Arachne

 

I deliberately took an uncomfortable sleeping position when I went to bed.
This prevented the legs from coming out, and I could wake up completely normally.
I look around the room in search of any new things they added while I was out, as they have this kind of habit.

But then I suddenly stop.
In the center of my room stands a girl!
A very small, very young girl!
She has shoulder-length black hair and wears a deep red dress.
Also, she's pale.
Not as white as I am, but there's a certain lack of sunlight to her complexion.

 

"Hello!"

 

The girl speaks to me, but this whole incident is hard to comprehend.

 

"How did you end up here? Did the spiders catch you? Are you hurt?" (N)

"Are you still sleeping? Your demeanor shows that you are slightly confused. Your processing works fine I hope. There shouldn't be side effects, but you might never know. Your existence was quite a while in limbo."

 

I freeze up.
The way this girl speaks isn't normal.
But she looks so young!
I need a moment but eventually, I realize...

 

"Kyroki." (N)

"It seems your cognitive abilities are operable." (K)

"Why are you here?" (N)

"Shouldn't I check how my little sister fares, after I invested so much energy in all of this? You haven't shown yourself the whole time, so I thought I should be a little proactive. Isn't this right?" (K)

 

I heard many things about this person.
Kyroki is apparently an extremely dangerous, mad scientist.
Yet I would've never guessed she looks like this.
My height is below average, but she doesn’t even come to my shoulders.
However, what makes her still look dangerous, are the piercing red eyes I just now noticed, which almost seem to glow.
She makes me uneasy.
And I fear what she might do to me.

Suddenly, she closes the distance and touches my hair.

 

"It is very interesting to see how much your body has changed! I had my doubts that it might be just superficial, but your insides, your very being transformed completely, fascinating!" (K)

 

She is scary how she seems to dissect me with her eyes.

 

"Could you bring out your legs? It would be interesting to see how they are growing out of you. They should be directly linked to you and the hereditary information should be the same there as the rest. It would be great to see you one day give birth to an Arachne. I heard you are already producing brood on your own. Would you submit a specimen to me?" (K)

 

Creepy!!!

 

"Ehm, no? I mean I don't want to! This is all wrong! Why did you do it in the first place?!" (N)

"Curiosity! This is one of the main motivations of a conscious being. Understanding of one's own existence. Don't you think you have now a different perspective on things like your species, and what you are identifying as yourself? This is knowledge! And you looked like you were in need of a new perspective, so battered like you were. Aren't you glad?" (K)

 

She seems to look directly through me, her gaze is piercing and stunning.
And the most frightening part is, she is right!
When they found me I was done for.
I pleaded for help and it was granted.
In the most twisted way possible.
She at least gave me a way to live on, instead of certain death.

I would for sure be dead by now if not for this.
And I could always have killed myself if this was really my wish.
But I didn't.
I want to live.
At least I can manage for now.

Nonetheless, she is frightening and for sure has no benevolent character.

 

"So you look as if you got accustomed. Are there any needs you had as a human you retained?" (K)

"What do you mean?" (N)

"I don't know. Any food you miss? Water? The urge to clean yourself? Human company? I’m just trying to figure out if you still have to follow any subconscious cognition, remnants of your old existence so to say, or if your mind changed profoundly enough to overcome this." (K)

"Are you saying that you changed my mind?!" (N)

 

This is scary.
If she can change even that how shall I know who I am?

 

"Not your personality. Only your instincts. You have now the innards of an Arachne, which includes the brain. You are not human my dearest. Be honest. When did you wash yourself the last time? And do you have the urge to do so?" (K)

"Two days before I woke up here I washed myself and no I haven't, but what are you implying?" (N)

"Would you consider yourself negligent in your sanitation?" (K)

"No! This is rude! I just haven’t had a chance to do so!" (N)

"The truth is, you didn't even consider it. You don't have the urge because you don't need to wash yourself anymore. An Arachne doesn't sweat and while you sleep your brood comes out to take care of any residues on your body. So it is completely unnecessary for an Arachne to take time for such tasks. And because of this they have lost the urge and you now too. What a development!" (K)

 

This feels wrong!
Not just my body changed, but my mind as well?
It cannot be this easy to change me!
Right?

Wait!
Did she just say the spiders in my body come out when I sleep and clean me?
This is nothing I wanted to hear!

 

"This was a nice talk and I am glad that you are healthy. I would be very sad to lose you. You are my greatest achievement and I see you as a little sister, so tell me if something feels wrong. I might know you better than you do! Bye!" (K)

 

And thus, the creepy horror girl leaves.
I need some time until I can move again.
The meeting with that girl was the level of scary I anticipated, yet not exactly the same as I thought.
Her way of speaking to me was unbelievably distressing.
And she has such a convincing attitude.
I begin to doubt myself that my mind is still human.
And maybe she is right.
However, I hope that I don't deteriorate into becoming a frightening monster.
Please let me stay myself, if only a little bit!

Please!

 

             

 

"Good morning, Nerysi! Are you up?" (T)

 

 A call from the door breaks me out of my thoughts.

It's Talisa who apparently every day comes to look for me.
She said she is in charge of the sisters and like this might feel responsible for me as the youngest.

 

"Is everything alright? You are shivering! You shouldn't feel cold here, right? Did something happen?" (T)

"I had a visit." (N)

"A visit?" (T)

"A frightening little girl who said disturbing things." (N)

"Kyroki! Sorry, she can be very callous. It's not that she is evil. To be honest, those she likes have her attention even if it is not necessarily in their best interest. She might come again, but she would never harm you, that much I can promise." (T)

"Right. It's just that I am a little shaken now. Was there anything you want?" (N)

"We have a reading lesson today! You are supposed to come with me to the library. Is that still fine?" (T)

"Yes, sure!" (N)

 

Learning to read would be a fine thing.
And it is a really generous act of hers.
I am glad about this kindness.

We pass along the hallways until we reach another big gateway.
Talisa opens it up and we enter.
Inside are... well, books.
This much was to be expected from a library.
The point is the presentation.
The books are lying in coves up to thirty meters high in a round room with a large pillar in the middle.
Both the outer walls and the pillar are used to store them and the entire room is made of webs.

Is the pillar just one massive thread?
How are you supposed to take a book from the top?
This question gets answered by Talisa in a disturbing way.
Her spider legs break out of her back, and in only a moment, she climbs the threaded surface of the pillar and casually takes a book from above, securing herself with just those legs.

Naturally, I panic a bit.
But because it is the second time, I can keep control over my body.
Also, she's not directly in front of me, yet I gulp when she comes back.

 

"I apologize, but this is the only way to reach the books and you would have reacted like you just did one way or the other." (T)

 

She's not wrong, but I feel bad.
Still, it is fascinating how she could climb with her legs all the way up there.
That they bring such possibilities.

Not that I want to have mine out, nonetheless she was so fast.
The book she brought is apparently something like an easy textbook.
We settle at a table in this room and she explains the individual patterns and makes me read them while directing my efforts with tips and corrections.

Its content is about the history of some country.
I'm not entirely sure, but I don’t think it‘s my country.

We spend the whole day, or at least I think it was a day, like this and I am dead tired when I’m returned to my room and go to bed.