“This doesn’t feel right.”

“Yep it doesn’t. We really shouldn’t be here.”Taeyeon stared at the two odd girls clutching to each other.

“Oh for goodness sake.” Jessica scowled, driving her fist into the back of Sooyoung and Yoona’s heads. “Stop exaggerating!” She turned to smile at the unnerved Taeyeon, who gave her a tiny smile of her own, before wheeling into an intensive care ward, a brittle smile on her face.

“Hey, Hayeon.” She whispered her fingers trailing over the cold, limp hand of her younger sister. The small princess bedsheets lay untouched and unwrinkled, its young occupant intubated and breathing with the support of a machine.

“Oh no.” Seohyun clutched instinctively onto Yoona’s hand as they all looked at the small frame of the tiny girl within the bedsheets. “Why?”

“Car accident a few years back.” Taeyeon said stiffly. “Someone sidelined us along a mountain pass. It sent our car tumbling into the ravine. Out of the five of us, only me and Hayeon survived. I lost the use of my legs, and Hayeon..”She choked slightly. “Hayeon, well. You can see how she is right here.” Tiffany ran a comforting hand down her best friend’s back as Taeyeon shrunk into herself. “They told me she’s brain dead, and--and that I should just leave her to die.”

“She’s not dead.” Taeyeon’s head whipped up at the sound of another girl’s voice, tight and strained.

“What?”

“Sooyoung!” Tiffany hissed, quickly tugging on her younger friend’s arm in alarm.

Sooyoung blinked, snapping out of her reverie as she stared at Taeyeon for a moment, before a agonising smile spread across her face.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No no.” Taeyeon breathed, wheeling the chair forward, her eyes wide and hopeful. “You said she was alive! Why?” A cold breeze drafted through the room, and the rest of the girls stiffened.

“Just...a feeling.” Sooyoung attempted to pacify Taeyeon, her eyes stinging slightly as the petite girl deflated in her chair at the unconvincing statement. “Look. I’m sorry.” She blurted out desperately. “I don’t know exactly what it is, but I can feel that she’s alive. But just barely. It's like she’s hanging on with the last thread.”

“I...think you guys need to leave.” Taeyeon’s voice cracked slightly, her fingers clutching Hayeon’s tiny hands in her own painfully. “Please?”

“Alright.” Tiffany interrupted gently just as Jessica opened to speak. “We shall leave. Come on, girls.” The soft rustle of clothes echoed in Taeyeon’s ears as all eight of them shuffled out of the cold, silent hospital room.

The door closed with a soft hiss behind Taeyeon as she gritted her teeth and clutched her sister’s hand, hot tears of desperation splattering onto their clenched hands.

~~~~

“Why did you say that to Tae, Soo?” Tiffany crossed her arms, her chin working intensely as she tried not to grind her teeth in anger, her eyes flashing tempestuously. “She’s been hurt enough.”

“I’m not trying to hurt her. What I said is true.” The young Siren stiffly crossed her arms, glaring back at her witch friend. “I smelt a familiar scent on her.”

“She’s a Siren.” Jessica whipped around, grabbing hold of her friend’s arm tightly. “Isn’t she?”

“Halfway there.” Sooyoung admitted lightly. “She’s a half-siren by nature. But she needs to die in a water body in order for the transformation into a proper Siren to happen.” She tucked a stray strand of hair nervously behind her ear. “I have to bring her back into Silver Hollow for the proper rituals to happen.”

“Proper rituals?” Tiffany folded her arms further. “You mean you want to kidnap Hayeon and take her back with you.”

“She needs to be with her people, especially when she’s dying, Fany.” It was rare that the usually cheerful Sooyoung had a serious but dark look on her face. “She can’t die. Half-Sirens can never die, because a part of them belongs to the sea. They need to live a Siren life, then the whole thing comes to a full circle, and then she can return to the ground. “

“And if they don’t?”

“Then she’s just gonna be stuck here forever, dying but not dying.” A flash of anger flickered through Sooyoung’s features. “By telling me to leave her alone, you’re telling me to let a torture of one of my kind be.” She ripped her hand from Tiffany’s tight grip angrily. “Thats never going to happen. I’m taking her back. Tonight. If this has been going on for a few years, I can’t begin imagining what kind of pain she must be in. She’s fully conscious, but locked inside of her body.” She glanced coldly at Tiffany. “But you already knew it, didn’t you? You just didn’t tell me.” She spat.

Tiffany turned her he