Ebony White's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Ebony White opened her eyes to a strange silver glow. Her spider had spun a web across the dark beams of the old cattle farm, bigger and brighter than any web before. She rose in her dark green dress, her crown catching the light. Tonight, she thought, might be the night her spider finally learned to weave silk that could bind jealousy. Then she saw the small shape stuck inside the strands. Vicky stood tangled in the web, pink dress snagged, a giggling stuffed friend pinned to her chest by sticky threads. In her free hand, she gripped a skull-shaped cup full of dark purple venom. Her arm was already raised, ready to pour. "Don't," Ebony said, cold and quick. "That spider is mine." "It almost ate me," Vicky said, flat and clear. "Rules say I poison it." Ebony stepped forward and cut the web with one sharp nail. Vicky dropped. The cup tipped. Venom splashed across the silver threads, and the spider scuttled high into the rafters, alive but furious. The web hissed, blackened, and curled. Ebony stared at the ruined silk, her sister panting at her feet. Something had shifted between them, and the spider would not forget.