"Hear the call of the silver siren singing despair. Echoing remorse. Dance to her melancholy lullaby as you sink into the depths and drown in the sweetest darkness."- Phantom Mermaid.

Lets play a little game, shall we?

What if I told you, that mermaids, the beautiful creatures of legend, were real?

Ok, that may sound hard to believe, but its true. I swear on my life.

But beware, a mermaid may have a pretty face, but her intentions may be far from it. I should know.

How you ask? Well, to answer that, we'll need to dive right back into that fateful summer of the year I turned fourteen...

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The usually sunny Auckland sky was smothered with clouds by the time we got to the station. On the platform of my train, one of my hands fidgeted with the drawstring of my hoodie, the other swining my suitcase gently back and forth, while half-heartedly listening to another one of my mums last-minute reminders.

"Right, now, be a good girl, use your manners, don't get into too much trouble, be nice to Aunty Peggy, don't use that modern slang, you know she hates it."

"Yes Mum." I sighed, trying not to sound like I'd heard this a million times before. For the past eight years since I was six and started making the trip up alone.

"Thats my girl." She gave me a smile, and a quick hug, before the automated computer voice asked for the last remaining passengers on platform twelve to please get on the train.

"Oh go go go!" I sprang from her embrace, and hurried through the train doors to an empty seat, stowing my suitcase beneath my feet. They closed one last time, and as the train drew further and further away from the platform, I watched my mother gently wave goodbye, putting on a brave smile.

But I could see the worried wrinkles in her face. Like this would be the last time she ever saw me. I saw them every year. Every year she sent me away on the train. She never went with me herself. When I asked why, she always said the same thing.

"Something...happened there, years ago."

"What happened, Mum?" I asked the first time.

Her eyes went all sad, and she shook her head. "I don't think you'd like to know."

"Then why do you keep sending me down there?"

"Cause Peg needs company. She's all alone."

I nodded, as if I understood, and walked away to do something else.

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As the train went through a tunnel, and the view flashed into black, I wondered, for about the one hundreth and fiftieth time, what my best friends since the first day of primary school, Taylor and Maisie, were doing without me. Probably going round the shopping centres, and checking out the view of the city from the sky tower. Fun stuff, which we all usually did together. Times when they didn't treat me like I was invisible, and was less 'pretty' than them. When we actually could have grin and laugh like we actually meant it. When I didn't have to pretend to be intrested in boys, and anime, and nail varnish. When it didn't matter that I was smaller than them, with pimple infested olive skin, big brown eyes, glossy brown hair that was usually tangled from adventures, and a small gap between my front teeth because Mum couldn't afford braces. (Mind you, she'd always been a bit stripped for cash after Dad went away.)

They didn't really use my full name, Sophie. It was mainly just Soph, used with either affection, or exasperation. (Usually the latter of the two when I got too eagar.) But when they were being affectionate they'd go, "Oh Soph!" and ruffle my hair like I was a puppy. I'd play along with that, going woof woof for all I was worth. Nine times out of ten they'd laugh, and I'd laugh too. But that was ages ago. These days our conversations mainly petered out halfway through, and were replaced by an awkward, tense atmospthere.

I leaned my head on the cold glass of the window, watching the world blur by, and trying to blot my friends from my mind.

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The day just seemed to grow longer and longer before me. The air became as hot as an oven, and the train continued to start and stop and start again, so unexpectedly that I jolted forward several times, and nearly felt sick. My nose banged onto the railing of the seat in front of me one time, and pain exploded in it. There was no blood, but my nose flushed a painful shade of bright red and still stung with pain if I so much touched it as gently as I could with my finger tips. I attempted to distract myself from the pain by staring out the window, but each and every little jolt make me feel sicker than ever.

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After what felt like forever, the train finally got itself together, and moved on, all the jolting absent, for good. By then, the sky was fading from bright blue, to deep orange, and dark blue with delicate whisps of cloud floating by, and little pinpricks of star embedded in. I put my hood on, pulling the drawstring as tight as it would go, still leaving a bit of room so I could breathe, and leant against the window, my breath blurring the glass.

The computer voice announced there were only a few more stops until Wellington Station. I stood up, grabbing my suitcase before it toppled over, and clung onto a yellow metal bar before I toppled over too. Upper and Lower Hutt became hardly distinguishable blobs as the train sped past. I held my breath, waiting, waiting.

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Long last, the train screeched to a halt at Wellington Station, and the doors jumped open, like magic. I became lost in the small crowd of departures from the train, glancing around for Aunty Peggy. But despite my best efforts, she was nowhere to be seen. Eventually I stumbled out of the crowd and slumped onto a bench.

"Hey, hey, Sophie!" Next thing I knew, Aunty Peggys smooth white hands were on my shoulders, holding me up. "Lets have a good look at you eh?"

It was hard looking her in the eyes. Mainly because she wore thick glasses that magnified her eyes to be the size of ping pong balls. Her mousy hair was styled and cut into a cute pageboy bob, and her clothes were like a mismatched jigsaw of electric blue boots, candy cane shirts, and big loose jeans that further emphasized her nice curvy figure, perfect for hugs.

"Right, now lets get you home yes?"

"Uh, sure."

"The cars parked just outside." She lead me directly to the rusty old banger that might once have been concidered a car, but somehow was still ok to drive around in.

"Would you like your suitcase in the boot?"

"No thanks- I mean, no thank you, I'm fine with just holding on to it." I climbed into the back and fastened my seatbelt.

"Alright then. Home we go!" She stepped on the pedal, and we whizzed far away from the station.

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(A/N: Hey everyone, sorry if this was a bit crap, I recently fell victim to writers block, so I tried to write my way out. Nonetheless, hope you enjoyed. :) )