"Uh.. Vilchelmínis.." Will frowned at the green eyes on her, was he addressing her? "This doesn't look like Meridian Will.."

Hay Lin walked forward, and Blunk ran ahead; crashing straight into an invisible boundary. "Glass? Is it keeping us out of something?"

"Uh-uh.. In." Will suddenly felt the top of her mouth dry out, and she wished she'd drank Yan Lin's stupid tea instead of falling asleep. It had occurred to her at some point, while still trying to shake away the sleep from her head, that Caleb had sat with her all the while. Will was quite sure she'd have slept with or without him there, but it was comforting to know that Cedric or Phobos couldn't simply walk in and take her while she was sleeping. Caleb was there; his sword lying out on the table. "This is a giant terrarium."

Cornelia took a step away and Will took a step toward Caleb. It was an automatic reaction; he was surely more safe than relying on her own instincts, and time had proven that he would look after her when he could. It was a childish thought; a cowardly one. But Will cherished the thought of being the toddler, hiding behind the leg of her protector. Cornelia fell and Irma burst out laughing, "Ew! Why can't we ever end up some place less.. Dirty."

"What, like an evil mall?" Irma chuckled and Will took another step to Caleb. She thought she was getting away with it too until his eyes met hers full of questioning.. She decided her life was more valuable than pride and kept going; now taking a few quick strides until she was by his side. Thankfully he didn't questioning it further than visually.. She supposed that telling him she was creeped out of her wits would be about as embarrassing as it could get. Nevermind that she was therefore counting on him to look after her.

And then it was in front of her. Will wasn't generally afraid of spiders. But that was one giant-ass spider.

...

The second the tarantula had become visible, Caleb found his hand full; literally. The one question on his mind as he pulled Will away, leaving the other girls to flee by flight, was whether it had been her or him. Either way, she wasn't saying anything currently, and if he'd done it he'd show himself up by speaking up now. So instead he just clutched the warm hand, entangling with her long Guardian form's fingers. "Blunk!"

Caleb knew it would be easier to let go f her hand, but Will didn't slacken grip as the entire group headed for the top of the tree, minus Hay Lin who'd obviously flown for the passling he'd forgotten due to Will. A scream followed and Caleb peered down to Hay Lin, lying on he ground. He had to go. He had to physically pry his hand from Will's hand; not from her grip, which hadn't tightened any, but from his own fear. Fear because that was the little cheery girl who hated sugar nuggets, but bought them because he liked them. Because she was his very fondest friend of the girls other than Will, and because the spider didn't look like it would refrain from eating her. "Mi panikoválleste!"

"What?" Caleb was gone before he could reply to Will. He'd meant to say it in English, but he was mostly saying it to himself anyway. The way Will had held his hand wasn't afraid. It was reassuring. She wasn't afraid; he was. He couldn't recall actually being afraid of anything before these girls came into his life. God he hated women.

Caleb landed on the spider and threw the sharper point of a branch at it; he couldn't recall picking the item up, but it was too late to ask questions now as the spider threw him of and came at him with pincer-like legs. "Hay Lin!"

But at a glance Caleb saw red and then Hay Lin was gone; Will's voice rang out like an answer to his silent prayers for help. "Hay Lin! The berries!" Berries slammed into the creature and knocked it away, distracting the tarantula long enough for him to slip away, climbing back up the tree.

"EARTH!" Caleb heard a crashing and dust rose slightly in the enclosure. He could hear the girls talking about spiders, but didn't really take heed what they were saying. He had almost been spider food, and a new sensation was running through Caleb. Actually, the sensation was old, but he'd never felt 'fear' for his life before. It was certainly unpleasant.

Will was suddenly beside him, pointing up to a circular riveted white piece of plastic-type material. "Is that a lid?"

"Let's go for it!"

"Itsy-bitsy still a little too close for comfort!" Irma's humor wasn't funny and Caleb tried to push all thoughts of the gigantic tarantula from his mind. Taranee flew up and suddenly a cram of giant flaming twigs were threatening to burn as they fell past him apparently on the spider as a shriek emitted from the beast.

Hay Lin was alert again, "He can't catch what he can't see!"

Caleb was glad Hay Lin honed the ability to see a 'he' rather than an 'it' in the creature, but he was not glad for the wind pushing the fire's smoke throughout the enclosure. "I can't see!"


Vilchelmínis - Wilhelmina

Mi panikoválleste - Don't be afraid


Couldn't finish! I have to go, but I will have it done hopefully before school tomorrow!