The people of Sareena come from the sea.

Despite finding the streets of the village perfectly illuminated by oil lamps as always, the stillness in the small deserted square now intimidated Erin. She didn't consider herself particularly brave, but at least she didn't get scared easily. Erin now wondered how she had never noticed how threatening the village looked at night. It was definitely because everyone was absent. She said to herself, discarding her inopportune thoughts and perfectly aware that her sister was sneaking towards the beach. So, Erin oriented herself towards the avenue of the great torches and headed in that direction.

After a few minutes of silent walking muffling her steps, the cold autumn wind almost made Erin regret going out after Rubí. When the shadows cast by the flames of the torches played a couple of tricks on her, she let go of her anger by cursing and condemning the older sister in her mind.

Bratty Rubí... an image of her sister with pleading eyes appeared in Erin's mind. 

Rubí was feminine and charming, with exuberant breasts. She had a great figure. With all this, the most noticeable thing about Rubí was her delicate face, her reddish hair, and her amber eyes. Her sister caught the attention of every man who passed by her. What was she complaining about? And what could she care about a troop of strangers who would leave the next day? Not to mention how weird the whole group was. Thinking about all this, Erin shook her head, causing her pillow-messed hair to flutter across her back.

Certainly, Rubí could choose any suitor in the neighboring village. She had all those attributes, and she was sweet and calm. She would also be a good mother. At the thought, Erin smiled softly, taking in an image of her nephews. Now, things were different when it came to herself. 

Erin was already of marriageable age. Despite that, she did not imagine or want to know about marriage, at least for now. Unlike her sister, she was much taller, and her figure was less voluptuous. And, while her dark blonde hair could catch the attention, her character was repellent to the opposite gender. She was smiling with that last thought when the noise of the waves and the beating of drums made her raise her face. Then she saw the two large pyres in the sand.

Erin was on the rise in the road, so she could easily see the villagers mingling with the foreigners, talking as if they had known each other all their lives. Unable to avoid an exasperated gesture, she quickly looked in another direction, trying to locate her sister's distinctive hair.

"Erin, ¿right?" To her complete embarrassment, she jumped slightly before looking over her shoulder. She knew who it was just from the timbre of that arrogant voice. Darek, the one who appeared to be Ahian's right-hand man. She disliked both of them. Equally. Well, almost equally. If she had to choose, she would find Darek more bearable.

Erin looked away as soon as she met his impressive blue eyes. Almost everyone in his group had them in that pretty shade, except perhaps for the detested leader.

"Good night." She said without confirming his question. And without wasting half a second, she started moving again. Why did she have to meet that guy there? Above all, the awareness that she was only wearing her nightgown under the coat was uncomfortable. "I'm a little late." She added under her breath as she hurried. However, the stranger caught up with her without difficulty and began to walk beside her. He was wearing a bulky indigo jacket and thick white pants. A familiar scent came from his body. 

The man smelled just like the sea. Erin suddenly told herself, and the thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Erin nearly moaned in sheer annoyance. Although Darek was not as tall as his boss, his height was still intimidating. And although his face was not as captivating as Ahian's, he would beat the leader in gallantry and slenderness. If it came to image, Darek was the most complete man she had ever seen. To be fair enough, he was the most attractive young man she had ever seen. And that was saying something, considering the looks of the rest of his group.

Trying not to make it too obvious, Erin intended to overtake him. But, her plans were thwarted after a giggle from her partner, who seemed to guess her intentions right away.

"Tell me, Erin: would you have a dance with me?" 

She almost tripped over her own feet. However, she composed herself instantly.

"I won't be joining the festivities. I'm just going for my sister… we are not allowed to come." She added, feeling the need to explain herself. Then she forced her feet to go faster. The beach had certainly never seemed so far away before.

"I understood that was for you to decide." Erin almost stopped when he clarified his point. "Your mother allowed you to come as long as you attended together…"

That's when she stopped dead. They were already very close to the party. While Erin chose to ignore some inopportune greetings, Darek waved a hand.

"How did you know…?" She began, raising an eyebrow as she raised her face to face the young man, but she immediately retracted it with heartfelt annoyance. "Anyway, I'm sorry. Look: I'm in a hurry. Have a good night, sir."

As she walked away from him, Erin heard another annoying giggle. However, her mood improved when she realized he was not following her again. So far, the group of foreigners had ignored her, and she wanted to keep it that way. With renewed spirit, she continued the search for Rubí. Engaged in such a task, she surrounded the bonfires until she began to feel warm under her fur coat. But it was unthinkable to get rid of it. Her nightgown to sleep in was not a garment to be displayed in public. That was not to mention the sorry state of her hair, which was blowing in all directions thanks to the sea breeze.

"The people of Sareena come from the sea." Ludio, the village's old teacher, was saying. 

Many times, Erin had wondered about the old educator's age. He had also been her parents' mentor. Ludio was sitting on a big rock, surrounded by a large group. After his words, a chorus of exclamations arose. "You must believe it. We are descendants of mermen who united with humans a long time ago. That is why our people cannot live without the sea."

"Pure myths!" A leathery-skinned adult villager complained.

"Tell us more!" Asked a young, unknown man. Was he from the neighboring village? He was very handsome with dark hair and alluring blue eyes. With the discovery, Erin grimaced as she looked away from him.

"You must believe," Ludio continued with a solemn voice. "Why else can our youngers swim like fishes and last so long underwater?" After a pause, he added, "Why else the need for the sea?"

Erin thought so. She needed water at least once a day. And like her, there were other magnificent swimmers, equally crazy about the sea. 

Erin herself had been unbeatable until Ahian joined the competition in the warm river last week. Erin had never been bested. This had contributed to her dislike of the young man. Childish? Well, yes! Did she care? Gods no! Then, at that very moment, just as if she had summoned him with thought, the figure of Ahian filled her field of vision.