#fernsbys

plopping a mix of winter-surviving fruit into her mouth, cara sank comfortably into a nearby chair, the sweet juices bursting between her teeth as she eased into conversation with emery. " you know, if we were part of the real world still...or whatever, gen z would absolutely refer to you as ‘mother.’ " she grinned, the thought almost too perfect. uncanny. if any corner of arcadia were ever exposed to society, emery would undoubtedly become an icon — someone fandoms would rally around with fervent devotion. glorify. protective, exuding female empowerment, effortlessly beautiful, and… a lesbian ? bonus. she ticked every box. mother material.

cara punctuated her observation with another bite of fruit, chewing thoughtfully before continuing. " no, i’m serious. the new york times ran an article with the headline, ‘gone are the daddy days: these are mother times.’ " her fingers dipped into the bowl resting on her lap, plucking her next colorful victim. she let the statement linger, offering no immediate explanation. to unpack the origins of modern fandom slang, born from queer subcultures and now rampant in mainstream discourse, would only lead to her rambling like a brainstorming journalist..which wasn't too far off. she almost appreciated the isolation of arcadia for sparing her from such trends. almost.

clearing her throat, she prepared to speak again, her tone turning just a shade more deliberate. " you’re, uh, extremely attractive, which doesn’t hurt. " the words slipped out with a casual air that belied the unease twisting in her chest. emery’s marital status wasn’t the obstacle for cara — it was her own complicated relationship with her sexuality publicly. in most aspects of life, she carried herself with an unshakable confidence, but when it came to her desires and the vulnerability they brought, those inner tectonic plates of certainty began to quake. the flirting was subtle under the conversation. harmless if emery chose for it to be. cara was just feline-like seeing what she could bite at.

"holy....—holy shit.." words that shot clover up off her couch. boosted like a blasting rocket. her chest heaved with breathes that her lungs could barely catch up with. the phone glowed in her hand pulsing a call. lenny bo benny. the incoming call had been such a shock to clovers system. no technology had worked. they'd been cut off from the outside world — but now...now her sister, lennon was calling. eyes welled with burning emotions that were far too overwhelming to process in the current moment. "fuck!" sudden adrenalin caused the redheads fingers to slip the intricate piece from her hands. fumbling, clover answered. "len! holy fucking shit! dude! you'll never belie–" panting, clover was word vomiting. "y–you have to come get me! is mom and dad pissed?? they're never going to believe the shit i've seen.. it's been some ultimate james wan shit here...oh my god, len..." lip quivering, it was the first moment clover had stopped pacing in her apartment. "len?" static fizzed on the other line.

clovers body jolted from her living space. out the door and to the stairs. her eyes wide and desperate — hadn't left the screen making her a warning sign for a clumsy fall. somehow she made it outside without harm. with the brightly warm sun upon her fair skin, clover squinted holding the phone back up to her ear. "len—len can you hear me?"

y-you won't make— the words of her sisters voice cracked and fizzled on the line before three beeps haunted clover. the call ended. "what ?? i won't make what ? like—bread ? what won't i make ? len??" a wave of panic, clover looked down at her cell phone. the small brick was a taunting device. lifeless until now...had she somehow been a chosen one connected to the outside world, and she now ....blew it on poor service? "noooo! are you joking??? what the fuck!" confused rage rippled through the woman as her digits pressed firmly on the redial button. nothing. again. nothing. "piece of shit iphone!" was shouted before clover pulled her arm back to slam the phone to the ground below.

it wouldn't be admitted out loud, hardly even in her own head... some part of reyna missed staying at the common house. isolating herself from community seemed best. the cinema was much more quiet. independent minus the couple of people who also occupied the same makeshift living space. reyna always made herself believe she was better off kept to herself. a role she played comfortably ever since she was a child.

" em," reyna greeted towards the large scale house. the morning was occupied by making her rounds - making sure there weren't any disruptions. she ventured off, and ended back to her first home - common house. the first place of what reyna could almost feel was some subliminal form of ..acceptance. it was a shame she couldn't just settle here. " how's it going ? "

she remained quiet for a long beat. unsure what to fill the space with. " i haven't said hello in a while. " instead she tucked herself away to the confines of the cinema, ate quickly at the diner, or stayed at her post. shifting uncomfortably, reyna leaned her forearms on the porch railing. she looked out at the scenery before bowing her head, clasping her hands together - looking at the chipped white paint.