Mother of the Spiders: Octagon

4. Coop (Thread One)

[Each chapter of Octagon corresponds to a song that inspired the shape of the character arc and/or story arc. You can listen to each chapter's "song" to gain further insight into the world-building of Gossamer Loom and the people who live there. I definitely had fun listening to these songs while I was writing the novel. Chapter 4's "Formation Song" is "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton.]

Also, readingatm_ 
I took your feedback to heart and made this chapter more dialogue-driven! Thanks for the note... I am committed to using feedback like that to make these stories better!

Cooper Reynolds just loved the woods. He always had. The world just made sense when you had an axe in your hand and a job to do.

There was a simplicity in this forest, with this job; a predictable rhythm that calmed him down when life got too freaky. He raised his axe and brought it down hard, and the log split in two, sending a satisfying crack through the crisp night air. His thick flannel shirt was damp with sweat, but the cool fall breeze made his efforts feel good.

The trees stretched out around him, an eternity of towering pines and oaks. This was his home, the edge of Gossamer Loom, the place where he'd spent his whole life. People always asked him if he was planning on leaving—as if it was something everyone had to do eventually. But Coop couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

He grunted as he lifted another log onto the chopping block, his arms burning from hours of work. But the ache kept his mind from meandering, from thinking about things he didn't want to think about. Like how Ivy used to come here sometimes, back when they were kids, just to sit and talk while he swung the axe.

He, Ivy, Caroline, Willy—they had been inseparable once. Best friends, thicker than thieves. Now Willy was gone, Caroline was locked away, and Ivy... well, he wasn't sure if they'd ever speak again. And, seeing as how this was the worst thought imaginable, he decided it'd be best not to think it anymore.

Gossamer Loom had given him that quiet life he thought he wanted. And he couldn't let thoughts of you-know-who mess that up.

For many years, he'd done his best to get over her. After all, they hadn't been together since high school... ten years ago, now. And he had tried move on. But ever since he woke up from that weird ass dream... he couldn't ignore how much his heart ached to see her again.

Ivy.

He saw her in flashes—horrifying visions that came out of nowhere. Her neck was on the chopping block. Her dark skin glistening in the moonlight—her face twisted in anguish as if she knew the axe was coming down any second now. In his intrusive, waking nightmares he was always the one holding the axe, hovering over her... ready to bring it down. The dream never went further—never showed the axe come down... but the terror lingered—like a pit in his stomach, a reminder of what they'd done to each other's hearts years ago.

Coop gritted his teeth, trying to shake the images. They weren't real. It was just his fear. He would never hurt Ivy like that. But he knew the truth: their relationship had already left its mark on both of them, one that would never fade.

The sound of footsteps broke through his thoughts—crunching through the leaves behind him. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.

Ivy.

Somehow, he had known deep down she'd come to see him tonight.

Ivy stood at the edge of the clearing, her figure barely visible in the fading light. Her hair was longer now, even messier, and her posture was more guarded, but she was still Ivy. The Ivy that had been his high school sweetheart once. His first love. She had that same sharpness in her eyes, that same spirit that pulled him in years ago.