As we made our way north through the porous reef towards the driftwood seawall, the clouds eventually covered the sky, darkening the waters and dropping in temperature. I dug my hand deep into the pocket of my jacket.

"So, you, are you sixteen?" I asked, blinking like the girls I'd seen on TV, trying not to look like a fool.

"I just turned fifteen." He admitted, apparently pleased with my flattery.

"Really?" My face was filled with hypocritical surprise. "I thought you would be older."

"I'm taller for my age." He explained.

"Do you often go to Victoria?" I asked slyly, as if I was expecting an affirmative answer. I felt like my voice sounded like an idiot. I was afraid that he would end up hating me and accusing me of hypocrisy. But he was still happy.

"I don't go very often." He frowned and admitted. "But once I've got my car ready, I'll be able to go as much as I want — when I get my license." He corrected it a little.

"Who is that boy who just spoke to Mesha? He seemed to be older, not like he was the age to play with us. "I deliberately categorized myself as a young person, trying to make it clearer that I liked Kendil more.

"That's Sean -- he's nineteen." He told me.

"Why did he say that about the doctor's family?" I asked innocently.

"The Wrights? Oh, and they're not allowed to come to the reservation. He looked away, at James Island in the distance. But he had confirmed what I thought he heard from Sean's tone.

"Why not?"

He looked back at me and bit his lip. "Oh, I shouldn't have said that."

"Oh, I'm not going to tell anyone, I'm just a little curious." I tried to make my smile look more enticing, but wondered if I was overdoing it.

But he smiled at me, clearly hooked. Then he raised a frown, his voice becoming hoarse than before.

"Do you like to hear thriller stories?" He asked in an ominous tone.

"I love it so much." I said eagerly, trying to encourage him with my eyes.

Kendil scurried towards a nearby driftwood. The roots of this driftwood stretched out with teeth and claws, like the countless thin legs of a pale spider. He lightly jumped onto one of the twisted roots and sat down, and I sat below him and sat on the trunk. He looked down at the reef, a smile lingering on his broad lips. I could tell he was trying to organize the language. I focused on letting my eyes shine with interest.

"Have you heard our old story? I mean, about our origins, the Wolaufers? "He started.

"Nope." I confessed.

"Well, there are many legends in it, some of which date back to the time of the Great Flood - it is speculated that the ancient Wolaufer people survived like Noah's Ark by tying their canoes to the top of one of the highest trees on the mountain." He smiled, showing me that he didn't really believe in the history. Another legend claims that we are descendants of wolves - and these wolves are still our brothers. Hunting wolves is against tribal law. ”

"And then there's the story about the Blood Ice Clan." His voice was lowered.

"Blood Ice Clan?" I asked, no longer hiding my conspiracy.

"Yes. The stories of the Blood Ice Clan are as old as the legends of the wolf, and some are more recent. According to the content of the legend, my great-grandfather once knew some of them. He made a pact with them to keep them away from our land. He rolled his eyes.

"Your great-grandfather?" I encouraged him to continue.

"He's an elder of the tribe, just like my dad. You know, the Blood Ice Clan and wolves are natural mortal enemies - well, well, not ordinary wolves, but wolves that can transform into human form, let's say our ancestors. You can call them werewolves. ”

"Do werewolves have enemies?"

"There's only one."

I looked at him sincerely, hoping to hide my uneasiness and make him understand admiration.

"So, you see," Kendil continued. "The Blood Ice Clan has always been our enemy. But in my great-grandfather's time, a different group of Blood Ice Clan came to our territory. They don't hunt like other blood-and-ice tribes—and they don't threaten our tribe. So my great-grandfather signed a truce with them. As long as they pledge to stay away from our territory, we will not debunk their pale true colors. He winked at me.

"If they're not dangerous, then why ......?" I tried to understand his words, but tried not to make him realize that I was seriously thinking about his ghost story.

"There's always a risk for humans and the Blood Ice Clan to get too close, even if they're as civilized as this small group. You never know when they'll be hungry. He deliberately let his tone smack of intimidation.

"What do you mean by 'civilized'?"

"They claim they don't hunt humans. And so on, they probably can be replaced by predators to some extent. ”

I tried to make my voice seem nonchalant: "So what does this have to do with the Wrights?" Are they similar to the Blood-Ice Clan that your great-grandfather encountered? ”

"No, it's not." He paused deliberately. "They're the same people."

He must have thought that the look of fear on my face was purely taken by his story. He smiled happily and continued.

"Now they've increased in numbers, with a new woman and a new man, but the rest are the same people. In my great-grandfather's time, they had heard of that leader, Peter Wright. He's been here and then left before your people arrive. He smiled resistantly.

"What the hell are they?" I finally asked. "What the hell is the Blood Ice Clan?"

He smiled gloomily.

"Blooddrinker." He replied in a cold tone. "Your people call them vampires."

After he answered, I looked at the undulating sea, unsure if my expression had betrayed everything.

"You've got goosebumps all over your body." He laughed happily.

"You're a great storyteller." I praised him, still staring at the waves.

"Pretty crazy stuff indeed, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad wouldn't let us tell anyone about this. ”

I still couldn't control my expression, so I had to stop looking at him. "Don't worry, I won't betray you."

"I think I just broke the treaty." He burst out laughing.

"I'll take it to the grave." I promised, and shuddered.

"But, seriously, don't tell Chuck anything. When he heard that some of us hadn't been to the hospital since Dr. Wright started working in the hospital, he lashed out at my dad. ”

"I won't say that, of course not."

"So, do you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives or something?" He asked jokingly, but with a hint of concern. I never took my eyes off the sea.

I turned my head and smiled at him as normally as I could.

"No, it won't. But I think you're pretty good at telling thriller stories. I'm still getting goosebumps, see? I raised my arm.

"Excellent." He laughed.

Then, the sound of Kerakala from the gravel on the beach alerted us that someone was coming. We jerked back at the same time to see Jack and Mary walking towards us from 15 meters away.

"So you're here, Imia." Jack shouted in relief, raising his hand above his head and waving it vigorously.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Kendil noticed the jealousy in Jack's tone and asked. I was amazed that it was so obvious.

"No, apparently not." I whispered. I'm so grateful to Kendir that I want to make him as happy as possible. I turned my face away from Jack and winked at him. He laughed, and my clumsy ** made him very happy.

"Then when I get my license......" he began.

"You must come to Vidonia to see me. We'll have to find some time to get together. "When I said this, I felt a pang of guilt and knew that I was purely using him. But I really like Kendil, he's the kind of guy who makes it easy for me to be friends.

Now Jack had walked up to us, leaving Mary a few steps away. I could see that his eyes were measuring Kendil, and he seemed pleased with his apparent youth.

"Where have you been?" He asked, even though the answer was right in front of him.

"Kendil just told me a couple of local stories," I volunteered. "It's quite interesting."

I smiled softly at Kendil, who winked at me.

"Hmm," Jack paused, reassessing the situation after seeing our friendship. "We're packing up -- it looks like it's going to rain."

We all looked up and looked at the gloomy landscape. It does look like it's going to rain.

"Okay." I jumped off. "I'm coming."

"Nice to see you again." Kendil said, I dare say he was taunting Jack a little.

"I'm really happy. I'll be here the next time Chuck comes to see Blue. I promised.

He grinned wide, smiling happily. "That must be great."

"And, thank you." I heartily add.

As we walked through the gravel toward the parking lot, I pulled on my hood. A few drops of rain began to fall, hitting the stones, staining small black spots. By the time we got to the Big Mac, the others had already put everything in the car. I claimed to have been in the passenger seat, and this time I climbed into the back seat and sat with Reilis and Moore. Reilis just stared out the window, watching the rain get heavier and heavier. Meisha turned her head from the middle seat, grabbing Moore's attention. So I can simply rest my head in my seat, close my eyes, and try not to think about anything again.