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Jeannie looked nervously between Sam and Buce. “Shud we go after ‘im?” she said, directing her question more so at Buce for she already knew Sam’s response. To her relief, Buce atoned for his previous laughing fit and assumed a serious expression (well, as serious as someone like Buce can manage) and said, “We should, that we will.” The trio quickly stood and followed hastily in Thanatos’ general escape route, scouring the grounds for the hooded figure as they went. Minutes spanning eternity transpired, filled with the horrible feeling of guilt as all efforts seemed fruitless. Burdened by her guilty yoke, Jeannie gathered up the group, frustrated and concerned, “Ah cannae find ‘im anywhere!”
“D-did we lose him?” Sam puffed between heavy intakes of breath.
“Mebbe... Ah dunno!” the Scot wailed.
Keeping a level head, Bucephalis looked about him and caught a shadow of a glimpse of Thanatos fleeing behind a nearby building. “Over there!” he pointed and sprinted after the boy.
Jeannie followed in hot pursuit, “Quickly! After ‘im, afore ‘e gets awee again!” The three of them took off again.

It was some time before they discovered him. In fact, had it not been for an out-of-breath Sam stopping briefly for a rest, they might not have found him at all.
The black-clad boy hid amongst the shadows of a building and its neighbouring trees, tightly hugging himself and shivering uncontrollably. Buce carefully approached him, wary of what could happen if he pressed the wrong button, “Dude, are you okay?”
“G-GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I’VE ALREADY TOLD YOU I CAN’T HELP YOU!” Thanatos shouted before whimpering, “I can’t help you.” Buce looked to the Scot for assistance, but she was as clueless as he was as to what to do that would aid their situation. Moments of tense silence ensured within the group before Jeannie took initiative. She carefully picked her way across the damp grass and knelt infront of Thanatos, trying to see his face. When she felt it safe, she gently shook his shoulders and spoke softly, “Hey, it’s us.” It was at this moment that Sam arrived, panting heavily and the hoodie moved upwards slightly. Jeannie felt it safe at that point to lift the hoodie to reveal Thanatos’ tear-stained face. Just as Jeannie had, Sam also made her way over to Thanatos, however preferring to stand above him with her arms folded, concerned. Her presence must had had a soothing affect on him for he calmed down slightly and looked up solemnly at his pursuers, somewhat relieved.
“Y-you don’t h-have to h-hide.”
“You don’t understand,” Thanatos sobbed and whispered, “They won’t leave me alone.”
“W-who?”
“Them.” Thanatos pointed to something just behind them, but when they turned, neither Bucephalis nor Jeannie nor Sam could see whatever the matter was. Apart from the normal amount of students milling about aimlessly, nothing was obviously out of the ordinary. Thanatos could clearly see the confusion in their wavering gazes and decided it was finally time to come clean.
“Every time I open my mouth, they swarm me,” he explained in a soft whisper and huddled up again.
“W-we d-don’t see them, I-I’m afraid.”
“So ye’ve been a mute because o’ them?”
Thanatos nodded.
Ever the sarcastic one, Buce blatantly stated, “That explains a lot, that it does.”
“Aye, but ye have nae explained who ‘they’ are.”
Thanatos sat in silence for a while, contemplating whether this was truly the day he was confide in his deepest, darkest secret - one he had tried to keep buried for as long as he could remember. But he had already come thus far and backing out now would surely result in various complaints from his companions - he would never hear the end of it. Thanatos sighed heavily and gave in to his fate, finally whispering, “…The wandering souls of the dead.”

It was disturbing, and yet… it made sense. To be forever haunted by spirits that no one other than yourself can see whenever you try to speak - it would be enough to scar anyone for life. Enough so that they would refrain from ever talking to anyone for the rest of their life. And yet, here was someone confiding after so long. Sam thought that it must have been torture for so long. She shivered.
Thanatos continued, a little louder, “They keep asking me to help them find their way, but I don’t know how!” He sobbed, his starting to brim with new tears once more.
“They want to move on, that they do.”
“How exactly can ye see them when we cannae?”
He pondered the question for a moment and replied softly, “My eye.”
Sam raised a befuddled eyebrow, “I s-see…”
Thanatos sighed and then began to recount his life story in a whisper, “I was born like this.” He paused, gaining a little extra confidence before continuing.
“Ever since I was a child, I noticed that I wasn't like all of the other children - they couldn't see all the grey, wispy people that ambled around them. They used to keep me company. No child wanted to talk to the strange boy with different coloured eyes and who always talked to himself. I would chat with them. It was all innocent at first, most of the ghosts then had been either children or elderly who weren't bothered about moving on or not. *huddles up* But things got serious once I started school. There were adults there. They were desperate to move on. For some reason, they assumed that just because I could see and hear them, I was supposed to be able to somehow help them.”
“They strayed from the path, that they did.”
“When they eventually found out that I had no idea how to help, they would bribe or bully me. Every time I opened my mouth to talk, they would swarm me with questions and abuse. Since then, I've been terrified of them. I found that if I didn't speak and ignored them, they would leave me alone.” He then aimed his attention at Buce, “Which is why people like you have never heard me speak… until now.”
“Lost souls are desperate, even when in mortality,” Buce remarked.
Thanatos motioned to his Silver eye, “This eye has allowed me to see and hear them. My other eye,” he continued, gesturing to his Gold eye, “let’s me see everyone else. So together, I see everything.”
“S-still…” Sam began, but continued with a much more serious tone, brimming with rage, “If I could see those spirits, they’d regret the day they DARED interfere with your life.”

Although she had already beared witness to these slip-ups before, Jeannie was still stunned, “Uhh…? Lamb? Dearie? Are ye alright?”
Sam realised with a start what she had once again done and began her usual routine of apologies. The commotion caused Thanatos to look up questioningly at Sam as well as Buce who simply raised an eyebrow.
“Sam?” Jeannie asked cautiously and slowly rose to her feet.
Sam looked about at the group, a touch of nerves evident in her pale face, and sighed, “Dammit, I did it again, didn’t I?” Buce, who had never seen Sam or her strange outbursts before, had no idea how to react to the situation and adopted a ‘Thanatos’ approach - remain silent and watch things progress. Meanwhile, Thanatos, still on the floor, cocked his head to one side, completely puzzled.
“Aye… mebbe?”
Sam gave another exasperated sigh, “And just when I was starting to actually enjoy going to this school. Now I’d have to move.” Sam turned to leave, her head lowered in anguish, but she didn’t get very far for she was quickly engulfed in a massive hug which bellowed a “NAE!” down her ear. She was touched by the gesture, but she knew it would be useless once her parents found out. She tried to explain to the Scot, but she was quickly cut off.
“Ye have made me feel more welcome here than anyone else has ever done for meh. Te thought o’ losing ye is horrible! Ye accepted me fo' who Ah am where others wud jus' avoid meh. Ah do nae ken whutAh'd do if Ah wur tae lose ye.”
“No… you deserve a better friend. …I’m actually a monster.”
“Nae ye’re no’! Dinnae say such ‘tings aboot yersel’!”
“You don’t get it!” Sam was on the brink of tears, but she had to explain, “I’m literally a monster. I’ve kept it from you.”

“Whu-” Jeannie realised from Sam’s insistence that she was most likely being completely serious and slowly began to accept what was being thrown relentlessly at her face, when she noticed something. “Yer nae stutterin’…”
“That was just so I could fit in better. I've easily talked men into their dooms, you know, but stuttering made it easier to b-be normal,” Sam explained quietly. She felt her breath squeezed out of her as the Scot hugged tighter.
“Ah dinnae care, lamb!”
“Y-you’re… crushing me,” Sam barely managed to hoarsely croak, unfortunately for her though, Jeannie was intent on making her point clear.
“Everyone is unique - dinnae fo' once t'ink that being different makes ye a baddie.”
Buce made his was over and examined Sam’s blue face, “Uh, i don't think Sam's breathing anymore, that i do not.”
Upon hearing that she was accidentally strangling her friend, she quickly apologised and loosened her vice-like grip, but refused to completely release her prey. Colour proceeded to return to Sam’s face and she silently thanked Buce.
When her breath had returned, Sam asked the Scot, “I supposed it won’t hurt to tell you that I’m actually a Siren?”
Well acquainted with all thing mythology, Thanatos’ eyes widened at the familiar name.
On the other hand, very unacquainted with Greek mythology, Jeannie was utterly confused and released her victim so Sam could explain herself face-to-face.
“If Thanatos shared his secret about seeing dead people, then it should be okay for me to admit I'm a Siren. Shall I prove it?” Sam asked. In the shadows behind them, Thanatos quietly replaced his hoodie on his head and covered his ears. Despite his efforts to keep the motion unnoticed, Sam still saw.
She smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll only whisper to Buce…” The supposed ‘Siren’ walked up to Bucephalis and whispered something into his ear. He immediately began to sway, desperately trying to keep a firm grasp on his consciousness, but Sam’s song eventually stole it from him and he collapsed, fast asleep. She then turned to face Jeannie.
“I sing to sailors and lure them to their deaths.”
“Why wud ye do tha’?”
“My people have done it for centuries, but I didn’t want to follow our traditions. That’s why I’ve tried living on land.”
Jeannie saw her chance and clutched at hope, “See! Ye're nae a monster if ye CHOOSE tae not be one, nae matter how much ye say so!”
“You’re too nice. But I’ve tried telling other people before, and they called me a monster.”
“T'EN THEY 'AVE NAE FRIGGIN' CLUE AS TAE WHUT THEY'RE TALKIN' ABOOT!”
“They wouldn't have any clue any more....because I had to erase their memories of me being there…”
Jeannie was awed. “Ye can do tha'? Tha's AMAZIN'! It's a wee bit like ye're a superhero wi' dem superpowers. Do ye nae feel kinda special? Ah ken Ah wud!” A grin as wide as her head suddenly erupted on her face.
The sudden turn of events was a shock for Sam - she had been to many schools previously, each with their fair share of friends, but when it came to telling them the truth, they had all called her a monster. But here was someone who was willing to accept her at all costs, always finding some way to turn this around for the better, no matter how dim the case. Sam couldn’t stop the river of tears that streaked through her smile.
“Y-you’re not freaked out by it?”
“Whoa…” Everyone turned to see a very sleepy Buce stretch and try to take his surroundings in through bleary eyes, “Wha’d I miss?”
Sam didn’t think it was possible, but Jeannie’s grin grew even wider as she answered Sam’s question, “Nae, nae at all! Ah’ve got a superhero as a best friend!” She leaned in and whispered to Sam, “Nae tae worry, dearie, ye secret’s safe wi’ me,” and winked. Or at least attempted to. With a grin as wide as hers, Jeannie’s eyes were already half-closed from the lower lid, and the ‘wink’ that resulted looked more like a brief squint with one eye.

To fully bring the group together, Thanatos threw back his hoodie and stood to walk over to Buce, who had also decided to join the girls. When he reached Buce, Thanatos waved his hands vigorously over Buce’s shoulders and, after a bit, whispered in his ear, “You had a few wisps on your shoulders… they like to sleep on those who slumber.”
“Oh… thanks…”
Jeannie sighed after a little while and asked, smiling, “Does it nae feel nice tae have all t’is oot in te open?”
Sam couldn’t help but concur, “It does feel better knowing that I don’t have to hide it too much.”
Thanatos nodded in muted agreement.
“Ye ken tha' ye dinnae have tae keep quiet around us.” However, Thanatos pointed behind Jeannie discretely. And everyone turned as indiscreetly as possible, loudly proclaiming that they couldn’t see anything, Buce more so than the girls, though. Jeannie was the first to turn back and ask if it had been ghosts, to which he nodded a ‘yes’.
“And if they tell anyone other than you, I’M GOING TO MAKE THEM REGRET IT!” Sam raged.
Thanatos smiled; a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. And for the first time in a long time, he felt genuinely happy - he had finally found friends who knew and understood.
“…thanks. …I hope you don’t mind if I do turn into a mute at times,” he queried.
“Nae at all. We understand now.” Jeannie grinned, wider than ever.

Description
Jeannie looked nervously between Sam and Buce. “Shud we go after ‘im?” she said, directing her question more so at Buce for she already knew Sam’s response. To her relief, Buce atoned for his previous laughing fit and assumed a serious expression (well, as serious as someone like Buce can manage) and said, “We should, that we will.” The trio quickly stood and followed hastily in Thanatos’ general escape route, scouring the grounds for the hooded figure as they went. Minutes spanning eternity transpired, filled with the horrible feeling of guilt as all efforts seemed fruitless. Burdened by her guilty yoke, Jeannie gathered up the group, frustrated and concerned, “Ah cannae find ‘im anywhere!”
“D-did we lose him?” Sam puffed between heavy intakes of breath.
“Mebbe... Ah dunno!” the Scot wailed.
Keeping a level head, Bucephalis looked about him and caught a shadow of a glimpse of Thanatos fleeing behind a nearby building. “Over there!” he pointed and sprinted after the boy.
Jeannie followed in hot pursuit, “Quickly! After ‘im, afore ‘e gets awee again!” The three of them took off again.

It was some time before they discovered him. In fact, had it not been for an out-of-breath Sam stopping briefly for a rest, they might not have found him at all.
The black-clad boy hid amongst the shadows of a building and its neighbouring trees, tightly hugging himself and shivering uncontrollably. Buce carefully approached him, wary of what could happen if he pressed the wrong button, “Dude, are you okay?”
“G-GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I’VE ALREADY TOLD YOU I CAN’T HELP YOU!” Thanatos shouted before whimpering, “I can’t help you.” Buce looked to the Scot for assistance, but she was as clueless as he was as to what to do that would aid their situation. Moments of tense silence ensured within the group before Jeannie took initiative. She carefully picked her way across the damp grass and knelt infront of Thanatos, trying to see his face. When she felt it safe, she gently shook his shoulders and spoke softly, “Hey, it’s us.” It was at this moment that Sam arrived, panting heavily and the hoodie moved upwards slightly. Jeannie felt it safe at that point to lift the hoodie to reveal Thanatos’ tear-stained face. Just as Jeannie had, Sam also made her way over to Thanatos, however preferring to stand above him with her arms folded, concerned. Her presence must had had a soothing affect on him for he calmed down slightly and looked up solemnly at his pursuers, somewhat relieved.
“Y-you don’t h-have to h-hide.”
“You don’t understand,” Thanatos sobbed and whispered, “They won’t leave me alone.”
“W-who?”
“Them.” Thanatos pointed to something just behind them, but when they turned, neither Bucephalis nor Jeannie nor Sam could see whatever the matter was. Apart from the normal amount of students milling about aimlessly, nothing was obviously out of the ordinary. Thanatos could clearly see the confusion in their wavering gazes and decided it was finally time to come clean.
“Every time I open my mouth, they swarm me,” he explained in a soft whisper and huddled up again.
“W-we d-don’t see them, I-I’m afraid.”
“So ye’ve been a mute because o’ them?”
Thanatos nodded.
Ever the sarcastic one, Buce blatantly stated, “That explains a lot, that it does.”
“Aye, but ye have nae explained who ‘they’ are.”
Thanatos sat in silence for a while, contemplating whether this was truly the day he was confide in his deepest, darkest secret - one he had tried to keep buried for as long as he could remember. But he had already come thus far and backing out now would surely result in various complaints from his companions - he would never hear the end of it. Thanatos sighed heavily and gave in to his fate, finally whispering, “…The wandering souls of the dead.”

It was disturbing, and yet… it made sense. To be forever haunted by spirits that no one other than yourself can see whenever you try to speak - it would be enough to scar anyone for life. Enough so that they would refrain from ever talking to anyone for the rest of their life. And yet, here was someone confiding after so long. Sam thought that it must have been torture for so long. She shivered.
Thanatos continued, a little louder, “They keep asking me to help them find their way, but I don’t know how!” He sobbed, his starting to brim with new tears once more.
“They want to move on, that they do.”
“How exactly can ye see them when we cannae?”
He pondered the question for a moment and replied softly, “My eye.”
Sam raised a befuddled eyebrow, “I s-see…”
Thanatos sighed and then began to recount his life story in a whisper, “I was born like this.” He paused, gaining a little extra confidence before continuing.
“Ever since I was a child, I noticed that I wasn't like all of the other children - they couldn't see all the grey, wispy people that ambled around them. They used to keep me company. No child wanted to talk to the strange boy with different coloured eyes and who always talked to himself. I would chat with them. It was all innocent at first, most of the ghosts then had been either children or elderly who weren't bothered about moving on or not. *huddles up* But things got serious once I started school. There were adults there. They were desperate to move on. For some reason, they assumed that just because I could see and hear them, I was supposed to be able to somehow help them.”
“They strayed from the path, that they did.”
“When they eventually found out that I had no idea how to help, they would bribe or bully me. Every time I opened my mouth to talk, they would swarm me with questions and abuse. Since then, I've been terrified of them. I found that if I didn't speak and ignored them, they would leave me alone.” He then aimed his attention at Buce, “Which is why people like you have never heard me speak… until now.”
“Lost souls are desperate, even when in mortality,” Buce remarked.
Thanatos motioned to his Silver eye, “This eye has allowed me to see and hear them. My other eye,” he continued, gesturing to his Gold eye, “let’s me see everyone else. So together, I see everything.”
“S-still…” Sam began, but continued with a much more serious tone, brimming with rage, “If I could see those spirits, they’d regret the day they DARED interfere with your life.”

Although she had already beared witness to these slip-ups before, Jeannie was still stunned, “Uhh…? Lamb? Dearie? Are ye alright?”
Sam realised with a start what she had once again done and began her usual routine of apologies. The commotion caused Thanatos to look up questioningly at Sam as well as Buce who simply raised an eyebrow.
“Sam?” Jeannie asked cautiously and slowly rose to her feet.
Sam looked about at the group, a touch of nerves evident in her pale face, and sighed, “Dammit, I did it again, didn’t I?” Buce, who had never seen Sam or her strange outbursts before, had no idea how to react to the situation and adopted a ‘Thanatos’ approach - remain silent and watch things progress. Meanwhile, Thanatos, still on the floor, cocked his head to one side, completely puzzled.
“Aye… mebbe?”
Sam gave another exasperated sigh, “And just when I was starting to actually enjoy going to this school. Now I’d have to move.” Sam turned to leave, her head lowered in anguish, but she didn’t get very far for she was quickly engulfed in a massive hug which bellowed a “NAE!” down her ear. She was touched by the gesture, but she knew it would be useless once her parents found out. She tried to explain to the Scot, but she was quickly cut off.
“Ye have made me feel more welcome here than anyone else has ever done for meh. Te thought o’ losing ye is horrible! Ye accepted me fo' who Ah am where others wud jus' avoid meh. Ah do nae ken whutAh'd do if Ah wur tae lose ye.”
“No… you deserve a better friend. …I’m actually a monster.”
“Nae ye’re no’! Dinnae say such ‘tings aboot yersel’!”
“You don’t get it!” Sam was on the brink of tears, but she had to explain, “I’m literally a monster. I’ve kept it from you.”

“Whu-” Jeannie realised from Sam’s insistence that she was most likely being completely serious and slowly began to accept what was being thrown relentlessly at her face, when she noticed something. “Yer nae stutterin’…”
“That was just so I could fit in better. I've easily talked men into their dooms, you know, but stuttering made it easier to b-be normal,” Sam explained quietly. She felt her breath squeezed out of her as the Scot hugged tighter.
“Ah dinnae care, lamb!”
“Y-you’re… crushing me,” Sam barely managed to hoarsely croak, unfortunately for her though, Jeannie was intent on making her point clear.
“Everyone is unique - dinnae fo' once t'ink that being different makes ye a baddie.”
Buce made his was over and examined Sam’s blue face, “Uh, i don't think Sam's breathing anymore, that i do not.”
Upon hearing that she was accidentally strangling her friend, she quickly apologised and loosened her vice-like grip, but refused to completely release her prey. Colour proceeded to return to Sam’s face and she silently thanked Buce.
When her breath had returned, Sam asked the Scot, “I supposed it won’t hurt to tell you that I’m actually a Siren?”
Well acquainted with all thing mythology, Thanatos’ eyes widened at the familiar name.
On the other hand, very unacquainted with Greek mythology, Jeannie was utterly confused and released her victim so Sam could explain herself face-to-face.
“If Thanatos shared his secret about seeing dead people, then it should be okay for me to admit I'm a Siren. Shall I prove it?” Sam asked. In the shadows behind them, Thanatos quietly replaced his hoodie on his head and covered his ears. Despite his efforts to keep the motion unnoticed, Sam still saw.
She smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll only whisper to Buce…” The supposed ‘Siren’ walked up to Bucephalis and whispered something into his ear. He immediately began to sway, desperately trying to keep a firm grasp on his consciousness, but Sam’s song eventually stole it from him and he collapsed, fast asleep. She then turned to face Jeannie.
“I sing to sailors and lure them to their deaths.”
“Why wud ye do tha’?”
“My people have done it for centuries, but I didn’t want to follow our traditions. That’s why I’ve tried living on land.”
Jeannie saw her chance and clutched at hope, “See! Ye're nae a monster if ye CHOOSE tae not be one, nae matter how much ye say so!”
“You’re too nice. But I’ve tried telling other people before, and they called me a monster.”
“T'EN THEY 'AVE NAE FRIGGIN' CLUE AS TAE WHUT THEY'RE TALKIN' ABOOT!”
“They wouldn't have any clue any more....because I had to erase their memories of me being there…”
Jeannie was awed. “Ye can do tha'? Tha's AMAZIN'! It's a wee bit like ye're a superhero wi' dem superpowers. Do ye nae feel kinda special? Ah ken Ah wud!” A grin as wide as her head suddenly erupted on her face.
The sudden turn of events was a shock for Sam - she had been to many schools previously, each with their fair share of friends, but when it came to telling them the truth, they had all called her a monster. But here was someone who was willing to accept her at all costs, always finding some way to turn this around for the better, no matter how dim the case. Sam couldn’t stop the river of tears that streaked through her smile.
“Y-you’re not freaked out by it?”
“Whoa…” Everyone turned to see a very sleepy Buce stretch and try to take his surroundings in through bleary eyes, “Wha’d I miss?”
Sam didn’t think it was possible, but Jeannie’s grin grew even wider as she answered Sam’s question, “Nae, nae at all! Ah’ve got a superhero as a best friend!” She leaned in and whispered to Sam, “Nae tae worry, dearie, ye secret’s safe wi’ me,” and winked. Or at least attempted to. With a grin as wide as hers, Jeannie’s eyes were already half-closed from the lower lid, and the ‘wink’ that resulted looked more like a brief squint with one eye.

To fully bring the group together, Thanatos threw back his hoodie and stood to walk over to Buce, who had also decided to join the girls. When he reached Buce, Thanatos waved his hands vigorously over Buce’s shoulders and, after a bit, whispered in his ear, “You had a few wisps on your shoulders… they like to sleep on those who slumber.”
“Oh… thanks…”
Jeannie sighed after a little while and asked, smiling, “Does it nae feel nice tae have all t’is oot in te open?”
Sam couldn’t help but concur, “It does feel better knowing that I don’t have to hide it too much.”
Thanatos nodded in muted agreement.
“Ye ken tha' ye dinnae have tae keep quiet around us.” However, Thanatos pointed behind Jeannie discretely. And everyone turned as indiscreetly as possible, loudly proclaiming that they couldn’t see anything, Buce more so than the girls, though. Jeannie was the first to turn back and ask if it had been ghosts, to which he nodded a ‘yes’.
“And if they tell anyone other than you, I’M GOING TO MAKE THEM REGRET IT!” Sam raged.
Thanatos smiled; a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. And for the first time in a long time, he felt genuinely happy - he had finally found friends who knew and understood.
“…thanks. …I hope you don’t mind if I do turn into a mute at times,” he queried.
“Nae at all. We understand now.” Jeannie grinned, wider than ever.