I had barely turned the knob to the basement car park when my charge spoke, "I hurt you. I did that to your face and back, didn't I?"

How did he figure it out!? 

"No. You didn't." I lied, but he saw through it. I wasn't sure if it was the split second of hesitation on my part while replying or our conversation that had jogged his memory, but at the moment, it didn't matter. 

I tried to approach him, and he backed away as if scared. "I am sorry, Zhao ge. I really didn't mean to. I swear I don't remember any of it." 

I stopped advancing and held out my hand. "I know. And I don't blame you. I am not upset with you."

"Why?" His tone turned accusatory. "Why don't you blame me?"

"Because I know that was not you."

"Don't you get it? It was me."

Junjun wasn't making sense. I took a step toward him. "Calm down. I know you are upset that I lied to you, but-"

He shook his head and staggered back, "That doesn't matter now. Gege was right. I never believed him, but he was right, and now you are hurt because of who I am!" He yelled, spouting nonsense as he pulled out his phone before going silent and staring at its screen in disbelief. 

"Do you want me to call your brother?" I asked, but he didn't seem to hear it. 

"This wasn't supposed to happen…at least, not yet. Gege told me that it wouldn't happen till I turned twenty-one!"

So I was right. Junjun turning twenty-one was of significance, somehow. I took another step toward him, "Junjun, I am fine." I enunciated each word; hoping for him to believe me, I pressed on, "I am a bodyguard, I can handle-"

"Really?" He laughed maniacally, "I did this," He pointed at my face, "even before the change. You have no idea what I am capable of!"

It was frustrating not being able to do my job: protect him. Looking at Junjun was like peeking into the soul of a man who thought he had earned a one-way ticket to hell, like a man losing his sanity and descending into madness. 

A man without hope. 

Junjun was losing himself to the chaos in his mind right before my eyes, and I couldn't have that. I closed the distance and held him by his shoulders. "Then tell me what you are. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to help you." 

He smiled sadly, "You can't. It's already too late. I already failed."

"Failed to do what, exactly?"

"I failed to stop the change."

He needed to stop speaking in riddles before I lost patience and punched his beautiful face. 

I kept my voice from shaking and made him look at me, "Please, help me understand. Whatever it is, I will help you." No sooner did I reassure him that a ridiculous thought came to me; it seemed like something that would cheer him up. From what I had observed, he loved it when I teased him. So I gave it a shot, "Even if you tell me that you are the beast I saw at the reserve, I will not abandon you. I promise." I nodded in all seriousness and winked.

His intense mono-lids held me captive in their depths. "Really?" He asked, every syllable dripping with hope. 

"Yes. You have my word."

He nodded slowly, leaned back, and announced, "I might be the beast you saw at the reserve."

I was rendered speechless; whether for a few seconds, minutes, or hours I wasn't sure. How do you react to someone who thinks they are anything but human? 

I wondered why this seemingly well-adjusted youth would think such absurd things.

"We, I mean our family, come from a long line of shifters. The mutation triggers the night we turn twenty-one. We must spend it with our family."

What the hell was he going on about? Was I wrong in assuming that he had not had a concussion!? 

"Being with people who love us can help us anchor our shift. The first shift is crucial. We have no control over our thoughts or actions. If we make it through the night without drawing blood, we would be in a better position to control and regulate them as years go by."

Anchor... Control... Regulate? I felt like I was back inside a creature feature. Instead, this time it was a PG-rated creature feature written by a hormonal teen who just wanted their ship to sail, overcoming pain, separation, anxiety, and angst, with a generous dose of fond family gatherings and weekend road trips thrown in!

I threw my palm out, "Slow down. Do you really believe that you are some kind of mutated wolf?"

The idol grunted, "Did you not hear what I just said!? I am a shifter. The thing you saw at the reserve might have been me!"

I couldn't process what he was saying. This was real life. If there were shifters (or whatever he thought he was) among us, we would have known about them. 

"You don't believe me, do you?" He asked dejectedly. 

I wanted to believe him, but the truth was that even after what I had seen and experienced the night before, I still couldn't bring myself to accept it. "I am sorry, but I don't."

He left an exasperated breath, "That's fine. I understand." He smiled tightly, "Please take me home. Gege will take over." 

His cold, emotionless tone sent a chill down my spine. 

"Junjun, I don't think it's safe to-"

"It was not a request, Zhao Laoshi," He continued in the same cold tone and chuckled humorlessly, "I am sorry, but is that even your name?" he stopped me with a finger on his lips, "No need to answer that. I don't care. We will not be seeing each other after today, anyway. By the way, I would appreciate it if you addressed me as Haojun."

With that, Junjun left me standing in the middle of the kitchen, more hurt than I would have liked to admit. For the first time in a long time, I had a feeling that I had fucked up terribly. As I stood there staring at Junjun's retreating back, I wondered what I could have said and done differently than would have made him stay next to me a little longer. 

'If you wanted him to stay, you should have told him that you believe him, you dumb fuck!' The Bastard snapped, tempting me for a split second. However, when push came to shove, I ignored the Bastard's words because following through would be lying to myself. That was a price I wasn't willing to pay. 

Consequently, with my heart weighing me down, I switched on the phone and saw over thirty missed calls; a few messages from my laoban and one from Jiejie. 

It had barely been eleven hours since I had spoken to him last. What could have gone wrong during that time?

Trembling, I opened the messages from Haoyu one after the other. 

'Thanks, Ah-Zan. I can't tell you over the phone why, but don't let my brother out of your sight. I am trusting you...and, I am sorry for keep the details of Junjun's condition from you.'

The first message was in reply to my last one to him from the night before. It had arrived a minute after I had switched off my phone. 

'How is he? Did you notice something out of the ordinary? Did he seem different?'

'Damn it, Zhao. What are you trying to pull here? You can't just keep your phone switched off. You are my employee. It seems you have forgotten your place.'

The second one had arrived three hours after the first and the third one an hour after that. I pinched the bridge of my nose and read the last, most recent message. 

'I am sorry for yelling at you. I know you won't let my brother get hurt. I don't know what I was thinking. Listen, there are things I need to tell you. Whatever you do, when you see this message, just come to Katakam Wildlife Reserve directly, alright? I have mailed the coordinates to you. Bring Haojun with you at all costs.'

Well, well, well. That was a quick change of heart, wasn't it? It was fishy as fuck. 

I needed to distance myself from them and decided to check Ai-Jiejie 's voice message next. It had arrived a few minutes before I had switched off the phone last night. Concluding that I must have missed it earlier, I played it. 

'Ah-Zan, Haoyu told me everything. I swear I didn't know you worked for him. Haoyu has a brother, but he doesn't stay with them. He left home years ago. I didn't know it was Junjun till he told me a few minutes ago. I promise I will tell you everything when we meet next. Till then, please stay safe and keep a watch on your charge. He may be going through a difficult time right now; believe him. That's what he needs from you right now, do you understand?'

I played the message a couple of times. Clearly, Jiejie knew the secret Haoyu was keeping from me and didn't want to disclose it either. Nonetheless, she had given me much more than my boss had. 

'Believe him.' My landlady's words rang in my ears. I had seen her use that tone only twice over the years I had known her. Once when she had pleaded with me not to ask me about the mystery man's identity, and the other was when I had tried to question her about how her family had perished. 

I went over the conversation I had had with Junjun minutes ago. He had not sounded high or delusional. He was not shocked either. The only thing that had confused him was the timing of it all. 

Gradually, a thought started taking shape in my mind. If what Junjun had told me was true, it would explain his eyes, almost inhuman strength, his muscles that appeared and disappeared like they had a mind of their own, his lapse in memory, and the naked state I had found him in the night before. 

No sooner did I think of that than the images of dead men I had found in the ditch flashed before my eyes.

'I might be the beast.' Junjun's confession came back to me, haunting and spreading fear through my mind and body. 

Was I giving refuge to a mass murderer? Junjun couldn't have done that, could he? 

'I think I am the beast, Zhao ge.'

'I am the beast, Zhao Laoshi.'

'Zhao ge!'

My mind reeled, my legs gave way, and darkness embraced me. 

[Chapter word count: 1823;
Word count so far: 25138]