Chapter 425: Wants To Kill Me
The smile remained perfectly pleasant on Luca’s face as he walked through the main market of the Sanctuary. People called out to him, waving him over or telling him that they had something new for him to see. Everything was absolutely perfect... even the imperfect were perfect.
Humans who seemed to be unhealthily skinny still had a glow about them as if they were at their peak of health. The dirt on clothes seemed to be almost intentionally placed, like the people wearing the clothes purposefully put it there, hoping to appear dirtier than they were.
"Luca, right?" smiled one woman as she almost skipped toward him. "I hear that you are going to be put in charge of the soldiers as Eric’s second in command. My brother is a soldier." The woman held up an apple in front of his face like she was the wicked witch, even as she looked like a princess.
"This is?" murmured Luca, his smile firmly in place even as hers made his skin crawl.
"It’s an apple, silly," smirked the woman. Picking up Luca’s hand that was hanging by his side, she turned his palm until it was facing up and placed the apple on the flat surface. "I’m Bella."
"And he’s not interested," chuckled a very familiar voice. Luca could feel his heart beating at her closeness, like every part of him was just waiting for her to arrive, but his actual body flinched slightly as he felt her hand on the small of his back.
"Alicia," smiled Bella, tilting her head to the side. "Funny seeing you here."
"I was looking for my—Luca," replied Alicia, her smile just as bright as Bella’s. "He’s late for a meeting."
"I see," nodded the other woman. "Then I guess I’ll have to let him go then... for now."