name though.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well you think about it and let me know tomorrow ok?¡± Sarah asked reverting back to her upbeat attitude. ¡°Ok.¡± I replied following her to the front door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back a little later once I get your room key, in the meantime you can get settled and look around. The kitchen is enchanted to keep the cupboards full so you can eat whatever you want without fear of Sammy seeking retribution.¡± She said smirking as she walked out the door. ¡°Alright.¡± I said trying not to laugh. ¡°Thanks for all your help.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± She replied turning to walk down the hall. I closed the door and let out a sigh before walking back into my room. I was exhausted, not only from having to cope with the fact that I no longer had a memory but just the sheer number of new things I had seen today was a little over whelming. I went straight to my bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Chapter 5: Name The next morning, I woke to find a note had been slid under the door to my room. I opened it to find a key and a note that had some of the curviest cursive I had ever seen. Hey girl, this is from Sarah. Don¡¯t worry about falling asleep before I came back, I understand you had a long day yesterday. If you need anything or just want to talk, I¡¯m in room number 302 and you can come knocking anytime. Also, now that you have a room key you can look around the campus and figure out where everything is! If you would like a tour, head to the Mystical Arts building (everyone calls it the M.A. building). There will be a person standing on the steps waiting for enough people to give a tour. Have fun and I¡¯ll see you around. A quick peak out my bedroom door revealed that Sam was either out or still sleeping. Not wanting to risk it, I decided to be as quiet as possible as I went about eating breakfast. Once I had finished eating, I sat down to think about what I wanted to do today. I needed a name before doing anything else. But how does one go about choosing a name? Most people don¡¯t really have a choice in how they are named. I didn¡¯t want to have a weird name, but I also didn¡¯t want to have a common name. Hmm¡­ I thought. Sh.. shade, shop, shall, shape, shay¡­ Shay? Shay didn¡¯t sound so bad. I guess it sounded more like a nickname than a full name, but it would work for now. Having solved that problem, I paused to dig through what little I could remember. Maybe if I could remember how I got here I could figure out how to get back? I¡­ I was human at one point, and I must have had a family¡­ right? I think I did. Did they miss me? How could I not remember my own family? Was any of this even real? What if I was hallucinating all of this and in the real world my family was watching me go insane? As I traveled down the rabbit hole my mind had become, my mind started to go numb. Every worry and thought leeching out of me to be replaced by building pressure in my head. Then an aching hole that seemed so terribly familiar opened inside of me.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I needed to do something, anything to get my mind off this and make this feeling go away. I looked around franticly, my eyes landing on the note Sarah had left. A tour! That will do. I thought already racing out the door. Walking up to the M.A. building I saw a bunch of people heading in and out of the building and a few people loitering to the side of the steps. Since they were the stationary people, I figured they must be what I was looking for. ¡°Are you guys waiting for a tour?¡± I asked as I approached the group. Only to be stopped short when a familiar pair of golden eyes met mine. ¡°Oh! I saw you yesterday!¡± He called swimming up to me. ¡°And yes, I am currently waiting for a couple more people before we start the tour. I¡¯m Sean by the way.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you I¡¯m¡­ uh¡­ Shay.¡± I replied after a small bit of panic when I couldn¡¯t remember the name I had decided on. ¡°Nice, you want to come hang with us while we wait?¡± He asked with a smile so big, it almost looked painful. I nodded and followed him back to the group of people. As the conversations continued around me, I almost sighed in relief. I had gone back to normal. But what had caused that? I must have dug to deep into my memories, I should wait awhile before trying that again. ¡°Alright!¡± Sean called as a few more people joined our group. ¡°Tour time!¡± For the next hour we visited all the buildings and I even got to see a library building That was behind the Healing building. All the buildings where similar but had little things that made them unique. The Mystical building was different because it had the teacher offices, but it also had what seemed to be lab rooms. They were filled to the brim with beakers and measuring equipment. One room even had a cauldron! The Music building had huge concert halls and soundproof practice rooms, the Healing building had examination rooms and operating rooms, the Physical building had obstacle courses and gym equipment, and the Elemental building had rather strange rooms that were divided into many quadrants. Each quadrant was made of a different material and was a just big enough for one person to stand in. Some had rocks or sand, while others had air bubbles or ice. This was such an amazingly weird school, and I couldn¡¯t wait to learn more about how magic worked. Maybe if I asked Sarah, she would help me get a little more basic knowledge before I was thrown into a classroom. Even if she was busy, maybe she could introduce me to someone else who could help. Besides, If I was being honest, I just liked being around her and her happy disposition. Having decided on my next course of action I headed off to the girl¡¯s dorms. Hold This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.