WE ARE THE D.S (Somos la D.S - English version)

7. IN THE NIGHT

I press the engine hard and hoping she doesn't notice the car, I follow her. In my favor I have the thick forest that surrounds me and in the middle of the darkness, when only one or two vehicles are moving in our path, it is impossible for her to notice me as I follow her. Or so I want to believe.

I follow at a stealthy pace but without stopping for a single second to ask: Where is Baelee going in the middle of the night?

A thousand possible scenarios, a thousand theories of her escape don't seem to be enough in my head when reality is skirting the tires of the vehicle.

The lights of the city begin to come upon us. We are skirting Madrid, and something tells me that her plan is to go inside.

His movements seem to object to my beliefs and she ends up swerving to the left. Unsure of where she's going, I stop the car for a few seconds. Baelee goes into a side road that I wasn't sure existed. It's not part of the road, it looks more like a stone path, why would Baelee go almost into the middle of an open field?

When I get her far enough away, but without losing sight of her lights, I resume my walk.

I notice a sign before I enter and I know where she's headed.

I've heard of the town's hydroelectric dam, and its great value, but what could my stepsister be doing at this hour in such a place?

The matter becomes more and more cumbersome.

Is it perhaps her sneaky meeting place with Bernard? Or maybe she doesn't see Bernard?

No explanation seems to be enough, I refuse to believe that Baelee is some kind of criminal expelling bodies at three in the morning into a lake. I know my theories are typical of the fictional world I polluted my brain with for years, but when in doubt, I prefer the stranger path.

It's only five minutes before Baelee stops her car. For my part I stay a considerable distance away and take care to hide my father's car among the trees.

I stay where I can see her and watch as she slips through a broken fence. Next to her are three more vehicles. I can't make out who they are in the darkness, but I can bet that the people standing by the edge of the lake are smoking. The rest become silhouettes reflected by the moon that I will have to imagine, because getting closer is not an option.

I don't even know what the hell I'm doing here. Even though the whole situation is bizarre, I'm an idiot. I have transgressed into his privacy and I guess she has his reasons for being here.

For over an hour I stay inside my vehicle with the windows down. I can only feel a murmur and a couple of giggles that are brought by the swaying of the water. Baelee seems to have easily joined the small group and I count six silhouettes. Something tells me that they are her friends.

The peace that was there is interceded by the screams that come from nowhere. Like a stampede, three of the subjects run to the cars and escape. Not knowing what is happening, I get out of my car and it is only when I hear a cry for help from Baelee that I enter the scene.

I reach the edge of the riverbank and encounter the worst-case scenario. Malton is convulsing on the ground. Baelee's eyes meet mine and she says nothing. She looks frozen in panic, and I'm not sure if it's due to the surprise of seeing me here or the fact that one of her friends is foaming at the mouth. Talissa who looks horrified next to Baelee leans over looking for Malton to respond.

"They mustn't touch him, help me turn him on his side. We can't do anything for him until the seizure passes. Get all the bottles off his side, he could hurt himself," I finally say and Talissa follows me. Baelee on her side seems blocked, as if her body is here, but not her mind.