The camp had a high stone fence around its perimeter with torches casting a dancing light. All our faces looked darker, the shadows clinging to us in some moments and scampering away in the next.

The captain grabbed my arm, and he waved his guard over to Castor. Soon everyone was either shoving someone or getting shoved. They herded us to a wooden door set into the stone and the Captain knocked. The door swung in and I looked for the back of the camp in vain. Soldiers stretched as far as I could see and people cowered between them.

The Captain jerked me forwards and we filed through the door. He pushed me towards one of the armed soldiers who caught me, the metal of their armor cutting into my side.

They held me firm and I watched the original crew leave, laughing among each other. Castor was kicking at the soldier that held him, but it had no effect. Two soldiers grabbed Juniper's tub and then we moved further back in the camp.

I struggled against the soldier's arms, but I still ended up at the squat little building they deposited us into. The windows were too small to try to crawl out of. I tried the door as soon as it'd closed behind me and found it was locked.

The darkness gave way to a blinding light in an instant. I squinted into the light and a girl's face came into sharp focus. A fire was burning on her hand. A fire was burning on her hand.

I blinked again. I was probably just tired.

Who are you? She said, her lips forming each letter as though with great care. It occurred to me English probably wasn't her first language.

Juniper translated for me.

Castor's back was to me, but we all turned to him as he talked.

"We're from the Regnese navy. They're," Castor's finger pointed to me and Juniper, "sirens that... rescued us."

The girl glanced between me and Juniper. "You sign?"

I nodded, looking at her in shock. "My brother's mute," she explained quickly.

"I'm Deaf."

"What's your name? I'm Ryanione. Ryan for short. My brother calls me," she signed an R and tapped her fingers together twice.

I slid my finger down my hair. Then I spelled out my given name. "Arriana."

"You're a witch. I didn't think you existed."

She smiled. "You're a siren."

"Half siren."

"Half-human?"

I nodded. She turned towards the bulk of our group. "You have to be hungry," she signed as she talked. "We don't have much food, but what's ours is yours."

The orb on her hand floated away and stayed in the middle of the room. I took a deep breath. No, that was definitely real. No tiredness could explain that away.

Maybe it's a bit hypocritical for a siren to be freaked out by a witch, but my heart raced. I stared after it until Juniper caught my attention. 

"The famous witch hospitality," Juniper commented, only signing when the girl's back was turned. The comment was just for us. Juniper started to fingerspell the same sentence, and I realized she'd also said it for Castor's benefit.

"The legends didn't say anything about them knowing English or sign," I pointed out.

"Well, it doesn't matter what the legends say. I'm starving."

"We just ate this morning," I chided.

Juniper pouted and I sat down next to her tub. I leaned against the metal. Ryan sat across from me and put a plate of meat next to me. I held it up to Castor and Juniper.

"Do all of you sign?"

"He's learning," I pointed to Castor. Then Juniper. "She signs. Nobody else does."

"If it's alright to ask, you were born Deaf?"

I nodded.

"Were your parents Deaf?"

"No. My father's," I paused, "friends were."

She picked up a piece of meat and gulped it down. "Do they know you're a half siren?"

I nodded miserably. "Where are we?"

Ryan leaned close. "Camp Beta. It's the second biggest detainment center in the country."

"Detainment center?"

"Fancy name for a prison." She shrugged and leaned back.

"Prison? What did you do?"

The platter of meat levitated. "Magic," she signed simply.

"Magic's never been illegal."

"It's not officially illegal. They find other things to get us with, but everyone knows magic's really what they're after."

"Smaller things?"

"Assembling without a permit. Littering. Little things that don't really matter."

"Why?"

"Power. People are afraid of us and that gives the people in charge power."

"But K-I-S-E-R'S always been liberal. Especially with magic."

Ryan shrugged. "Things change, pretty boy. Especially when it comes to humans."

His face went pale. "We're not all bad."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself."

And just like that, she'd shut down Castor's entire argument with one condescending comment.

"What do they do here?" I pressed.

"You'll see."

I didn't like the way her face darkened with the answer. She turned and looked over her shoulder.

A little boy walked forwards. He had to be about nine, but he looked much thinner than could've been healthy. Looking at Ryan next to him, they both looked way to thin.

She brushed the hair out of his eyes, talking to him. She gave him the plate of meat, and he sat down to eat.

"My little brother, Leland." She put an L to her throat, smiling at him.

"Hey, Leland." I tried to force some gentleness into my posture. He stared at me and I knew I hadn't succeeded.

Ryan wrapped her arm around him protectively. She kissed her head and whispered something into his hair. He nodded and slunk off into a corner.

"How does magic work?" Juniper asked, signing and talking at the same time.

"The same way yours does, I guess. We just do it."

Juniper looked like she was about to roll her eyes. "But is there a limit to it?"

"It takes stamina to do it well, just like anything else." Ryan signed along with her spoken words. Ryan's pigeon was almost exotic at first. I was starting to get tired of it.

Juniper nodded like she perfectly understood, but I could tell she was unsatisfied with the answer.

"Are your parents here?" Castor asked.

"No," Ryan answered.

She picked at her hair, curling it around her finger. Then she let it fall back to its place, just above her shoulder. An awkward stillness fell over the group.

Her hair fell just above her shoulders. Her hands kept running through it, and I focused on her.

"You're beautiful," I blurted, instantly wishing I'd kept my hands on my lap.

She looked at me strangely. "I mean, you look really good."

That didn't make it any better. Ryan tilted her head. "You too, Arriana."

The air felt even more awkward now. Now I tried to brush out my hair, the curls stubbornly staying exactly as they were.

Castor looked between me and Ryan. What was that? His eyes seemed to be saying.

I had no idea.

"I'm tired," I said. "Should I just sleep here?"

"Yeah." Ryan said. "I'll let you guys sleep."

I picked at the ground as I curled up on my side. Why had I said that?

Since when had I ever thought someone looked pretty and then told them they looked pretty.

Keep it together, Arriana. I scolded myself before I squeezed my eyes shut.

When I finally fell asleep, my mother haunted my dreams. Her face chased me through a nightmare of scattered thoughts. The terror of the woods had found a way to follow me.