The Many Problems of Luka Erebi | Sapphic Romance | Chapter 3
Wren returns to Locust Town
Wren never thought she’d be back in Locust Town. Not after what had happened ten years ago. She was supposed to have severed all ties. Yet, even when she lived in the bustling Pachi City, her mind couldn’t help but to wander back to that town. To Luka Erebi, the girl she thought was her best friend.
“A-a wasp!” Luka’s shout jabbed at Wren.
“Tch.” Wren wrapped her arms around her tight chest, trying to offer her body a bit of comfort from the panging.
This was the first time they’d seen each other in a decade… and this was the first thing Luka said to Wren? What an insensitive girl.
Bellamy clapped her hands and gestured between them. Wren stood a full head taller than her cousin, which made Bellamy’s enthusiasm look even more excessive.
“Luka, this is my cousin Wren. Wren, this is my friend and neighbor Luka. Say hi!”
Luka’s dark eyes were glued to the floor, apparently finding that more interesting than Wren. Her lips pressed so hard that blood was being pushed out, leaving a white spot in a midst of red. Those small shoulders of hers trembled slightly.
How pathetic.
If she wasn’t going to say anything, then neither was Wren.
Her cousin looked at the both of them, before nudging at her to speak. Wren grumbled, not wanting to be disrespectful to her cousin’s pleas. She was kind enough to let Wren stay here.
“Hi.” Wren’s voice was low, almost inaudible.
Luka remained silent.
“Luka? Is something wrong?” Bellamy asked.
Wren sighed. “What else is wrong? She obviously doesn’t want to see me. This won't pan out if I work in the same place as her, so forget it.”
“Mreew~”
Before Bellamy could respond, Asher finally made his appearance after hiding out in his crate all day. His four tiny paws padded over to Luka, rubbing his body against her legs.
Finally, Luka found something worth looking at that wasn’t the cement. She crouched down, and showed her hand to Asher, letting him take in her scent. Then he nudged his head against her palm, giving her his explicit permission to pet him.
Bellamy’s eyes beamed. “Oh, wow. Asher must really like you, Luka. He wouldn’t come out to play with me, even when I had treats.”
“I already told you, Bellamy,” Wren said. “Asher’s a therapy cat. You’re a constant ball of energy, so he doesn’t need to help you.”
She pouted, her bob cut bouncing as she lightly stamped her foot. “Yeah, well, he’s gonna make me sad if he keeps ignoring me.”
“S-so does that mean he goes to hospitals and stuff,” Luka said for the first time since that outburst. She picked up Asher, letting his purr resonate against her chest.
“No, he doesn’t. His handler isn’t around anymore, so he’s stuck with me.”
“Oh.”
“Are you feeling better, Luka?” Bellamy got close, her hand placed against Luka’s cheek.
“She doesn’t have a fever,” Wren said.
“How do you know that?” She replied. “Wait. Actually, why are you talking like you know her? Do you two know each other?”
When Wren didn’t answer, Luka spoke up.
“We used to play with each other when we were kids. B-by the way, Wren…” Her eyes made contact with Wren’s, a small smile sprouting. “I was just a bit shocked when I saw you. Sorry for shouting. Let me know if you’re free tomorrow at ten, and we can head over to my workplace.”
Wren couldn’t tell if her smile was genuine or forced. How could it be genuine? If it wasn’t for Asher, she wouldn’t have even spoken.
“How long are you going to hold on to Asher?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Luka reluctantly let go of the cat. Black fur now covered her white shirt. Asher trotted back into Bellamy’s apartment, having figured his job was done.
After a sharp exhale, Wren was ready to turn back too, but before she did, she thought back at what Bellamy said when she was messaging Luka a few hours back.
“You said I could head over whenever. Why tomorrow specifically?”
“W-well, I don’t have class until three after my morning class. So I figured I might as well introduce you.”
Wren narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what to make of this girl. Or what she was after. Still, she accepted her invitation and slipped back into the apartment for the night.
While she brushed her teeth, she could hear Bellamy talking with Luka for few more minutes. Then the door closed, and her cousin made her way over to the bathroom door.
“Wren! You should’ve told me that you and Luka were childhood friends!”
“How the hell was I supposed to know? You kept referring to her as your friend.”
After washing her face, she traveled from the bathroom to her room. Her cousin still followed.
“Are you two on bad terms?”
Although Bellamy was born blonde, Wren could see her roots turning brown. If Wren was anything like her mother, she’d tell her to dye it.
Instead, Wren shrugged, not exactly interested in discussing it. Just as she sat on the bed, Bellamy walked over and wrapped her arms around her.
“I hope you two will be able to make up. I don’t want you to have another strained relationship being here.”
Wren touched Bellamy’s arm, seeing how much of a contrast her light brown skin was compared to Bellamy’s pale skin. They were cousins, not sisters, so Wren figured that was why their complexion was different. Yet she couldn’t help but think Bellamy was probably the more perfect daughter for her mother.
A sigh escaped her.
She wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her mother. If her mother hadn’t tried to push for an arranged marriage, and to a man who was of British descent. Like she didn’t know the reason why.
Wren leaned into Bellamy’s warmth, letting it envelop her for a while more. But she couldn’t stay like this forever.
“Alright, I’m gonna go to sleep now.”
“Okay.” Bellamy released Wren from her grasp. As she was about to close the door, she said, “Goodnight, Wren.”
“Yeah.”
Her head hit the pillow, her vision lay on the ceiling before it was covered by Asher’s purring neck. She slipped her fingers under his belly and pulled him into her blanket.
Eyes closed, she tried to drift off to sleep. Yet her mind wandered to Luka Erebi. They’d both grown up a lot these past ten years. Alone with only her thoughts, she could finally admit it.
She’s gotten a lot prettier…
———
“H-hey! Wren, don’t cry. It’s just a little scrape. A little bandaid and you’ll be fine,” little Luka said, sounding close to tears herself. Yet she continued to reassure her regardless.
It didn’t help little Wren one bit, she kept crying. How could it? The girl in front of her was in an even worse condition. Her cheek was swollen, her lips cut, and her canine teeth missing.
The scrape on Wren’s knees was nothing compared to hers. So she wept. Wept for the day they’d been having before it fell apart, all because of the color of her eyes. Wept for being so powerless in the moment, and for forcing Luka to protect her.
She never wanted to feel that way ever again.
The scenery began to fade as she felt something heavy lying on her chest. It rumbled, like a quiet and steady engine. Then a cold and wet sensation nipped at her chin. Wren opened her eyes to black fur, her hand reaching for his back as she drew in a long breath. She paused for two seconds, then exhaled.
“I’m fine, Asher,” she said as she brushed him off.
Not to be deterred, he moved onto her lap. She sighed, reaching for her phone on the end table. It was six in the morning, time for her to get ready for school. That was, if she was still attending. With the decision to move out of Pachi City, she had also taken time off.
Not that her body knew. She still woke up all the same, and she knew she wouldn’t fall back asleep any time soon. So up she went, putting Asher on the ground, and walked into the bathroom to wash herself.
All the while, she thought about the dream she just had. A dream she hadn’t had in a long time, no doubt due to her meeting with Luka. But why that one specifically?
She remembered how heroic Luka looked to her at the time, yet thinking about it now… all she really did was take a beating from those kids. There wasn’t much she could do against three of them. They only stopped because her mother came back and saw.
So it wasn’t like Luka did anything.
After Wren left the bathroom, she began making breakfast for the household—her black cat included. She packed up Bellamy’s in case she had class in the morning, and ate hers with Asher.
Her assumption was right when she saw Bellamy just past half seven. She thanked Wren for the lunch box, gave her a hug, and zoomed out of the apartment. No time wasted at all.
For the rest of the morning, she lounged on the couch and searched up The Cusp. Even though she was only looking for temporary work, she didn’t want to come to an interview empty-minded.
From the look of it, The Cusp opened four years ago, having earned a Star last year. The ratings were at a solid four point five, coming from over a thousand people. Most of the reviews raved about their coffee and breakfast menu, while those who complained often mentioned the rude staff.
Wren couldn’t imagine a timid Luka cussing out a customer. She’d more likely cower and hide behind someone more reliable.
Before Wren could further play with that thought, she heard a knock at the door. Fifteen minutes until ten. That girl was early.
As she sat up, she looked at what she was wearing, a jacket over a sports bra and shorts. Without answering the door, she sauntered to her room to change.
Donning a loose polo neck and a dark puffy jacket with black trousers, Wren stuffed her phone and essentials into her pockets. Then she tied up her hair into a ponytail, revealing the fade cut underneath. She contemplated on whether she should take out her piercings, but chose to let them stay. It wasn’t a five-star restaurant or anything.
She walked toward the front door. Asher was there, skulking and sticking his paw under the door. Wren could see shadows of Luka poking at him. She picked up Asher and opened the door to see Luka crouched, her brown eyes going wide as she looked up at her.
The girl wore a different white button-up and blue jeans, but it was still quite similar to yesterday’s outfit. A nervous smile sprouted on her face, probably because she hadn’t expected Wren to catch her playing with Asher.
Wren almost wished the girl wasn’t so easy on the eyes. The way her face showed no blemish. How her small lips, when stretched into a smile, made it hard to stay cold toward her.
“It’s ten degrees,” Wren said. Aren’t you cold? She didn’t say the latter.
Luka stood up, readjusting her sling bag and shirt. The goosebumps were visible along her arms, raised against otherwise smooth skin.
“I don’t find it that cold. As long as there’s no wind or rain.”
Wren thought back on the weather forecast for the week. “A storm’s coming this weekend.”
“Oh.” With seemingly no other response, Luka took a step back.
Wren dropped Asher down and closed the door behind him. She could hear him meowing, a complaint of being left behind.
She let Luka lead the way, walking for about five minutes to the train station. Wren would’ve preferred to get on her motorcycle, but considering Luka chose to freeze in a button-up, she begrudgingly chose the public transit.
At the station, it didn’t take long for Wren to notice the stares from people. Some of them were whispering to each other, their eyes not leaving her. Wren frowned, shoving her fists into her jacket.
Luka, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to it.
On the train, Wren decided to sit in the women-only seating, figuring that the women were less likely to pick a physical fight than the men.
“H-hey, Wren,” Luka spoke up, sitting half an arm’s distance from her. “What have you been up to the past ten years?”
She studied her. The girl’s question seemed like it stemmed from a genuine interest, yet she was obviously avoiding asking about a certain incident.
“I learned how to cook. What else?”
Luka blinked. It was another moment where she didn’t know how to reply. Not that Wren was making it easy for her. But eventually, she figured what she wanted to say.
“W-well! The head cook at The Cusp is really good. He and Ms. Danaus bicker all the time, but when they work together, they get a lot done. I think you can learn a lot from them.”
Wren’s brows pressed. “Danaus?”
“Yeah. She’s the owner.”
She exhaled sharply through her nose, enough to make Luka flinch. Her arms resting against her legs, she buried her face into her hands. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it through her palm.
So this was the girl’s plan. It didn’t take her long to show her true nature.
She was going to lead Wren, a Vespula, straight to a Native, especially one that was a part of the House—the wealthiest and most influential families on Insecta. The kind of introduction where Wren’s family name alone could start something.
And she had the nerve to do it personally.
“A-are you alright, Wren?”
Letting her hands down and leaning against the seat, Wren stared at the girl feigning concern.
“Haah… are you serious right now?” Wren asked.
“Huh? Serious about what?”
Had Luka always been this good at acting? Or perhaps…
An inner voice tried to pull Wren back. Luka didn’t even know it was Wren who needed work until yesterday. How could she have planned this?
If this was true, then this could only mean one thing. Wren sighed, and said, “You really need to learn the history of Insecta. Even if you’re just a Citizen.”
Luka tilted her head, seemingly confused. Her reaction, Wren felt, seemed real enough. At least, it aligned with most Citizens, who were happy enough to become a permanent resident of Insecta that they couldn’t care less about its history.
Wren hoped that was the case for Luka.