The Many Problems of Luka Erebi | Chapter 2
Luka has a secret weirdo
The sun was a curse on Luka’s tired eyes. Her curtains had betrayed her, fluttering against the wind and letting the sunlight pour directly into the room.
Against the wind, huh?
She tilted her head and stared at the window. Until—
Wait! Did I not close the window yesterday?
Luka emerged from her blanket cocoon and stared. Sure enough, there was a gap in her window. As she left her bed to close the window, she counted her blessing that it was close to summer. Else she would’ve woken up frozen.
She played this up as her not closing the window before leaving for work yesterday. Then she must’ve forgotten about it when she came back. It was the most logical conclusion, even if she didn’t remember. That was why it was called forgetting.
A yawn came from deep within her throat. Then her alarm went off. One hour before class started. Like her old teacher from secondary school once said, leave all of your troubles outside of class.
After slipping on a white button-up with a black undershirt and jeans, the quintessential Luka getup, she was on her way out the door. Then trouble went and made sure she couldn’t ignore it in class.
A lunch box sat on her welcome mat, wrapped in a pretty flower pattern. No note was left behind.
She gulped.
W-what the hell? W-who put this here? Did they drop this? Was it an accident?
To the left and right of her was no one. It was halfway through six, so that meant whoever left this here woke up earlier than Luka.
She was locked into an intense staring conflict with the lunch box. Her already tired mind worked overtime.
Should I just leave it here? Maybe if it was an accident, they’ll come back to pick it up. Oh wait! What if Bellamy sees this? Aahh… shoot…
Stuck in between Bellamy finding out or taking the lunch box with her, Luka chose the unfortunate latter. This was obviously a terrible idea. But she didn’t have the time nor the mental capacity to think it through.
Shoving the lunch box into her backpack, she hurried to Lotus Academy.
———
Luka was one step between the world of consciousness and the world of dreams during her psychology class. It made her glad that she chose to sit with Ari in the back. Then again, she never did notice Ari staring at her until class was over.
“Gosh, I know you took this class because of me, but you don’t have to be so uninterested in it,” Ari said, her chin propped on her palm as she leaned against her desk.
Another yawn leaked from Luka. She rubbed her eyes and stared at her classmate. Ari Weaver wore a crown braid today, revealing a portion of her web tattoo on the back of her neck. Her scarlet eyes complimented her smile, though Luka couldn’t tell if she was being humorous or not.
“I haven’t been sleeping very well.”
“Why’s that?”
“Um…”
Luka wasn’t sure if she should tell Ari about this. Not that she suspected it was Ari who left the lunch box. It didn’t make Luka any less wary of her.
Ever since she began photo-journaling bugs and learning more about them, she’d been categorizing people in that way. Ari’s was rather obvious, considering she once told Luka her favorite bug was the orb weaver.
And for someone like Luka, who considered herself a moth, getting trapped on a spider’s web wasn’t ideal.
Let’s just say… Luka had heard some things about Ari. The people who liked her loved her. Those who didn’t hated her with a passion and called her a habitual liar.
However, Bellamy trusted her, so Luka was trying to. No matter how Ari’s eyes represented a patient predator waiting for her food to fall into her trap.
“Well, hypothetically…”
“Oh!” Her hands clasped, she grinned. “I love hypotheticals!”
“W-what would you do if you saw a lunch box left outside your door?” Any attempts of trying to stay cool were immediately tossed out the window when Luka’s pitch elevated by two octaves.
Ari lost her grin, and replaced it with a raised brow. “So you’ve got a secret weirdo?”
Luka’s mouth agape, hoping Ari would played along. “Hey, I-I said hypothetically.”
She tucked her loose auburn strand behind her ear, and said, “I’d throw it away.”
“Yeah. That’s the right thing to do… right? Hmhm…” She bit her lip, trying to hold back her nervous laughter.
Those red eyes narrowed, dropping from Luka’s face to her backpack. Luka suddenly became aware of how rumpled her button-up had gotten. Even though Ari hadn’t said anything, Luka instinctively blocked her backpack with her leg.
“Luka Erebi. You did not bring it with you.”
Luka’s shoulders tensed under Ari’s gaze. She didn’t expect Ari to take this seriously, considering her usual response to Luka was to joke and tease.
The cat was out of the bag, so Luka might as well bring the lunch box out too. The wrapping was loose, having shifted around during her rush to the Academy. She could see a dark wooden pattern on the box.
“Ahem… Ari, Luka, if you two want to have breakfast, please do it outside,” said Professor Tera from her table.
Luka looked around. Each seat was elevated, with the back behind the highest. All the students who surrounded Professor Tera were gone, leaving Luka and Ari the only ones here.
Ari put on her usual grin, and said, “Of course. We’ll be leaving.”
The cafeteria wasn’t busy in the morning. Ari dragged Luka through the circular tables towards the kitchen at the north end, vending machines lining the walls on either side.
Ari opted for an egg and cheese sandwich while Luka wasn’t feeling hungry. Not when she still held the unwanted lunch box.
“I hope you’re not planning on eating that,” Ari said with contempt.
They sat opposite of each other on a two-person table.
“Of course not.” Luka shook her head.
Ari took a bite of her sandwich, covering her mouth as she spoke, “But you should open it anyway.”
“What?”
“Since it made it this far, might as well see what’s inside.”
Luka should’ve tossed this lunch box the moment she entered the cafeteria, but instead, she unwrapped it to reveal what she already suspected. It was a wooden lunch box, one that she remembered seeing at the mall. This wasn’t cheap.
With the lid now off, Luka grimaced. It was… a perfectly fine looking meal. If you ignore the fact that it had a heart-shaped seaweed on top of the rice.
It was Ari shaking her head this time. “Oh no.”
“I-I think this was definitely given to the wrong person. I mean, I’m not the only person who attends the Academy and lives in that apartment.”
Her hand laid limp, keeping a loose grip on the sandwich. Ari’s expression was humorless.
“Let’s hope so,” she said before propping her grin back up. “Anyway, let’s get it tested shall we?”
She placed the lid on, wrapped it up, and scanned the room. When her eyes paused, Luka turned to check who or what she was looking at. A young woman was deep into her novel two tables to their right. Whether she had breakfast or not, Luka wasn’t sure.
Ari walked over and began talking with her. The young woman seemed flustered that Ari was speaking to her, though it didn’t seem like she minded. If you squinted hard enough, you could see a sliver of a smile on the woman’s face.
Luka’s mouth dropped when she saw Ari handing the lunch box over to her and returned to their table.
“A-Ari!” Luka whispered-shouted. “What if that lunch box was poisoned or something?”
She shrugged, and resumed eating. “I guess we’ll find out when it happens. Now, how ‘bout you go get something to eat? I’m gonna head out once I finish this.”
Luka sighed. She still didn’t want to eat, but she had class in an hour. She should at least pay attention to the rest of her classes for the day. So she said goodbye to Ari, who was one bite away from finishing, and sauntered over to the cafe to grab some coffee.
She couldn’t help but to glance at the young woman with the lunch box. She seemed so happy to have gotten something from Ari, especially when she saw the heart-shaped seaweed. Luka didn’t have the heart to stop her from eating it.
Every week I learn more and more on why people love or hate Ari…
———
Good news! Luka was done with classes and it was only two in the afternoon.
Bad news… Someone took a sick day today, so she had to go to work. Not that she minded much. Her boss, Ms. Danaus, paid her quite decently when she worked off-schedule. She also appreciated having something to do instead of going home directly.
During her six hour shift, she noticed she got a text from Bellamy.
Bell.A: Luka, my cousin is looking for work. Do you know if your place is looking for a cook?
Luluka: Not sure. I’ll let you know.
“Are we looking for a cook?” Ms. Danaus1 asked, tapping her long acrylic nail on her chin, like she didn’t know herself. Her thick, black hair brushed against the kitchen window as she leaned in and asked it again.
“Beau… we’ve been understaffed for the past three weeks,” replied the head cook with a scowl. “Summer is coming, so are the tourists… and you keep rejecting everyone who comes in for an interview!”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Don’t put all the blame on me. You agreed with most of my rejections.”
“U-um!” Luka spoke up, hoping to redirect them before they got into their usual arguments. “So then you are hiring, right?”
“Yes, Lu.” Her cream orange lips smiled, a complement to her amber eyes. “We are. If you have someone in mind, please send them my way.”
“Okay. Thanks, Ms. Danaus.”
Her boss turned back to the head cook. “Why do all the youngins call me by my last name?”
His back was already facing her, his hands working on plating the food. “Because you’re old. What else?”
Luka slowly walked away as Ms. Danaus hissed at him.
Luluka: We’re hiring. Tell your cousin to come to The Cusp whenever and say that I sent them.
Bell.A: Thank you! I appreciate it! By the way, I think we’re pretty much finished with unpacking. Do you want to meet her? I think you’ll like her!
The last time Bellamy said that… she introduced Luka to Ari.
Not saying Ari is a bad person. I think. I hope. And I’m pretty sure I like her.
Luluka: Sure. I figured I’ll see her eventually, since we’re neighbors and all.
Bell.A: Great! Give me a knock when you get back.
And so, Luka pondered for the rest of the evening about her neighbor’s mysterious cousin. She kept making guesses about what kind of person she was.
I’ve always thought Bellamy was like a bee. Always buzzing, and somehow making everything around her better for it.
Her thoughts persisted all the way through her train ride home.
If it’s her cousin… hm… I guess it’d be too easy to assume she might also be a bee. It’s not like she’s her sister. How alike could they be?
504 was now in front of her. The only light was the thin strip bleeding from under the door. A shiver ran down her neck when she glanced at her welcome mat, the place where the lunch box once resided.
Let’s not think about that.
She tried shaking the shiver away. A futile attempt. Then she knocked on the door and took a step back.
“Oh! Luka’s here!”
She could hear Bellamy from inside, before another voice spoke up and repeated her name in question. Luka gulped, and took another step back. She couldn’t hear the voice clearly, but her body was bracing for… something.
The door swung open. Bellamy was already smiling. Luka almost smiled back. Then her cousin stepped into view.
The woman had sharp yellow eyes that pinned her in place. Brows and nose scrunched, like she was disgusted to see her. She tilted her head, perfectly still.
Luka’s thoughts blazed at breakneck speed, showing her every single memory of her adverse reaction to many types of insects. But one in particular stopped her cold, every single time—
“A-A wasp!”
Her hands clasped her mouth, but it was too late. The words were already out.
“Tch.” The woman clicked her tongue, having gone from disgusted to vexed.
Luka never expected to see her ever again. Yet now that she had… she suddenly remembered.
In front of her stood Wren Vespula. A name she couldn’t forget. The girl from ten years ago. The reason for her insectophobia.
Pronounced dah-naus (sorta like how you would say Thanos)