a very small pinwheel

As the weather got warmer with each day, it meant that one of Monica’s favourite seasons was approaching: ice cream season. Although she had never really agreed with how humans associated the frozen treat with the rising temperatures — didn’t it make more sense to eat ice cream in the winter, in weather where she could step out of the store and not have her cone melt immediately? Whatever, they could enjoy their ice cream in the summer and she would eat enough of it year-round for all of them. 

Now frozen yogurt was a whole other beast. Was it actually just frozen yogurt? Why did it seem fancier than ice cream? If she froze her tub of yogurt at home, would it produce a delectable treat? Monica was tempted to try it out, though she wasn’t sure how pleased Luc would be if she potentially ruined their yogurt for the sake of science. She would have to settle on leaving frozen yogurt to the professionals, which was what the people at Forzen Yogurt apparently were. She’d never actually been in the shop, but she heard about it plenty. One of the moms in her Zumba class claimed that the ice cream made her son cry. How could ice cream be scary?

So Monica had to go see for herself, and what could be better than a post-workout sweet treat? “Ice cream, ice cream, ic– oh, no. Frozen yogurt, frozen yogurt!” She sang to herself in some made-up song, tugging at the bag strap on her shoulder. The doppelganger waltzed up to Forzen Yogurt’s entrance to see another girl hovering outside the door, as if she was unsure about something. “Have you tried pushing instead of pulling?” 

—

Wren was being so brave. The bravest, in fact. That’s what she had to tell herself to get over the debilitating fear that was applying for a job. She had told her gege that she’d help out, of course. Apparently, making sure Moo Deng didn’t leave slipping hazards did not count—or being her daily entertainment. Whatever. So that’s how she found herself attempting to find a job. Though, everywhere else she tried to find her way into had resulted in her just running out before she could even try to apply. 

Forzen Yogurt was Wren’s last attempt—if she could get in the building, that is. The pink paper in her hands was clutched tightly. Wren practically trembled like a baby bird, which was a far too accurate comparison, admittedly. She was proud of herself for not hyperventilating at least. Her fingers clutched the paper tightly and she was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. 

“AH—!” Wren jumped and wheeled around with wide eyes to the other woman. “Oh! Um—hah—“ she awkwardly lurched forward and shoved the door open, practically tumbling forward. “There! Ah, yay! Woo hoo!” Her smile was more of a pained grimace. “Did it! Wow, thanks. Come here a lot?” The stuttered question came out quickly and still with an air of frantic panic to it. 

—

The stranger jumped which caused Monica to jolt rather dramatically too. “Ah!” She repeated, not mockingly, but it was a force of habit for her to return the energy of whoever she was around. Perhaps it was simply in her blood as a doppelganger. She instinctively reached her hands out when the other girl flew clumsily through the doorway, revealing the empty store inside the building. The only person was the employee behind the cashier…well, at least Monica hoped it was a person. She couldn’t quite tell with the thick hood that they were wearing. 

“Oh yes, woo hoo!” She repeated once again, throwing her hands in the air in a little cheering motion. The girl looked nervous to be in here — maybe she’d heard about the scary frozen yogurt like Zumba mom had? Monica shook her head at her question, smiling softly at the stranger in hopes that it’d help ease whatever was wrong with her. “First time, actually! I’m here to investigate the difference between ice cream and frozen yogurt. Which is to say, I’m here to have a little sweet treat! How about you?”

She scanned the room, trying to map out her plan of attack. There seemed to be a wide selection of frozen yogurt flavours as well as toppings, which was good for someone like Monica who hated having to make decisions. Maybe she would just get an itty bitty scoop of everything? She glanced over at the stranger again, noticing the pink paper that she was death gripping in her hand. Most of it was crumpled, but she could make out the bolded ‘RESUME’ heading at the top. “Oh! Are you here to apply for a job? Do you want me to, like, pretend to be your reference or something?”

—

There was a far too tight smile on Wren’s face as she straightened out, one hand smoothing out the fabric of her skirt. The girl seemed nice enough, but that was enough reason to make her even more jumpy. That, mixed with guilt that she couldn’t manage to hold a conversation without wanting to turn tail and run. “I, um—” she stuttered a bit, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks almost immediately at being put onto the spot. She didn’t even do well normally, this was a disaster already in her mind.

“I’m—well. Yeah. I’m trying.” Wren finally managed to get out. “I told my—my brother. Um. That I would try to get a job. Not that he’s making me!” She said quickly, crumpling the paper up inadvertently as she gripped onto it tighter. “I just want to prove a point. That, like, I can do it or whatever. Be a real adult.” She laughed weakly, doing her best to not outright stare at the employee behind the counter with their spooky hood. 

Glancing once, unable to help it, Wren then quickly looked back at the girl. “I’m Wren, by the way! I hope your… you know, investigation goes well. It looks like they have plenty of toppings near that scary employee—” Wren broke off with a squeak then grimaced, immediately lowering her voice. “Sorry, I shouldn’t call people spooky or scary—but like, their vibe is totally off, right? Am I overthinking this?” 

—

Now that Monica had a bit more context, it made complete sense why her new friend looked like she wanted to jump out of her own skin. “Job hunting is nerve wracking! I’ve totally been there,” the doppelganger said, dragging the ‘totally’ for emphasis. Applying for jobs had been scary at first, that was, until she had started applying for every and any job that popped up around town. “It’s good that your brother didn’t, like, force you or anything. I’m guessing he’s a “real adult” with a “real job” then, huh?” Monica scrunched up her nose in displeasure as she moved her fingers in the air quotes motion. “Being a real adult is sooo overrated. But c’est la vie I guess!” 

The doppelganger figured that would be the end of it; the stranger would go about her day trying to convince Forzen Yogurt that she could be trusted to handle cash, while Monica would sneak around taking little samples of every topping available. She was pleasantly surprised when the sheepish girl introduced herself, assuming that meant she had come off as friendly enough as to be an ally in her job hunt. “Wren…cute! Like the little birdy! I’m Monica, like the song “Mambo No. 5!”” 

She followed Wren’s gaze towards the sole employee — still hooded, still ominous. “No, I think you’re onto something…” She nodded in agreement, turning back to the other girl while making sure she still had the employee in her peripheral. “But maybe that’s just the theme of this place? I’ve heard they have some scary-themed flavours! And you see that table over there? The pentagram deco on it? Some cult sorta shit. Spoooky…” Monica wriggled her fingers for dramatic emphasis. “Hey! How about I go up to them with you? The faster you drop off your resume, the faster you can get a sweet treat as a reward and get the hell out of here!” She looped her arm through Wren’s, pulling her towards the counter before the other girl could protest.

—

“He’s definitely the most adult-y adult I know. I feel like I’m perpetually not an adult. Is that normal?” Wren asked like that was a normal thing to ask someone she just met, but whatever. It’s not like she could exactly discern what was normal and what wasn’t with humans. She had to keep watching her movies for research purposes. “Yeah! Yeah. Just like a bird.” Mambo No. 5… she had no idea what the other woman was talking about, but she would take her word for it, she supposed. She just smiled shakily and nodded her head. Being brave, she was being totally brave. Soooo brave.

There wasn’t much Wren could do. One moment she was telling the girl that the employee seemed scary as hell, the next? She was being dragged along without a second thought. A squeak escaped the siren and she swallowed thickly, the lump of nerves forming in her throat almost instantly. “Okay! Okay—um, oh god.” She had to resist the urge to outright turn around, wrench her arm out of Monica’s hold, and run off as fast as she could manage. She could do this, especially with her new pushy… friend? Yeah, she’ll go with friend. Her new pushy friend’s help.

Once at the counter, Wren promptly slapped down the pink paper. “What do we say now?” She whispered to Monica, jolting when the hooded figure slowly looked at them. “HELLO!” She said loudly, a far cry from the nervous whisper she just used with Monica. This was totally going well.

—

Monica nodded adamantly, despite not having a single clue what being a real adult felt like. She didn’t even know what being a kid truly felt like considering that her ‘childhood’ consisted of jumping from body to body. But she at least knew what it was like to feel pressured to grow up and be at a certain point in her life, so she wanted her new friend to know that she wasn’t alone. “I think so! But, like, what even is an adult, ya know? Age is just a number and adulthood is just a concept…at least, that’s what I tell myself. Maybe you can tell yourself that too and you’ll be less stressed!”

Judging from the sounds that Wren was making on their way to the counter, Monica might’ve been doing the opposite of making her less stressed. The other girl was squeaking and squawking like the bird she was named after…or did only parrots make those noises? Whatever, Wren was clearly scared, though Monica couldn’t really blame her. Even for a super brave person like her (and she was most definitely brave), the hooded employee was giving her the heebie-jeebies. 

Monica only paused for a second to think about ways to lead the conversation, but it was enough silence for her new friend to feel the need to fill it. Her eyes widened in alarm at the other’s sudden outburst, Wren’s voice ringing through the empty store. On second thought, was this what people meant when they said Monica was talking at 100 decibels? Well, the only thing to do was double down. “HELLO!” The doppelganger repeated after Wren, the employee turning to look at her now — did it count as looking if their hood covered their eyes? 

“My friend here would like to get a job at this fine establishment! She’s, like, super qualified, trust me. No one has ever made a bowl of frozen yogurt better than she has. Wren, show them!” Monica gestured to the various frozen yogurt machines lining the walls, throwing a thumbs up at the girl with her other hand as her tummy started to gurgle. Well it wasn’t exactly a lie if she didn’t know if it was false, right?

—

“That’s true…” Wren allowed with a puff of her cheeks. Most movies she watched with the quintessential coming of age experience. Maybe this frozen yogurt shop with a creepy employee would be her coming of age moment! Though, with how she was all but being yanked along, she wasn’t entirely sure. Most of her everyday life felt like her being brought along for the ride—one she very much wanted to get off. Much like now. She wanted to get off this ride and go back home, maybe sneak Moo Deng a dorito or two and call it a night. Instead, she had to be brave—or try to be, at least.

The hooded figure just stared at them, entirely too still. Well, it seemed like they were staring. Wren wasn’t entirely sure if they were or not. She was too nervous to double check. “OKAY! I mean—ahem. Okay. Yes, definitely. I can totally do this.” Her smile was much more of a grimace than an actual smile before she nodded her head sharply. She headed directly for the machines. Though, the second she grabbed a cup? Wren just stared at the machines. They had some of the weirdest flavors imaginable listed. Voids and some.. Gods? She wasn’t sure. Rainbow sounded like the best bet out of all of them. 

Wren grabbed the lever and pulled it down, yelping sharply as the machine started to make a strange noise. She couldn’t even begin to describe it. Maybe something close to a mix between a mechanical groan and a cartoonish scream? Or just a goat yelling—she had watched those videos once—all she knew was it was absolutely terrifying. The monochromatic ‘rainbow’ flavored yogurt had barely begun to dispense into the cup when the machine making that noise frightened Wren so much that the cup slipped out of her grasp. It hit the ground with an audible SPLAT, sending the yogurt all over the floor and up her legs. 

Staring at the mess, Wren then slowly looked at Monica and the employee. “Um, tada? Professional.. Uh, professional frozen yogurt dispensing!”

—

Now this wasn’t good. With the grimace on her face, Wren looked like she was holding in a burp rather than exuding confidence. At least she was trying, fake it ‘till you make it and all that. Monica would give her an A+ for effort, making a cheering motion with her hands as she watched her new friend make a beeline for the machines. Throwing a look back at the hooded figure, the girl couldn’t help but let out a little squeak of her own when she realized they had inched closer to the counter when she wasn’t looking. “Uh, trying to get a better view! Smart! You’ll definitely wanna keep your eyes on this artistry.”

Monica jolted from surprise once more when the machines started coming to life, a sound filling the room that she could only describe as screaming. Soft serve machines definitely didn’t do that. “You guys should play some music in here or something, help mask whatever the hell that sound is,” she commented to the employee, making sure to keep one eye on Wren as the frozen yogurt started dispensing. There was potential for things to go well! However, it was quickly squashed by a particularly loud scream from the machine, the cup slipping out of Wren’s hands and its contents splatting onto the ground. 

Crisis mode! Monica hesitantly glanced back at the employee (who seemed to be fully pressed against the counter now) before pulling napkins from the dispenser and darting over to Wren. “This flavor’s called rainbow? Now that’s just not true,” was the first thing she said as she saw the plaque above the machine. Handing over the napkins to Wren, Monica paused for a split second. This frozen yogurt hadn’t been on the ground for that long — surely it was still edible, right? No, no, she had to stop eating floor food no matter if it was free or not. 

Free…the gears in Monica’s head started turning. She could turn this around, surely. It was clear that Wren wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near these machines if the hooded figure cared about their business, so at least they could make the most of their time here. “Hey! Your machine frightened her so bad that she couldn’t even do her job! What are these workplace conditions, huh?” The doppelganger crossed her arms as she turned back to face the employee. “We demand financial compensation for this emotional damage. Actually, no. You know what? We’ll be generous. A free cup of frozen yogurt each and we won’t tear your business to shreds on Yelp.” 

The employee didn’t say anything, which wasn’t agreement but it wasn’t exactly rejection either. Monica could work with that. “Wren! Go over there and fill two cups with toppings, will ya! Surely gummy worms won’t scream at you. Leave the machines to me!”

—

Wren was contemplating all the different ways that she could become one with the spilled frozen yogurt on the floor. She, too, could be a monochrome shade of color, perhaps pink, that claims to be rainbow. It would be hard to go from a siren to a sentient pile of frozen yogurt, but maybe it’d be good for her. 

Taking the napkins from Monica, Wren forced a wobbly smile on her face. She would not cry, even if every part of her body was demanding she did. Her teeth dug into her wobbling bottom lip and the sting in her eyes was far too prevalent. It was mortifying enough to get frozen yogurt all over her legs, she didn’t need to add to it. She took the napkins from Monica and hurried to wipe up the mess splattered all over her legs. “It definitely doesn’t look rainbow. Maybe it’s in the taste.” She muttered, balling the used napkins up in her hand. 

Wren looked between Monica and the employee. The employee just seemed to keep staring at them. Not moving a muscle. What the heck? “Yeah, we won’t yelp!” She quickly jumped into action with a sharp nod. She didn’t know what yelping had to do with anything, but she definitely wouldn’t make that sound if she was going to get out of this with either a job or frozen yogurt—or both. 

“Right!” Wren quickly moved. She snatched up two more cups and hurried over to the counter. She used the same spoon to scoop up a bunch of nuts into one cup then piled gummy bears on top of it. She lurched to then plop a scoop of boba—maybe strawberry—into the cup. The siren practically got as many toppings as she could into the two cups before proudly presenting them. “See! Without incident!” She plucked up a piece of broken cookie and popped it past her lips. 

The hooded figure just stared at both Monica and Wren. Maybe. It was hard to tell. He seemed to let out a sigh, a long suffering one at that, before saying nothing else. Wren blinked then slowly looked at Monica. “I think we can just take them and go. Maybe?”

—

Great. Everything was going according to plan — well, the plan that Monica had conjured up on the fly as a diversion to the chaos unfolding. Sure, this plan was mostly so that she could get a free sweet treat, but Wren seemed pretty sad when she plucked the napkins out of her hand, and what better way to cheer her up than free food? 

The doppelganger made sure that the other girl was settled at the toppings bar before turning to face the machines. The evil, evil machines — she wouldn’t be so easily defeated. Monica placed her hand on the lever, bracing herself for impact before pulling down. It screeched again, and she was almost tempted to screech back at it to assert her dominance, but that probably wasn’t the best idea with her jumpy new friend. The stupid Rainbow flavour sputtered, only a few drops going into the cup before a large amount suddenly plopped out of the nozzle. Monica swerved the cup around to make sure she was catching every bit of it — thank god that 24 hours where she worked at Dairy Queen was finally coming into handy. 

She repeated the process with the flavour in the next machine — Graveyard Bones, whatever that meant — grinning when she finally had the two full cups in her hands. “Yes! Without incident! I knew you could do it, Wren,” Monica cheered as the two girls reconvened at the counter, sticking her hand out to give her new friend a high five. “See? Clearly an equipment issue. She’s, like, an expert otherwise.” The fae’s tummy twisted considering that she had just dispensed the frozen yogurt with no issue. Well, it was an equipment issue when in Wren’s hands — that much was probably true.

The employee made their first audible sound since they’d entered the shop, and Monica nodded affirmatively to the girl next to her. “We will be taking these and going, and you will not be stopping us!” She pointed at the hooded figure with an exaggerated flourish, copying what she’d seen in some anime detective game. “Any parting words? Defend yourself against the super brutal review I’m about to write?” The employee did not speak, and the fae stayed in her pose until they finally sighed again. “Get out. Now.” The low, gruff voice sent a shockwave through Monica’s system, and she let out a squeak as she scrambled to pick up both cups of frozen yogurt. “C’mon Wren! Time to go!”

When she was sure the door to Forzen Yogurt was closed tightly behind them, Monica couldn’t help but giggle. “See, that’s what I call a grade A swindle. Annoy the enemy until they’ll do anything to get you to leave them alone! Including giving you food for free.” She waved the cups in front of Wren until a tiny bit of guilt started to creep in. The fae’s cheeriness faltered. “Uh, I’m sorry about the job thing. I feel like that was kinda on me…” She trailed off as she looked down at the ground, kicking a tiny pebble off of the sidewalk. “But, like, if you ask me, you dodged a bullet! Who would want to work for that creepy guy anyways? Bleugh.” 

The cups of frozen yogurt were starting to freeze her hands, and Monica offered Wren a sheepish smile. “How about this? We go find a place to enjoy our hard-earned sweet treat, and I’ll help you think up some other places around town you can apply to! I’ve worked at, like, sooo many places around town. I’m basically an expert.”

—

Wren’s hand collided with Monica’s in a little high five, a breathless little smile pulling at her lips. The frozen yogurt looked so well done! Way better than the mess of frozen yogurt that Wren had dropped all on the floor then all over her legs—even if the frozen yogurt did look a little weird. At least it was in a pretty swirl! Her hands tightened around the two little cups of toppings as Monica declared that they would be taking the frozen yogurt and going. “Yeah, what she said!” Fake it until you make it, or so the humans seem to say. She could fake being totally confident, even if she was the furthest thing from it.

“Getting out now! Thank you, bye!” Wren squeaked out, hurrying to catch up with Monica to get the heck out of Forzen Yogurt ASAP. Thankfully, they did not have to yelp. She did enough yelping in everyday life, she didn’t want to have to yelp at the scary hooded employee. Once outside, Wren laughed a little alongside Monica. “This is just like when I stole seafood with my friend, Clem! How exciting! Frozen yogurt and yummy toppings!”

At the other woman’s apology, Wren immediately shook her head. “No, it’s okay! You’re right, I think I would spend every day crying there—especially when the sounds went crazy at the machines. That’s like, so not cool, ya know? I don’t need to cry into the yogurt toppings. I don’t think that’s good.” She nodded her head sharply. “Yes! That sounds good! Thank you for your help, Monica. I’m glad I met you today.”

It was hard for Wren to do the whole friend thing. Mostly because she didn’t know how to be a friend. Her relationships had practically gone up in smoke the moment she attacked some other sirens in her colony before fleeing. She couldn’t handle anyone else looking at her like she was a monster when she didn’t even remember what she had done, but Clem? It felt different. It felt like she could actually talk to her—despite her stumbling over her own tendencies to accidentally reveal weird aspects of her being a siren then backtracking. Wren wasn’t good at being a friend, she definitely wasn’t good at being a human, but she wanted to be for her new friend.

Standing outside Periwinkle Paints, Wren clutched her sketchbook and her new paints against her chest. She waved at the seagulls atop the roof with a cheerful little smile, turning back around and practically perking up the second she saw Clem. “Clem!” She called happily, resisting the urge to outright skip toward where her friend was approaching. “Hi, thanks for hanging out with me! I know we like—we talked about movies and I figured like—well—” She was rambling. She totally knew this. She couldn’t stop it, but she was trying. “—um, sorry. I get rambly when I’m nervous, but yeah! We can like… hang out then maybe movies? Or just walk! Whatever you want.” She finished with a shy, tentative smile.

—

Clem wasn’t really that surprised when Wren asked her to hang out again. They’d gotten along well enough, and while Clem’s life wasn’t brimming over with friendships, the one that she’d managed to forge with Wren was one that she felt like keeping up with, at the very least. It wasn’t a long walk from where she’d parked to the paint shop. She smelled her before she saw her, and while that could be considered strange to some, it was something that was a core part of her relationship with those around her. Now, she just really knew when people needed to shower. 

Except, Wren smelled nice. Citrus and vanilla created a trail for her to follow, and Clem smiled at Wren. “Oh, totally!” She wasn’t used to people stumbling over their words with her, so this was new. “Nervous?” Clem blinked, unsure why any part of Wren could be nervous about hanging out with her. “Oh, because like, being outside?” That had to be it. She got it, sometimes, too. The thrum of anxiety in her throat, how it pooled, creating bile that made her chest burn. “I was thinking like, a movie at my apartment, maybe? But we can get some snacks or something, if you want? Then head back?” She jutted a thumb behind her, to a place that was further than Wren could see, “I parked like, way over there.” She smiled at Wren. “Maybe we can get some sushi or something. You know, a callback or whatever.” 

— 

At least Clem made it easy for Wren to not feel totally out of her depth with how easygoing she seemed to be. “Uh—yeah! Yeah. Outside just… has a lot of people. People in general make me nervous.” She babbled out, taking the out where she could get it. It’s not like it was a lie. People did very much make her nervous. Everyone made her nervous, but especially people she wanted to befriend, like Clem. Or at least befriend further? She didn’t know. Clem just made her nervous in a way that Wren hadn’t really ever felt before. A different nervousness that she couldn’t put a name on so she didn’t look at it too closely.

Nodding her head eagerly, Wren finally gave into the urge to skip a little to come to a bouncing stop beside Clem. “Yes! Yes, that sounds so fun. I love fish.” She hugged the sketchbook a bit tighter to her chest and laughed a little. “Hopefully Jeremy is having a terrible day.” She chirped with a little smile she shot in Clem’s direction. She started to walk toward where Clem gestured that she had parked. “I took my brother’s credit card so like—we can go crazy if we want. He won’t even notice. He’s a money spender like that.” She snorted.

—

“Oh, I totally get that.” Clem wasn’t a very nervous person by nature, but some people did just naturally make her more on edge, especially now with the whole werewolf thing being taken into account. “Is it like, bad to say you don’t need to be nervous around me? Like, feel what you feel, you know? But we’re totally cool.” She offered a warm smile to Wren, and it reached her eyes. She liked it when people liked her, despite the facade she often threw up. (Something, something, defense mechanism.) (Fuck, Nova was right–) “Plus, we like, robbed The Codfather together, technically, so like… legally, am I allowed to make you nervous?” 

She looked to the sketchbook that Wren was clutching, making a mental note to ask her more about it later. Clem knew that sometimes, people didn’t like sharing their art; that it was a personal thing meant for their eyes only. She wondered if Wren was like that. “Fuck Jeremy, for real.” She wished she’d figured out what car he’d been driving, she would’ve egged it or something, or written something across the window in lipstick. (Not that she wore lipstick, but–) Clem fell into step easily beside Wren, letting out a laugh at her comment about the credit card. “Wait, for real? Maybe we’ll get specialty rolls instead of the cheaper stuff.” She stuck her hands into her pocket, tilting her head back a little to feel the sun on her face. “Do you go to the paint shop a lot?” 

— 

A surprised little laugh escaped Wren and she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s not a bad thing to say, no. I’m just kind of—I’ve been perpetually nervous my whole life. It’s nothing against you, swear.” She admitted with a little shrug. “I’m trying this whole being brave thing. Putting myself out there, trying not to let it hold me back. Some days are easier than others, some harder.” Clem’s warm smile did put her at ease. “But yes, the robbing definitely bonds us. Hope you’re okay with being stuck with me now.” She said, hesitating before bumping her elbow playfully against Clem as she grinned a little.

It was easy to laugh with Clem it felt like. Another laugh fell from Wren’s lips as easy breathing. “Seriously! Who the heck ghosts people? It’s so messed up. I hope Jeremy has the worst day ever.” She giggled. Her head then nodded quickly. “Oh yeah. We can definitely get something special instead of the normal, cheaper stuff. Whatever you want. On me! Well, my brother, but still on me.” She giggled again, teeth digging into her bottom lip. Wren’s gaze swept over the side of Clem’s face, smiling despite herself. “Uh—yeah! Yeah, actually. I like to paint rocks and put them outside the house or give them as gifts. I also just like to draw in general. Do you—would you like a rock? I’d love to make you one!”

—

“I mean, like, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a really good job!” She thought back to The Codfather, and how having dinner with a stranger was more than most people would do, even if it had been something that’d been sprung on the both of them. Clem gestured to nowhere in particular, obviously pulling from the time they’d spent together at that dinner. “I mean, if we’re going to rob more lobster buckets, then totally!” She bumped Wren back, matching her grin. “But like, seriously, I think the world can suck a lot, and trying is really cool, too.” She knew how hard life could be at a base level. “Living here probably doesn’t make it any easier.” But she loved her small, stupid town. Even if it wasn’t that small in the grand scheme of things. 

“Like, I guess unless you really have a reason for it, but even then…” Clem shook her head, thinking back to how the waitress’s discarded work clothing had been one of the things to help aid her in robbing them of their lobster buckets. “I hope he wakes up and stubs his toe like, every day.” She fished a starburst out of her pocket, unwrapping it, then looked over to Wren. “You paint rocks? That’s cool.” There’d been a resurgence with that, hadn’t there? Painting rocks? “What do you usually draw?” At Wren’s offer, Clem’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that! I’ll put it on my windowsill, away from Gecko so he can’t like, take it and hide it.” She paused. “He’s my ferret.” She popped the starburst into her mouth, tucking it to the side of her cheek.

—- 

A bashful smile pulled at Wren’s lips, her heart giving a little lurch in her chest. “Thanks,” she mumbled shyly. It was brave. There were so many times that Wren gave herself such hell for her own scared tendencies. Like she was somehow lesser for being nervous about the humans, about life and the world in general. There were brave things she did all the time. She had to give herself a bit more credit, Clem had a point. “I mean, if you want to. The seafood was really good.” She chirped with a little laugh as heat rose to her cheeks. “Eh—it’s not too bad. It’s a lot smaller than how busy places in China could be when I’d go out into the city.” She explained. “I think small is what I need.”

Snorting, Wren covered her mouth with her hand briefly, adjusting her sketchbook in her arms. “That’s a good thing to wish on him. He deserves it—and like a flat tire at the most inconvenient moments ever!” She said decidedly, kicking lightly at a rock on the sidewalk that sent it skipping over the warm concrete. “Oh, lots of things! I usually just—kind of start doodling and see where it takes me. Some have flowers, others have animals.” Her eyes sparkled in turn, watching the way Clem lit up. A smile pulled at her lips and she nodded eagerly. “Gecko, how cute. Send me a picture of him! I’ll put him on the rock. I can make one for him too—I’d love to give him his own little gift. Make my mark on him and all. I’d love to impress.” She laughed a little.

—

“Dude, you don’t have to thank me.” She knew that was an honest reaction; when somebody complimented you, you thanked them, but Clem didn’t feel like Wren needed to thank her for everything. “Just like, keep doing it, you know?” The town was bustling with people, far more than there’d been when Clem had parked her car. She’d lucked out, apparently. “Oh, you lived in China? That’s cool!” Clem felt a minor pang of jealously, only because she’d been stuck in Wicked’s Rest all her life. “If you have pictures and stuff, I’d love to see them. You can look shit up, but like… it’s always different when taken through the eyes of someone experiencing it, you know? Like, not for magazines and stuff.” She wasn’t sure if it made sense. 

“Oh, for sure. Flat tires, stubbed toes, wet socks. The list goes on and on.” She wondered if that there was somewhere in Wicked’s Rest that could make something like that come true. With the way the town was, it wasn’t an impossible thing. Clem nodded along as Wren went on to explain her art process. It was something she couldn’t ever figure out; art was a beast that she hadn’t ever tried to tackle, too afraid to be bad. (Which was so not punk rock of her.) “I’d love to see them if you ever wanna show me sometime!” It was said with so much enthusiasm that Clem felt her mouth sour. “Oh, here.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, showing Wren her homescreen. It was of herself and Gecko, him laying over her shoulder, staring directly at the camera, as she kissed the side of his head. “He’d so love that. He loves hiding shit he finds.” 

— 

Wren nodded her head sharply once. She was right. Wren needed to just keep doing it. There was nothing better than to simply be. (She could very much think this now, but actually continuing to do it would be a whole different beast.) She let out a puff of air out, ruffling her errant strands of hair in doing so. “Oh! Yeah, I was born there and basically was there… well, until I came here to live with my brother after…” She gestured vaguely. Now was not the time to get into it. Besides, Wren wasn’t entirely sure how she would be able to explain away moving here because she attacked other sirens. It was a can of worms she didn’t want to open in the slightest. 

“Oh—I think I have some in my email! I will look. That’s how I used to keep in touch with my brother.” Wren also didn’t get a phone really until she was living with Eden. She had one to use occasionally, but the most learning came from when she came to Wicked’s Rest. “That definitely makes sense. It’s like, you’re experiencing it actually rather than the version that people try to show just to make it look all pretty.” A blush rose further, tinging the tips of her ears. “Of course! We can—well, whenever you come to my house I can show you them. Maybe along with some of my other drawings, if you want.” She smiled a little. Leaning in, Wren gasped softly as her shoulder bumped into Clem’s. “Oh my goodness! He’s sooo cute. You guys are adorable.”

—

Fiddling with the starburst in her mouth, she began to chew on it, nodding. The pang of jealousy she felt made her feel guilty. Clem smiled, glad to know that at least she made some sense. So far, the only person she’d ever met that really got her had been Jade. Maybe Wren could be that person with her, too. “See, you totally get it.” She was kind of glad she didn’t have to explain herself again, only  because she wasn’t sure how she’d explain it any other way. “That is cool, though. That you lived somewhere else, especially than here.” She’d never seen past Portland. She was constantly yearning for something else, but it felt unattainable. Now that she was a werewolf, it should’ve been easier to grasp, but it still felt like some far off land that she was capable of anything other than being the same old Clementine. 

“Hell yeah. I’d love to see them.” She tried to imagine the life Wren might’ve had in China, and if it differed from here in Wicked’s Rest. Was she another version of herself, or was she the same? Clem thought that if she lived somewhere else, she would’ve been different. But then again, wasn’t she exactly who she was  meant to be? “Cool! And then I can meet your brother, too.” She’d thank him for the sushi, or maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe Wren had taken his card without asking. Then again, with how nervous she was, maybe… not. She probably just had a good relationship with him, which Clem found herself also being mildly jealous of. “God, yeah. He’s the fucking coolest. Super chill, too.” She smiled down at the photo before she slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Do you have any pets?” They were close to her car now, and she could see the beat up civic ahead. 

— 

“It was nice. I mean—” Wren hesitated for a beat before ultimately just shrugging. “I think that there’s ups and downs to all. Lawn isn’t greener or whatever is said.” She smiled a bit, “Wicked’s Rest is weird. I’m not gonna say it isn’t because it totally is. Super weird. It also has some people I really like—and so many cool birds! China has cool stuff too, but also… I dunno. It has aspects I want to also forget, if that makes sense. Wicked’s Rest makes it easier to forget.” It was the closest she had gotten to the truth that Wren could manage without outright explaining, but did the job well enough. Nodding a little, Wren smiled once more. “I’ll definitely show you then. I’ll find my best for you.” She turned, walking backwards absently so that her eyes could stay on Clem’s face. She had a nice smile. It made her heart stutter a little in her chest, but she wasn’t about to dissect what that meant. No, thank you. “For sure—and yes! Well, she’s my brother’s, Eden. Her name is Moo Deng. She’s slimy, but very cute. You’ll love her.” She said happily, turning back around and skipping a little. “We definitely have to plot to use her to pester him. It’ll be great. Just like today! We’re going to have a great time today and any other time. I like that we hang out, Clem. I have a really good time with you.” Chancing a glance once more, Wren’s shy and small but there.

—

Clem nodded. That made sense. “No, I totally get it. Grass like, not being greener on the other side and stuff.” Maybe Wren’s relationship with the family there wasn’t good, and that was why she’d come to Wicked’s Rest. Maybe she missed her brother, or maybe there was something she was running away from. Should she have run away? After her father left? Maybe. But then where would she be? The idea that becoming a werewolf had only happened because she stayed sprinkled itself in as an afterthought, and she swallowed. When Wren mentioned birds, Clem laughed. “Yeah, I guess Wicked’s Rest does have that going for it.” There were a lot of things she hated about this stupid town, but the wildlife wasn’t one of them. “Running is like, much easier when you’re chasing down wienermobiles, I get it.” Maybe they’d see it while she and Wren were out together. “It’s a… mobile that has like, either hot dogs? Or maybe actual dogs, but it plays who let the dogs out like, super loud. You’ll know it if you see it.” 

As Wren walked beside her, now backwards, Clem couldn’t help but watch the ground, just to make sure that her friend wouldn’t fall. Would she collapse in embarrassment? Maybe. “Well, I’m looking forward to it!” She clasped her hands on top of her head, walking alongside Wren, looking towards her car. At the mention of the slimy pet, she scrunched her nose. “Moo Deng? Oh my god. I bought trading cards of Moo Deng. Not yours, but like, the hippo.” She’d spent way too much money on them, actually, but they’d been for a good cause! “Huh?” She looked at Wren, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips, a little wider this time. “Yeah, you’re cool, too. I’m glad that I got sat at your table.” She would have preferred it to any of the others, really, but getting to know Wren had been an act of fate, she felt. Like, the totally cool fate where you made a friend for life, type of fate. “I have a really good time with you, too.” The smile stayed intact as she pointed towards the civic. “That’s mine.” 

“I have to open it from the inside. The door’s like, broken or something.” Clem quickened her pace, getting into the driver’s seat, then reached across to unlock and throw open the door. “Totally not safe, I know, but like… it’s fine. The backdoors and this one all work!” She let out a nervous laugh before starting the engine. “Okay, so there’s this sushi spot that’s like, right by the water, and it’s really good. Wanna go there?” 

— 

“Wienermobiles… Fascinating. America really does have the weirdest things sometimes.” Wren noted absently. “Huh. Well, I’ll keep that in mind. Hot dogs or dogs. Or both? Regardless, it sounds like an interesting business model.” It didn’t seem like they’d make much money, anyway. She wasn’t a business man so she couldn’t truly judge or make that discernment, she supposed. A little shrug of her shoulders, Wren flashed another smile at Clem. She couldn’t really remember the last time she so freely smiled so much—so easily, even. It was like the fear that she normally carried around her like a looming cloud was gone for the time being. Maybe she would continue to not be afraid if she had someone she cared about so easily by her side. Their friendship really seemed to bloom in a way that Wren was far too happy about.

“Oh, yes! I’ve heard of the hippo. Our Moo Deng is a spirited gal in her own right. She understands our Mandarin too, so she’s a star like that—not that the other Moo Deng isn’t a star! She also is, but you know. I am biased because our Moo Deng is just so cute and sweet, even if she’s slimy.” She was rambling again. Wren swiftly shut her mouth, but felt herself light up almost instantly. “Me too! That was like, a total nightmare, but a worthwhile nightmare!” She chirped happily. Every day seemed like a total nightmare amongst most people in Wren’s world, but at least it was getting to a point where it wasn’t as much of a total nightmare.