The black-haired girl started to stick her fingers into the small holes at the top. Eva lurched forwards and grabbed her wrist. She wrenched the poor girl’s hand away far harder than she probably should have.
“Not a cat. She’s probably cranky from being cooped up and I don’t want her needlessly agitated.”
She didn’t apologize as the girl rubbed her wrist.
Eva sighed. “I was planning on letting her out at some point. This flight is way to long to leave her in there.”
She could hear Arachne already rustling at her words. The rest of the group apparently heard as well. Juliana leaned in closer, trying to peer through the holes. The twins gave an uneasy glance at each other.
“You have to promise not to scream or shout or really do much of anything. I had to smuggle–” Eva paused for a split second and tried to think of a good nickname. “Rach,” she decided, “past security and I doubt she’d take it well if a flight attendant tries to separate us.”
“That’s reassuring,” Juliana said. The girl was far too interested for her own good.
“Rach?” Jordan questioned.
Eva frowned. “Rach is a West African tarantula. Very large and a bit old. For a spider anyway.”
Shelby looked like she was going to be sick. She brought her hand closer to her chest as if being near the cage was going to hurt her.
Eva reached down to the clasp of the carrier door, but paused. “The moment she starts running around the plane or looks like she might even be considering thinking about the possibility of even scratching anyone, she is going straight back into her cage for the rest of the trip,” Eva said in a stern voice, mostly for Arachne herself.
Eva opened the door. Four long, black legs stretched out of the carrier.
Shelby shook her head and walked straight back to the couches, mumbling ‘nope’ over and over.
The rest stayed and watched as Arachne emerged from the carrier. She crawled out, each leg making a careful step. She turned around slowly, examining all the group with her eight eyes. Arachne turned back towards Eva and twisted her body a little, like she was trying to cock her head to one side. She felt out with her legs against Eva’s own, as if she was making sure who she was.
Eva frowned. The spider-demon was obviously showing off. For intimidation or for attention was up in the air. Probably both.
She scurried up Eva’s legs with frightening speed, eliciting a gasp from Irene. She slid right under Eva’s shirt and continued climbing out the neck hole. Arachne settled herself in on the top of Eva’s head, wrapping some legs around her chin. Her fangs drifted lightly to the top of Eva’s vision.
“Show-off,” Eva mumbled out the corner of her mouth. Juliana quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Eva snapped her mouth shut and suppressed a sigh.
“Well,” Eva said aloud, “meet Rach.” She brought her hand up and slowly stroked the smooth chitin.
The group as a whole did not look like they knew how to react. The sole exception being Maximilian. “Can I touch her?” he asked.
Arachne immediately tapped her left shoulder.
Eva shook her head. “I’d rather not needlessly upset her. Perhaps after we get to school and she gets acclimated to living in a new place.” Eva gestured at the fangs hanging into her vision. “You wouldn’t enjoy being on the business end of these.”
The larger boy withdrew his partially outstretched hand. He gave a half chuckle and said, “personal experience huh?”
Eva gave a short laugh at that. “I’m not sure I’d be around to tell about any personal experiences, if I had any.”
“Oh,” was his only response.
Irene spoke up for the first time since her introduction. “We should be getting back then, don’t want to crowd your spider after all.” She gave a nervous giggle and all but dragged Max away.
Jordan, however, stood there. He just stared at Arachne.
Eva fidgeted under the look. “Is there anything else?” she eventually asked.
“A West African tarantula, is it?” he asked with a bit of a skeptical look.
Jordan gave a small ‘hmm’ noise. “Well, Eva, I’ll head back with the others. Let’s talk again sometime.”
“Sure thing.”
With the strange boy gone, Eva relaxed back in her seat. The relaxing only lasted a moment.
