Carnival: Best Friends

Akari and Gwen were two best friends at an airport. Akari was super excited about their trip and extra anxious about her first time on a plane. Gwen on the other hand was as cool and collected as always.

“Gwen! I can’t believe we’re doing this!”

“The flying on a plane, the trip to Spiral City, or the hole in our wallets?”

“All of it! Like can you believe this?!”

“What I don’t believe is you convinced me to get on this metal bird.”

“Come on, I think it's great we can experience new things together.”

Gwen chuckled to herself before telling Akari that she was going to get some water for her medicine. Akari playfully kicked her feet humming a song she’s heard in her sleep every night since she was 5. She closed her eyes and her mind drifted as the song became more vivid in her mind. That was until she was awoken by the sound of fingers snapping in her face. Akari opened her eyes to see an older woman and her child.

“Can I help you?” Akari inquired.

“Excuse me. Where’s your parents?”

Akari shrugged, “At work?”

“Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“It’s Saturday.”

“Then shouldn’t you be with your parents? A little girl shouldn’t be traveling alone. It’s dangerous.”

“Actually, I’m 15.”

“That’s still a child.”

“I guess but my best friend has my back.”

“Running away with your boyfriend?! You need to go home, give up your plane tickets, and think about your actions. Now, little girl.”

Gwen cleared her throat. The woman turned around. They both stared each other down.

“Is there a problem?”

“This is none of your business little girl.”

“It is when you are bothering my friend.”

“This little girl is trying to run away with her boyfriend. You and your mother should take her back home.”

“One, she’s not running away. We are on a girls’ trip to Spiral. So if you don’t mind,”

“Actually, I do mind. As an adult,”

“Actually, I don't care.”

“You rude little…”

“Be careful, cursing in front of children is bad.”

“I thought you weren’t children.” the woman said smugly.

“Not us. Your child.”

“Don’t you bring my darling angel into this.”

“I won’t. But it appears you didn’t either.”

“What are you…”

The woman looked around and didn’t see her son. She called out to him. Seeing him following something just out of view, the woman ran off screaming that someone was kidnapping her soon. Akari stood up, preparing to go help, Gwen gave Akari her carry-on bag. “Nope.”

“But.”

“Nope. She is none of our concern. He is none of our concern. They are none of our business. Plus the metal bird is here.”

“You think they'll wait for her?”

“I doubt they’ll make it back.”

The two went on the plane. Akari hesitated, looked back with a look of worry before getting on board. Gwen simply narrowed her eyes as she walked onto the plane. Akari thought, “I hope they’re okay.” Gwen thought, “Suffer.”

The plane landed and Akari ran off screaming in excitement. She hooted and cheered all the way to a trash can, which she threw up in. A flight attendant rubbed her back trying to calm Akari’s nerves. The flight attendant asked if Akari came with anyone. Akari pointed towards the wobbling Gwen. Gwen eventually made her way over. For a moment, the flight attendant thought they saw Gwen with a bun overshadowing her head at the back of her head. She informed the flight attendant that they were okay.

Once they finally pulled themselves together, Gwen and Akari collected their luggage and stepped outside. They were surprised to see the fall-like weather on a summer day. The soft breeze was not enough to ignore the bright sunlight. It felt like they were in a desert with thin clouds but that wasn’t the case. There was low cut deep green grass around the airport. Flower patches scattered about. Fruit trees were very visible but obviously naturally occurring. Akari looked around in awe. Gwen warned her not to go too far. Akari ran to the edge of the airport and reached out to touch the nearby strange purple flower. Seeing a spider in the patch, Akari stepped back. Shivers went up her spine, “I’m okay Gwen. Just got surprised by a spider. “So you’re the hyperactive troublemaker my sister brought up.” not recognizing the deep voice behind her, Akari got on her hands and kicked back, “Stranger danger!!” Blocking her kick with a raised leg, the wild-haired male growled at her as his ears appeared to be turning red, “Dirty move, good call in an unfamiliar place.”

Akari spring boarded into the man, the man smiled and kicked her upward, Akari caught herself by rolling off to the side. Gwen smacked the man upside his head. They spoke in a language that Akari did not recognize. “Sorry about that. Akari, this is my brother, Vein. Vein, this is my best friend Akari Raven.” “Raven, huh?” Vein gave Gwen a look. Gwen punched him in the ribs.

“Well Akari Raven, welcome to Spiral City. The City of Strings.”

“Hi Vein.” Akari ran over and hugged him. “It’s so awesome to finally meet Gwen’s family! Why is this place called the City of Strings?”

“Oh. You’ll learn.” Vein smirked.

Gwen smacked him upside the head, “Let’s get home already.”

Vein pulled around his motorcycle with a sidecar. Akari swooned over the motorcycle. Gwen got on him for not renting a car. Vein told her that she and Akari could both sit in the sidecar or Akari could just sit behind him. Gwen clicked at him. Akari looked at her, shocked, never hearing her make such a sound before. Vein told Akari the offer. She said she had no problem with the sidecar since she would want to take pictures. Akari sat in the sidecar and put on the goggles. Vein asked Gwen what she plans to do. Gwen looked at Akari and then at Vein. Gwen begrudgingly put on his helmet and sat behind him. Vein chuckled as he drove off.

Akari did in fact take lots of pictures on the drive into the city. Gwen would occasionally look at Akari. Vein kept an uncharacteristic straight face. Once in the city, Vein stopped at the park from Gwen’s childhood.

“Why did you bring us here?”

“The farm is getting some work done and I need to get you two a hotel room.”

“So why not take us to a hotel?”

“Hey… Gwen, do you feel like something is off about our lives?”

“What? Vein… Is something wrong?”

“No. Just a weird feeling that I can’t shake.”

“Did you wanna…”

“Hey, focus on your best friend before I take her from you.”

They continued to argue as Akari began walking into the nearby section of trees. She commented how it was nice to be in an area with close to no bugs. Two guys walked out from behind a group of trees with beer cans in hand. “Hey, Sweet Thang, what you doing out here all by yourself?”

“I’m not alone.” Akari put her guard up.

“Now don’t go and make this violent Sweet Thang.”

The two guys stopped. Akari raised an eyebrow in confusion. Little did she know, the tree leaves were shuffling despite the lack of wind at the moment. The guys watched in horror as the trees seemed to gleam. Gleams that made themselves clearly out to be spiders. Thousands and thousands of green-eyed spiders in hundreds of trees. All glaring at the two guys. As they began to make a clicking noise, two long sticks appeared to rise up from Akari. As those two sticks crackled and bent to touch the trees beside it, two more rose up and followed suit. As those four sticks scraped the trees, four more immerged and dug into the ground. Akari got a shiver up her spine and she thought to herself, “Gwen?... Vein?” the guys could make out that those weren’t sticks, they were very long legs. As the body of those legs rose above Akari’s head, it was clear to them. Those legs belonged to a giant spider that easily met the treeline. Akari began to see a light green mist along the soil. She slowly turned around to see a massive spider with light green eyes towering over her. With the body of her best friend in its mouth.

Akari dropped to her knees, crying in disbelief. The massive spider seemed not to even notice her. It had its sights on the two guys who were currently peeing their pants. The two guys took a step back. The spider growled and shook its head. One of the guys attempted to run. The spider leapt into the air and landed on him with one of its legs. The hairs on the leg stood on end and stretched out before redirecting themselves into the guy. The other guy whimpered and dropped backwards as he watched his friend shrivel up. He watched his friend swiftly wrinkle and shrivel up as if he were aging rapidly until he exploded into dust. The spider shivered with joy. The remaining guy began to beg and plead for his life. Offering to be its servant at one point and praying that he will give up drinking at another.

The spider turned around at the same time that Akari turned to face it. Seemingly, seeing Akari there, the spider’s mouth opened and dropped the teenage female body. Akari longed at the body. The guy reached towards her. The spider charged at the guy. Akari ignored the spider as it jumped past her. She began to try to shake Gwen awake. Completely oblivious to what was taking place behind her.

Just before making contact with the guy, the spider began to break down into hundreds of spiders the size of an average adult hand. Those spiders covered the guy and began to bite and vibrate their abdomen. The vibrating, making the sound of branches in a gentle breeze, seemed to call the thousands of much smaller spiders from the trees down. As they covered the guy, he could be seen melting. As if he was being liquified from the inside out and then devoured by the spiders.

Akari continued to cry as she believed that Gwen was dead. The green mist became denser. Not long after Akari began to notice that the mist was beginning to go into Gwen.

“Gwen, get up already. You left a mess.”

Akari saw Vein walking towards them in the distance. Frustrated, Akari was getting ready to yell at Vein for being insensitive. She did not notice Gwen’s eyes open, revealing eight light green spider eyes.

“Some giant spider came out of nowhere and attacked her and two drunk guys! Aren’t you worried about her?!” Akari said with tears in her eyes.

Vein looked at her confused as he cleaned his ear out with his pinky finger, “All this time and you never noticed? Man, you really are his daughter.”

Akari attempted to get up but felt that familiar shiver up her spine. She looked back to see Gwen getting to her feet. “Sorry that I never told you…”

“Told me what?”

The spiders from around them crawled up Gwen. They collected at her head, forming the massive spider from before.

“That’s what she actually looks like.” Vein said, bored.

Akari turned around to see Vein’s messy hair even more unkempt. His eyes were that of a spider but red with small light green gleams within them. His skin had turned an unhealthy-looking grey. Fangs and chelicerae were visible where his mouth once was. He made clicking sounds similar to the unknown language she heard them speak earlier using the fangs and chelicerae. Gwen responded by clicking that seemed sad.

“Now that you know what I really look like… do you think we can still be best friends?” Gwen said as her spider legs bent so her human legs could touch the ground. Vein’s head tilted. Akari balled her fists. The green mist lightened up.