Planet Suibom BOOK 1

Arachne Priddy

Arachne the Jackalope loved to paint. It was passion of hers since she was little. Apparently, it was also a passion for new apprentice, Dani. "So, Dani, how long have you been painting?" Arachne asked.

"Since I could walk!" Dani replied, watching her new master grabbing a ton of painting supplies. They were in a large white theater, nothing else but the two were different colors. Everything was white. Arachne closed the white closet door and set down the paints. She handed Dani a transparent full-body suit, slipping one on herself. "Um, what's this for?"

"Protection." She said bluntly.

"Protection? From what?" Dani asked, putting on the suit.

"From this." Arachne said, cracking open a can of orange paint. She then pulled the hood over her head and antlers, beginning to pour the paint over her suit. "C'mon, grab a paint can!" She said, tossing the now empty can aside.

"If you say so." Dani said, pulling her hood over her head and ears. She picked up a can and opened the top, revealing dark purple paint. She closed her eyes as she poured it over her head. Though none of the paints reached her fur, she was still worried about what Arachne had meant by 'protection'. "Okay." She dropped the empty can. "What now?"

"Now, I want you to spin." Arachne said.

"Spin? Like a ballerina?" Dani asked.

"Yeah, go on." Arachne said.

Dani looked down at her feet. Spin? Is that really what she was going to do? Well, the suit did fit well enough for her to do certain movements. She took a deep breath and found a spot on the wall and spun. What happened next filled her with so much exhilaration, she could've sworn she almost fainted.

As she spun, the colors spiraled around her, filling the white room with patterns of different shades of purple. When she went faster, more appeared. When she went slower, they would move. "H-how is this happening!?" She cried as she stopped spinning. Her purple patterns seemed to sparkle.

"Like this!" Arachne said excitingly. She did a few dance moves, most more elegant than others, but every time she did a different move, the patterns either changed, moved, glowed, got bigger, got smaller, and sometimes even change color. "Moving is the key to this trick, which is what makes it so great to use in battle, since you're always moving, hopefully. Go on, try some more moves!"

Dani recalled all the memories of her dancing. It was something she wasn't very good at, but she wasn't terrible at it. She did a few jumps, making big splashes of purple paint. She stood on her tiptoes and did a few more spins, combining them with jumps. The results were astounding and really filled her with a feeling she couldn't describe. Something like happiness, but she couldn't quite place it.

"You doing alright, Dani?" Arachne asked, twirling over to the cat.

"Yes! Yes, this is amazing! It's like a dream come true!" She cried. Without thinking, she hugged the jackalope. Her master hugged back after a moment of shock. She smiled warmly as Dani pulled back.

"I know how to make this even better! Watch this." Arachne said, bounding to the middle of the theater. She tapped her foot on the ground three times and cried, "Music!" The sounds of song started playing from an unknown speaker. "You ready for this?" Arachne asked, her lively voice almost mute because of the loud music.

"I guess so!" Dani said.

"Let the music lead you! Don't think too much, just go with the flow!" Arachne said, setting off into a series of spins and moves. Now this was the part that Dani found most hard. She was usually so alert and ready, she wasn't sure how to 'go with the flow'. The music playing was a classical song that sounded like it belonged in an opera theater. She tried to dance with grace, praying it didn't look like she was trying TOO hard.

Through the entire song, Arachne watched Dani, spotting many flaws. She was trying too hard. She frowned slightly, but continued with her dance, hoping the cat would be able to catch on.

The song ended and was replaced with a modern pop song. Dani was confused at first, then realized something. The color of the paint, along with the patterns, also seemed to change when the genre of music did. Her purple colors changed to blue, and Arachne's orange changed to red. She decided to try something different, since this was her kind of music. When the beat dropped, she kicked the air, and something seemed to happen that she wasn't expecting.

From her pointed foot shot what looked like a ribbon. It grew its own stick and Dani caught it. It looked like those ribbons that those ice dancers use at their performances. Dani smiled and did a few spins, surprised she hadn't gotten dizzy yet. The purple ribbon moved with her, moving how she wanted it to move. Arachne watched in astonishment as the next genre of music played. The next was Latin.

The purple ribbon changed to a purple rose. Dani held it between her teeth and did something she didn't notice. Her clothes were changing as well. Her light pink skirt turned into a small dress ending just above her knees. This music was the most Dani loved, since it was the dance class she loved. Back at school, she would sign up for dance so she didn't have to do certain P.E. classes, and Latin was her favorite. She had always dreamed about dancing that way with Peter. But, she knew that would remain a dream, she just refused to accept it.

Arachne watched as Dani's paint started to fade. "Oh no..." She whispered, looking back at Dani. She was dancing, but she was going very fast.

Dani knew Peter would never be with her. He was gay, and she should accept that. That was who he was, and he wouldn't change for her. He loved Dusk, not her. He would never love her...

These thoughts clouded Dani's mind, tuning out the music and Arachne. She did one final spin. One very long spin. She could feel the rose between her teeth as she frowned. The thoughts wouldn't leave her mind. They were taking over. She saw someone. Someone with fur as black as night. 'Peter'? She thought.

No

She was silent, listening to the voice in her head.

I'm the Master

They turned to greet her. His hypnotic red eyes. His jet black fur. His red and black attire. The red swirls in his eyes glowed. Black ink poured from his eyes.

Hey there, Dani

A hand suddenly grabbed her, stopping her spinning. All her colors faded away, until only Arachne's remained. Arachne gripped Dani's arm. The rose flew from her mouth and her clothes went back to normal. Arachne looked Dani in the eyes. "I'm taking you to the hospital wing." She said bluntly.

"What? Why?" Dani asked, confused. The colors in the white hall disappeared, along with the music.

"You were acting...strange." Arachne said. "Something I've only seen in..."

"Only seen in?" Dani said, trying to get her to go on.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. Let's just go. Lucky for you, your mother's a nurse there. Let's get going."