A Song Below Water

A Song Below Water Plot Summary

Introduction

The sea has always harbored secrets—but in Portland, Oregon, those secrets walk on land. Tavia Phillips carries one that burns inside her throat: she is a siren, born with a voice that can bend others to her will. In a world where Black sirens are feared and hunted, she conceals her identity beneath a fabricated speech disorder and silence. Her sister-by-choice, Effie Calhoun Freeman, battles her own mysteries—the inexplicable dry patches on her skin, the haunting water mirages that dance before her eyes, and the statues of childhood friends frozen in a park. These girls, bound by secrets and sisterhood, navigate a city where Black magical beings exist at society's margins. When a social media influencer named Camilla Fox publicly reveals herself as a siren and is forcibly silenced by authorities, the delicate balance of Tavia and Effie's lives begins to crumble. As Effie's true nature emerges and Tavia grows bolder with her powers, they discover they are part of something larger than themselves—a current of resistance flowing beneath Portland's progressive veneer. Together, they must decide whether to remain silent or let their voices rise, powerful and undeniable, above the troubled waters that threaten to drown them.

Chapter 1: Hidden Identities: Silenced Voices and Mysterious Origins

Tavia Phillips sits by the indoor pool, eyes closed, listening. Though the chlorinated water isn't the ocean where sirens' voices are said to return after death, she hopes to hear her grandmother's call anyway. Beside her, Effie completes her underwater routine with practiced grace, her movements mesmerizing, reminiscent of the mermaid she portrays at Renaissance faires. "Back home I went to the beach on more than one cloudy day," Tavia muses, opening her eyes to watch her sister emerge from the water. "I'd stand on the cold sand, burrowing my toes beneath the surface as though there'd be some warmth there, and I'd listen." Effie quickly covers herself with a towel, hiding skin she considers too dry, too parched. The lifeguard—whom Tavia teases her about—discreetly watches from a distance. A young man named Wallace, seemingly ordinary but with eyes that follow Effie's every movement. At home, the imposing silhouette of a gargoyle perches on their roof. Tavia's father, Rodney Phillips, paces nervously beneath it, convinced the creature marks their house as different, dangerous. "Three years he's been roosting here," he frets to his wife. "You don't think the neighbors are wondering why? What about our house is different? What makes a gargoyle choose us?" The tension escalates when news breaks about Rhoda Taylor, a recently murdered Black woman whose killer's defense hinges on one devastating claim: she was a siren who compelled him to violence. The courtroom drama unfolds on Tavia's phone, the words burning into her consciousness: danger, they report, and they're talking about the danger she posed, never the danger we face. Later that night, alone in her room, Tavia touches the keloid scar on her neck—a permanent reminder of when, at eleven, she tried to silence her siren voice by tying a belt around her throat. The memory of waking in a hospital, her parents forced to choose between revealing her supernatural identity or claiming a suicide attempt, still haunts her. "I just want a normal voice," she whispers into the darkness, unaware that the gargoyle outside her window has turned its head to listen. In the choir room at Beckett High the next day, Tavia finds temporary refuge among her gospel ensemble—her "network," a small community aware of her identity and willing to mask her siren call within their harmonies. But even here, Naema, an eloko with a tinkling melody charm around her neck, commands more admiration than fear. Unlike sirens, elokos are celebrated for their charm and beauty across all ethnicities, while sirens—exclusively Black women now—are viewed with suspicion and dread. "I knew it," Naema declares smugly when another student asks about siren history. "I knew there was something wrong with you!" Tavia remains silent, swallowing the heat building in her throat, a precursor to her call. She knows what happens when sirens speak freely—they become targets, like Rhoda Taylor. Like her grandmother, whose voice she still strains to hear across the veil between life and death.

Chapter 2: Rising Tides: When Society Turns Against Its Sirens

The verdict in the Rhoda Taylor case falls like a stone into still water, sending ripples of dread through Tavia's body. Not guilty. The message rings clear: killing sirens is not a crime. Mr. Monroe's classroom falls silent as the news anchor's voice fills the space, dripping with barely concealed satisfaction. "The defense closed by reminding us that this case from the beginning was about the question of justification," the reporter explains. "There is such a thing as justifiable homicide, and according to the defendant's own testimony, for years now, he's been living in fear." Tavia's stomach churns audibly. She tries to make herself smaller, invisible, as her classmates' eyes dart in her direction. Even in this selective IB program, surrounded by supposedly progressive peers, she isn't safe from judgment. Later, in the school courtyard, Effie squeezes Tavia's hand as they sit together. "Do you still wanna give it up?" Effie asks quietly. Before Tavia can answer, Altruism and Jennifer approach, thrusting a phone in her face. On screen, beauty vlogger Camilla Fox—Tavia's favorite natural hair guru—stands defiant, her septum piercing catching the light. "I was born a siren," Camilla declares, her perfect brows furrowing with emotion. "And I'm asking you to listen to the sound of my voice. That's all. I'm just asking you to hear us. The way no one heard Rhoda until it was too late." The comments beneath the video swarm with hatred. SIREN! SIREN! SIREN! flashes repeatedly between red alarm emojis. Tavia's fingers tremble as she scrolls, witnessing the immediate backlash against a woman who dared to speak her truth. As the world outside grows more threatening, tension rises at home. The gargoyle remains fixed on their roof, its stone talons scratching against the shingles at night. Rodney's fear festers into anger directed at his daughter, while Geneva tries to maintain peace between them. "Dad's gonna be pissed," Tavia whispers to Effie as they drive home one afternoon, describing how the news about Rhoda Taylor and Camilla Fox's revelation has her on edge. "Tav," Effie responds gently, "if she's not a siren or not, no one should get away with murder because of what we are." Their conversation is interrupted when they arrive home to find Officer Blake—Priam's father—standing in their living room. Priam, Tavia's ex-boyfriend and an eloko, had abruptly ended their relationship months ago after accidentally drawing blood during a kiss. Now his father stands before them, studying Tavia with unsettling intensity. "If Tavia is what I think she is," he says carefully, "I just want her to be careful. She put herself in a lot of danger." "Excuse me, Officer Blake," Geneva interjects firmly, "but you did that when you pulled her over without cause." After he leaves, Tavia realizes with mounting dread that she had used her siren call during that traffic stop—a momentary lapse in control that might have revealed her identity to someone who could easily expose her. That night, she stands on her balcony beneath a sky heavy with clouds, the gargoyle's stone eyes fixed upon her. "Do you hear me?" she whispers, not to the creature but to the water, to her grandmother's spirit trapped somewhere between worlds. "I wish you could tell me there's a way out of this." The water offers no answer, but something shifts in the atmosphere—a current, invisible but powerful, beginning to rise.

Chapter 3: The Awakening: Discovering Powers Within

The indigo place came without warning. One moment Tavia was lying in bed, and the next she floated in a blue-black otherworld where sound traveled like water. It wasn't a dream—it felt too real, too tangible—and somewhere within this space, she sensed her grandmother's presence. "Gramma?" Tavia called into the darkness. No answer came, but she felt a current ripple through her, a new understanding taking shape. This was the first brush with a power she'd never known existed—a third siren call beyond Compel and Appeal, one that would change everything. Meanwhile, Effie sat in the community center pool, her legs mysteriously fused together with each powerful kick. The water was the only place her skin didn't itch unbearably, the only place where the strange mirages that haunted her vision made sense. Wallace watched from the poolside, his golden-brown eyes never leaving her. When Naema and her eloko friends arrived, the atmosphere shifted. "I knew it," Naema hissed as Effie's twists seemed to move on their own in the water. "You really are a mermaid, aren't you?" Effie's denial came too late. As Wallace led her away from the confrontation, her hair continued to writhe as if alive. Outside in the cold air, she pulled away from his touch. "What I need is for strange dudes to keep their hands to themselves," she snapped, immediately regretting her harshness when his face fell. Across town, Tavia made a desperate decision. Before dawn, she drove to an abandoned construction yard near St. Johns Bridge to meet Naema—the one person who might know whether Officer Blake planned to expose her. "What the hell is your problem?" Naema demanded when Tavia accidentally unleashed an unfamiliar call. The trill in Naema's voice emerged unbidden, matching Tavia's power with her own eloko melody. "I thought you were texting about me," Tavia explained, motioning toward Naema's phone. "Do you get that I have my own life that has nothing to do with whether or not you're a siren?" Naema snapped. "We don't all wanna be wrapped up in this drama! I don't want anything to do with you." As their confrontation escalated, something stirred in Tavia—a refusal to shrink herself any longer. "Don't cross me," she warned, her voice steady. "Or my sister." Back at the Freemans' home, Effie confronted her grandmother about her father's identity. Mama Theo's evasions had worn thin after years of questions met with dismissals. "If you'd stop coming to my world, I'd stop putting you in it," a voice whispered in Effie's dreams that night. She woke gasping, her skin peeling away in translucent sheets that revealed something scaled and iridescent beneath. The next morning brought news that chilled both girls to the bone: Isabella Apatu, Effie's project partner, had disappeared. More disturbing still, a man photographed at Effie's mother's grave had been transformed into a granite statue, frozen in an expression of terror. On the television screen, reporters speculated about sprites, about supernatural forces stalking Portland. But Mama Theo's eyes fixed on Effie with grim certainty. "It's not the sprites, Effie," she said quietly. "It's you." As the accusations landed, Effie's hair began to move independently, her skin shedding faster than ever. The awakening could no longer be denied—or contained.

Chapter 4: Transformation: Scales and Songs Revealed

Camilla Fox's protest loomed on the horizon, a gathering in Vancouver that would either legitimize sirens or further vilify them. Despite her father's warnings, Tavia was determined to attend. Effie, abandoning her Renaissance faire responsibilities, decided to join her sister instead—bringing Wallace along. As they approached the crowd, Tavia felt something shift inside her. The mass of protesters chanting for justice wasn't just for Kenyon Jones, the unarmed Black boy whose killing had sparked the demonstration. It was for Rhoda Taylor too. For Camilla. For her. "We have to make it better," she thought, "and because Camilla's here and I'm here, that means for sirens, too." The peaceful assembly transformed into chaos when police in riot gear advanced. Tavia noticed something chilling: the officers wore ear plugs specifically designed to block siren calls. They had come prepared to silence Camilla Fox. As tensions escalated, Tavia found herself in the center of the surge. People linked arms around her, forming a human barricade between the advancing officers and Camilla on her ladder. When Altruism turned to her, panicked, Tavia called her name—and something extraordinary happened. "Awaken," the call emerged from her throat without heat or buildup, unlike her other siren powers. Altruism's eyes cleared, her panic subsiding into clarity. Before Tavia could process this new ability, Camilla's voice shattered glass throughout the protest area. The officers seized her, forcing a silencing collar around her neck while she struggled for breath. Reaching toward her, Tavia prepared to unleash her most powerful call—when stone talons wrapped around her waist, yanking her skyward. The gargoyle had appeared without warning, snatching her from the street. As they soared over Portland, Tavia realized they weren't alone—Effie was clutched in his other arm, her eyes wide with shock. "Where are you taking us?" Tavia demanded as they flew toward a nature reserve. "Why did you leave her? Why did you let them take Camilla?" "You aren't my ward," the gargoyle replied, his voice unexpectedly regal and deep. "I'm here because of Effie." Landing in the wetlands, the gargoyle kept watch while Tavia processed his revelation. Effie wasn't a mermaid as Naema had taunted—she was something else entirely, something connected to the gargoyle and the mysterious water mirages that had haunted her for years. When they returned home, chaos awaited. News reports showed more stone statues appearing across Portland. Mama Theo stood in the living room, her face grim as the broadcasts displayed Isabella's photograph among the missing. "You need to hide," she told Effie, forcing her toward the door despite Tavia's protests. "Before they find that girl and you can't hide." Mr. Phillips restrained Tavia as she reached for her sister. "Tav!" Effie cried out. "Compel her!" But it was too late. Mama Theo dragged Effie away, separating the sisters who had sworn to protect each other. As the door closed, Effie's fingers spelled one word against Tavia's palm: Prom. In the days that followed, Tavia retreated into herself, refusing to leave her bed. When her mother finally came to her, Geneva surprised her with unexpected support. "I've always been the odd man out," she admitted, sitting beside Tavia. "The magic's on your father's side, not mine. He got it from his mother, and he passed it on to you." "People say that the reason oracles don't exist anymore is that people stopped believing them," Geneva continued. "A part of me always worried what might happen to sirens if they're too afraid to speak." For the first time, Tavia felt permission to be herself—not from her father, who had always feared her power, but from her mother who saw its value. With renewed determination, she began researching Effie's strange symptoms: sensitive scalp, shedding skin, blackouts, swimming prowess, and the gargoyle protector. The answers that emerged from her search left her breathless. "The Hidden Scales," she whispered, recalling the mysterious tent at the Renaissance faire that Effie had always been drawn to. Everything connected—the tent, the gargoyle, the mirages Effie called "water walking." It wasn't a mermaid that Effie was becoming. It was something far more ancient, far more feared.

Chapter 5: Breaking Stone: Liberation Through Sisterhood

Junior prom arrived on a night too bright for formality, the sun refusing to set as students gathered in their finery. Tavia arrived alone in her father's roadster, a princess-like ball gown swishing around her legs. This wasn't about dancing or romance—it was about finding Effie, fulfilling the promise spelled against her palm. The quad glittered with garden lanterns and fairy lights, but Tavia's attention fixed on a more disturbing sight: Naema wearing what appeared to be a siren-silencing collar. When questioned, Naema's smile turned cruel. "What makes you think it's fake?" Priam stood nearby, watching the exchange with troubled eyes. His rejection still stung Tavia, but tonight wasn't about past heartbreaks. As she scanned the courtyard for Effie, gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd. Effie had arrived, barefoot in a thrifted wrap dress, Wallace at her side. Before they could reunite, Naema launched her attack. "I know it's you, Effie," she announced loudly, ensuring everyone heard. "I know you did something to Isabella. She was nice to you, and you went after her. Just like you did to those people on the news." "I didn't do anything," Effie protested weakly. "You did. Just like when we were kids and you changed those kids in the park." Naema's voice carried across the courtyard. "It always comes back to you. Did you think we wouldn't notice?" With deliberate cruelty, Naema yanked Effie's headwrap away, exposing her twists which immediately began to move of their own accord. Students gasped, phones raised to record the phenomenon. Wallace tried to shield her, but it was too late. "Effie, Effie!" whispered voices sang from nowhere, an eerie chorus that sent chills through the gathering. "Do the trick! Play again!" Rage and shame coursed through Tavia as she watched her sister's humiliation. "It's time to stop this," she told Naema. "You got what you wanted. I'm out. I'm a siren and everybody knows it." But Naema just smiled, her phone still recording. "Too late for regrets. I was livestreaming. Guess both your secrets are out." In that moment, something broke inside Tavia. "Effie," she said with unnatural calm, "stone her." Effie's eyes changed, darkness surrounding golden irises with vertical slits. She leaned toward Naema, and the sound of boulders grinding together filled the air as Naema's gleaming skin hardened to gray stone, trapping her expression of shock for eternity. "Gargy," Tavia called, "get us out of here." The gargoyle—who had been Wallace all along—transformed into his true form, shedding his human disguise as he gathered both girls in his massive arms. They soared over Portland, following the river until they reached the Vancouver Renaissance faire grounds. "I'd better not," Wallace said when they landed near the Hidden Scales pavilion. "I didn't follow his orders. Not exactly. I was charged with your protection, but only in my true form. I was never supposed to be Wallace, too." Before leaving them, he kissed Effie tenderly. "I won't let him hurt you," she promised. When Tavia and Effie stepped through the tent flaps, they entered another world—a lush, magical realm where orbs of light floated among ancient trees and fog rolled across the ground. Here, Effie's transformation completed: her legs fused into a serpentine tail, her twists became living serpents, and her eyes shifted to those of a predator. "You're amazing," Tavia whispered in awe. "I wouldn't lie to you, Effie. You are. And you might be the only one of your kind." But Effie had already spotted him—a man with the same serpentine lower body and living hair. Her father. With startling speed, she launched herself at him, and they disappeared beneath the water's surface. When they returned, Mama Theo emerged too, contained in a glass box that opened to release her. Years of secrets and lies unraveled as Effie learned the truth: her father was a gorgon, master of the Hidden Scales, and the creator of the gargoyle who had protected her. "You were supposed to stop coming to my world," Mama Theo accused the gorgon. "You weren't supposed to send a stone demon to watch her every move." "You said it was gonna be up to Effie," he countered, "not that you'd keep showing up trying to trigger her." Standing between them, Effie made her choice. "It's time for you to go home, Mama," she said gently. As Mama Theo departed, Tavia realized a crucial truth: "Someone turned those other people to stone, Eff. All those statues in the streets of Portland, who were changed while we were stuck in the wilderness with Gargy? Someone did that. And it wasn't you." If Effie's father was the only other gorgon, he must be responsible for the statues—including Isabella. With renewed determination, Tavia pulled her sister away. "We have to go. I know how to fix this."

Chapter 6: Claiming Power: Voices That Cannot Be Silenced

Triton Park stood quiet beneath the sequoias, the stone statues of four children frozen mid-game as they had been for years. Ashleigh, Mere, Wiley, and Tabor—Effie's childhood friends, trapped in granite by her first transformation, which she had never remembered until now. Their families gathered at Tavia's request, along with news crews she had summoned. Effie remained invisible, her form rippling like a mirage at the edge of perception. "I'm a siren," Tavia had told them simply. The admission that had once terrified her now became her strength. Standing before the statues, she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. "Awaken," she called, her voice carrying the unique power her grandmother had revealed to her. "Awaken!" One by one, the children's stone skin blushed with returning life. Ashleigh's ponytail swung down, completing a motion interrupted years ago. Each child drew in a gasping breath as their parents rushed forward, weeping with disbelief and joy. "The game is done, the game is done," whispered voices sang on the wind—sprites celebrating the children's return. Overwhelmed by emotion, Effie rippled into visibility, her serpentine form stunning the onlookers. "It wasn't the sprites," she confessed through tears. "It was me. I didn't know what I was. I'm so sorry." Instead of fear, Ashleigh ran to her, followed by the other children. "Effie, you're okay!" they cried, hugging her without hesitation. As cameras captured the reunion, Tavia knew this was just the beginning. They would awaken all the statues—those in the courtyard at Beckett High, the man at Minnie's grave, and Isabella, wherever she was being kept. In the days that followed, Portland transformed. Ms. Fish gave Isabella and Effie full credit on their sprite project "because they lived it." News stations competed for interviews with Tavia, the siren who had freed the stone children. Even her father began to soften, offering support when documentary filmmakers called. "Your mom showed me your channel online," he told her one evening, his hand resting nervously on the stair railing. "You have a presence. A real way with words." "I am a siren," Tavia replied, unable to suppress her smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "Maybe that Priam boy'll want to give the two of you another try now." Tavia laughed. "I saw Priam at prom. I asked him if he regrets the way he treated me. He said he doesn't. He just wishes we'd never met." Her father's expression softened unexpectedly. "Well, I was never really a fan of that kid. Sirens deserve better." "Yeah," Tavia said. "We do." Meanwhile, Effie made her choice to stay with her father in the realm beyond the Hidden Scales. Her gorgon nature made a normal life impossible, but she refused to hide from who she truly was. "I'm still gonna be your sister," she promised Tavia as they embraced inside the tent. "We're still best friends." "I know," Tavia whispered, fighting tears. "And no matter where I am, it's you who set me free. You did. And you didn't Appeal to them, so it won't wear off. At least in Portland, by the people I stole from, I'll be forgiven. You gave me that." On the fairegrounds, Wallace resumed his post near the Hidden Scales, watching over the entrance to Effie's new home. "I'm stuck on the outside," he told Tavia. "But it'll pass." "Eff won't let him shut you out forever," she assured him, patting his human arm. "If you're stuck wearing a human face, at least it's a good look." As Tavia prepared to leave, Elric—the Renaissance faire blacksmith Effie had once believed was her true love—approached with a smile. "Good day," he said. "And a fairer one now." "What a way to greet your sister's beloved," he continued when she responded coolly. Some things hadn't changed after all. The faire still ran, the Hidden Scales still stood, and somewhere beyond its striped canvas walls, Effie was learning to embrace her power rather than fear it. Just as Tavia had finally claimed hers.

Summary

In a city where magic flows beneath the surface, Tavia and Effie discovered that their greatest powers came not from their supernatural abilities, but from their willingness to stand in their truth. Tavia embraced her siren voice after years of silence, using her call of Awakening not to control others but to free them. Through her courage, stone children returned to their families, long-frozen tears finally allowed to fall. She created a channel much like Camilla Fox's, fighting for siren rights while building a bridge of understanding with her father—a man who had feared her nature all her life, but who might finally be ready to listen. Effie found her place in the world beyond the Hidden Scales, accepting her gorgon heritage and the father who had watched over her from afar. Though separated from Tavia by realms and realities, their sisterhood remained unbroken—a bond stronger than blood, magic, or the prejudices that had nearly destroyed them both. As Wallace guarded the entrance to Effie's new world and Tavia spoke freely in her own, they proved that voices rising from troubled waters could not be silenced forever. In claiming their power, they claimed their freedom—to be feared or revered, misunderstood or celebrated, but never again hidden beneath the surface.

About Author

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Bethany C. Morrow

Morrow investigates the complexities of identity and social dynamics through her speculative fiction, using imaginative narratives to shed light on contemporary issues. Her work often situates African-American protagonists at the heart of her stories, exploring themes of memory, resistance, and empowerment. In "Mem", she crafts an alternate 1925 Montreal where memories take on physical form, allowing her to delve into questions of identity and existence. Her young adult book, "A Song Below Water", intertwines fantasy with real-world issues, following a high school student who navigates the dual challenges of being a siren and an African-American teen.\n\nMorrow's innovative storytelling method combines literary depth with world-building, allowing readers to engage deeply with the psychological and social dynamics of her characters. Her ability to explore nuanced character development has been recognized in the literary community, earning accolades such as the International Literacy Association Social Justice in Literature Award for her anthology "Take the Mic". While this author has a unique voice that speaks to marginalized communities, her bio highlights how her narratives also reach broader audiences interested in themes of self-discovery and societal critique. As readers engage with Morrow's works, they gain insight into the lives of characters who reflect real-world struggles, making her fiction both resonant and relevant.

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