On this small island is a smaller village at the foot of the forest consisting of 100 villagers, and carved into the face of the mountain there is a castle where dwells a Queen and her two daughters. The island has no name, no history. It has always been here. Always, since the dawn of time. And here it will stay, until the last light of the world vanishes. Because this island is not touched by time, it is the same now as it was when it first was created. There are very few people in the world who know about this island, and fewer still who have seen it and lived. That is the fault of the Queen, and her daughters; 

"Illa, darling please. Sing for me. Your sister is sick, she can't possibly sing at this time. Just a few minutes to help me. I've been feeling so weak lately, and tired." I stare at my mother, with her beautiful gold hair and green eyes like emeralds, with her skin like the finest porcelain and her lips, the reddest and most velvet rose petals. Everything about my mother makes you want to be near her, to help her and love her and fawn over her. Looks can be deceiving. 

"I can't. It's not my fault you hurt yourself. You shouldn't have killed him. Maybe, you should have let him go. He could have lived in the village even. But you just had to do what's on your nature. It just so happens singing isn't in mine." I turn to leave and her hand snakes out, locking on my wrist. 

"It is in your nature, you ungrateful child. How can you treat me like this? He trespassed on our home. He brought it upon himself. And he stabbed me, Illa! Please! It hurts. It won't stop bleeding." She stares at me, trying her hardest to look innocent and injured. Unfortunately I now associate that look with deceit. 

"Please. He barely cut you. He wasn't near the mountains. He was in the village with the people there. His ship sunk, he swam all the way here from Gaia knows where, and you kill him almost the instant he manages to take a breath! His crew members all died, Posiedon help them all, and you can't give the man a break! I refuse to sing." Before she can reply again, I jerk my wrist from her and dash up the stairs to my room. I slam the huge redwood doors, but being so enormous and heavy, the slam just barely allows the lock to click into place. The stalactites shimmer beautifully and I take a deep breath to calm myself as I throw myself into my bed. My room is built into the mountain. My walls are gem studded and rainbow colored and my floor and ceiling are marked with stalagmites and dripping stalactites everywhere. Everything shines with crystals and precious gems. Inside one of the walls is a natural pool that falls over the side of the mountain in a tiny silver streak. Now I walk over and dip my feet into it. It's warm and constantly flowing from deep inside the mountains. I strip out of my clothes and lower myself in. The water just covers my nipples when I stand flat in it. I lower myself all the way under and swim in small circles, forgetting for a few minutes what I am. The water soothes me. It seems to wash away all the guilt I have for what I've done, for everything I haven't done yet. It seems to cleanse all the way to my soul. I pull myself out and dry off.

I am a siren. I steal energy through singing to anyone who will listen, and I can heal with a touch of my hand and the lilt of my voice. I've done it several times to the point of my victims' deaths. All for my mother. My sister Alla is the same as me. We're the same as our mother. That's why the village exists. So we can replenish our energy whenever we need to. That's what we have done since we were old enough to sing, what our mother did and her mother before her and all our ancestors. My sister accepts who she is. She knows she can't change and so she accepts herself. She is sweet and beautiful and pure, and she has never killed anyone. My mother had a stronger influence on me for awhile, before I realized what I was actually doing. I can never give the lives I've stolen back. But I can refuse to sing. Ever again.