Chapter 1

My grandmother, Evelyn, died in the old fishing shed in our backyard.

My father, Dean, wouldn't even give her a funeral. He planned to call the funeral home first thing the next morning and have her cremated using the cheapest option available.

At midnight, I sneaked into the shed and lit a memorial candle for Evelyn.

That's when I saw her sitting motionless on the floor.

Her mouth opened and closed, mechanically spitting things out.

Milky-white, perfectly round objects fell one after another, clattering against the old wooden floor.

They were all pearls.

The next morning, a blind old man stood outside our house, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"The Siren has taken over a dead woman's body! The dead are spitting pearls! That old woman isn't human anymore!"

Dean grabbed the baseball bat by the door and chased him out of the yard.

Then he spun around, rushed into the shed, and dropped to his knees in front of Evelyn.

"Mom! Please, give me more! I'll do anything you want from now on!"

The whole family crowded around Evelyn, clutching her hands and begging her to spit out a few more pearls.

I was the only one hiding behind the door, staring at the pearls scattered across the floor.

They weren't jewels. They were Siren eggs that would drain the life out of the living.

……

"Mara."

Evelyn suddenly turned her head and stared straight at me.

Her mouth continued opening and closing mechanically.

"You didn't come closer."

"Don't you want the pearls?"

I shook my head frantically, pressing my back against the doorframe.

Evelyn smiled. Her stiff lips slowly split wider and wider until the corners nearly reached her ears.

"Good girl."

"These pearls cost lives."

"If you don't want them, you won't die."

As she turned her head away, I saw the skin at the back of her neck split open.

Beneath it lay layer upon layer of silver-black scales.

I stayed behind the door, not daring to make a sound.

Dean and my mother, Carla, scrambled toward the pearls.

They swept up the dirt and scraps of fishing net along with the pearls, then carefully picked out the dozen or so pearls.

Dean took one and rubbed it lightly against his teeth.

The rough texture made his eyes light up instantly.

He and Carla clutched the pearls and rushed out of the house, driving straight to the jewelry store in town.

By dusk, the front gate flew open with a violent kick.

Dean hauled two cases of expensive whiskey and several boxes of cigars out of the trunk.

Carla returned with several bags of groceries, packed with steaks, lobster, roasted chicken, and other foods they had never been willing to buy before.

Both of them were flushed with excitement as they rushed into the drafty fishing shed.

Dean scooped Evelyn up from the floor and carried her straight to the warmest recliner beside the living room fireplace.

"Mom, I've been a real bastard. From now on, this family is yours to run."

He crouched beside her, eagerly massaging her stiff lower legs.

Carla approached with a bowl of freshly made clam chowder, holding it up to Evelyn's mouth with a fawning smile.

"Mom, have some while it's hot. I made it with the freshest clams."

Evelyn sat rigidly in the recliner, her eyes closed. She wouldn't even open her mouth.

Carla grew impatient. Then she spotted me standing by the doorway.

The smile vanished from her face.

She grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head against the wall.

"Why do you always cause trouble for this family? Did you upset Grandma again? Get over there and apologize!"

My head struck the wall hard. Blood seeped from my temple, but I bit my lip and refused to make a sound.

Evelyn's eyes snapped open.

Her eerie green eyes, with their vertical-slit pupils, fixed on Carla.

"Don't touch her."

The voice didn't sound human at all. It was low and raspy, as if something else were speaking from inside her body.

Carla's hand trembled in terror, sending the entire bowl of clam chowder crashing to the floor.

Evelyn opened her mouth and mechanically spat out a pearl.

It rolled to a stop right at Carla's feet.

Carla immediately forgot her fear. She dropped to the floor and scrambled to grab it.

Then she cradled the pearl in her hands, grinning so widely that the corners of her eyes crinkled.

"Mom, please don't be mad. I won't hit Mara again."

Evelyn stared at her and spoke once more.

"You have to keep me happy if you want the pearls to grow."