Chapter Five

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She did a double-take. Really spider.

She yipped and waved her hand at the table, jerked it. She leaned in and blew hard puffs at the spider. Its bulbous black body shone in the candlelight as it tumbled to the table. Skylar pushed away from the table and covered her mouth with her hands.

Mia seized a can of beans and squashed the spider beneath it. Spider guts squirted across the table. The spider's legs sprawled out, their tips protruding from the edge of the can.

Mia tilted her head. "That's a big spider."

Skylar clutched her wounded hand to her chest. "Big." She nodded. "Do not want. Wow."

Mia nodded too. "We better get rid of it."

"You get rid of it," Skylar said. "You're the responsible one."

Mia gestured at her leg. "I hurt my ankle. Also, I killed the spider. Your turn." Skylar moaned and put her head on the table. Too close to the spider's corpse.

Skylar jerked back and eyed it. "Do you think it's still alive?" she asked.

Mia pointed at the gut-squirt. "Nope. Pretty dead. You'll be fine." She grinned. "Trust me."

She lifted up the can. "You said the ravioli was gross." The spider's abdomen adhered to the bottom but its legs fell onto the table. "This is gross." She whimpered. She plucked one of the paper towels and smeared the spider mess onto it. She crumpled the paper towel in her hand so that she wouldn't have to look at the spider's corpse.

Mia bit her lip. "I think that was a black widow. Hardcore."

Skylar eyeballed the distance to the front door. It was only a few steps away. "Well, I'm not opening the paper towel to check." She slid her chair back and gripped the doorknob. The night promised snipers.

Skylar shivered. "Mia, tell me to adult."

Mia took a sip of beer. "Adult, Skylar. Adult real hard." She blanched. "The beer's gross too, but I guess it won't bite us or poison us. Drink o'clock!"

Skylar inched the door open and stuck her arm out. She flapped the paper towel so the carcass would tumble out, but it stuck fast to the paper towel. The night creeped her out. She gave up and dropped the paper towel on the porch. She yanked her arm inside and smacked the door closed. She locked it and dropped to her butt on the floor. She ducked her head beneath the window.

"You okay?"

Skylar blushed. "It's foolish," she said. "I'm just silly."

Mia stood up, ginger on her wounded ankle. She leaned on the table. "I have a question." She arched an eyebrow. "Tell me who pays Vincent's rent."

Skylar burst out into hysterical laughter. "Oh God, his parents."

Mia snickered. "It's not that funny. When Josh gets like this, I tell him to go to bed." She reached out to Skylar. "It's bedtime. Let's go get changed." I can see why she's such a good mother.

Skylar nodded and pulled on the backpack of their clothing. Her hoodie and jeans plastered themselves to her skin. The chill seeped through to her bones. I feel more like the swamp-thing than an artist. A change of clothes will do me wonders.

Skylar wrapped her arm around her sister. Mia clung to her with two hands. Skylar aimed the flashlight's beam down the hallway. There were no windows. She sensed spiders under every magazine, under every paint-stiff rag. Her dad's old boots smelled like foot odor and anti-fungal cream.

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