Entangled

Chapter 13

"You need a name...," Liatta trailed off, lost in thought.

The spider quirked its head up to Liatta, partly out of curiosity and partly because Liatta was currently stroking the spot between its head and abdomen.

After the spider had gotten used to her it began to show its true self, which was several times smarter than she had thought a spider could be, and very, very, active.

It couldn't sit still, to the point that even when it tried, Liatta swore it was vibrating. If it didn't get to go outside at least once every day, it would be practically bouncing off the walls.

It was a wonder that the spider was able to stay behind the curtain for so long before.

Because of this, Liatta had begun to go out more. So far, it hadn't been able to get her past the balcony but hopefully that would change soon.

Which brought them to their current location. Sitting in the sun, in a lounge chair, on a balcony that Liatta hadn't realized was in the room before.

She assumed that this balcony, like the closet, was a new addition. But Liatta hadn't seen any of the employees to ask.

It was odd. When she first arrived, she couldn't walk ten steps without running into one and now they were all missing-

The spider nudged Liatta's hand and she realized that she had slowed down her petting.

She chuckled. "Sorry, I got distracted."

In the day or so since the spider had opened up to her, Liatta had found that dogs and cats weren't the only animals that liked being petted.

The hairs on the spider were softer than Liatta would have expected, though they were coarser than a mammal's fur and sparse. Underneath its hairs, the spider's chitinous exoskeleton was cool and smooth. It was an interesting sensation.

Her mind returned to her previous declaration.

"I've got to call you something"

The spider made a movement that could only be the eight-legged equivalent of a shrug.

"Ruby? Your eyes are red." The spider shook its head. Well actually, it shook its entire body, but that was the sentiment.

"Crowley? Because you crawl?" The spider shook again.

"Harry? Because you're hairy?" The spider turned away from Liatta pouting.

It didn't care whether it had a name but if it was going to have a name it couldn't be an uncool one.

"Yeah, that last one was a bit..." Liatta leaned her cheek onto her palm and thought for a minute.

"Maybe Char? Short for Charlotte, like Charlotte's Web. I loved that book when I was a kid," She had made her mother read it to her during bedtime so many times when she was little.

Placing one feeler underneath its head, the spider mirrored her posture, considering the name. Begrudgingly, it nodded in agreement. Char it was then.

~℘~

They stayed relaxing in the sun for a while, until they heard a man yelling from the ground.

The spider ran into her lap at the sound but Liatta, though more alert, didn't move.

She couldn't make out what exactly he was saying, but the tone of the voice wasn't distressed. It sounded more like they were calling someone.

Liatta was reasonably sure that, whoever it was, wasn't calling for her. After all she didn't know anyone to call out to her. But the voice did sound vaguely familiar.