Chapter 8: The Glade

“Where are we? This place is incredible!” Siren asked, feeling the soft petals of a nearby flower.

“I made this place with my family.” Ari said proudly.

“And nobody else comes here?” Siren asked.

“Erm. For the most part, no. There are a few people who know of this place, and a few who live here…. You’re welcome to come back here if you want, as long as you don’t mess it up or tell anybody else.” Ari said.

“If I come every day, how often would I see you?” Siren asked.

“Probably every day. There isn’t much going on for me right now, there's a lull in my work.” Ari said.

“I’ll come visit daily, then!” Siren said.

“Huh? Oh. I’d love that, but we’ve just met. Why do you trust me so much?” Ari asked.

“I could ask you the same thing. You showed me this wonderful treasure. It would be nice to have a friend, too. Honestly, it would be boring here without someone to talk to.” Siren said.

“Why are you here, anyway? You said there’s not much you have in the way of work, so why? It’s not exactly the best place for a vacation.” Ari said.

“I would argue that this place is much more beautiful than any other place I could go for a vacation.” Siren said.

“I agree, but that isn’t an answer. It’s fine if you don’t want to say what you do for work, I was just a little curious.” Ari said.

Siren frowned for a moment.

“Sorry. I’m not allowed to say anything. It would violate my orders. So saying it’s something that’s secret is a good enough answer, right?” Siren asked.

“So you’re a part of the military?” Ari asked, surprised.

“Well...Kind of. I work with them, but I’m not a part of them.” Siren said, scratching her head.

“Then… Do you know the hero?” Ari asked, curious.

“Yes. Yes, I do. Why?” Siren asked. A serious look flashed on her face for a second. One of frustration, trauma, and fury.

“I wanted to know, what are they like?” Ari asked.

“They aren’t all that interesting. Rather plain, actually.” Siren said, sighing.

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Ari asked.

“No reason, really. She’s not all that memorable.” Siren said.

“What? Isn’t the current hero the strongest one to have appeared in centuries? That should be pretty memorable, right?” Ari asked.

“I guess so, but that's her as a hero, in stories. As a person she’s almost invisible. Well, I guess there's a couple who can see her. As long as you have at least one person, you have an anchor on reality. Anyway, are we going to eat or not?” Siren asked, stomach growling.

Ari laughed.

“Yeah, all right, sorry. Let’s sit under the tree on the hill. That’s my favorite spot. It gives a beautiful view of the town, too.” Ari said, pointing to a red and white checkered blanket spread out on the grass.

They headed over into the trees’ shade, and got everything set up.

“So, what did we get to eat?” Siren asked.

“This. It’s delicious.” Ari said, pulling something out of a bag. He handed everything else to Siren.