Ximena wasn't sure how long she sat on the beach, glaring at the crashing waves hitting the shoreline as night fell. All she could think about was killing her sister. Getting revenge for ruining her life like this.
She should've ripped Amara apart when she was on the beach, instead of listening to her talk. Now all she could do was sit on the cold sand, wondering what she was going to do with herself.
There was no way she could return to the Siren Kingdom to get her revenge. The other sirens would kill her the moment she was in their waters and while she was stronger than most, Ximena couldn't take on hundreds at once.
Frustration burnt through her, making her want to scream. She was so stupid, so foolish for falling for such a trap. For thinking her bond with her sister was strong. The signs were there and she ignored them.
She let herself get played.
What do I do now? Ximena wondered to herself as she continued gazing at the ocean.
She had no home to return to, no life, her dreams of becoming the next Siren Queen torn apart because of one night. There was nothing on land for her. The ocean was her everything. She might as well not live at all.
Except she had to.
Amara was clearly trying to destroy her spirit by letting her live. Death would've been a much easier punishment for her. But that would be Amara's mistake.
Ximena would build a life here, one full of happiness, until she found a way to rip everything away from her sister. The question was how would she do it?
Could she even build a happy life on land?
When her blood called her the ocean, for her to dive into the cool water, letting it embrace her like a lover. She was barely able to keep herself from edging closer to the water.
Sure she was curious about the world above, but that didn't mean she wanted to live here. The ocean was her home. Except it wasn't anymore. It would never be as long as she was banished from her kingdom.
Suddenly, her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten at all today. She needed to find something to eat and a place to stay for the night. Then tomorrow, she would find a way to survive on land.
Grabbing the bag filled with her precious items, she looked for anything that she could use to buy food. She found a small pink pearl among her things and decided to use that.
I had planned to make a necklace with it, but that's pointless now. Ximena mused to herself as she slipped the small bag into her dress pocket. Humans like pearls. I could probably sell it for food.
With the pearl in her hand, Ximena got up and headed for the nearby town. Wind blew past her as she walked up the beach, making her shiver. The days were warm, but the nights were cold and her dress barely kept her warm.
She'd need to find a place to stay soon. Hopefully, the pearl would be enough for both food and shelter. She wasn't completely sure of its value and regretted not learning much about the human world's money system.
There was no need to learn about it. At least until now.
Sighing in frustration, she finally made her way up the beach's steps and onto the cobble road. She spotted a few buildings along the road with people hanging around them.
Her senses told her the group sitting under some umbrella were not human. She wasn't sure what kind of supernatural beings they were, but at least they weren't human.
Perhaps they'd be more helpful to a fellow supernatural being. However, Ximena wasn't going to have her hopes up. If her blood sister could betray her, then strangers could easily do the same.
"Well, would you look at that." One of the supernatural beings called out as she walked over to them. "Not everyday you see a siren around. Especially after yesterday's party. Come back for some more fun?"
Ximena resisted the urge to show her disgust at his words, still wanting to get directions from them. Instead, she asked, "Where are the places to sell stuff?"
"What are you planning on selling? That body of yours?" The man leered at her, sending a chill down her spine. "I don't mind paying for that."
The other guys around him laughed and Ximena knew there was no point in talking to them. She turned her head away, noticing someone inside the food place. They'd probably be more helpful than the bastards in front of her.
As she was about to walk away from the group, someone grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you're going, siren?! We're not finished talking to you."
"Let go of me!" Ximena hissed, morphing her free hand into a claw.
She swung her hand at his face aiming to rip it off. The man was caught off guard by her sudden attack, unable to stop her from clawing at his face.
"AAAGH!! YOU BITCH!!" The man cried out, hands moving to his torn up face, blood dripping everywhere.
Ximena simply straightened up, shaking her bloodied hand as she morphed it back into a human-like one. "Don't touch me without my permission. I'm a siren after all."
She gave him a sharp smile before turning away. Meanwhile, the group ran over to their friend without one of them calling out, "You won't get away with this?!"
Ximena ignored them and stepped into the food place. There was no one sitting at the tables despite the delicious smells filling the room.
An elderly man standing by a counter in the back glanced over at her, noticing her hand before turning to see the scene outside.
"Those fools had it coming..." The man muttered before sending a bowl of water her way with magic. "Wash your hands. Don't want blood dripping on the floor."
Ximena nodded her head in understanding, pausing to wash her hands as the male witch had instructed. Once she was done, the bowl disappeared and she walked over to the witch.
When she got to the counter, the man asked, "So, what's a siren doing in these parts?"