pointed teeth || iz*one

5

"Hmm... morning," Sakura yawned. She tried to sit up, only to find herself restrained back.

Panic rose in her throat and her eyes teared up as she was still half asleep and hadn't adjusted her sight to the early morning sun shining in through the window.

Oh fuck they've kidnapped me, they're all hunters and I'm going to die-

"Morning, Sakura," Chaeyeon mumbled, her breath warm against Sakura's nape. It rose goosebumps on her skin.

Oh. She's hugging me.

"Hi Kkura! Do you wanna follow us to feed the pigs? It's just pouring our leftover bucket into the trough," Yuri chirped, standing in jeans and a red shirt. It seemed she got up earlier than the majority of the girls.

"Sure," Sakura answered, awkwardly unwrapping herself from Chaeyeon's grasp. The younger girl rolled right back around and carried on sleeping.

Sakura rubbed her eyes and sat up, looked around.

Yena was still sprawled out on her mattress, an empty space under her outstretched arm where Yuri had slept, Chaewon and Minju under a wool blanket still asleep on an opposite mattress, Hitomi and Nako sharing a bottom bunk while Eunbi slept on the top, hugging Hyewon. Chaeyeon, sleeping behind her.

She giggled and stretched her arms, joints popping as she let out a satisfied sigh. Yuri grinned at her as she took Sakura's hand and led her out into the sty where cold morning air numbed all scents around them, so they could only smell dewy grass and dirt.

"Hi Wonyoung, Yujin," Sakura greeted.

Yujin had her hair in a low ponytail, squatting and petting a black-peach piglet. "Good morning!"

Wonyoung was pouring in the bucket Yuri had mentioned earlier. Sakura caught sight of her bloody chicken bones.

Yuri handed Sakura a bag of something. "Wanna feed the chickens?"

...

"Oh-kay! So we can't let Kkura near live animals, there's one thing to know," Yujin exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Sakura grimaced.

"Sorry for the chicken thing," she apologised, letting Eunbi apply antiseptic cream to one of the many cuts she received on her ankles. The chickens had panicked and went AWOL the second Yuri had let Sakura into the coop. Some ran off, but were caught back by Wonyoung and Yujin, while others preferred to attack Sakura's ankles.

Yujin rubbed the band aid on the back of her palm and managed a cheeky bucktoothed grin. Yuri tried to slip away and join Chaeyeon and the rest for breakfast, but Eunbi had a firm grip on her collar.

"It's alright Kkura. I had a hunch live animals would start going batshit crazy. Just lucky we don't have a dog," Eunbi said. "Jo Yuri! Get back here, I'm not done with your leg!"

"Do you want another chicken?" Chaeyeon offered.

"No thanks," Sakura said. "Wouldn't want all of your chickens to disappear 'cause of me."

"Whatever you say. I still have something for you to eat, though it's not alive." Chaeyeon headed back into the kitchen.

Sakura watched everyone tear at circles of fried herring and slurp down half-boiled eggs with warm omelettes and ketchup.

Chaeyeon came back a while later with a cold circle of something. The flesh was still pink and red in the middle, rosy white as it went outwards into the grey skin. "Hope this will do," she said.

Sakura stood up and hugged Chaeyeon around her neck. "You're all so kind to me," she blubbered.

"Hey, none of the sob stories at breakfast," Yena laughed. "Just be thankful it wasn't Minju who served you!"

Minju shot Yena a look and Chaewon threw an eggshell at her, making Sakura stifle a laugh.

"Sakura-chan is Japanese, right?"

"Yes," Sakura responded on impulse, immediately reacting to her mother tongue.

Nako waved at her. Hitomi said across the table, "See, I told you. Nako said you were half-Korean!"

Sakura just grinned in response and bit into her fish. It had no warm taste of blood, but the flesh was tasty and didn't smell all that fishy. She took another large bite and swallowed.

"If Chaeyeon is the mom here, who's the dad?" she asked.

"It's me," Eunbi answered confidently, jabbing her chopsticks in the air.

"No, you're the twice divorced aunt," Chaewon teased.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," Sakura began. "But where do all of you study?"

"Eunbi's already retire- ow! Alright! Eunbi works here and at the same café as Hyewon, and Wonyoung and I go to Starship Point Uni., but that's all I know," Yujin said.

"I major in dance at Chumjjang and Hitomi's a junior there," Chaeyeon said, reaching for the ketchup bottle.

"I go to Hanseon with Nako, Yena, Yuri, and Chaewon," Minju chirped.

"What about you?" Wonyoung asked.

"I go to Seonggong with Hyewon."

"Where do you live, Sakura?" Minju piped up.

"Uhm... the apartment near the local library in the neighbour city, fifth floor number 53. You?"

"Oh? Kwangbae lives at the first floor."

Sakura blinked. Kwangbae.

"Yuri lives in Busan, but Yujin and Hitomi live nearby the train station so they go to pick her up after school."

"Good to know!" Sakura said.

"Good to know," Yena repeated goodnaturedly. She stood up and set to clearing up the dishes with Chaewon. It seemed they took turns with chores.

"I really want to stay and help, but I work at a library and my hours are from 8AM to 6PM," Sakura explained.

The large cuckoo read 7:37AM.

"I have a petrol container in my car," Eunbi offered.

"Well, fork it over then."

"Visit again soon, guys!" Eunbi called out as Hyewon started to take off.

"We will!" Hyewon shouted back. In the side mirror, Sakura saw Wonyoung and Minju waving while the others stood and watched the car disappear over the hill.

"Shit, it's 7:48," Hyewon cursed. She slammed her foot onto the gas pedal.

"W-we won't make it in time like this, Hyewon," Sakura stuttered, arms against the dashboard.

"We will by 8:10 if I break every speed limit! Now change back, you can't go into work in sweatpants and a stained tee," Hyewon said, shoving the bundle of school blouse and blazer into Sakura's arms.

"Right now?"

"Yes, just be quick. I won't look."

"Just promise not to kill us!"

"Yea, okay!"

...

"See you at school on Monday?" Hyewon said, irritably folding back her wallet after paying the last of her three tickets.

"Y-yea," Sakura said, rushing towards the library doors.

"Wait! Or I'll pick you up tonight and we can stay at the barn until Monday?"

"That's fine with me, I only work from Monday to Saturday. Sunday's my off day."

"Right then, see you later," Hyewon said, and drove off.