(Optional Chapter) 1: Quick Wit Katey

ATTENTION: Optional chapters are side stories told by Zak's companions that are not crucial to the main plot. They are silly entertainment, and skipping them will not cause you to lose detail during the story. Thank you.

A stranger's shower has never felt as good as it does right now.

A whole day and night of being coated in seawater and sweat made me feel like I'd just done a triathlon, and all the courses were covered in dust and mud.

"Katey was it!? I'm bringing you a towel! Are you almost done?"

Hoaka. The uncle of the kid I just met. I still can't believe what happened yesterday, and I probably would chalk it up to being a bad dream if it wasn't for my sore body and aching feet.

"Yeah, just finished! Ready for that towel."

I hop out of the small tub and carefully creep over to the bathroom door, nearly slipping on the way. It opens slightly, the cool breeze invading the steamy environment and cutting me with a cold whip of wind. A pink, fluffy towel dangles through the crack held by his hand.

I take it. "Thanks." I rub myself down, the nice material soaking up most of the suds from my fur. I don't want to put on my old clothes still fermenting with yesterday's tasks, but I don't have a choice. I slip back into my shirt first, still smelly and crusty.

"Did you want a bigger meal than coffee for breakfast?" he asks through the door.

I finish putting on my last shoe. "Uh, I'd love that, but I should really get going. I gotta check the welcome center for my luggage." I'm not shy, but this is too weird. Even then, Zak left without food, I'm not going to take it from his uncle like some asshole.

"Okay, I hear ya. I'll be going to work now, I trust you can lock up?"

"You'd trust a stranger with your house?"

"Well, you helping my nephew with his destiny dulls my concerns a bit. Besides, you seem like a nice woman. So will you lock up?"

"Not a problem. Thanks for the coffee and shower."

I hear him walk away from the door and head down the stairs. Only a few moments later, the front door slams. I think he's gone.

I head out of the bathroom and walk downstairs to see the living room empty. I try not to look around too much, somehow it feels disrespectful. I find the twist lock on the front door's knob and turn it before closing it on the way out.

The sun is a little higher now since I last saw it seeing Zak sail out of Sparkling City. He's a brave kid to be sailing a sea he's never seen before, also because he's never sailed before. A quick change of street puts me down the main road, and I head for the welcome center that's down by the main docks.

The cool ocean breeze keeps me from sweating under the sun, but that might only last until noon. I hurry along and find the familiar building and a new ferry showing up with new tourists. More people coming in, more luggage to rummage through.

I slip into the building before the crowd could dock, otherwise, I'd have to fight the tide of people. I see a few counters open, already owning a line for each one. I guess I took too long showering.

I enter one where the window reads, "Baggage Recovery" and stand behind a taller man. The line is slow, and with no entertainment, I feel every minute pass by. Several people pile into the room, the people from the new ferry. Now it's crowded, but at least I'm not at the end of it.

In fourteen minutes, it's my turn. The woman working the window finishes writing something down before sliding the paper to the side and giving me attention. "Good morning, could I get your name?" she asks.

"Katherine Barnes. I showed up yesterday."

She raises both eyebrows. "Yesterday? You didn't claim your baggage yesterday? Where did you sleep? How did you eat?"

"I had it covered. Now please, Katherine Barnes. I need a change of clothing badly."

She rolls her eyes, but I don't care. I'm feeling like the shower doesn't matter the longer I spend in this underwear. She reaches into the file sorter marked for yesterday's date and pulls out the whole stack. I see her flip through surnames starting with A and skipping to the Bs.

"Ma'am?" she says, her mouth pursed as she looks up without turning her head.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yesterday? It says your baggage was claimed by your husband."

No way. No goddamn way! A skimmer stealing people's unclaimed baggage? That's the laziest thief I've heard of. "Oh, you know what? Maybe. Do you think you could describe what he looks like? I've got some paranoia about stolen identity, you know how it is."

She doesn't seem convinced. "Red Fox like you. A little taller, same fur pattern. Samuel Barnes?"

I fake a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, that's him! I'm guessing he went to our motel room? That's what I get for having a girl's night before checking in."

Clearly, she isn't buying it, but she goes on for some reason. "Yeah, he went to the hotel, Warm Sands Resort."

Hotel, not motel? He better not be using my wallet and credit. What am I saying, he most definitely is. "Oh, awesome! Eastside of the island, right? Thank you, thank you so much! I gotta go, your hair looks great, by the way."

I have to fake niceness, it's the only thing keeping me from shouting my lungs out at the staff for letting some stranger claim to be my husband. I whip around and push my way through the dense crowd. Once I break out of the front door, the fresh breeze helps me to calm down.

Eastside of the island? The trolly heads that way at 12:00. What time is it? I should've checked the clock in the welcome center. A wristwatch is going on my shopping list next time. I walk to the rails until I find a crowd and the sign that says it stops here and wait.

I find one man looking like he's daydreaming or day drinking. "Hey, excuse me. Is this the 12:00 trolly that heads for the eastern side?"

"Yeah," he says, not looking at me. "It's 11:55, and these are trolly rails."

"You should just say 'yeah' next time."

He finally breaks out of his imaginary movie and casts his gaze down on me. I hear him gulp loudly and his pupils dilate. "My bad, I was uh…on autopilot. Your first time here?"

"No, I'm an annual visitor."

"Oh, well maybe you can show me around instead of the other way. What are you doing tonight?"

I cross my arms. "Apparently, I'm tracking down my husband who left with my luggage."

He flicks his forehead. "Husbands, am I right? I'm Jacob," he says, extending his hand for a handshake.

I push it away. "I'm…not interested."

When the rest of the crowd turn their heads towards us, he finally seems to ease off. "Whatever, just trying to be nice."

"Well go be nice to a single lady."

"I didn't realize I was being nice to a lady. I thought I was talking to the waste bin at a fish market judging by the smell."

The trolly startles me with a honk of its horn as it slides into the platform to let the people board. We're the last two, and I stop in front of him to wag my finger. "Since I smell so bad, you should make an effort to sit far away from me."

"Fine by me, save myself from throwing up my breakfast."

I get on and flip him the bird behind my back so the trolly driver can't see. "Hey, how close can you get me to Warm Sands Resort?"

The driver tips his hat and winks. "Stops right out the front door."

"Cool. It's five to ride, yeah?"

"Ten."

I pull out the twenty that Zak gave me during our walk. "Ten? It was five last year! What, y'all aren't getting enough gift shop morons who can't get out from the revolving doors?"

He frowns. "No. They can't get in neither, so sales plummeted. You riding or not, lady?"

I straighten out the bill. "Fine."

He swipes it from me and hands me back a ten. "Sit in the back, I ain't driving with a smell like that lingering around."

"Sheesh. I thought you locals were supposed to be friendly."

I walk myself to the back of the trolly and get sideways glances the entire journey there. Could be my attitude, could be these clothes. We take off after the last one standing finally takes a seat. It's a familiar view, but it's still beautiful to watch Sparkling City from the trolly's window. It's later in the day, and people are starting to get out now, filling the sidewalks and making this place feel alive.

Just ten minutes pass before the trolly stops for the next set of passengers, but this is where I get off. They let us leave before taking on the new riders, and I get to see the Warm Sands Resort for the first time. This place was always too expensive for my budget, and just looking at the outside of it shows me how.

It's tall with grand glass windows going up to at least twenty floors, and they all shine as if they get daily waxing. I watch the front door take in and spit out several people at once, and I head for it as if I belong there.

The lobby is covered in velvet carpet and littered with impulse kiosks that range from stupid souvenirs to hard liquor, and that's because there's already a bar right next to the check-in table. I should've asked Zak for a night here, not some premium fish food.

The check-in doesn't have a line, now's my chance. "Hi, Mrs. Barnes," I say as I walk up and lean on the counter pointing at myself.

The two women behind the counter seem off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm Katherine Barnes. My husband, Samuel Barnes, checked in here yesterday. I'm a little late, so I'm afraid I don't know the room number nor do I have a key."

One woman says, "Oh, Mr. Barnes checked in yesterday afternoon. We know him."

The other woman turns to her. "We do?"

The first woman doesn't say anything, but she mouths words that I decipher as, "The cute fox."

Both turn back, and the one closest to me says, "Oh right, Mr. Barnes. You two have a penthouse on the last floor. Here's your key."

A penthouse? I'm broke! That has to have been all my savings in one go! She hands me a key. "Thank you. By chance, is my husband in our room right now?"

"I think one of our staff saw him come back from breakfast."

"Breakfast without me? That's fine, he'll treat me to a nice dinner, I'm sure."

With a wave of goodbye, I take my leave and head for the elevators. Even with two working side-by-side, the traffic on them is heavy. It takes a while to even get one to show up on the first floor. Once it does, a pile of people swarms out of it like the entrails of a whale's busted gut. I secure a spot and get shoved to the back by several others.

The doors close, and with nearly eight on board, it becomes hard to breathe as I'm forced to be squished against the metal wall. Nobody says a thing, but every time we stop at a floor, the people getting off waft at their noses, relieved to not be smelling whatever it is they're smelling.

The doors open on the twentieth floor with only me left. I step off and check the key's number carving. 2016. I find the door a few units down and hover the key in front of the security panel. It beeps and the light turns green, so I push the lever knob down and open the door.

It's empty, but this place is amazing. Most of the furniture is white to look elegant, and the room space is like three of my motel rooms put into one. A wall opposite the door is nothing but a colossal glass window to show you a picture-perfect view of Sparkling City down below. And what do I find casually thrown on the floor by the California King-sized bed? My suitcase!

I enter cautiously and let the door close without a sound. I sneak across the room, the only noise being my squeaky shoes, and grab the suitcase to open it up on the bed. Fresh underwear, socks, jeans, and a new shirt. I lay it all out on the bed and get ready to undress. Even my bathing suit is still here, but that'll come later. No wallet, figures.

I strip down to my natural state, tossing away salt-ridden clothes into a pile on the floor. It feels like another refreshing shower when I slip on my new underwear. I finish and lace up my last shoe, but when I stand back up, I notice that I wasn't alone. Standing by the bathroom door is a man, another fox, looking like I just caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Darling husband, I assume?"