The Churning Waters Series
by
Meredith T. Taylor

            Seventeen-year-old Marguerite Westly never imagined the mysteries held in the familiar coastal waters of Murrells Inlet, or how those very waters would change her life forever.  What starts as the recurrence of a skin condition that has plagued her since childhood intensifies into the sudden onset of abnormal abilities, such as unexplained strength, speed, and agility.  These new gifts culminate in a return to her families’ coastal South Carolina home, where she finds as many questions as answers to her changing state.  Within weeks her life is transformed, forcing her to leaves behind the trivial world of high school, and entangling her in an underwater world she never dreamt possible.  Marguerite finds herself caught between the human world and the mysterious civilization of the Sironians.    

                The Sironian civilization traces its origins to the creation of mankind, designed as guardians to keep order in the oceans of the world.  Governed by ancient laws and now ruled by Theron, a brazen and powerful patriarch who has twisted the laws once designed for good to fit his own ambitious agenda.  Refusing to become enthralled in Theron’s political machinations, Silas, a once revered member of Theron’s inner circle, trains and cares for a young band of “protectors” in the area surrounding Margo’s new coastal home.  These young “protectors”, affectionately known as “the crew” soon are drawing Margo into their forbidden world.     

                But the adventurous Marguerite will quickly learn that there is danger lurking among the Sironians.  Theron and his Legion have strayed from their noble origins, viewing human life with the same disregard as their prey.  Margo realizes she was a victim of this secretive and powerful race once before, as a young child, when she came face to face with the deadly and beautiful Sironian, Maris.  While a mysterious rescuer pulled Marguerite to safety at the last moment, Margo still is haunted by the fears of that encounter. 

        It was also during that fateful encounter that Maris discovered that young Margo was the only known siren-human hybrid.  A twist of fate thought impossible since unions between Sironians and humans are not only against their laws, but also thought impossible.  As an outrage to the ancient bloodlines of the Sironians, Theron and his allies have long sought some sign of this hybrid girl in order to eliminate this thing that they viewed as a threat and an abomination.  Now Marguerite’s return to these same coastal waters unwittingly provides Maris the opportunity to finish what was started so many years earlier.      

                Marguerite’s arrival in Murrells Inlet also entangles her in the mystery of the handsome William Avery.  This young man, to whom Margo has an unquestioned attraction, is the ward of her grandmother’s old friend Silas.  Yet, as strong as the attraction pulls the two teens together, William stands determined to resist the temptation.  Margo slowly unravels William’s past to find his parents were killed, not in an accident as so many had assumed, but through a deadly attack launched by Maris at Theron’s direction, many years earlier.  Ultimately she learns that through a twist of history, fate, and lost love, Silas has made a solemn vow to her grandmother to safeguard Marguerite from the danger posed by the Sironians by entrusting her safety to his most prized and skilled pupil, William.  William struggles with his duty to Silas, his undeniable attraction to Margo, and his own desperate desire to search for his lost sister who he believes may still be alive despite the attack against his family.     

                Margo’s feelings for William only intensify as he is forced to come to her rescue time and again, and soon she realizes that William holds the answers to the mysteries surrounding her ever changing abilities.  Yet the more Marguerite presses him for answers, the more he pushes her away from the knowledge she seeks.  Frustrated by William’s reluctance, she turns to a group of mysterious locals known as “the crew” in hopes of finding her answers.  This group of beautiful thrill seekers seems equally intrigued by her, and slowly begins drawing Marguerite into their risky activities.  Mace, the tough, yet cautious, leader of the group, is hesitant to let Marguerite into to their world.  But the flirtatious Kirby is persistent, and his efforts towards Margo are supported by his fun-loving and rambunctious sidekick, Tobie.  Only the beautiful Aria seems less than pleased with Marguerite’s presence, a dislike fueled by her history with William and her unrequited feeling for him.

                James, Margo’s long time childhood friend, grows concerned over Marguerite’s growing involvement with William and her continuing association with the crew.  While James and Marguerite traditionally reconnected every year, spending their summer vacations together, the obvious changes in Margo, including these new relationships, begin to threaten both her friendship with James and his ever present hope for romance.  However, Marguerite's life becomes consumed by more pressing problems than unrequited love, as Theron's Legion discovers that the elusive half-breed has returned. Margo once again comes face to face with Maris, the very same creature that has haunted her sleep since she was a child.
            Her strength is put to the test as she joins with the forces enlisted to protect her, but she risks losing her heart, and ultimately her life in the process.