Read The Bridge

As she rounded a corner, now hearing voices far up ahead, Adagio’s mind was soon plagued with thoughts of why she’d come here. Namely why she’d come here one siren short. Her lip pushed up into a slight sneer upon remembering how her cousin acted out, disobeying her and throwing her across a room. She could practically smell it then, the power boost Aria had gotten that was driving Adagio into a spite given how her pride just wouldn’t swallow one of her subordinates exceeding her. It was the main reason she’d come here in such a rush, to follow a lead that might help tip the scales back in her favor. After all she was the oldest, the best singer, and the one who kept the lead all these years, obviously she needed the best by default! The voices were becoming a bit clearer now, Adagio advancing on a lit window on the first floor that her ears and heart told her was the right direction.

'We’d always been a three tone chorus with me in the lead, and she goes off and breaks that because she can’t keep herself in line!'

Still, as she closed in, flashes of emotion and memory were gripping most of her attention and sent her sneer into a flatline. Times of ages past in the eastern seas. A very lonely time for her family.

'We’d always been a three tone chorus with me having the lead, because most of the time there was only three of us…'

The edges of Adagio’s jaw began to wince slightly into a frown, recalling Aria storming out on her again. True, Aria was just a cousin by blood and Adagio did often let Sonata get away with more loopiness than Aria did because the blue siren was her little sister; but that extra closeness by biology never did amount to much in her mind. Adagio Dazzle was a stuck up, scheming, controlling, arrogant sea witch with a huge sense of entitlement. Still, no matter what level of snideness, control, or insults she gave the two; it didn’t change that she had to care on some level. Facts were facts that she, Sonata, and Aria were the only three sirens ever in existence. They had other family of course, but for the longest time it wasn’t just they, the sirens three, but just “they” period. Her mother had gone right after Sonata was born, but in truth Adagio was so young she barely remembered anything of her other than the colors she passed to her sister. Most of her early memories were of her Aunt Hymnia. Least up until that storm…
Adagio walked to the window and robotically looked inside. If she were paying any attention she’d seen the conversing forms of five young women and a young man helping them set up in a music studio.

“Thanks for the practice room Flashie, but why’d you pick here? Kinda outta the way.”
“The wall thickness helps dampen noise from outside and the place was unused otherwise… So, you sure Sunset was okay? You said she ran off pretty quick after the movie.”
“Been thinkin’ about that myself. But, I’m sure if she’s set on somethin’ of her own business, best leave her to it.”

Adagio’s stood still, half her face illuminated from the edge of the window. A quiet sigh slipped out of her nose, the siren’s mind occupied by memories of Hymnia superimposed with both flashes of Aria in those early days and ones of her earlier today, the quiet little cousin nestled up against her replaced with a snarling hatred directed at Adagio herself. Trickles of shame came over Adagio Dazzle, looking down to and holding her necklace while rubbing her thumb over its face.

She was Adagio Dazzle, the oldest, largest, and greatest of the sirens. She was the leader, because they never saw their aunt again after that storm. Someone had to take charge, keep things together.
Adagio saw her frowning reflection in her gemstone.
'She was your responsibility Adagio, your family… And now you’ve driven her off into hating you.'

The oldest siren shrugged, shaking her head slowly as the five in the room beside her began to build up a musical beat.
“Adagio Dazzle, what have you done?…”

Just as her gemstone began to build up a slight glow, a shout called out to Adagio from around the corner. Accompanied by pounding footfalls, Sonata Dusk’s yelp raced over to her sister.

“‘DAGI! IT’S ARIA!”