Over the next three years, Iamin learned all he could about humans from Upala. He learned about the giant, above-ground cities they lived in, and their strange customs. Apparently, they were much more social than his own people, greeting each other, and actually asking how they were. Iamin didn't think he'd ever been asked that before. Still, if it's what they did, it was something he was going to have to start doing too. So, he'd practiced and studied with Upala. And he did all of it in human form – at her insistence, of course.

But even with all his studying, he still wasn't entirely sure what to expect once he finally got to their realm. He'd had enough practice walking on human legs that at least that wasn't a problem, though it did feel odd still. But regardless of how it felt, he'd been reminded every single day during Upala's lessons that he was not, under any circumstances, to revert to his true, half-human form. From now on, he'd have to hide; it was either fully human or not human at all. At least there was supposed to be a forest in the area that he could go to if it got to be too much. But to make sure he maintained control, he was given a small talisman to keep near him.

"This'll help you maintain your human shape." Upala said.

"I know how to maintain it." Iamin scoffed. He'd been practicing, after all.

"Well, you won't be able to maintain anything without proper concentration." Upala jeered. "You're going to a different realm, with different rules. And you've got minimal practice as it is."

Iamin shrugged. He guessed she had a point. He opened his hand, reaching out. She dropped what almost looked like a large green pearl in his palm. It seemed to shimmer and glow. And in the center were what looked like snake scales layered upon each other in a sort of flower pattern.

"Now remember," Upala said, "keep it with you at all times. Especially during the Five Critical Stations."

Iamin nodded; he'd already had all of this explained before when he was a child. The Five Critical Stations were the only times they weren't able to control their shape: birth, death, sex, molting, and sleep. Usually, not only were they not able to look half-human, they'd look completely unhuman.

He wasn't too concerned with most of the Five Stations; he'd already been born, and he had no plans to die. Even if he did die, he guessed he wouldn't be dealing with the consequences of changing anyway. Sleeping might be inconvenient, especially if he changed completely. Usually in the Realm of Rage, he was able to stay in his in-between form. Hopefully Upala's talisman would help. He didn't really want to change all the way every single night.

Sex could be a bit of a problem, but surely he'd have already told her what he was before things got that far. Hopefully, he'd be able to control it the way he did in his sleep. He'd have to see how that actually worked here though, maybe do a little experimenting.

The one that concerned him most was molting. He was more or less done growing, so it wasn't like he'd do it all the time. But he'd still end up doing it every few months. At least the family he was staying with would be sympathetic to his situation. Maybe they would have some ideas on how he could hide it. And them already knowing meant that at least if he did slip up, he wouldn't cause a panic in he house.

Usually, the Five Stations weren't much of a problem, especially since no one in the Realm of Rage particularly cared how human anyone else looked. They were treated more like inconveniences than anything else. But since no one in his new realm was supposed to know what he really was, he was going to have to be a lot more careful. He found himself clutching the talisman tighter in his palm.

A week after he arrived in the human realm, Iamin walked into the school, trying to act like the predator he was and not some scared rabbit. Still, it was hard, knowing he was alone amongst the humans. As luck would have it, Nora was in his class. He walked right up to her, grinning as he did.

"Well, hello." he said.

"Hi." she replied. But she wasn't exactly grinning back.

"Remember me?"

"Um..." she said, thinking. "Last year, right? Algebra?"

"Uh, yeah..." he said, trying to hide his surprise.

She didn't remember him? The first human he'd ever met, the human who'd dropped into his realm, and she didn't even remember? He would have liked to think he made at least some impression. Had he made a mistake? Was this a different human? She was taller now, sure. But she still had the same dark hair, the same green eyes. And she was wearing that ring he'd seen on her hand all those years ago, now moved to her ring finger. No, this was defiantly the same girl. Clearly, he was going to have to charm her again. Iamin grinned, ready for the challenge.

"What was your name again?" Nora asked.

His family had told him his name would stand out too much here, that he should pick something else to help him blend in. So, he'd agreed to shorten it. Grinning, he looked at her and said, "Ian".