Umi ran through the house, calling for her father.
"Dad! Please answer me!" she screamed.
"I'll call my dad! He's the chief of police!" Dave called. Mizu ran up to Umi and gently grabbed her shoulders.
"Look at me. Take a deep breath and breathe out. We need to remain calm in this situation," Mizu said. Umi started crying.
"Easy for you to say! Your dad's not gone," she cried.
"I actually never met my parents. We were separated when I was still an infant," he replied. Umi hugged him and continued crying. A few minutes went by before the police arrived. They searched everything and found only a set of fingerprints on a broken window and a trail of blood leading from a bathroom. In the meantime, Umi decided to stay with Dave until they found another place for her to stay.
She laid on the couch that night. She couldn't sleep. She closed her eyes and thought about her father. He could be in serious danger but she couldn't do anything about it. She eventually drifted off to sleep and had nightmares about a lab and a red haired mermaid.
When she awoke, it was still dark. She looked at a clock that read two am. She laid back down and tried falling back asleep with no luck. She got up and walked to the beach. She walked along the shoreline and saw someone sitting in the water. She squinted her eyes and noticed it was Mizu. She started walking towards him when he noticed her.
"Oh! H-hey Umi. What are you doing here?" he stuttered.
"I could ask you the same. I'm just trying to clear my mind right now."
"Me too. I still can't believe any of that happened yesterday. I could tell he means a lot to you," he replied. Mizu's lower body was completely underwater so Umi couldn't see his legs. She did see a bit of blue on his waist, but she assumed it was his jean shorts. Umi moved closer to Mizu and hugged him.
"What's this about?" Mizu asked.
"I just wanted a hug. Should there be another reason?" she asked. Umi felt something scaly brush up against her leg.
"Since when are fish swimming up here at night?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I felt a something scaly brush up against me," Umi replied. Mizu brought up one of his legs.
"Can't be me. I don't have a tail," Mizu joked. Although he showed his leg, Umi believed she saw a few scales on his leg. She dimissed it as her imagination and looked around. She saw a light in the distance.
"Mizu. I think someone's coming," she whispered. As it got closer, she saw three people approaching them.
"Well, well, well. It looks like we have young love birds making out on the beach," a man said.
"What?" Mizu asked.
"You can't tell us that's not why you're here!" a woman said. Umi heard a click. It sounded like a camera.
"Stop taking pictures of us! We never gave you permission!" she exclaimed. The group started laughing, which infuriated Umi. Mizu stood up and walked up to them. He grabbed the camera from them and threw it into the rocks, breaking it.
"Hey! You're gonna pay for that!" the man yelled. The two men pinned Mizu to the ground while the woman ran up to Umi and punched her. Umi fell over and hit her head against another small rock. Umi's vision blurred as she was lifted and thrown into the cold water. Mizu fought to get up. He rolled onto his back, crushing the two men under his weight. He stood up and ran into the water.
Umi opened her eyes and found herself underwater. Her nose and lungs were burning. She tried swimming up, but found herself tangled in a net. She tried breaking free in vain. She sensed the water moving around her and saw Mizu swimming towards her. But she couldn't see his legs. As he got closer, she saw he had a dark blue tail. He wasn't human.
He grabbed her and pulled her to the surface. After taking a few deep breaths and coughing, Umi looked at him in shock. Mizu looked confused for a bit before realizing what happened.
"You saw it, didn't you," he whispered.
"Did I imagine it? Do you have a tail?!" she exclaimed. Mizu sighed and tore the net off Umi.
"Yes. I'm not human. You're not gonna turn me in, right?" he asked, nervously. Umi shook her head.
"No, I just didn't think sirens existed."
"I'm not a siren, I'm a merman. There's a difference. Sirens have unnatural hair colors and can control elements. Merfolk rely on strength and intelligence to survive," he explained. Umi looked at him and started chuckling.
"Is that why you asked if my hair was naturally this color?"
"Yeah. I thought you were a siren at first. I know you're not now. It's clear since you can't change your form," he answered. Umi sighed. At least someone believes her. She hugged Mizu and they swam back to the shore. It looked like the sun was coming up.
"I have to head back before anyone realizes I'm gone. See you later!" she smiled. Mizu waved as she walked away. She got back with enough time to dry off and change before Dave and his family woke up.