Web of the heart

Chapter 1

Your mom will kill us both if she knew we were going to Joshua's," I warned my nephew, Mike Parker, as we pedaled side-by-side down the dusty road.

"She won't know," he said, grinning like every twelve-year-old who'd ever broken a rule.

"I hope you know how much I love you. I don't like spiders."

"I know," he laughed. "Thank you, Aunt Aaliyah."

"You're welcome, Mikey."

We dropped our bikes beside the weather-beaten shed and stepped into Joshua's place. The air smelled of earth and faint chemicals, tanks and terrariums stacked in every corner.

"Joshua!" Mike called.
"You here, Joshua?" I echoed, my skin already prickling as we passed row after row of glass boxes alive with crawling legs.

Mike stopped in front of a tarantula's tank, eyes wide. I caught sight of Joshua sneaking up behind him—just as the spider leapt at the glass.

Mike jumped back. Joshua burst out laughing.

"Joshua, are you trying to scare me to death?" Mike said, half-pouting.

"Hey, Mike. Aaliyah."

"Hi, Joshua."

"The Lycosa narbonensis looks different today," Mike said, peering closer.

"It's all in the diet," Joshua replied. He crossed the room, scooped up a handful of crickets, and dropped them into what looked like an empty tank. The dirt stirred—then erupted as spiders burst from beneath the surface, snatching the crickets down into the dark.

I shivered and stepped back. "Joshua, did you get a chance to make that spider-repellent list for me?"

He nodded, grabbing a paper from his desk. "Here—green column's harmless, red's the bad stuff. Don't mix them."

"Thank you," I said, folding it neatly.

Mike drifted toward another tank. "What's this one?"

"Habronattus orbus—jumping spider. Pretty smart little things."

Mike's fascination only grew. "What about the orb weavers?"

Joshua smiled, leading him to a glittering web. "Females are bigger. Males bring them live prey so they don't end up as dinner themselves."

Mike wrinkled his nose. "That's... kind of gross."

"Kind of romantic, depending on who you ask," Joshua joked.

Then Mike's watch beeped. "We're late!"

"Bye, Joshua!" we yelled, racing out.

He waved from the doorway as we rode away, sunlight glinting off the glass tanks behind him.

That was the last time anyone saw Joshua alive.

⸻

One Week Later

The TV murmured from the living room while I stirred dinner on the stove. I heard the front door creak, the sound of a bike rolling away.

"He's going to get in trouble," I muttered.

An hour later, Samantha came home—Mike and Ashley trailing behind her.

"Dinner's ready!" I called.

Ashley's door slammed upstairs. Mike shuffled into the kitchen, cheeks red.

"You got caught," I teased, leaning closer.

He sighed.

"We can go next week," I whispered.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Really."

Once dinner was ready, I climbed the stairs and knocked on Ashley's door.

"Dinner's ready."

"Not hungry."

"Ash, your mom just wants you safe. You should've seen her when I was your age."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She scared off every guy who talked to me. You're lucky she only gave your boyfriend a ticket."

"She really did that?"

"Oh, she did. Now come eat."

Ashley smiled a little and followed me downstairs. After dinner, I cleaned up and caught Mike sneaking out of Ashley's room with her phone. I just shook my head.

"Troublemaker," I murmured, heading to bed.

⸻

Another Week Later

Morning sunlight baked the parking lot outside the office.

"Morning, Gladys," I said as I walked in.

"Morning, sweetie," she replied without looking up from her papers.

I settled behind my desk. A few minutes later, the bell over the door jingled.

"We're not hiring, sonny," Gladys said automatically.

"You sure? I'm a good engineer," a familiar voice answered.

I looked up—and froze.

Chris McCormick.

Older now, a little more rugged, but that same half-smile that used to drive half the town crazy.

"My name's not sonny," he said with a chuckle. "It's Chris."

Gladys finally looked up and gasped. "Chris McCormick! My nephew!"

I slipped out quietly to give them a moment. Out in the sunlight, I pulled out my phone and called home.

"Hey, Mikey," I said when he picked up. "I'm heading that way. We'll have to walk—your mom's probably got patrols watching for my car near Joshua's, and I'm pretty sure she chained up the bikes. I'll park at the end of the driveway and meet you there, okay?"

He laughed. "You're serious?"

"Completely. See you soon."

As I hung up, I caught myself smiling—at the thought of mischief with Mike... and at the unexpected return of a certain McCormick boy who suddenly wasn't a boy anymore.