XXII. BLACKBIRDS SINGING

The party was exactly as boring as everyone said it would be, Lily seemed to be having a good time though, so did Alice and Marlene. Sirene and Andrew had parted ways since they arrived at the place, not really seeing much of each other.

Sirene was ok though, there was noise, there were people dancing, everyone was happy, she slowly found herself making her way to the window that showed the night sky, though there were no stars showing because stupid clouds were covering them.

She's always hated clouds, even as a child, all the sun, the moon and the stars wanted to do was shine but the petty clouds wouldn't let them, that being said she loves them too, it's always fun to watch the clouds move together and travel in a slow speed, it was almost calming in a way.

"Ok, break time is over!" Andrew said in a hushed voice, startling Sirene who gave him an exhausted look, "Vanessa is here"

"So?" Sirene asked focusing back on the clouds moving.

"You're my pretend date" Andrew said, "You're supposed to be pretending to be my date so someone else, like Vanessa, doesn't ask me to dance"

"Ugh, fine" Sirene rolled her eyes before saying, "What do you want me to do?"

"Just be with me" Andrew shrugged, "Present in the party and maybe not gaze out of the window?"

"Well, you see, the clouds are much better to look at than your face" Sirene said with a teasing grin, "Can you blame me?"

Andrew threw her a glare before motioning her to step forward and back into the party, she rolled her eyes at his corny behavior.

"That's the eleventh time you've rolled your eyes at me" Andrew said with a chuckle, "If you do it more often they might just get stuck back there"

"And that's a bad thing..how?" Sirene said with an innocent look, "It'll prevent me from looking at you, wouldn't it?"

"And that's the third time you've insulted my looks today"

"I can't help it, it's like insults are trying to burst out of me" Sirene said with a monotonous face, "Also the fact that your face is insult-able doesn't help me either"

"Sirene" Andrew groaned in annoyance at the girl who just raised her hand in mock surrender.

"Oh, hey, Andy!" Vanessa said, practically jumping in front of Andrew, look, Sirene can't help the fact that she's a judgy bitch who noticed that her makeup was completely horrendous with the amount of glitter she practically bathed in, but at least she didn't mention it to her, that's better, right?

Andrew turned back to give a 'help me' look to Sirene who mouthed back 'Andy?' trying to hold back her laughter at how uncomfortable he looked.

"So, I see you don't have a date" Vanessa said with a low voice and flirty smile, "You won't mind dancing with me now-"

"Uh, no!" Andrew laughed awkwardly, "I do have a date. Sirene?"

Sirene stepped forward, her face quickly transforming into the resting bitch face that she'd mastered over the years.

"Sirene Black" Sirene said raising her hand forward, Vanessa merely stared at it in disgust.

"Well, uh" Andrew took a hold of Sirene's raised hand before she could punch the girl in front of her, holding it tightly and said, "Don't you want to dance, Sirene?"

"Yes, of course" Sirene said throwing a glare towards Vanessa before walking away with Andrew, "What a bitch."

"She's usually nice to me"

"Yeah, cause she wants to shag you, idiot" Sirene rolled her eyes taking away her hand from Andrew and then immediately regretting it because of the warm feeling not being there anymore.

"Huh" Andrew said as he blinked with realisation, "Twelfth time"

"I can't help it!" Sirene protested, "What do you want to do now?"

"I was hoping to dance" Andrew shrugged looking at Sirene who was now laughing at him.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"No, that's your brother."

"Andrew"

"What if I was?"

"Then I would let you know" Sirene spoke in a hushed voice, "I've never danced outside of my bedroom"

"What's the difference?" Andrew asked with furrowed brows.

"The difference, Annie, is that I was eleven and there was no one else around me" Sirene said with a chuckle, "I'm sorry but I'm not dancing"

"Ok, then what else can we do?"

🥀

"Isn't this fun?" Sirene asked, clicking a picture of James and Lily who were dancing together.

Andrew had an uneasy expression on his face, "I feel like a stalker"

"Chill" Sirene rolled her eyes, "They're my friends, they're going to thank me when I give this to them on their wedding day"

"Wedding day?"

"Yeah" Sirene chuckled, "James and Lily are meant to be, with the way he looks at her? It would be impossible that they don't marry each other by the time they're like nineteen"

"That sounds nice" Andrew leaned on the pillar as he watched Sirene take pictures of her friends dancing with their dates, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Sirene said with furrowed eyebrows.

"Do you have that person?"

"That person?" Sirene frowned looking at Andrew who shrugged, "No, I guess no, I mean I've never really thought of it, when that person comes they'll come"

"I've always wondered how those things work" Andrew said, looking at the couples dancing around in the room, "How you find a person and just know"

"You probably don't" Sirene sniggered, clicking a picture of Marlene who was feeding some pasta to Lyra.

"What? You don't believe in love?" Andrew asked with a small smile.

"I mean, in a way" Sirene shrugged, "I love my friends, I love my brothers, but I don't think I'll find that person to love like that"

"Maybe you will someday" Andrew said, turning to look at Sirene who was now smiling as she took a picture of Frank and Alice dancing together.

"Let's hope" Sirene chuckled, "Or else I'll end up with 37 cats, or maybe more, although I'm not sure if it's such a bad thing"

Andrew released a small laugh at that, "What rumor was it that spread about you again?"

Sirene turned stiff, the smile vanishing and the camera now hung from her neck, "Everyone thought I...farted" Sirene said quietly, the last part barely audible.

"What?"

"Everyone thought I kept farting at the date" Sirene said with furrowed eyebrows.

Andrew was sent into howling laughter because of that, tears almost coming out of his eyes, "I- I'm sorry" he spoke between taking breaths, "That's what you spent all those years hating me for?!"

"Hey!" Sirene smacked his arm with a glare, "You have no idea how much shit I got for it, they wouldn't stop bullying me for months!"

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, some people would even throw those smelly bombs at me" Sirene shuddered, "It was a nightmare trying to get rid of that smell, not to mention the nickname I got because of it, and those stupid bloody pins"

"There were pins and I missed out?" Andrew joked with a teasing grin.

"No, I remember you were there" Sirene said, "Oh wait that was the time your mother-"

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive" Sirene said with a small wince, "I didn't mean for it to come out-"

"Hey, it's alright" Andrew said with a small smile, "I'm done grieving, it doesn't hurt me that much anymore"

Sirene nodded looking at Andrew who had a sad smile on his face, Andrew remembered his mom very well to this date, she'd died when he was twelve and he could barely process it, he remembered feeling numb for a week or so before it hit him. Now, the mention of his mother doesn't hurt as much, it's just a void that's left there, it's not necessarily bad, it's just a reminder of all the times he had with her.

Sirene gave him a small smile before taking out her camer, "Come on, pose! I'll click a picture!"

"Ok, ok watch this!" Andrew said quickly a smile spreading on his face, his mother loved clicking pictures too, Andrew hated it growing up and would often pull silly faces to stop her from taking the picture. Which is exactly what he did right now.

"Seriously?" Sirene said with a done expression on her face as she stared at the boy in front of her who had his tongue out, "I'm gonna go back to hating you"

"Fine" Andrew rolled his eyes before pulling an awkward thumbs up posing.

Sirene chuckled at him and clicked the picture, the picture slowly came out of the camera, it showing when Andrew rolled his eyes too.

Sirene put it in the pile of photos she had of her friends in the small bag she'd enchanted to store a lot more than it should.

"Merlin!" Andrew choked on his own spit, "Sirene! Sirene! Sirene!"

"What?" Sirene turned to him, annoyed at how many times he said her name, but then turned to where he was looking and sure enough she found Marlene and Lyra kissing in a secluded corner, "Oh, bloody hell!" She could cry of happy tears right now, but again, she had to be scary at all, she was too busy squealing inside to notice how Andrew had pointed it out to her, "Wait how did you-"

"Find out?" Andrew asked with raised eyebrows, "I saw you drawing a heart next to 'Operation- Myra step #2 - make them sit together everywhere"

I'm sorry if the Andrew thing is rushed, there's just not a lot of time I want to waste with the whole enemy thing becauseeeee, ya know that unfaithful night of halloween, jkkkkk.....or am I????