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From the day that my family arrived on Erimia and I saw Marigold, a dusty-faced little nymph of a kid with golden curls that reflected the harsh sun, softening its severity, I wanted to be around her. I thought I’d be the only child my age in the Brunning experiment, that I was extra baggage my parents had to tote across the galaxy. Marigold changed that. Despite family incongruences, we spent every moment we could together.

Erimia had short intense days and long nights. Only a few hours of daylight remained and I had to get to Marigold’s family, the Thurns, before night, before the spiders emerged. I told myself that was why I couldn’t stay. Leaving my house I could still feel the sadness that saturated the air. Guilt weighed me down, but what could I do to help the others? What words of comfort could I say? “Everything will be work out?” That’d be a lie.

Building Brunning brought strong people together and made them stronger, more durable. The colonists were close, we loved each other like family. Mom said love is like sending out a part of your soul that always came back better, more full, but when someone you cared for died, that part of you that you had sent out to them died with them. No matter how tough you were, loosing a loved one wore at you, it cut at the mountains, it spilled across space and made the stars cry.

I knew that the people back at my house felt that way. It made sense. But I learned about death early in life and loss never really felt like how Mom described it. I wanted it to, but it just didn’t. Something in me was off. My heart wasn’t right. That was probably why I was so eager to leave.

I’d known Alana all of her life and for most of mine. Sure she was annoying, but like the other handful of kids in Brunning, she was like family. I don’t know why, maybe it was all of the people in my house mourning, but the loss of Alana finally hit home. I’d been too occupied by my fear of the spiders, or occupied trying to ignore that fear, that I’d been blind to the feelings of others.

That was wrong. And it pissed me off.

The more I hiked across the burning ground, the more my anger burned. Every individual in Brunning was part of a larger plan for survival. Jamus and Alana, together, had been part of that plan. What part would Jamus play now? I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if Marigold was killed. I hoped I wouldn’t have to find out. Find out if I had the same messed up reaction.

I picked up my pace toward the valley wall south of the settlement. The Thurns lived in the small valley at the mouth of the canyon that switched back to where the rest of us lived. For most people a trip to the Thurns meant a couple hours walk across the valley and through the canyon.

Early on, after the spiders had been gone for over a year, Marigold and I found a faster way between our homes. A deep set crevice formed a chimney running straight up the entirety of the sheer valley wall the Brunning side of the plateau that separated Brunning from the original settlement site where the Thurns still lived. A similar chimney on the Thurn’s side made descending to Marigold’s home that much quicker.

At the base of the wall, I slipped on gloves and crawled into the crevice. Formations like the crevice pocked the walls throughout the greater Brunning valley—strange geologic formations with no natural explanation, none that we had deduced anyway.

I jammed my hands into pockets on opposing sides of the crevice and began to shimmy up at a quick clip, one that would push my endurance by the top. I found traversing the crevice more bearable when done quickly and with as little thought as possible.

With little light, mass amounts of crelix, and even more of the nasty stinging insects that swarmed during the wet season, the crevices were usually avoided. All the better for Marigold and I to keep our secret route secret.

Of course my father knew about it. My use of the crevice as a thoroughfare explained why he sent me to deliver messages to the Thurns. He could have done it himself, but it would’ve taken him twice the time, and he didn't get along with the Thurns. Nobody in Brunning got along with anyone in Marigold’s family except of course for Marigold.

She was the anomaly, beautiful and bright amongst a dark and derelict family. But like my father said, everybody in Brunning brought value. He didn’t say it had to be equal though.

After the first minute, I hit a rhythm in my climb and blocked out any thought of the lizards and annoying bugs. My frequent visits made it possible to root out infestations before they got too big. I had taken time and painful bites to clean the crevice in the beginning. Marigold and I made sure to keep it clean.

Getting the crevice that way had been a hard, and painful, process. I made the vertical ascent using rock holds, some natural, some I'd gouged out long ago. Only a little light shone through canyon wall and into the crevice, a good thing since the heat would have been lethal. The small amount shining through didn't help much, but I practically had the route memorized and I could have climbed it probably with my eyes closed. Though I'd never attempted that.

My arms and legs ached by the time I reached the top. Sweat poured down the center of my back. On the surface of the plateau, I drank from my water bladder before setting a steady jog for the other side. Anything faster would make me sick.

A couple hours from sunset, the heat on top of the plateau was brutal. My clima-jacket and hat dispelled the heat enough to manage the short trip. I kept my head down, chin tucked into my chest.

No reason to pay attention to anything other than signals from my own body. Nothing existed on the surface world of Erimia. Just wind swept rocks and the occasional bush too stubborn to die. I made good time to the crevice leading down to the Thurns, about ten minutes.

With the entrance in sight I stopped, a cold chill shot up my spine despite the heat. Dimples dotted the sandy soil. Each one about the size of a crelix hole. Small but deep. Even though I hadn’t seen marks like that in years, I recognized them immediately.

Spider tracks.

Bile tickled my throat at the sight. The urge to turn and run back home coursed through my body. But I had to warn Marigold. Plus, spiders were nocturnal. I repeated that to myself a few times while taking deep breaths.

Spiders are nocturnal.

Spiders are nocturnal.

They hate light.

Spiders are nocturnal.

Although sinking, the sun still sat above the far canyon wall across the Thurns small valley. Shadows already consumed half of the valley, covering the well house, small fields, orchard, and had almost reached the Thurn’s barn. When the sun finally set behind all of the valleys, Brunning and the Thurn’s, would be dark pools in the Erimia dusk.

Spiders are nocturnal.

They avoid the light.

And I was losing light. I felt foolish, scared of the dark. Something that hadn’t bothered me since before I was Jamus’ age. It’s not the dark though. It’s what is in it.

At the crevice, I retrieved a rope ladder I had rolled up in a canvas bag under some stones and tossed it down the hole. The Thurn's valley was deeper than Brunning, the descent longer. I could have managed without the rope ladder, but that meant more risk of falling. Not worth it. Marigold's brothers knew about this end of our secret route, the dangling ladder was a dead give away, but I managed the climb on my side without a rope ladder on purpose, I didn't need those two finding an easy way to Brunning.

Light shone through out the entirety of this chimney, actually more a big crack. Otherwise I’d be hard pressed to go into shadows right after passing spider tracks. I slid more than climbed down the ladder, my gloves blazing hot a few seconds later when I hit bottom. I tore them off, shaking my hands.

The air in the Thurn’s valley was slightly humid and considerably cooler than on the plateau or even back in Brunning. The smaller size and taller canyon walls made it so the valley floor saw direct sunlight for a much shorter period. Not only plants, but trees, actually grew unaided in the valley and flourished. The place could have been a paradise amongst the hell of Erimia. But the Thurns weren’t the best caretakers. Detritus—bits of broken tech, rusted tools, and garbage—littered the ground in various patches, covered in weeds and dirt.

Right in the middle of the valley lay Marigold’s house. All of her family lived there, but I called it Marigold’s because she was the only one that gave a damn out of her lazy family. Despite being built from a decommissioned space transport, the big house would have fallen apart if not for Marigold’s attention.

I slipped forward quietly and unnoticed. I didn't particularly look forward to meeting up with Deek or Boyd, Marigold's older brothers. They didn't like the sight of me. I didn't like the sight or smell of them.

With the well-spring that fed Brunning's water network literally in their backyard, I could never understand why those two beasts avoided bathing. It was like they were afraid of water. Idiots. Not stupid. Lazy, definitely. They only exerted energy when a clear benefit presented itself. It was hard to describe them. They were just Thurns.

I took a deep breath and did my best to stroll casually into the open.

"Hey there, Xandy Man. Wondrin' when ya'd stop hiding behind that junk heap."

Already tense and on edge, I didn’t respond well to being caught off-guard. I'd like to say I jumped into a defensive stance, ready for any challenge. Instead, I shrieked like a little girl. Right in front of Deek Thurn.

"Aw. Pretty." Deek pushed away from the rusted junk he'd been leaning against and gave me a toothy grin, not a kind one either, more like a predatory-I-could-eat-you-alive leer. "You make noises like that when yer with my sister?"

I glared back, and up, at Deek--he had to be a good head taller than me. I'd played a weak card when he scared me--the Thurn brothers liked weak things, liked to play with them, and they didn't play nice. I couldn't back down now. "Only when we're imitating you with your pigs."

Deek's bushy eyebrow shot up, his small eyes afire. He balled his fists and stepped toward me.

I stood my ground, despite knowing I'd gone too far. I took a deep breath and regretted it. "Damn, Deek," I coughed, "take a bath." Since I was committed, I figured I might as well sell it. "Or do the pigs like you better with that smell?"

Deek pulled back his arm, preparing to deliver a world of hurt my way. "Gonna kill ya, Xandy Man." That close, Deek was extremely believable.

"Deek, Ma wants you back at the house." Marigold stood a few paces away. Her sweet voice cut through the tension, stopping Deek's assault before it started.

"Yer lucky, Xandy Man." He stomped away, but not without shooting me an ugly glare.

"She's waiting." Marigold shoved her brother as he passed. "You know how Ma hates to wait. Best hurry."

A few seconds later Deek was gone, and I had Marigold in my arms, kissing her. Then she punched me in the gut.

"What was that for?" I asked while doubled over.

"You're an idiot. I heard what you said to Deek."

"Just a little macho banter. That's all. I bruise his ego, he bruises my face. Me and Deek, we're friends like that." I took her hand, pulling her toward me. "At least he doesn't sucker punch me."

"Deek would have given you a lot worse." She stood on her toes and kissed me. "Sorry for the gut shot."

I stole another kiss. "It's okay. You punch like a girl."

She pushed back from me with a gleam in her eye. "Really? Do I need to try again?"

"I'm good. Thanks."

"That's what I thought." She looked over each shoulder. "Not complaining, but why are you here so early?"

Funny how girls can distract you. Especially ones with dusty golden hair streaked by the sun, hazel eyes with flecks of emerald, and a body perfectly balanced between strong and feminine. Even the harsh Erimian sun worshipped her, kissing her skin with a light tan the shade of honey. And in that brief moment, I forgot why I’d come. All thoughts of spiders, Alana, and Jamus fled my mind, until they returned like a second punch to the gut.

"My father sent me. Alana's been killed. I'm supposed to deliver the message to your pa."

The smile melted from Marigold's face, replaced by a look of mixed anxiety and anger. "They killed Alana?"

"Yeah. Last night. Jamus is a wreck, I didn't even realize--"

"It's getting dark. You should head home."

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"What?"

"I'll tell Ma and Pa about Alana." Marigold gave me quick peck on the cheek and pushed me toward the wall. "You should get back before it's too dangerous."

"I just got here." I slipped to the side of her and walked toward the Thurn house, confused at Marigold's odd behavior. "Plus your pa isn't ever going to respect me if I send you with the message while I scamper back home."

"Some things aren't worth respect." She caught a hold of me by my jacket. "You should go."

"I’ll deliver the message, and then I'll go. I promised my father I'd deliver the message straight to your pa." I grabbed her hand off my jacket and squeezed it. She squeezed back. "Believe me, I don't want to be around when the spiders come out. I saw tracks atop the plateau. Had to have been from last night."

"Spiders?" Her hand relaxed in mine and she looked around again. Not the reaction I expected at all.

"So you already know they're back? Nobody in Brunning knew until last night, until Alana. When did you find out?"

"Spiders killed Alana."

"Blight's shadow, Marigold! What planet are you on? I already told you about Alana. Of course it was spiders. What else would have killed her? Besides spiders, there's nothing but biters, crelix, and us."

Marigold let out a little nervous laugh and then covered her mouth--another weird reaction. "This is all so messed up. Of course it was spiders." She pulled me toward the house almost at a run. "Let's tell my parents about the spiders, and then you need to go before..."

"Before what?" I asked, stumbling behind her, dodging junk and bushes.

"The dark. Before sunset," she called over her shoulder.

"I already said that. Are you feverish? Or are you trying to confuse me on purpose?"

"Sorry. You're right." We stopped in the clearing around her house and she grabbed both my hands. "I'm just scared. And sad. Alana was a good girl. I liked her."

"Yeah. Everyone was pretty shocked. Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"It's just...” I didn’t want to burden her with all my thoughts about the difference between how I felt and how normal people felt. “I think about spiders and I remember what happened the last time..."

Marigold cupped her hand on my cheek, wiping away a tear I didn't know was there. "Oh Xander. You can't let old memories eat at you," she said, wrapping me in a hug, her head against my chest. "Try not to think about it."

"That's the problem," I said, taking a step back from her. "I block out the spiders and everything and everyone else." I breathed deeply and pointed toward the canyon wall. "Right now my house is full. All of Brunning is gathering there and I ran away."

I dropped my hand and shook my head. "Jamus is back there. He's a mess. And I ran away. I drop a bomb on you and expect you to handle it like it's nothing. I feel like a selfish jerk, a self-absorbed sociopath."

"Oh, you are an idiot." Marigold smiled. "You're scared. I'm scared. We all handle it different ways. And you're not a sociopath--believe me, with my brothers, I know all about sociopaths." Marigold looked past me and tensed. "Speaking of..."

"Xandy Man!" All elements of peace fled as a meaty hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Thank Yuan, this time I didn't shriek like a girl, especially in front of Marigold. Nope, I came around with my fists ready.

"Wo there, Xandy Man!" Boyd Thurn, the bigger and only slightly less ugly and smelly of Marigold's brothers, held his hands up in mock defense.

"Sorry, Boyd." I dropped my fists. "Thought you were Deek."

Boyd grinned, an unnerving gesture. "Now Xandy Man, them's fightin' words. I ain't nothin' like that pig-lovin idiot."

My face flushed. "Deek told you about that, huh?"

"Came rushin' in the house fumin' up a storm about it, sure enough!" Boyd laughed, something between a growl and a grunt. "Then ran out again when Pa told him to shut his mouth. Said he's too ugly fer the pigs."

Marigold pulled at my arm. "Let's get your message delivered."

"Hold up, Goldie." Boyd grabbed my shoulder again. "Xandy Man and me, we're a talkin' here. Git up to the house, we don't need you fer man's talk. Right, Xandy Man?"

"Xander needs to get before the sun's gone."

"Pity. Got some meat cookin' since this morning over apple wood." Boyd's grin went full smile. His yellow teeth peeked through the bush overshadowing his upper lip. "Be perfect in an hour, but I'll cut ya a slice now, if ya like."

Marigold tugged me, hard enough to pull me a few steps. "He'll pass, Boyd."

Usually I wouldn't even be tempted to accept a gift from Boyd--he was just as nasty as Deek, if not more, but he hid it under a thin, deceptive shell of congeniality. But some juicy pork sounded great. "Well, if you're offering, I'd hate to be rude--"

Marigold about pulled my arm out of the socket. "You'll pass," she said to me, her eyebrows set and lips pursed. "Bye, Boyd," she said, pulling me past him.

"Wait. What's the important message?" Boyd called after us.

I had the words half formed in my mouth, but Marigold beat me to it. "Xander's finally gonna ask Pa to let me marry him," she answered back.

I cringed and rushed to Marigold's side. "Why the hell would you say that?" I hissed at her, looking back over my shoulder, making sure Boyd wasn't running at me to kill me, but he'd already slunk off.

The Thurn brothers treated Marigold like a slave, including the notion they owned her. It was no secret I planned to marry her one day, hopefully sooner than later, and that was a reason for Boyd and Deek to hate me, just one of many.

"It's getting dark," Marigold ushered me to her front porch and took my water bladder. "Stay here, I'll get you some water and send out Pa." I would have argued, but she was right. Only a small sliver of sun still burned over the valley walls. Darkness had crept up on the valley so subtly I barely noticed until Marigold called my attention to it. A chill swept through my body, probably from the dropping temperature and my sweat-dampened clothes. Probably.

"Catch yer death."

They say things come in threes. I sure hoped so, because I was sick of being caught off guard by Thurns. After the two seconds it took to catch my breath, I turned to face Marigold's mother standing on the far side of the porch.

"Mrs. Thurn." I said, attempting some measure of composure. "Pardon?"

For a moment an odd, amber light shone from something cupped in Ma Thurn's hand against her chest, highlighting the sharp angles of her sun-baked face. Then she hid the object in her blouse, a faint glow visible beneath the fabric where it hung from a silver chain around her neck. "Catch yer death." She said again. "Damp clothes and night. Make ya weak. Weak things die on Erimia."

"Yes, Ma'am." I didn't know if she was trying to be helpful or threatening. It was hard to tell with Mrs. Thurn. Probably both. I followed my father's example and tried not to talk much to her, ever. Show her respect? Yes. Engage in friendly conversation with her? No such thing with Mrs. Thurn.

She stared at me like she was calculating something. If Marigold's two brothers made me edgy, her mother about sent me over the edge. I think she liked it that way.

I waited for Marigold to come back with her father. A conversation with Mr. Thurn didn't appeal to me much, but it had to be more pleasant than trying to look anywhere but at Mrs. Thurn, who wouldn't stop staring at me.

"Nice necklace." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"It is, and it ain't none of yer concern." She pulled her shawl closed and strode toward the front door, almost colliding with Mr. Thurn on his way out.

"Somethin' the matter?" Marigold's dad asked, switching his gaze between Mrs. Thurn and me.

"Nothin' that won't be better when he's gone." Mrs. Thurn flipped her hand at me and pushed past her husband into the house.

Mr. Thurn watched her go, then looked at me, his bushy black eyebrow cocked.

"I'm sorry—"

"Marigold says you's got something to say. Best say it and git."

"Yes sir. Alana Jans was killed last night."

Mr. Thurn's thin face went nasty. "Shame. Why ya sayin' 'killed'?"

"It was spiders, Pa. Xander even saw tracks on our side of the divide." Marigold burst from the house. She thrust my water bladder and a light into my arms. "The sun's about gone. Best be on your way, Xander."

"If spiders be about, then dark's dangerous," said Marigold's father, craning his neck to look around. "Might be better for the boy to stay til' light." He looked back to me. "Just you then?"

I nodded.

"He can bunk in the barn with yer brothers," he said to Marigold.

Standing there, on the Thurn's front porch in the fast fading light, I faced a dilemma. Rushing home in the dark, knowing spiders were out there, terrified me. On the other hand, being alone with Boyd and Deek served as an unsettling alternative. Who knew what the two would do to me without Marigold around.

Even though the light had mostly faded in the valley, I could see enough to make it back to the rope ladder and there'd still be sun on the plateau. Maybe long enough to get me home. Maybe.

Then dark shrouded everything. The solar lamps on the Thurn's house kicked on and a boom echoed off the valley walls, followed by a bright burst of light. Clouds raced in from the same direction as Brunning. Wind rushed through the canyon and into the valley, filling the air with the smell of ozone and wet dirt.

"What the... So soon?" Mr. Thurn turned toward the door. "Ma! Storm! Close up the house! I gotta get the boys to put in the pigs an' mules!"

Grating gears sounded as metal shutters closed over the few windows the old space ship house had. Mr. Thurn ran past me calling for his sons.

"Uh, should I help him?" I asked Marigold.

"Xander, you need to leave. Now. It's not safe here." She hooked her arm though mine, pulling us toward the wall at a run. "I'll take you to the wall."

"You've seen spiders down here?" I cringed at another peal of thunder, the lightning right behind it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Marigold kept a hold of my arm and didn't slow. "There's plenty I'm not telling you. Don't stop."

"What's that mean?"

"We have to keep going. Get out that light. I about tripped over a heap of junk."

I flipped on the light. The beam bounced with my strides. Dark flecks shot through the light. Rain. Hot rain. It came like a blanket, drenching us. "What is going on?" I yelled to her, wiping at my eyes with the same hand that held the light.

"Storm! Watch out!"

I jumped over an old fuel cell just in time, landing on the other side and slipping in the mud. Marigold stabilized me. "C'mon, we're almost there!" she yelled through the deluge.

Another lightning strike illuminated the cliff wall close in front of us. I didn't know what had gotten into Marigold. She'd been weird since I'd arrived. Could have been the weather--the rainy season shouldn't have come for another couple of months and even then storms weren't typically as violent as this. Not even close. But the wild, scared look in Marigold's eyes told me to trust her. I focused the light on our path and seconds later we stopped at the wall.

The wind screamed down the crevice, whipping the rope ladder around like a jittery crelix tail.

Marigold kissed me hard and pushed me away. "Leave the ladder down. I'm coming tomorrow morning."

"No, I'll come back here tomorrow," I shouted back to her.

"You ain't comin' back here. Be safe!" With that she ran toward the flickering house lamps.

I moved the palm light to the back of my hand and tackled the rope ladder. Although loud, the wind whistling through the crevice didn't bother me. The water did. Funneling down the crevice mouth, it pummeled me and made the ladder slick. Only when I reached the top rung did I remember the spiders.

I hung there, breathing hard, just inside the crevice mouth. I kept my head down to avoid the water. Then again, I always kept my head down, didn’t I? Why hadn’t I argued with Marigold? Why hadn’t I just stayed with the Thurns? I almost took a step down.

Almost.

Marigold wanted me gone. She was scared and I didn't think it was the spiders. Marigold was beautiful, but she was hard--living with her family, she had to be. If something scared her worse than spiders... I'd have to trust her. That wasn’t keeping my head down. That was lifting it up.

I turned off the palm light. No need to make myself an easy target. Gathering my legs beneath me and shoving the fear deep, I sprung out of the hole and ran as hard as I could. I didn't know if there were spiders. I wasn't taking the time to find out. I almost didn’t care. I ran as if I were chasing demons, and if I ran hard enough, I might finally catch them.

The wind pushed against me. The rain turned the sandy dust slick. The thunder and constant slamming rain drops erased all other sounds. Black clouds choked the sky behind and above me. Faint stars appeared ahead of me. I ran with my head down, just like I had when I came, but this time, I did it only to keep the wind-swept rain out of my eyes. And I was scared I'd see spiders. They killed quick. Better to not see them coming...

The rain stopped pelting me, the wind died, and the purple Erimian moon appeared. Just like that, the storm had passed. Still I ran. Now my pounding feet sounded loud in the twilight silence. When I looked up, Brunning was closer than I'd imagined.

I didn't slow. I wiped the water out of my eyes and ran straight for the cliff wall illuminated by Brunning's glow. I found the crevice and lowered myself in.

My heart pounded. I swallowed out of relief. I couldn't believe my luck. Maybe the rain kept the spiders away. I held the palm light in my mouth--I needed both hands free for the slick rock walls—and descended at a steady but reasonable pace. The moon shone directly above, lighting the way.

Climbing up is physically hard. Down-climbing is worse, especially when drenched. Focusing hard on each hold, I barely noticed the moon's light disappear. At first, I guess I assumed the clouds had returned. But I knew they hadn’t.

Something blocked the crevice top.

Big something.

No. Big somethings.

Then the chittering. I could have gone eternities without hearing that sound again.

With eight legs to maneuver the walls, the spiders had an unfair advantage. They coursed down the crevice toward me. I'd made it a little more than halfway down. At my current rate, they'd reach me before I reached the bottom.

With nightmares pounding at the door of my mind and nightmares steaming down the crevice, I had no other choice. I braced my feet on each side of the slippery wall and let go.