Discern, Mosaic Chronicles Book One

Chapter Eight

Nicole woke up Tuesday morning to spiders all over her bed. She screamed and flopped onto the floor, immediately feeling things crunching under her. Wet spots began soaking through her pajamas. With one motion, she was up on her feet, still shrieking, flicking on the light. Spiders were everywhere—the ceiling, her bed, the floor, the walls.

Lizzie burst into the room, spider spray in hand. She glanced at Nicole.

"Run—go change your clothes," Lizzie said. "I'll take care of this."

Nicole threw away her pajamas—sections of them were so covered in spider guts that she could barely discern the original color anymore. She jumped into the shower as fast as she could.

It didn't surprise her that as she washed her hair, spiders flushed down the drain. She couldn't help screaming and pounding the shower walls, not caring who heard. Why was this happening? Why were they invading her space? Stalking her?

At least she hadn't been bitten yet. A miracle, to say the least.

Nicole didn't shower long. As soon as she had scrubbed everywhere multiple times, she popped out, dried herself off, and changed into jeans and a tee.

"I'm not sleeping in that room again," she said, then paused, tapping her cheek. "I checked the guest bedroom yesterday. The traps were empty. There hasn't been a single spider there since we moved in, so I'm sleeping there tonight."

Lizzie shook her head. "You can't do that, Nicole. That room was completely overrun when we moved in. I mean, what if they want you there?"

Nicole chuckled. "Don't be silly. They're spiders. They don't want people anywhere."

"But what if they do? It could be dangerous! I mean, they might even bite you!"

"They haven't yet." She held up her hand when Lizzie started arguing again. "If I see any spiders while getting ready for bed, I'll leave immediately. I promise."

"And let me know—I'll help you set up in the living room."

Nicole sighed. "You know, after everything we've had to deal with, I honestly don't care how great a bargain Sam is giving us. If we can't figure out what's going on, we need to find somewhere else to live. Even if that means having to ask my parents for help."

Lizzie looked surprised. "Wow. You're that serious?"

"Of course."

"Well, I agree. This is insane."

The girls spent the next hour setting out spider traps and throwing the sticky things away when they got full. The lighter it got outside, the more scarce the spiders became until the girls couldn't find anything anymore.

Nicole turned to her queen-size bed, hands on hips. Several carcasses were on the sheets, and she'd bet there were plenty of living creatures buried beneath the blankets. She yanked off the bedding and at least a hundred spiders fell out, scurrying into the crevices of the room. Others rolled to the ground, already dead.

But something else dropped to the wooden floor with a thud. Something that upset Nicole even more than the spiders.

The leather book.

"Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh!" She flipped the blanket away from herself and jumped up and down, screaming, shaking her hands. "It was in my bed. In my bed!"

Lizzie stared at the book in shock.

"Oh, I can't believe it. The spiders were bad enough. But this?" She flung her hand toward the book. "I'm positive it's been here the whole time it was missing from Coolidge's lab! Argh!" She sat down, staring at Lizzie.