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The day did not go as planned. Hyeon had to constantly repeat himself like an overwhelmed father of two boys.

If one wandered off too far down the street, he had to say, "Stay close!"

If they kept touching off-limit displays, "Stop, stop, stop! Get off of that!"

If either had questions, which was basically about everything, Hyeon answered each one the best he could.

Throughout the morning, he held his pocket shut so the centipede wouldn't escape. It was bothersome to look through the touristy shirts with only one hand. The employees must've thought it was suspicious! Thankfully, Haruma lessened the stress by entrusting Nammi enough to handle the stowaway.

"Are you sure?" Hyeon asked concerned.

"Mhmm." Haruma reached into Hyeon's coat pocket without permission and took out the squirming bug. He chucked it at the wide-eyed cat. She expertly caught it in her mouth and ran off to do her own thing. Her tail waved proudly in the air.

By mid-afternoon, Hyeon was mentally exhausted. When hunger set in, they went to the one sit-down restaurant. The three of them sat at a round table. He placed his bags of new clothes next to his feet.

Choosing from the menu wasn't difficult. Since most of the options ran over NZ$40, he picked the most affordable meal for the three of them.

*Fish and chips it is, then.*

By the time they finished their food, Hyeon was anxious to get to the hotel. The island locals had clearly noticed them. Earlier during their mini shopping spree, a few teenage girls started to follow them. They were probably still outside, waiting to get a quick photo for their Snapchat.

"I 'spose we should check-in and rest before going out again," Hyeon said while gathering his bags. He wanted to get out of the limelight and recharge his batteries.

Everyone agreed and went to the small cash register near the front door. After Hyeon paid, he didn't notice Shika placing a $500 Monopoly bill in the restaurant's tip jar. The elderly cashier stared at the obnoxious orange game money in the glass container.

"Keep the change," Shika winked at her.

_______________

It was 8:50 P.M.

Before heading to the hotel bar, Hyeon gave Haruma and Shika a much-needed pep talk. "Have you tried alcohol before?"

"We're given a small glass of red wine on our initiation anniversary."

"Just one glass a year? Damn," Hyeon sighed. He was reconsidering taking the inexperienced spirits. "I'll order a few rounds for us, but you need to be careful. If you feel sick or head-spinning, it's best to stop. This place will be packed because it's the only bar on this entire island. Don't accept any drinks from strangers; only the bartender."

"What happens if we don't stop?" Shika asked.

*How should I explain this delicately?*

They were hundreds of years older than him, but their alcohol experience was that of a pre-teen learning about its dangers in health class for the first time. "It's bad for your body to overdo it and others might take advantage of that. In my opinion, a person's true colors shine when they drink. Someone who is normally nice can become an asshole and vice versa. Have fun but take care of yourself, too."

Briefly, his adoptive father popped into his mind. He shook his head to erase the thought.

"Anywho, let's head out."

It took less than a minute to get to the adjoined bar. As expected on a weekend, it was full of people. In one corner, someone was singing "Happy" by Pharrell Williams on the karaoke stage. Some very drunken patrons were twerking on the small dance floor. Others were sitting on the highchairs with their Tui beers. A hockey game was being broadcasted above.

Most didn't bother hiding their curious gazes at them, especially the ladies. They eyed the fresh addition to the limited gene pool.

The veteran bartender watched them. Rows of liquor brands displayed behind him. "What do you need, bro?"

"Can you make a beginner's drink for each of us? Something fruity. I'll also get six shots of Sauza Tequila Silver."

"Ya want kumara? It's on the house."

Even though Hyeon didn't know what that was, he didn't want to offend them by refusing the offering. "Yes, please."

The bartender clanged six shot glasses on the countertop and professionally filled them with a clear liquid. He added a saltshaker and a plate of green lime slices. "Chur," he said, which means 'cheers' in their dialect. Hyeon slid two shots to Shika and Haruma.

Haruma picked one up and smelled it, but his nose immediately recoiled.

"Hold out your hand." Hyeon sprinkled salt below their index finger. "Lick the salt, drink everything in your glass, and suck the lime. Do it all as fast as you can. Ready?" They nodded with anticipation. "Go."

He licked the salt and swallowed the tequila. It burned his throat. Hyeon didn't enjoy straight-up alcohol, so he sucked the lime to cover the bitter aftertaste. The other two could barely finish their shot before coughing. "Eat the lime!" Hyeon urged. They each took a lime slice and ate it, peal and all. Their faces scrunched from the mixture of tequila and sour juice.

"You don't eat the skin!" he laughed.

While his friends continued coughing, a group of older guys near them saw everything. They laughed amongst themselves. He recognized one of the men. It was Jack, the manager from the visitor's center. Unlike the others who were making fun of them, Jack frowned and stared at Hyeon intensely. His hand tightly gripped a glass of bourbon.

*Oookay?*

"Humans actually enjoy this?" Shika croaked.

"Er, for social fun, but you don't have to finish the second one if it's too much—"

Haruma downed the second shot without salt and lime. Shika saw and copied, not wanting to look like a quitter. Their faces turned red from holding in more coughs. It amused Hyeon.

The bartender placed three pink drinks with a mint leaf and strawberry on top. He then shoved a steaming basket towards them filled with...orange and purple sweet potatoes?

"T-thanks."

While holding a lumpy potato, a voice breathed in his ear, "You need to peel the skin before eating those." Hyeon was startled when a woman's body brushed against his back.

Zoe stood behind him and yelled over the music, "You look very skux today!" Her wavy brown hair cascaded down her bareback. It was winter in New Zealand, yet she wore a white, lacy dress with gladiator sandals meant for summer. The cold didn't seem to bother her.

"Skux?" He scooched over to put space between them. She took a seat next to him and waved at Haruma and Shika. They waved back while sipping their fruit cocktails. Younger women were trying to get their attention nearby.

Her smile glistened under the stage's strobe lights. "It's dialect word meaning 'cool'. So how have you been during the last three or four months? I heard about some odd-looking visitors from that place. I was hoping it was you."

"I'm just...doing the same old stuff; making money, cleaning the place, staying alive. Has the center been quiet since it's cold?"

She giggled. "There are barely any tourists. You just missed this crazy snowstorm, which is unusual for this area. There was a state of emergency and everything! Climate change, you know?"

"It's definitely climate change," Hyeon pretended to agree.

*That must've been around the time Fenrir lost control...*

Zoe stroked a piece of his hair. "You look different, as if puberty finally decided to show up. You're like a K-Drama star. I had to shoo away some of your stalkers! But if you dye your hair any lighter, it'll end up white like your friend over there."

Hyeon looked behind him. His two chaperones were gone. Haruma was being forced to dance the Cha Cha Slide. Shika was with college students. They had two tables set up to play beer-pong. When the opposing team landed a ping-pong ball in the American red Solo cup, Shika had to guzzle down the drink.

*Didn't I say to limit yourself?! It's only been twenty minutes since we started!*

He felt a hand on his arm. Zoe leaned forward. "Since you're here, how about we have some fun in your room?" she said with pursed lips.

Hyeon withdrew his arm quickly and scratched his neck. "Uh, um, uh..." he stammered. If this was a cartoon, his eyes would be swirling. "I'm sorry, but I can't. There's..."

*There's a what, exactly?*

Zoe still smiled but with disappointment. "You like someone." It wasn't a question.

"It's complicated." He thought about a pair of amber eyes.

"Don't fret about it, but my ego took a hit." She motioned to his wrist. "Is that a tattoo? What does it mean?"

"Ah," he flipped over his wrist to show her the black insignia. "It's Norse for Fen, short for Fenrir."

Zoe whipped out her iPhone from her gigantic purse. She swiftly typed into the Google app. "Fenrir, huh," muttering to herself. "Is this him?" When she gave him her phone, Hyeon scrolled through the illustrations.

Many were disturbing to him. They depicted a huge black wolf being tangled with rope. Swords pierced through his body. Chains weighed him down. Others were of apocalyptic battles between Fenrir and the Vikings. The drawings were too similar to some of his nightmares.

It made him want to throw up the tequila. He returned the phone.

Zoe took Hyeon's pink drink. She winked and took a sip. "This reminds me of a famous story from the 70's. A Japanese woman visited the island, but she tried to live in the forest. She eventually needed medical help from getting sick." Zoe looked around them for any eavesdroppers. "This wasn't reported to the media, but she was obsessed with this one cave and kept talking about a white wolf. It's where the rumors began about a river monster."

"That's enough," a stern man interrupted them. Jack was livid.

*What set this guy off?*

"Such a cock-blocker," Zoe said under her breath. "Time to have a good time somewhere else."

She got up from the bar's high chair and gave Hyeon an unwarranted hug. He tensed. Zoe used the long hug as a chance to whisper to him. "Here's a small gift from me. I found it on the beach and wore it a few times. Some weirdo saw it and said it's for protection. Maybe you need it to stay alive, right?" She put an object in his coat pocket and walked away.

A wobbly Jack took her spot on the chair and glared at Hyeon. He heavily smelled of bourbon.

They watched the hockey game in silence until Jack suddenly said, "PFFT, bugger."

"Excuse me?"

He scoffed at Hyeon's and sipped his hard liquor. "I thought you were normal. You dýrs are all the fucking same. What sort of freak animal powers do you have?" Jack hiccuped. "You're lucky I'm the only one here who knows the truth about your kind."

*HE KNOWS?!*