Webspun, Chapter 1: Summer

In the hazy, parched city of Phoenix, Arizona, the magnificent and unusual sight of thunderclouds the color of elephant hide loomed overhead. The broad layer of dust that covered the city was disappearing, replaced with a light mist that shrouded the summits of the foothills. There was a slight breeze, and a sense of fatigue hung over the white-roofed houses.

Ethan Anderson was lying in his room on his bed, drumming his fingers lightly on the green comforter. The lights were shut off, and even his reading lamp was dimmed. The trickle of water could be heard as the rain pounded violently against the window, outlining the shapes of the glistening geodes and twisting bamboo on his windowsill. Having just discarded the book he was reading, he stared at the ceiling with drooping eyes and yawned vigorously.

His room was a rainforest abode, what would have been in style while he was in fifth grade. The real plant life needed constant attention in the desert of Arizona, but the everyday relaxation that resulted from the green surroundings was worth the maintenance. There were several oak shelves chock full of books on the opposite side of his bed, which was placed perpendicular to the wall. A reading table was next to his bed, on which there was his tree-shaped reading lamp whose shade looked like leaves centered in a circular pattern, although the usual pile of books was absent.

Ethan had honeysuckle eyes and brown hair the color of fresh mud that was straight and just long enough to frame his eyes. He had a long nose, high cheek bones, a slightly squared chin, and extraordinarily small lips. He was fairly tall for his age, which was sixteen, had a medium build, and had that sort of movie star tan. He had a little bit of colorless unshaven stubble, which could be expected from the pangs of adolescence. He looked like could not be out of place at a college coffeehouse or at an indie rock concert.

The sound of water continued to pitter-patter loudly on the window. Ethan turned his head to the only sound in the room, and then turned to his bedside table on his other side. He looked at the clock. It read that it was only 3 PM. What was he going to do for eight hours before he had to go to bed?

“I think I’ll go call Jenna,” he muttered to himself, sitting up. His voice was deep and resounding, and since he never realized how loud it was, he never really had control over it. He picked up his sleek tar-colored cell phone, from his oak bedside table and dialed Jenna’s number. The phone rang for only a few seconds before it was picked up.

“Hello, Jannen residence.”

“This is Ethan. May I please speak to Jenna?”

“Oh, hello Ethan! You know what? She’s outside right now, hanging out with Lance. Perhaps you should come over.”

“I think I will. Thanks for inviting me.”

“My pleasure.”

He got his bike ready and rode over to Jenna’s, being extra careful on the slippery sidewalk. He could have taken the car, but he preferred to take a small risk to enjoy the nice weather. About twenty minutes later, he arrived at Jenna’s modest home, getting off the bike and setting it on one side of the house, hidden from view. He treaded the cobblestoned path around the gnarled and twisted orange tree, past the overgrown oleanders, and into her backyard, where a flying, sopping thing greeted him.

Jenna had taken off her shirt and thrown it at him, exposing her bikini-clad body underneath. It was nearing summer, if not it was summer already, and even though it was raining, it was still at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Lance slid off the trampoline to meet them.

“What took you so long?”

Jenna Jannen was slightly shorter than Ethan, who just barely had to look down his nose when he addressed her. She had shoulder-length blonde hair the radiant color of raw pasta, eyes the color of seawater, deep dimples stretched onto a long face, a perfect pearly white smile, and eyebrows that penetrated souls. She looked rather like an overgrown tropical fish, and the way she carried herself suggested pride. On the right side of her face, there was a long white scar.

Lance had a medium body build and was about the same height as Jenna. He was slightly muscular, but nowhere near the point to looking like a body builder. His dirty blonde hair was a little messy and it curled up just at eyelevel, and his facial features were far less defined than Ethan’s or Jenna’s, giving him a windswept look, like he was once a well modeled sculpture which had eroded by time. Lance’s mouth tended to curl into a smirk, and he had that comical twinkle in his deep blue eyes, which were like little solar eclipses, but that was all the facial expression he ever showed.

“Took you long enough to figure out that we were here,” Jenna said.

“I figured that you would be at your house.”

“Groundbreaking idea, Ethan.”

“Look, it took me a while to remove myself from the boringness of staring at the ceiling. How are things?”

“Same as always. Perfectly fine,” Jenna said wearily, like the small-talk was boring her.

“Is Kimmy coming?” He regretted saying it the instant he said it.

“The only way that girl is coming is if she’s at home with her own hand own her pants,” said Jenna violently, “So, no, she is not coming. Because she was not invited. Didn’t even call,” Jenna said, mock-thoughtfully, clearly imitating someone. She rounded on Ethan again, “Why wouldn’t you just talk to her? You’re her best friend, aren’t you? You know how I feel about her by now.”

“Just because we’ve known each other since preschool does not necessarily mean that we’re best friends,” said Ethan rationally. Jenna raised her eyebrows and frowned slightly. Ethan continued bristly, “Okay, fine, we’re bffs, but that does not necessarily mean that I talk to her all the time. She’s not my go to girl for everything, you know?”

Jenna looked increasing skeptical the more he spoke. Ethan continued, a blush creeping up his face, “Oh, come on! Sometimes I find her need to discover, her need to just, well, you know, know, odd. I admit I find it intriguing, but still quite odd.”

“Admit it: you’ve had the hots for her for years,” Jenna said knowingly, interrupting him.

Ethan frowned, and said, still in quiet denial, “Thanks, Jenna. Anyways, seriously though, we’ve got three days of school left! We don’t even have academic classes! Finals are over! All we do when go to school is throw water balloons at each other, eat ice cream, and watch movies all day!”

“Dude, let her do what she wants. She says she’s got eleven books to read and she’s got to practice harp, flute, picc, and piano. Does it matter what she does?” Lance piped up.

“No one wants her here anyways.” Jenna quipped savagely.

Ethan ignored her last comment, and even Lance looked slightly put off. Ethan shrugged and pulled off his shirt, and they all got onto the trampoline together. They jumped around until they were tired, and then just sat on the lively surface.

“Are you guys still dating?” Ethan asked the other two.

Jenna said, “Yeah,” and she reached over and brushed Lance’s hair out of his face so I looked like he had a faux-hawk.

Just then Jenna’s mom came out and brought towels to them. They tried to drip dry outside underneath the porch before going inside. They went inside the living room, which had a tall ceiling that featured a single fan. There were Chintz furnishings all around the room, the place was lit gently. The floor was tile. A tick-tock sound echoed from the ancient, towering grandfather clock next to the window, which stretched along an entire wall.

Once they were settled, Ethan asked, a little too loudly so that his voice carried through the room, “So what’s Kimmy reading?”

“Does it matter?” Jenna said maliciously.

“It matters to me.”

“Well, I don’t care, and she’s not here to answer,” Jenna said finally, “And that’s the end of it.”

Right on cue, the door flew open, and the wind and rain rushed inside the house, and a leg came over the threshold of the door. The leg screamed ‘expensive’ and ‘fashionable’. The figure came into full light and a voice, clear and loud, but gentle as the summer’s breeze said, “It transpires, Jenna, that I am.”

Kimmy Cave was still standing in the doorway; three thick books nestled in the crook of one arm and a pricey leather jacket in the other.  Dramatically, the lightning flashed behind her. She had silvery blue eyes, a long pointed nose, and deep dimples. Etched into her face was a quizzical smile, slightly intimidating, but still warm and bright. Her triangular horn-rimmed glasses were flecked with raindrops, and the droplets caught in her tightly braided waist-length flamingly red hair made it sparkle. She was wear a long-sleeved white blouse and simple black slacks. She closed the creaking walnut door with her highly polished, painted, delicate-looking hands, although, when it shut, there was a shuddering crack that echoed through the tall room. She set the coat down over the back of one of the couches and gently placed the books on one of the thick cushions with dull thud.

“I have been studying,” She said, smiling fiercely, as though she were questioning them, and glaring intensely, as though she were disapproving the absence of learning and the presence of petty, simple relaxation.

Jenna stared carelessly at the books and said in that same malicious tone, “We’ve noticed.”

She walked around the room, looking at each ornament lightly. She had never been in the room before, so-

“Don’t touch my shit,” Jenna said, almost automatically and rather stiffly.

Kimmy spun around on the spot, pointed at them, raised her eyebrows and said, “I have to tell you something.”

“It was so important that you had to grace us with your presence,” Jenna said bitterly, her voice full of loathing.

“Actually, yes, Jenna, I needed to come over. Your mother was kind enough to invite me while you three were out and about on your trampoline, so I naturally obliged,” Kimmy said warmly.

Jenna dropped a quiet f-bomb, pursing her lips and crossing her arms.

Kimmy sat down on one of the Chintz armchairs in Jenna’s living room and looked up at them with a look of curiosity, almost in a way that could be seductive. “Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to sit down?”

“We’re going to change first,” said Jenna forcefully, “Because Chintz is fairly expensive.” She then marched the boys out of the room.

Kimmy muttered to herself, “Chintz isn’t that expensive; Burberry is expensive.”

Once they were in the hallway Jenna whispered, “She is not acting normal. I mean, she’s worse than normal. Like, bitchier than normal.”

“I can hear you, Jenna!” Kimmy said loudly.

“Which means you’re listening in, Kimmy.”

“I have no regrets for listening to other people’s conversations. I find them very enriching.”

Ethan rolled his eyes, but grinned and said, “This is something you would do, Kimmy!”

“You know it!” Kimmy replied.

Ethan turned to Jenna, “I agree. Let’s get changed and see what she has to tell us.”

Lance, who was always quickest to change, took the upstairs bathroom. Ethan took the downstairs bathroom and Jenna took her room. Once they were back in the living room Kimmy looked triumphantly perplexed and burst into conversation. “Do any of you know anyone named Solitude?”

The boys shook their heads, but Jenna simply rolled her eyes, her arms crossed at her chest tightly so tightly she looked like she might be wearing a straightjacket.

“I thought not. I received this,” She held up a piece of thick, heavy but still malleable paper, “today in the mail.”

Jenna snatched it up and read it with a stoic expression. She threw it at the boys, who caught it and leaned in together to read it. The handwriting was curved and long.



Dear Kimmy,

I haven’t got much time. I will explain everything on a later date. It is essential to read and understand my instructions.

Darkness is falling across my home. A trade lord named Mesagon has assembled an army with which I believe she wants to undermine our Government. I see no technically legal way to shut down her efforts, but if she plays dirty, we can too. Thus, I believe it is time to begin your training. It is important we act swiftly upon this. Meet me at the Lost Temple. Bring no one. Tell only those you can trust.



With Luck,

Solitude



“This is telling you to go where?” Jenna asked, rather impolitely.

“The Lost Temple.”

“Well, that’s absurd,” Jenna said at once. “Why are you telling me anyways? ‘Tell only those you can trust.’ Surely you don’t trust me.”

“I may not like you too much, but I still trust you.” Kimmy said. “And I am never absurd.”

“No, Jenna, it’s not absurd, it’s just strange,” said Ethan calmly and rationally, before Jenna could further retaliate.

“I wasn’t asking you, Ethan.”

“You weren’t asking anyone, Jenna,” said Kimmy, heating up, “it wasn’t a question.”

“Quiet, Kimmy,” Ethan said quickly into only Kimmy’s ear.

Jenna looked ready to retort, but Jenna’s mom walked into the room. She looked incredibly like Jenna, except her nose was a bit more rounded. “There’s a letter for you. I’m sorry; I forgot to give it to you earlier.”

Jenna opened the letter and looked at it once, looking slightly nonplussed.

“It’s the same letter.”

Kimmy rolled her eyes knowingly. Ethan slid back on the thick couch and closed his eyes. Lance was staring off into the distance.

“You pay attention very well.” She walked towards Lance. Ethan opened his eyes and stared at them, knowing what was coming.

Lance did the tiniest of double takes, looked at her, smiled widely, “I’m sorry, what was that again?”

“Oh, shut and kiss me.” Jenna pulled Lance into a fairly unwilling kiss in plain view of Ethan, who scowled, then whispered to Kimmy, “They have got to stop doing that.”

Kimmy’s face contorted into a smile, and she looked up suddenly, “Well, I won’t deny that, but at least she’s quiet now.”

Ethan and Kimmy sniggered to themselves. Jenna and Lance broke apart, Lance with a slightly bemused expression and Jenna with a disgusted, skeptical one.

“Well, what now?” Ethan said, egging Kimmy on.

Kimmy said, with a dry effervescence rolling through her voice, “Oh, I thought you’d never ask!”

She reached over to her books and took one entitled Earth’s Ancient Wonders. Ethan pshed, and said, laughing, “Kimmy!”

“No, seriously, I thought it might be helpful!”

Ethan looked at her shrewdly, “And you just told me that you’re never absurd.”

Kimmy humphed, and then said, “Are you, um, flirting, with me again?”

Ethan’s ears went slightly pink.

And now it became Kimmy’s turn to egg Ethan on, “Maybe just a little?”

Ethan clapped his hands loudly, and then said, “Well, then what ancient monuments on Earth have you narrowed down then? Or what strange mysteries have you seen common patterns in the world as towards this letter?”

“Well, I considered Stonehenge, and Atlantis, and the Bermuda Triangle, because they’re the ones we know least about.”

“Well, lucky no one knows where Atlantis is, or the function of Stonehenge, or how to fly through the Bermuda Triangle,” Jenna broke the stunned silence, again, very rudely.

“Well, I had to consider possibilities, right? Isn’t that what you would do?” Kimmy said.

“No, of course not,” said Jenna dismissively, “I would take it for what it is: one big practical joke!”

Kimmy narrowed her eyes at Jenna, who stood her ground. “Excuse me for being curious,” Kimmy said, irritated.

Ethan said, “Well, let’s consider that you both have points to make. Jenna you think this is a joke,” he looked dismissively at Jenna, “and Kimmy, you don’t. Why don’t we just accept each other’s differences and move on?”

Kimmy shrugged and Jenna humphed, looking arrogant.

Jenna scoffed, “Well, I think it’s time for you to leave, Kimmy.”

“Oh, you’re so kind, Jenna,” Kimmy said sweetly.

“Speaking of time, what time is it?” Ethan said, raising his voice slightly.

Kimmy looked at the grandfather clock for a split second and said, “It’s 9:17, Ethan.”

“Is it really?” Lance said vaguely.

“Oh no, my parents expected me back an hour ago.” Ethan said worriedly.

They all looked around. Kimmy was first to speak, “You should probably go.”

Jenna spoke next, regarding Kimmy, “Yeah, you should too.”

Ethan walked out, not expecting rain to be like a curtain as he walked onto the porch. There were no cars on the street.

He walked back inside. “I can’t go outside. There aren’t even cars on the street. It’s not safe for me to bike, there’s no visibility.”

Kimmy said briskly, “Then I’m not going to take the chance of obstructing my Mercedes.”

“You did close up the Mercedes, right?”

“Yes, Ethan.”

“I’m sorry; I’m simply looking out for you.”

“It was raining when I came over, smart ass.”

Lance hiccupped.

Jenna said frankly, “Well, call your parents, then, Ethan.”

He took his cell phone out of his pocket, dialed the number through speed dial, and lifted the receiver to his ear. There was a busy tone, and then silence.

“That’s strange.”

Ethan looked over at the window, where Lance was standing.

“That is strange. It never rains like that here. And I think Phoenix needs a bit of rain, so it’s good, right?”

“Yeah, I can’t get home, Lance,” Ethan said flatly.

There was a knock at the door. Jenna had an odd hesitation, but slowly, and with a snarl, she walked over to the door. She opened the door to find a piece of the same heavy paper with the same graceful handwriting sitting on the ground. She picked it up, and handed it to Kimmy. Kimmy looked puzzled, and her eyes sought Ethan’s. Ethan looked it over, and he looked politely bewildered. He set it down.

“Who keeps sending these things?” Kimmy interjected.

“It can’t be a coincidence. Nothing like this is ever a coincidence,” Ethan said.

Jenna looked at Kimmy. “It may not be coincidence, but it is cliché. Whatever you’re doing to scare us, Kimmy, it’s not scaring me.”

“Excuse me?” Kimmy asked, her glasses slipping down her nose.

“I think that we should sleep on it tonight.” Ethan said loudly.

“How are you going to get home, pacifist?”

“Fair point, Jenna,” Ethan said. “What are we going to do?”

“You guys can probably stay here,” She said slowly, with obvious hesitation in her voice.

Jenna stalked out of the room to talk to her mom about it. She came back into the room after a moment. “You guys can stay here. Kimmy can sleep in one of the guest rooms, because she’s not sleeping with me, and you guys can sleep in the other guest room, unless, of course, Lance wants to sleep with me.”