Private Finished Catch Flies With Honey

. . . "You're not a siren, or something like that, right?"

That one line scared Jae more than the fire. "My mother was a mermaid, and my father was human." He said quickly, "And she vanished, and her family didn't know if I would be human or a merperson. I grew up thinking I was human until I turned sixteen when my mer side awakened. Now I'm a merman, but because of my human blood I can shift between forms." Flashes of his Aunt's face as she talked about his mother played in Jae's mind. "I am not a siren!" He wasn't. He didn't want to be a siren.

Turning into a siren was one of the worst things you could do among his mother's people. His mother was banished for it. Jae inherited her abilities, but he was not a siren. The teen looked away, ashamed for getting so worked up and revealing so much of himself as a result. His Aunt never outright called him a siren, but he could tell she thought it.

Jae sighed and hid his face in his hands. He should just come clean. This has gotten way out of hand and it was making him so angry.

James may not have cared about the difference, but Jae did. The teen shook his head, and managed to keep his mouth shut. This whole encounter has been stressful. Getting worked up wasn't helping any one, least of all himself. He was entirely suspicious and clearly hiding something. Yet when James spoke again, it wasn't to condemn Jae in any way.

"You. . .would?" Jae questioned, startled by the offer. "N-Yes?" This was an odd turn of events and Jae was unsure how to proceed. "Y-you don't want to go back to practicing your powers? I wouldn't wish to take your time from that."

And it all looped back to Jae again. There was no escaping it, no avoiding or getting around responsibility. Jae had exhausted his chances and likely failed each one. "I. . ." Jae gulped, then focused his gaze on James' chin, "I was. . . the one singing. And. . . I didn't want to admit it because. . . it pulled you here. And I hate that I can do that."

Jae turned away, unable to look at the person he charmed against their will. Worse of all, Jae himself tried to ignore what he did.

Jae flinched, then recoiled when James reacted to his confession. Fear and panic overcame the teen, rooted in place out of panic. The anger was justified, and he deserved it, but Jae's mind flashed to all the dangers a fire wielding teen held against him. "I-I'm-" Jae choked out, but his words were barely a breeze against the torrent. What kind of justification could he ever have? That he wasn't a siren? He had the powers of one and that's all people would see.

James caught his breath, and it was like Jae was kicked in the rear. "I'm sorry!" He cried. Jae never intended for any of this to happen. Then dragged it out when it did and now had to face the consequences of his own ugliness. Except, he couldn't really. Jae plunged himself into his water sense, diving past the overwhelming salt of the ocean, to the nearest source of water: the school lake.

Like a rabbit Jae took off, sprinting towards the safety of water. From out behind the shed, he could see the lake, he just had to get there.

Jae was not a runner. He was not a sprinter or fond of playing sports, but when James shouted after him the teen found the strength to keep going. It wasn't fast enough as James quickly gained ground on him. Jae was half way to the lake, if he could stay ahead just long enough he could shift then dive down to the bottom and maybe live there for a day.

Then the teen made the mistake of glancing behind to see just how close James was. In the moment he turned his head he tripped and ate dirt. Jae groaned as he picked himself up and stumbled forward in a halfhearted attempt to keep going.