To the people who care, next chapter is up. Sorry, this chapter isn't really that exciting. It's just a whole lot of explaining. God, I realised that I should've planned the whole story out first cuz soon, I'm gonna realised that some things don't add up. WRITER'S BLOCK! (F5)

P.S I took a quiz thingo on net that was called, "What instrument are you?" OMG you know what instrument it said I was? The bloody clarinet! Like what the hell does a clarinet even look like? Gayyyyyy.

Vicki followed my gaze and sighed. “Crystal’s always been close to Zack. Ever since the… thing… happened, he’s been there for her.” She frowned suddenly. “Although, that whole lovesick thing is kind of getting old. She could get any guy in the city and yet, she chooses to go after Zack.”

I sat with my back to the couple on the picnic table. Vicki plopped down beside me and we watched as Leo tuned his sax and Crystal whistled a tune. Somewhere nearby, a bird answered with its own trill.
“So, do you have any questions you want answered?” asked Vicki.
“Heaps,” I racked my brain for the most urgent one. “Okay. Are there other Syrens out there or are we just the only ones?”
Vicki laughed. “Well, we’re not exactly “overpopulating the earth” per se, but yes, there are more Syrens out there. I don’t know if you’ve ever been out to Cabramatta but there’s an old hobbo who plays the sitar there. He might not look like it but he’s a Syren. Some Syrens have actually become famous pop stars. You know Madonna?”
“No way!” I said, shocked. “She’s a Syren?”
“Yeah, of course she is. How do you she managed to stay in the music business for so long?”
I sat back in shock. How many famous people out there were really Syrens? How many people were using something other than their natural talent for fame? It was mind-boggling how much this changed things. There was a whole new world out there that I hadn’t known about.

“Next question,” said Vicki.
“Okay…” I shifted my legs, getting comfortable on the soft grass. “Well, I already know everyone’s power. Everyone’s except for Zack’s that is...”
“Oh,” Vicki started looking uncomfortable. “Actually, that’s something you might want to ask him yourself.” Seeing my confused expression, she explained. “Zack’s powers are… different and I think it’s better if he told you about them himself.”
“Oh, ok,” I looked over at Zack. Why couldn’t Vicki tell me about his powers? Was there something wrong with them? I shook the thought out of my head and concentrated on my next question. “Well, I’m wondering, how many people know about Syrens?”
Vicki mused aloud. “Not many… So far, I think it’s only us… my dad and my mum.”
“Your parents know as well?” I asked, shocked.
“Well yeah. They’re Syrens as well,” said Vicki. “They’re both healers, like me.”

It took a moment for me to digest this information. If Vicki’s parents were also Syrens, did that mean that it was hereditary? Could my parents be…
“If you’re wondering if Syren powers are handed down through genes, then the answer is yes and no,” Vicki had managed to read my mind again. “Both my parents are Syrens so that’s probably why I was born with them as well. Of course, they never told me anything until I’d discovered my powers.” She then looked at me seriously. “However, this usually isn’t the case. Out of everyone here, I’m the only one who has parents that are also Syrens. It’s just something that happens randomly. Like a baby born with physical deformities.”
Seeing my expression, she quickly rephrased. “Not that I’m comparing you to a physically deformed person! I’m just trying to explain how it works.”
“Yeah, I get it. I get what you’re trying to say,” I said. Plus, I was pretty sure that my parents were not Syrens. That couldn’t have been able to keep a secret like that from me anyway.

We lapsed into silence again. As I pondered over everything she’d told me, I was dimly aware that the background noise hadn’t ceased and that the others were all caught up in their musical endeavours. With a jolt, I realised that I hadn’t asked a very important question yet.
“Vicki, how come you guys are able to control your powers and not have them spin out of control every time you play?”
“We practice, of course!” laughed Vicki. “Wouldn’t it be annoying if every time we played, our audience got brainwashed? Trust me - it took a lot of “accidents” before I was able to handle my powers. Seriously, some of my classmates still think they suffer from blackouts.”
I then asked the question which had been niggling at the back of my mind the whole day.
“How about me… What powers do I have?”Vicki just grinned. “Well, that’s just something that we’re gonna have to find out, isn’t it?”