34- Being yourself

It was probably so loud down there on the beach that Seila would be unable to hear the phone.

Mía had to do something, though. She would have to sneak out of the house without Theo stopping her.

It was easier than she thought. He had had a couple of beers and fallen asleep in front of the TV in the living room. He would probably wake up when the fireworks started, and then he would realize that Mia had left.

But to tell the truth, what worried her right now was not that, but that she had to get out of there.

She quietly went down the stairs, crossed the kitchen quickly and went out the back door. As soon as she was outside she saw Ignacio running out the back door of
her house. Mia cursed to herself.

"What are you doing?" Ignacio asked. "Where are you going?" The mermaids are here,Mía told him.
Where? He turned around, as if he was expecting them to be
stalking him from behind.
I don't know, I think they're in the bay,Mía said. Seila is there with Daniel,
watching the fireworks, and I have to go find her.

“Wait. What?” Ignacio asked.

Shouldn't we be running away from the mermaids,
instead of getting closer to them? It's dangerous for you to be near them.

“No, I have to face them,” Mía countered.

But first I have to
find Seila.

“And what will happen when you meet the mermaids?” Ignacio asked.

“I have to stop them,” Mía said.

“I can't let them hurt anyone else. I'm going to find Seila, and then I found a way to scare them away.

Mia wasn't entirely sure she could carry out her plan, but she would do everything she
could. She was going to fight the mermaids and get them to go away and leave
her family alone, or she would die trying.
"Okay," Ignacio said. "But I'm going with you."
"Ignacio," Mia protested. "You can't…"
"Look, I'm not going to let you go and have something happen to you," he insisted. "I have my
earplugs, and I'm going with you. Now, do we stay here and discuss it, or do you want to go find your sister?"
Mía didn't want to lose any more lives and reincarnations, so she started jogging towards the
bay. She was much faster than Ignacio, who had to make great efforts
to keep up with her. She slowed down a little because she didn't want to lose sight of him,
but she wanted to get to the beach as soon as possible. Unfortunately, she had been way underestimating the number of people that would be in the bay. Mia assumed the mermaids would be closer to the water, or at least in some more secluded area.
Antonieta, the disloyal one of the syren group, was lying on the ground. A trickle of blood was running from her nose, and her blinking allowed her to barely make out the trees above her. The fireworks had just started, and flashes of light could be seen between the leaves.
"I don't usually find it justifiable to hit a girl, but if you want to kill me and my girlfriend, then I'll have to," Daniel said, perched above her.
"I'll do what I have to do."
Seila stood behind Daniel, unable to shake off the confusion she felt.
She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she was rooted to the spot, and had no idea what to do.
"Daniel," Antonieta tried to sing. Her velvety voice made Seila feel a warm euphoria, and she smiled to herself. "You're going to help me, Daniel." -Why are you singing? -Daniel asked-. You're lying on the ground, and you start
singing. That's weird. You're supposed to be some kind of scary monster.

-Why don't you do what I tell you? -Antonieta sat up, leaning on her
elbows-. Are the fireworks drowning out the song? -Then she looked at
Seila-. No, she's there smiling like an idiot, so it's working.

What's wrong with you?

-Nothing's wrong with me, but I don't have lives and reincarnations to argue about this. -Daniel
grabbed Seila by the arm and tried to drag her back the way they had come,
but she wouldn't move-. Seila, come on.

-No, I can't go. -She shook her head-. I have to stay here, because...,
because... -She looked up at the lights shining between the trees-. Because of the
fireworks.
-What have you done to him? - Daniel turned to face Antonieta, who had
stood up. - Undo it.
Antonieta's eyes were no longer shining, having returned to their usual black color.
She crossed her arms and pursed her lips as she watched Daniel and Seila.
-You've never listened to me, have you? - Antonieta asked. - You're the guy from the yacht
who intervened when we were talking to Mia, and you didn't pay any attention to us.
And it's impossible for someone not to pay attention to us.
-I'm not doing it to you right now - Daniel spat at her, and he put his arms around Seila to
lift her up.
-Daniel - Seila complained, clinging lightly to him - I don't think
I should go.
-That's it, Seila - said Antonieta, using her sing-song voice - You can't go!
-Daniel! "Seila screamed as he tried to carry her off his back. Put me down!"
"Damn it." Daniel sighed and carefully lowered her down, then walked over to Antonieta and said to her face: "I don't know what the hell you've done, but you don't want Seila. You don't
need her. Let us go."
"Why isn't the charm working on you?" Antonieta asked,
squinting her eyes.
"Because you're not really that charming," Daniel replied. "What do you want?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"I want you," Antonieta decided. "I want to experiment on you and find out how
you can possibly resist me. And then I want to eat your heart. But first I'm going to
kill your girlfriend."
"You're not going to," Daniel assured her. "I'll kill you first."
for the first time. She remembered seeing it all, but it had been like a dream.
This was real, and Daniel had a problem.

Seila didn't lose the lives and reincarnations. She pulled out a stake that was on the side of the road.

Antoinette was too focused on Daniel, opening her mouth wider and wider,
as if she intended to devour him, so she didn't see Seila approaching her
from behind.

Seila gathered all her strength and struck her. The stake broke with a
clash against Antoinette's occipital bone. She howled in rage and pain, with a monster's roar mixed in with her voice, in a totally inhuman sound.

Daniel arched his back and knocked Antoinette over, who landed in the nearby bushes.

Before Seila could ask Daniel if he was okay, he had already
jumped up. Antoinette had also stood up, and was trilling,
walking towards Daniel and Seila.

"Antoinette!" Rossy shouted sharply, and Antonieta looked back at her sister. What are you doing? Why are you fighting with those two?

I was looking for Mia, and things have gotten out of hand.

Slowly, Antonieta's face changed again and she regained her human appearance.

"We don't have lives and reincarnations for that. Leo Lycan is already at the port with Mia, and who knows how many lives and reincarnations he can keep her there," Rossy urged. Antonieta looked at Daniel and Seila again reluctantly, as if she still wanted to kill them. "Antonieta!

Come on!"

"Okay," Antonieta agreed, and walked away from them. "I have some unfinished business,
but I'll be back for you two."

Antonieta turned and followed Rossy. Seila took a second to catch her breath before turning to Daniel.
-Are you okay? - she asked him.
-Yes, I am. - Daniel nodded. - We are going to look for your sister.
Seila wanted to have more lives and reincarnations to give him a chance.She doubted they would do anything in public, at least not with so many witnesses.