Chapter 125- The Eight Leg Monster
Watson-Mariano Mansion
4:03 AM
The mansion was asleep.
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Peaceful.
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Quiet.
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Beautiful.
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For exactly three seconds.
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Then—
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A SCREAM.
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A loud scream.
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A terrifying scream.
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A world-ending scream.
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A scream so loud that it probably violated international law.
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CARE PATEL.
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And suddenly—
the entire mansion woke up.
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Room 1
JJ & Keifer
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JJ
Immediately sat upright.
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JJ
"SHE'S DYING."
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Keifer
Already halfway out of bed.
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Keifer
"SOMEONE IS DYING."
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JJ
"EVERYONE IS DYING."
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Room 2
Percy & Honey
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Percy
Woke up confused.
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Percy
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK."
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Honey
"BY WHO?"
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Percy
"I DON'T KNOW."
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Honey
"THEN WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?"
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Percy
"INSTINCT."
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Room 3
Lyra & Alex
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Lyra
Instant doctor mode.
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Lyra
"Cardiac arrest."
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Alex
"How do you know?"
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Lyra
"I DON'T."
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Alex
"Valid."
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Room 4
Rhys & Aera
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Aera
Jumped out of bed.
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Aera
"SHE LOST A LIMB."
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Rhys
"WHY WOULD SHE LOSE A LIMB?"
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Aera
"I DON'T KNOW."
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Rhys
"THEN WHY DID YOU SAY IT?"
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Aera
"PANIC."
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Room 5
Aries
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Aries
Opened one eye.
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Aries
"..."
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Aries
"This family."
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Still got up.
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Unfortunately.
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Meanwhile
Cole Watson
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Already running.
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Fast.
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Because there was only one thought in his head.
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Care.
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Nothing else.
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Just Care.
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And if someone had hurt her—
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Well.
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New York might have problems.
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The Hallway
Everyone arrived simultaneously.
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Still half asleep.
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Still panicking.
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Still imagining the worst.
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JJ
"SHE'S BLEEDING."
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Aera
"SHE LOST A LEG."
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Percy
"THE BUILDING IS ON FIRE."
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Aries
"What."
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Percy
"I DON'T KNOW."
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Then
The door burst open.
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Everyone rushed inside.
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And froze.
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Because the scene before them was...
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Not what they expected.
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Care Patel
Standing on top of her bed.
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Pale.
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Terrified.
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Pointing toward the window.
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Care
Voice shaking.
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"THERE."
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Everyone looked.
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And saw it.
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Silence.
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Because near the curtains—
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Was a tarantula.
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A gigantic one.
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Hairy.
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Huge.
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Walking slowly.
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Like it paid rent.
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JJ
"..."
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Aera
"..."
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Lyra
"..."
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Honey
"..."
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Then
The tarantula moved.
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One step.
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EVERY WOMAN
SCREAMED.
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Simultaneously.
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A Loud Male Scream
Joined them.
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Everyone turned.
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Percy
Still screaming.
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Percy
"IT MOVED."
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Aries
"Oh my God."
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Percy
"IT HAS LEGS."
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Aries
"THAT'S HOW SPIDERS WORK."
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The Tarantula
Moved again.
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Big mistake.
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Because absolute chaos erupted.
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JJ
Climbed onto a chair.
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Aera
Jumped onto Rhys.
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Rhys
Nearly fell.
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Lyra
Without warning—
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Climbed onto Alex.
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Actually onto his shoulders.
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Alex
"..."
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Alex
"How did you even get up there?"
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Lyra
"I DON'T KNOW."
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Meanwhile
The spider moved again.
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Care
Made a decision.
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A terrible decision.
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A very dramatic decision.
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She launched herself.
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Directly from the bed.
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Across the room.
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Like a flying squirrel.
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Cole
Barely had time to react.
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And caught her automatically.
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Effortlessly.
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Care
Immediately wrapped herself around him.
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Like a koala.
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Cole
"..."
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Care
"..."
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Cole
Not complaining.
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At all.
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JJ
From her chair.
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JJ
"I SEE FAVORITISM."
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Care
"SHUT UP."
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Then
The spider moved again.
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Percy
Screamed louder.
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And somehow—
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Jumped onto Keifer.
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A full-grown man.
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Keifer
"GET OFF."
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Percy
"NO."
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Keifer
"YOU WEIGH EIGHTY KILOS."
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Percy
"I'M SCARED."
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Keifer
"SO AM I NOW."
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Aries
Looking around.
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Aries
"What is wrong with all of you?"
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Then
A silence fell.
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Because suddenly—
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Nobody could find JJ.
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Keifer
"Where's JJ?"
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Percy
"Wait."
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Aera
"WHERE IS JJ?"
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Everyone
Looked around.
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No JJ.
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Not on the chair.
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Not on the floor.
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Not behind anyone.
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Then
Honey looked up.
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And screamed.
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Honey
"WHY IS SHE THERE?"
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Everyone looked up.
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And froze.
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Because somehow.
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Somehow.
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Nobody knew how.
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JJ WAS ON THE CEILING FAN.
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THE CEILING FAN.
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Not spinning.
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Thank God.
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But still.
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THE CEILING FAN.
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Keifer
"..."
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Cole
"..."
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Rhys
"..."
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Alex
"..."
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Aries
"..."
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JJ
Holding on for dear life.
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JJ
"DON'T ASK."
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Percy
"HOW."
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JJ
"I DON'T KNOW."
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Aera
"WHEN."
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JJ
"I DON'T KNOW."
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Lyra
"WHY."
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JJ
"SPIDER."
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Valid.
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Finally
Aries had enough.
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Enough screaming.
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Enough climbing.
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Enough nonsense.
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He walked forward.
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Picked up a glass container.
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Covered the tarantula.
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Slid paper underneath.
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Done.
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Thirty seconds.
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Finished.
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Silence.
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Absolute silence.
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Everyone stared.
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Aries
"..."
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Aries
"It was a spider."
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Entire Room
"..."
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Aries
"You are all adults."
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Entire Room
"..."
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Aries
"Doctors."
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Rhys
"..."
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Aries
"CEOs."
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JJ
"..."
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Aries
"Business leaders."
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Percy
"..."
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Aries
"And one of you climbed onto a ceiling fan."
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JJ
"..."
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Aries
"I'm going back to sleep."
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And he left.
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Immediately.
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Without another word.
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Behind him—
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Aera was still attached to Rhys.
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Lyra was still on Alex's shoulders.
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Percy was still on Keifer.
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Care was still wrapped around Cole.
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And JJ was still on the ceiling fan.
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Keifer
Looking up.
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Keifer
"How do we get her down?"
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JJ
"I LIVE HERE NOW."
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And at 4:17 AM—
the entire mansion collapsed into laughter.
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Even Care.
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Even Cole.
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Even Aries from somewhere down the hallway.
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Because honestly?
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Nobody would ever believe this story.
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And unfortunately—
it was completely true.
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4:45 AM
Watson-Mariano Mansion
The spider was gone.
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The crisis was over.
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Everything was safe.
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Or so everyone thought.
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Care
Still standing in the hallway.
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Still traumatized.
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Still refusing to enter her room.
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Lyra
"The spider is gone."
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Care
"What if it had a family?"
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Silence.
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Aera
"..."
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Rhys
"..."
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Percy
"..."
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JJ
"..."
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Care
"What?"
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Percy
"That's not how this works."
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Care
"How do you know?"
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Percy
"Because I have common sense."
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JJ
"You screamed louder than me."
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Percy
"IRRELEVANT."
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Care
Crossed her arms.
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Care
"I'm not sleeping there."
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Rhys
"It's 4:45 in the morning."
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Care
"I'm not."
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Aera
"What if Spider Senior comes looking for Spider Junior?"
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Care
"EXACTLY."
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Rhys
"You are both impossible."
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Then
The room discussion began.
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Lyra
"Stay with me and Alex."
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Alex
"Please don't."
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Lyra
"Fair."
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Aera
"Stay with us."
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Rhys
"No."
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Aera
"Traitor."
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JJ
"You can stay with me and Keifer."
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Keifer
Absolutely not.
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Keifer
"No."
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JJ
"Rude."
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Percy
Grinning.
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Dangerous.
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Very dangerous.
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Percy
"Oh."
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Percy
"I have an idea."
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Care
"No."
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Percy
"You don't even know the idea."
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Care
"I know your face."
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Percy
Pointed dramatically.
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At Cole.
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Percy
"Problem solved."
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Entire Hallway
FREEZE.
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Care
"..."
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Cole
"..."
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JJ
Gasped.
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Aera
Gasps.
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Lyra
Gasps.
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Rhys
Already regretting this conversation.
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Percy
Trying not to laugh.
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Failing.
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Care
"No."
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Percy
"Why?"
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Care
"Because."
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Percy
"Strong argument."
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JJ
"Very convincing."
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Care
"I will sleep on the sofa."
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Percy
"The spider knows where the sofa is."
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Care
"..."
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Percy
"What if it's waiting there?"
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Care
"Percy Mariano."
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Percy
"What?"
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Care
"Run."
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Percy
Immediately ran.
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JJ
Following him.
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Because chaos.
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Five Minutes Later
Everyone had disappeared.
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Leaving only—
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Care.
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And Cole.
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In the hallway.
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Awkward silence.
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Care
Still refusing to look toward her room.
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Cole
Trying not to smile.
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Care
"Don't."
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Cole
"I didn't say anything."
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Care
"You were thinking it."
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Cole
"Maybe."
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Care
"This is your fault somehow."
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Cole
"I caught the spider?"
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Care
"No."
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Cole
"Fair."
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A pause.
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Then—
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Cole
"You can take my room."
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Care
"What about you?"
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Cole
"I'll use the study."
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Care
Stopped.
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Because that wasn't what she expected.
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Cole
Shrugged.
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Cole
"It's just one night."
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Care
Looked at him.
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Then away.
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Then back.
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Care
Quietly.
"You can sleep in the room too."
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" And Thank you."
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Cole
Smiled.
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A small one.
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The dangerous kind.
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Cole
"You're welcome."
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From somewhere down the hallway—
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JJ
"SHE SAID THANK YOU."
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Percy
"I HEARD IT."
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Care
"GET OUT."
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And suddenly the mansion was loud again.
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Just the way it always was.
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And somewhere far away—
a single spider probably wondered why twenty adults had declared war on its entire species.
Poor Percy spent the next morning running from Care because he kept asking whether Spider Senior had found Spider Junior yet. 🕷️😂🏡❤️