“Come, Nola. Relax for a night. Then, you and the crew should leave in the morning.”

The siren girl agreed with Kala, bowing her head as she watched her saunter back to the field. They docked in Westin looking for water, but things were getting strange; it was time to leave. Her eyes darted towards the east, where they had anchored the Sybil Curse. She longed for the boat she had boarded only a few days ago.

Nola’s thoughts spoke to her, there is something odd about this city, and I cannot place my finger on it.

Her gut told her something was not right while her heart hammered inside her chest every time she breathed.

We must get the water and get the hell out of here,Nola whispered, so low, it might have been a mere thought.

When she returned to her senses, Kala had disappeared into the darkness. She peered around, looking for Mazie’s mother, but the sound of a branch cracked through the trees. Nola quickly looked over her shoulder, her face blanched as a disembodied being stared at her from in between the leaves. A heavy shiver coursed the full length of her spine; her skin prickled painfully, and her breath caught in her throat.

Two fully-black eyes looked back at her.

Nola’s heart pounded so heavily against her chest, she could hardly breathe. She turned to run, but as she blinked, the image before her disappeared.