I swam close to the surface after surveying the debris of what was once my kingdom. It was almost like the heavens knew what had just happened, for the sky was a fearsome black and pouring down rain. Lightning flashed and thunder reverberated through the cove where I surfaced to catch my breath. I whimpered in fear and grabbed onto a rock, hugging it as tears began to fall once again. I stayed there a long time, crying in fear and sorrow. But this time… there was no one there to comfort me and make me feel safe. I had never felt so alone until that moment. Everything that I had ever known and loved was gone forever. I still hadn't grasped that fact yet, that I had nowhere to go, that I would never belong anywhere. A ship appeared from the swirling mist, but I didn't notice and kept crying. I was so exhausted I drifted off to sleep while hugging the rock. A small boat of pirates (the same from before) came closer and one of them spotted me. One of them gently lifted me out of the water and set me down in the boat. (They were only being gentle so I wouldn't wake up and try to escape.) At any rate, I stayed asleep and they rowed back to the ship.

When I finally woke up I was in a strange place. I swam forward and hit a clear barrier. I put my hands on the glass and realized that I was locked in a tank. My tired mind instantly woke up and I was hit by a wave of fear. I peered through the darkness and saw that I was in a tank on the deck of a pirate ship! Lightning flashed nearby and thunder crashed loudly a few seconds later. I shrank back in fear and pressed myself into one corner of the tank. Slowly I let myself slide down and sit on the bottom, my arms wrapped tightly around my tail. I hid my face in my crossed arms and sat there shaking in fear. I didn't know what would happen to me now that there was no one to save me. At a particularly loud clap of thunder, I jumped in fright and saw a figure appear by the tank. I tried to make myself even smaller, if such a thing were possible, and shrank away from the figure. Lightning flashed brightly and lit up his features. I stared in shock, it was a young man! He was only about 10 years older than me. I stared at him and tilted my head in confusion. He didn't seem like he really belonged here. He looked at me as well, almost as if he were studying me. I felt awkward under his attentive gaze and I buried my face in my arms once more. Even though I couldn't see him, I could tell that he was leaning in close to the glass. My mind was racing "why is he staring at me like that?" I slowly raised my head and saw that he was kneeling on the deck and resting his hands on the glass of the tank.

He spoke in that instant, and surprisingly I could hear him. "I won't hurt you; I'm not like the others." Slowly I untangled myself and allowed myself to move over by him. Instinctively my hands rested against the glass. If the tank hadn't been separating us, our hands would have been touching, palm to palm. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the night sky and I shot back into my corner as fast as I could. Thunder seemed to shake everything and I hugged myself tightly as I started to shake with fear. "It's alright, it's only a storm." He said in a soft voice. I looked at him with fearful eyes and he just moved over by the corner I was in. He sat down on the soaked deck and in that moment I realized that he had no coat or anything else to ward off the weather. "Why is he doing this? He's actually being nice to me. I don't understand…" These thoughts raced through my mind as I looked at him with wide eyes. He just smiled reassuringly at me and tried to calm me down. "I... I just feel so alone." I confessed to him. He looked at me with a sad expression. "I heard what they did to your parents and kingdom. I'm sorry." He said softly. At the mention of my parents, a whole new set of tears started falling. I hugged myself and turned away from him. When I finally calmed down enough, I turned back and looked at him. He was still there, sitting in the pouring rain. "Why are you here? By the tank, I mean?" I asked him out of curiosity. "I'm the guard." He stated matter of factly. I must have had a shocked look on my face when he said that because he was trying to explain that he wasn't going to let the pirates carry through with their plan. "You have to get away from here. They plan to sell you into slavery the first chance they get. And since you're a princess and the last living heir of your kingdom, they'll get an even better price." He explained in hushed tones. "How do you know all this?" I asked him in a shocked whisper. "I overheard the captain talking to the crew." He shrugged as he said it. "Why are you telling me all this? Aren't you with them?" I asked in a confused voice. "I told you… I'm not like them." Was his only answer. I could not figure this guy out. I tilted my head and regarded him carefully. "Wait, what's your name?" I asked impulsively, my curiosity getting the best of me. He grinned at me and mock bowed while sitting down. "Jack Sparrow at your service, Missy." I smiled back at him and put a hand on the glass again. For a while we just sat there in silence, a pirate and a mermaid, actually getting along.

"Wait, if you're not with these pirates, then what are you doing here?" I asked him as I pulled my hand away from the glass. He gave me a thoughtful glance, but remained silent. I sighed and pushed off the bottom of the tank and swam around a little to stretch out my cramping fins. "I wonder what's going to happen to me now." I thought to myself as I slowly let myself sink back to the bottom of the tank. Just as I was about to ask him another question, a blinding flash of lightning sent me flying into a corner, whimpering all the while. Another figure appeared from the gloom, it was the captain! He was a huge menacing man, grinning at me evilly. "You'll fetch a fair price, little lassie." He said in a rough voice as he hit the glass with his sword, making me jump and shrink back. He laughed, a cruel sound, before turning his attention to Jack. "See to it that she doesn't escape." He said as he turned and walked back to his quarters. I was so scared that I felt faint. All I could think was that Jack had lied to me and that he really was working with these monsters.

I didn't move away from the corner for a long time. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was breathing rapidly. When ten years have passed my love, please return to me, I'll be waiting here for you, our love shall ever be. I sang softly to try and calm myself down. As I sang, Jack turned and looked at me with the strangest look on his face. I kept singing as he got to his feet. Though your heart belongs to the sea, I will still be true, I'm here waiting patiently and still in love with you. As the last lines faded into silence, Jack unlocked the top of the tank and moved the lid aside. Out of curiosity, I swam to the top to see what he was doing. He looked at me like I was some kind of goddess, and then it hit me! My voice must have had some kind of effect on him. I paled instantly and moved away from him.

My music tutor used to say that I had a voice that could enchant even the gods. He used to call me la petite siren. He would never tell me what that meant exactly, only that I must be very careful. How long ago it all seemed, almost years ago that I had last been practicing songs with my tutor. I used to call him my "Angel of music." He always despised the nickname, but he was too nice to tell me not to call him that. I had once managed to get my grandmamma to tell me about what happened to humans once they died. You see, once we merfolk die, we turn to foam and become one with the sea. But humans have, as you say, an immortal soul that allows them to live on. Grandmamma said that a bright light floats into the sky and the soul turns into a beautiful creature called an angel. Angels are beautiful creatures of pureness and light, with huge silky wings. Sometimes they help guide people, humans and mers alike, and give them inspiration. So I came up with the nickname Angel of music for my tutor because he inspired me to be a better singer.

I flashed back to the present with a start and saw Jack trying to climb into the tank. "What are you doing?!" I yelled at him as I swam over quickly. He didn't answer, but kept trying to climb in. I leaned over the side and slapped him as hard as I could. "Snap out of it! You're scaring me!" I screamed at him as he dropped down and staggered back. He put a hand to his face and looked at me with wide eyes. "What'd you do that for?" he asked me. "You were trying to get in the tank… don't you remember?" I looked at him and tilted my head. "The last thing I remember is the captain telling me to make sure you didn't escape." He answered. It was during this incident that I realized that my voice held power over mortal men. That was what my tutor had meant when he told me that I must be careful. It all made sense, all the warnings. I was a powerful siren, a highly sought after prize for pirates and mermaid hunters alike. No wonder the pirates wanted me alive. My voice was the only thing keeping me alive at this point. And it was the very thing that had damned my kingdom…

I looked at Jack with apologetic eyes and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry I slapped you." I said sheepishly as I looked down at my hands. "It's alright love, I probably deserved that." He said softly. I looked up at him and saw that he was rubbing his cheek and a huge red hand mark was beginning to appear. I held my hand out to him. He moved closer slowly. "I'm not going to slap you again." I reassured him before he could ask. When he was close enough, I gently put a hand on his cheek. He flinched at first but relaxed when I didn't make a move to hit him again. I healed him and felt a rush of warmth run through me. Before the… incident, I had only learned to use my powers for healing purposes. I pulled my hand away once I could tell that he was healed. The experience left me feeling a little dizzy, since I wasn't quite used to it yet.

I shook my head and the dizziness went away. "How did you do that?" Jack asked me as he poked at his face. "I used my powers to heal you." I explained. He smiled at me and I smiled back. All of a sudden, a huge flash of lightning lit up the sky. I jumped and I think Jack did too. "The monster be trying to escape!" I heard someone yell harshly. "Stop her!" The captain yelled as he stormed into view. Jack reached for the lid, but the captain pushed him out of the way. I tried to duck under water, but wasn't fast enough. The captain grabbed my throat in an iron grip. I gasped for breath as his grip tightened slightly. My hands clawed at his arm as he sneered at me. "So ye think ye can escape from me, monster?" he spat at me. I glared at him and he shook me violently. "Well do ye? Answer me, monster." He growled as he pulled me closer to his face. "I'm not the monster… you are." I managed to say in a weak voice. He instantly released my throat and struck me with all his might. The force of the impact sent me slamming into the tank. Through blurry vision, I saw Jack rush forward and attack.

The captain fell to the deck with a thud. Jack drew his cutlass before the captain had a chance to pull himself off the deck. He pointed the cutlass at the evil man's throat. "You're a sad excuse for a pirate and a man, defending that monster." the captain spat. Jack glared down at him and said darkly. "She's no monster, and you are a coward, sending your men to do the dirty work while you count your precious gold." He pressed the blade into the captain's throat. "What are you going to do, kill me?" he laughed evilly as he drew his own cutlass and slammed Jack's blade away from him. We both know you don't have it in you boy." He slashed fiercely at Jack and barely missed.

I shook my head and the black dots started to fade away. I rubbed my throat with one hand and swam up to the glass. My eyes got wide when I saw Jack fighting the captain. The two slammed their swords down at the same time and lightning flashed blindingly bright. The captain moved fast and slashed Jack's arm and across his chest. He collapsed with a scream of pain and his cutlass clattered to the wooden deck beside him. The captain kicked his sword away as he reached out to grab for it. The captain raised his cutlass high above his head and was about to slam it down. I gasped and then felt anger take over me. "Jack!" I screamed above the roar of the thunder. The captain turned and looked at me and in that split second a single high and pure note sprang from me and the captain dropped his cutlass. I saw Jack scramble to grab his cutlass while the captain was slowly walking toward me. I held the note and saw Jack slowly get to his feet and raise his cutlass. He stumbled up behind the captain and slammed the cutlass down. The captain cried out as Jack stabbed him. He fell forward and slumped down on the deck.