My Immortal Playlist (The Siren Collection #1) (11 page)

“Guys!” Henry shouted the moment he entered the kitchen. “You need to get down here – RIGHT NOW!” Noah was next to Henry within two seconds, Elliot in his arms like a baby. They were all so shocked at the sight of me that Elliot didn’t even be asked to be put down.

“Alexandra,” he whispered. “What have you done?”

“I cooked!” I exclaimed, stepping out of the way for them to behold my glory. There was pancake batter sliding down the cabinets, egg yolk in my hair and so much seasoning on the floor that it looked like I tracked in sand from the beach. There was a storm cloud above my head from all the smoke and there were pots and pans on every stove aisle, cooking an abundance of
new recipes for them to try. I was quite proud of myself.

“I’m scared, guys,” Noah said, hiding behind Henry. “What does this mean?”

“The end,” Elliot stated in his best doomsday voice.

“Calm down,” I snapped, but then I cleared my throat and perked back up. “I mean, good morning! Sorry to scare you, I just didn’t know what recipes to decide on so I went with them all.” I pointed to the dining table where stacks upon stacks of food were waiting for them. It wasn’t a pretty sight, I’ll admit, but it’s the taste that matters.
The taste.

“It’s a good thing I don’t have to eat to survive,” Henry laughed. “Because I’m not taking a single bite of that stuff.”

“Agreed,” Noah said. “Alex, what came over you?”

“I was just thinking about you guys,” I said, wiping my hands on the already filthy apron, “and how I’m snapping at you all the time. And considering our history, let’s just call this me beginning to repay the debt.”

“If you’re worried about repaying debts,” Henry retorted, poking an unknown substance, “you should have brought home a live human for us to eat.”

“I do have that too,” I said to their shock.

“Are you serious?” Henry asked, half-horrified, half-curious.

“Nope,” I winked at them. “Gotcha.” They all laughed. “I will bring home someone soon though…for you guys. And for me too. I…I’m sorry for what you guys had to go through.”

They were silent, unable to believe what was coming out my mouth.

“I don’t want this to be a house of horrors,” I explained further. “This is your home. We migh
t as well start acting like it is one.”

“Hmmm,” Elliot mused as he attempted a nibble at one of my raisin bran cookies. He mulled
over it, and it took a while for him to swallow, but he didn’t spit it out. A good sign. I don’t know if zombies have taste buds, but the fact that he was humoring me showed me he cared. Noah followed suit, but Henry just crossed his arms.

“So…what’s happening with Lucas? I know you had Noah take him out the house last night.”

“I’m going to avoid him,” I said to them all. “Because you guys come first.”

“Really?” Henry said, raising a dingy eyebrow.

“Really and truly,” I said. “I’ll think about love and all that stuff once you all are either back to normal, or happy. It’s the least I could do.”

“Well,” Henry chuckled to himself. “In that case, thank you. Just do us
a favor, will you?”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t ever cook again,” he laughed.

*              *              *             

“So what am I looking at exactly?” I asked, sitting on the couch between Noah and Henry. Elliot opted for his own chair as we all watched a movie together. It was a little weird for all of us to be spending quality time in the Prep Room, but since it contained the only television in the house, we were stuck with either that or undying boredom.

“It’s a shark octopus,” Noah replied casually, as if this was a common animal. I shook my head in disapproval.

“And what is he fighting?”

“Bear-gator.”

“It’s actually not bad,” Henry said, popping some popcorn into his mouth. “I’ve seen worse.”

“Hmph,” Elliot responded. “I ha
rdly think that statement qualifies this as entertainment.”

“I’m just saying, it could be worse. This makes more sense than a shark tornado.”

“Are you really comparing which is better? They are both abominations. What else do you need to know?”

“You really need to get your legs back,” Henry said with a full mouth. “It’s like you’ve had irritable bowel syndrome ever since.”

“No thanks to you.”

“This is the good part!” Noah exclaimed as the bear-gator jumped out the lake and devoured a hitchhiker with one of its alligator-jaw hands. Noah squealed in delight and clapped his hands together. We all looked at him
like he was insane.

“
I’m going to rip my eyes out,” Elliot muttered.

“No one’s stopping you,” Henry said, eyes fixed on the screen. “Knock yourself out.”

“Is anyone else going to finish this?” I asked them all, holding up the half-empty gummy bear bag. They all shook their head so I began tearing into it, but the moment I took a bite, I felt strange. One moment I was watching the bear-gator get closer to the screen, and in the next, my entire vision went blood red. Before I could cry out to one of the boys, my body lost all motor functions. I fell over, and my head hit the floor…

…when I awoke, my head was in Henry’s lap and Noah was talking to Elliot, but I couldn’t hear any of their voices. Henry made a waving motion towards them and they all circled my body, but I still couldn’t hear the
m, nor could I speak. I tried to lift my head, but it felt like it was wrapped in chains. I reached up to feel my forehead, and my vision disappeared altogether. Once again, I went unconscious….

...I screamed, and this time I heard myself clearly. A stampede of feet came my way and all three boys entered the Prep Room, Elliot harnessed to Noah’s back this time.

“Alexandra, are you okay?” Noah asked, taking my hand into his.

“What happened?” I groaned. “Help me up.”

“Sure,” he said, pulling me off the couch and to my feet. I felt a little woozy, but otherwise okay. I stared down at the television. Why was it sitting on the floor?

“Did someone move the television?” I asked, but the boys were too busy giving each other concerned glances. “What?”

“Um,” Henry said, stepping forward. “Maybe you should find a mirror.”

“Why? What happened?” I raised a hand to examine it, and noticed that it didn’t look like it belonged to me at all. The skin was moisturized and smooth, and my fingernails were painted a vibrant red. “Did you guys really paint my nails?” I demanded. “I mean, geez, I wanted to bond, but not like this.”

“No…” Henry trailed off. “That was all you. You kinda…transformed.”

“What?!” I shrieked, running for the closest mirror I could think of, resting along the Lyric Room wall.
I gasped as soon as I saw myself. I was sure I was going to look like a zombie, or some kind of creature, but it was actually the opposite.

I was…gorgeous.

No, let me backtrack. I wasn’t just gorgeous. I was take-your-breath-away, literally drop dead, you’ll remember me forever gorgeous. My hair was long and wavy like I had stepped out a salon commercial. It glowed like the sun. My make-up was applied perfectly. An elegant necklace hung off my neck. A little black dress tightly hugged my perfect toned curves which were chiseled and rounded in all the right places. My skin was baby smooth. My eyes were hypnotizing. My breasts were just on the line of causing my back to hurt and my lips were full and sensual. My feet weren’t even aching from the high heels I found myself in. No wonder the television seemed so low to the ground.

This was not me. Not at all. And though I was excited for a moment, I realized instinctively what had just happened to me, and suddenly, I preferred becoming the creature.

“I mean, wow, right?” Henry said, stepping behind me. “What’d you do?”

“What I want to know is where the clothes came from,” Noah winced. “It was like her old clothes transformed but I don’t get how that’s possible.”

“Are you okay, Alex?” Henry asked.

“I…” I stopped once I truly heard my voice. It was dripping with seduction. “Do I really have to sound like this too?”

“Elliot and I were talking while you watched Alex,” Noah said to Henry. “We think we know what’s going on.”

“No need to tell it,” I said, pressing the palm of my hand against my full lips. I looked absolutely
nothing
like me. “I already know. It’s my siren blood kicking in…telling me it’s time to go hunt.”

“But I thought you died when you were close.”

“That’s just how it was with Adam.”

“What do you mean, Alexandra?” Elliot asked me. I turned to face them, and I tried not to weep when I noticed that each of them had taken a glance at my chest.

“My body responds to my intended victim. With Adam, I was dying physically because that’s what would draw him the most to me. He thought I was a goddess even when I was playing in the dirt. Looks wouldn’t have mattered to him, but my safety and well-being did. With all of you, it was a bit less dramatic. I wasn’t so close to my next feeding.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt the tears stream down my face, but even th
at angered me. Each tear was pure and soft like it was water from Fiji. Why couldn’t I get the salty, burning tears?

“With us,
did you lose control of yourself at all?”

“I was months away with each of you.”

“Do you feel in control now?”

“Yes and no,” I cried out. “My mind is there, but my body…”

“It’s for Lucas, isn’t it?” Henry asked, and I couldn’t help but cry some more. I didn’t know what was worse. The fact that he was to be my next victim, or that this was the type of girl he needed most.

I never felt so exposed.

Like everyone else, I wanted to be the center of attention occasionally, but not like this. I often dreamed it was because I achieved some great accomplishment. Maybe I found a cure for a horrible disease, or I wrote a world famous novel. Maybe I ushered in world peace. Something worthy of the praise. Not the shell surrounding the real me. Not the fragile dirt and dust that would disintegrate and wrinkle more and more with each passing year.

So I had big breasts. So what? What did that mean exactly? Once I changed back, no
one would care about the real me. They would just remember the Alexandra of yesterday. Curvy, big breasted, full lipped Alexandra.

They would ask what happened to me
when I changed back - why I looked so plain all of a sudden. They wouldn’t even remember that I never looked like that way in the first place.

But until then, I had to suffer through it. I really should have stayed home.

A few whistles came my way and I rolled my eyes. Did people still do that? I walked along the school corridor, pass the rows of familiar lockers until I reached my own. I put in the combination quickly and began rummaging through it for my new schedule.

Monday had brought on the new quarter and hence, new classes to get accustomed to. Not that I
already had enough on my mind. I sighed in relief once I saw it was Chorus class. I wouldn’t need anything for that. Nothing except my
Marilyn Munroe
voice.

“I didn’t
want to believe it,” I heard a familiar voice mutter from behind me. I turned to face Margaret. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes, and I was about to ask her what was wrong when she punched me hard in the chest.

“Ow! What was that
?”

“What are you
mutilating your body like that for? You look like a whore, and a cheap one at that!”

“I know! I can’t help it!” I cried out. A number of strange glances came my way
, and suddenly I realized that I should have chosen my words a little better.

“You can’t help it? That’s the best you got? Really? Don’t lie. This is because of Lucas, isn’t it? I called you fifteen times on Saturday and I didn’t receive so much as one text. One! You could have been killed for all I knew! Or worse, lost your…
you didn’t, did you?”

“I would never,” I sighed, rolling my eyes.

“This isn’t funny!” she shrieked. “Why would you dress up that? Give me a valid reason!”

I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? That my body transfo
rmed on its own because it needed to feed on the soul of a human being?

“I need help,” I muttered, biting my lip. Margaret’s face dropped and for a moment I thought our strange, lopsided friendship was over, but then I saw a smile creep upon her face from ear to ear.

“Finally,” she said, grabbing my forearms. “Finally you have come full circle.”

“What?
”

“When we first met,
I thought I had found a kindred spirit in you. A sister for life. And I believed that to this day, but you were so distant. So secretive. And I saw the way you would look at the boys. I could see the lustful thoughts swimming through your head.”

My jaw literally dropped as she came over and hugged me tight.

“I was waiting for this day. I prayed for this day. Don’t worry, Alexandra. We’re going get you all fixed up. Come to my house tonight and sleep over.”

“I really don’t think –“

“– that wasn’t a request,” she said, breaking the hug and giving me a stern motherly glare. “Just be there around 8. We’ll stay up, watch movies…clean you up.”

“What would I do without you?” I sighed, and she embraced me once more.

“I shudder at the thought.”

*              *              *

I entered the Chorus room late and quickly apologized to the elderly fat man sitting at his desk. I nearly gave him a heart attack after he took one look at me, but I tried not to lock eyes. Instead I kept moving, past the sea of judgment into an empty seat by the labeled soprano section. Normally I’m an alto, but whatever.

I nodded to the girl on my left as I took my seat
, and she gave me a “are you kidding me” look with a raise of her eyebrows. I wish I was.

The class was boring. The music teacher droned on about the importance of keeping your vocal chords warm, how long he had been teaching and how the student population (particularly their clothes) have changed over the years. When it was finally over, I tried to leave quickly, but my high heels wouldn’t let me.
For some reason, my attire was also attached to my new body. Had to shower with my clothes on earlier. That was fun.

“So who are you trying to impress?” a sensual voice whispered in my ear. I screamed and instinctively went to slap him but my high heels buckled on me and I went flying backwards. Thankfully, the familiar intrude
r caught me. I tried not to wince at the huge welt on his cheek, courtesy of my roommate.

“You look different,” Lucas stated, looking deep into my eyes. I’m sure he was restraining himself.

“Understatement of the year,” I muttered as he helped me to my feet. “I feel like this is that movie Freaky Friday.”

“So in other words, you’re not Alexandra.”

“No, I am. I’m just…I feel lost.”

“We
can talk about it over bad hamburgers and chicken parm.”

“No, thanks,” I laughed. “Not that place. Too many bad memories.”

“Then let’s make new ones. I said that the next time we went out, it would just be about the fun.”

“Who said I’m saying yes?”

“So,” he chuckled. “Alexandra really is under there.”

“Ha. Ha. Laugh it up.”

“Oh, but I can’t,” he said, lifting up his shirt to show me the bruise on his abdomen, from where I slammed the table into him. I probably stared longer than I should have. “You see,” he continued. “I have this mark. It’s like I was branded, and it says that I’m all yours. I guess you’ll just have to get used to me and my humor.”

“If I have to,” I said. I don’t know why I was still talking to him. I told the guys I would avoid him. This was the
complete opposite of avoiding.

“Then I can take you out later?”

“Not tonight,” I said, immediately lifting up a finger afterwards. “But that’s only because my friend Margaret is having a sleepover that I can’t ditch. But tomorrow, sure.”
What was wrong with me?

“Tomorrow then,” he said as the warning bell went off. I didn’t even know what class I was supposed to go to next. Of course
, I left my schedule in my locker.

“Oh, but I
have to know one thing before you go.”

“What’s that?”

“Why are you dressed like that? Seriously. I hope you didn’t do it for me.”

“What if I did?” I asked, an
d he hesitated to answer.

“Listen,” he said, “I’m not going to lie to you. This…I…”

“You find me really attractive,” I said for him. He stared at me for a moment.

“I do, but that’s
not what I’m looking for anymore. I can’t, Alex. I think you’re a cool girl, and I want to get to know you. I really do. But please, please don’t dress like this anymore. It reminds me too much of everything I’m trying to forget.”

“What if I’m
perfect for you now? The body and the personality all wrapped up in one package?”

“Nah,” he said, giving me a smirk. “I’m done dealing with fake people. You be who you are. I’ll be who I am. And hopefully, that’s good enough for the both of us.”

“I guess we’ll see,” was all I could say. He sounded genuine – that he was trying to change who he was, but I also knew the reality. That people rarely changed, even with someone else in the picture. Perhaps it worked for his mom and dad, but that certainly didn’t mean it was going to happen with a life sucking Siren like me. Not to mention that he had only been on this path of change for a short time. I may not have noticed him outright before, but I had seen him around school the past couple of years, hanging out with a giggling popular girl under each arm. It may have been a haze then, because I didn’t associate with those groups, but I remembered clearly now.

I wouldn’t blame him if he decided in a week or two that I wasn’t worth his time. It was the nature of people like him. They only thought of themselves.

Not that I was one to talk.

“Then, until tomorrow,” I said, and he gave me a curt nod.

“I’m serious by the way,” he said. “I want to get to know you, Alexandra. The real you.”

“I understand,” I said. He gave me a smile, then turned to walk away.

He had taken only three steps from me when I felt myself getting dizzy. I tried to call out to Lucas, but I lost my voice. I hit the floor hard as my vision blackened.

When I awoke, I found myself in Lucas’ arms, carrying me through the nurse office door.

But more importantly, my body had gone back to normal.

I was me again.