Volume 3: Meristem

Issue 10: Spider's Web

Florian Reyes Honeywell

By Roach

I sat alone in a booth at Aesop’s, flipping idly through a Starlight comic. A jet fighter crossed the page in a blur, as Bluejay steered it over a desert. But whatever the plot was, it didn’t hold my attention. For each panel, I threw a nervous glance toward the window.

Earlier, Camilo and I had left the school grounds using his illusions. We altered between taking cover and turning invisible. Afterwards, he told me to wait at Aesop’s while he ventured back to recover our backpacks. He let me borrow his hoodie to cover up the hole through my sweater. Although the bees had sealed the cavity through my chest, the fabric didn’t regenerate as easily.

As I waited for him, I kept glancing toward Chapel High. Even if I couldn’t see someone invisible, my restlessness prompted me to look anyway. But, instead, I saw an ambulance departing the high school. The wail of its sirens filtered through the store door as it opened. I glanced over my shoulder, just as Camilo entered.

He approached me. “Here’s your stuff,” he said, tossing my backpack to me.

I caught it, then set it down next to me. He seated himself opposite of me. As the sirens faded, I asked, “Did you see anything? Is… Is he okay?” Although I referred to Max, I didn’t want to speak too openly at Aesop’s. Even if it wasn’t too busy. Aside from Aesop tending to the counter, the shop itself was fairly empty. A group of students played some sort of game at the other side of the store, but I wasn’t too worried about them listening in on us. They laughed and talked loudly in exaggerated intonations, pretending to be different characters. Fantasy creatures like elves and vampires, from what I had gathered.

Camilo replied, “I didn’t get too close. I saw them carry him to the ambulance… Couldn’t quite tell if he was awake or not, but he was moving a bit more. I just didn’t want to linger.”

I nodded, then closed the comic. I looked at Camilo, who seemed exceptionally tired. His ruffled hair was poking out in more directions than usual, and his chin came to rest in his hand. “How are you?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I’m fine. Though I guess drama practice is canceled.” While he articulated it as a joke, his tone lacked its usual humor—instead, nervousness edged his voice. “How about you?”

Before I could think of a reply, the bell to Aesop’s door chimed again. Camilo stared at something behind me. “Here we go,” he sighed.

I looked back. I instantly recognized Amber as she strode past the comic book shelves. As opposed to Spindle’s braids, her hair was now loose, and she had replaced her costume with a denim jacket and pleated white skirt. She headed for us. Without saying anything, she seated herself at the head of our table. Then she placed her palms on the old wooden surface.

There was an awkward silence, until Camilo spoke. “What are you doing here?”

She looked at both of us in turn with a serious expression. “We need to talk,” she finally said.

“How did you even find us?” Camilo said.

“You losers always hang out here,” she said.

“Losers who just saved your ass,” he countered.

“Oh, grow up.” Her long, red fingernails tapped against the table surface. “Right now, we have more urgent things to discuss.”

“Such as?” Camilo pressed.

What she said next, was not at all what I had expected. She replied, “Marketing.” I wasn’t sure what I had exactly imagined, but marketing didn’t cross my mind. I would have thought it was some kind of joke if she didn’t sound so sincere.

“Excuse me?” Camilo said.

“Look, there were a lot of people around. People who saw us, or even filmed us. We’re going to have to figure out how we’re going to identify ourselves publicly.”

“Slow down.” Camilo’s comment reflected my own gut reaction. “There’s no we.”

“Of course there is,” she replied. “You two need me. Without me, you wouldn’t have been able to…” She glanced around, as if to check whether or not any unwanted ears were around. “You know… Stop him.”

“We wouldn’t have had to intervene at all, if it weren’t for you,” Camilo said.

Amber rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Look, you may not like me. But I know people. And that…” She paused, looking conspiratorially around the shop. I saw Aesop rummage through some dishes in the back, while the game at the other table carried on. Still, she lowered her voice before continuing. “That thing, that plant… Max was just its puppet. The situation was going to get out of hand one way or the other. But we stopped it.”

A puppet? I wasn’t sure what she meant by that exactly. The idea that the plant could be controlling Max didn’t come as a surprise to me. I wasn’t going to pretend that I had any idea how a plant could do that… But Max’s transformation and ramblings seemed so out of the norm that the explanation could have some plausibility after all. Yet, her choice of words gave me pause. I recalled the way she had made the red beam appear, connecting Max to the plant, almost like a puppet’s string… Was that how she knew? What kind of power did she have, to reveal something like that?

“It could have been less out of hand,” Camilo said, interrupting my train of thought.

“Maybe. But you’re forgetting something important.”

“And what’s that?”

She paused just long enough for her silence to be theatrical. Then, she said, “This is the second freaky incident in the last few weeks. First Mr. Howells, then Max… Something weird is happening at Chapel High. And I don’t think it’s over. But if the three of us work together, we can stop it. Like we did today.”

I mulled over what Amber had said so far. The monster in the theater had been unlike anything I had seen, and the bees hadn’t recognized the plant as anything of the natural world. Something was going on, although what, I had no idea.

And, as much as I disliked Amber, she was right about one thing. There was strength in numbers. Taking down the monster had been a daunting task with Camilo, and would have been an impossible one without him. And in spite of everything, Amber had identified the plant as the source of Max’s powers… Which raised one lingering question.

“So, what exactly can you do?” I said.

There was a brief silence. “Maybe we should talk somewhere more… discreet,” she said.

I looked at Camilo. His brows furrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Once he noticed my questioning look, he shrugged.

“Okay…” I said. “But where?”

My question seemed to only warrant crickets. After about ten seconds passed without Amber or Camilo speaking up, my shoulders sank. If neither of them would offer their place, I couldn’t think of anywhere else but mine. “My parents are out of town,” I finally said.

“Perfect,” Amber said. “Let’s get a move on.”

The three of us left Aesop’s. While it wasn’t a long walk to the apartment, the strained silence made time slow down.

It occurred to me that I hadn’t invited Camilo over before. Not necessarily because I didn’t want to… There just wasn’t much exciting to do at home. Amber, on the other hand, I couldn’t imagine inviting anywhere. Even now—perhaps, especially now—it seemed surreal. But whenever I tried to get a read on her, she remained as expressionless as marble.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The silence persisted. As we got closer to our destination, more plants emerged, with flower beds lining up the sides of the streets and lush palm trees swaying on the corners. We turned onto a boulevard guarded by a statue of some Greek mythological hero. The stone figure rode the more recognizable Pegasus. Flowers trailed behind its hooves. I knew my parents had probably planted some of them, as they helped organize an urban ecosystem restoration project around the neighborhood. We reached the apartment building, distinguished by the greenhouse sitting like a hat on the rooftop.

“Here it is,” I announced.

Camilo looked the building over. “It has that, what do you call it… Like a, you know, pareidolia thing?”

“A pare what now?” Amber asked.

“Like, when an inanimate object looks like it has a face. The windows are the eyes, the vines are the eyebrows and hair… Even the greenhouse looks like a little hat.”

“Huh.” I looked up and down the building. “I guess now that you mention it…”

“Okay, that’s really nice, but can we get this over with?” Amber intercepted.

Begrudgingly, I let the two of them inside. They followed me to the living room. “Make yourselves at home,” I muttered.

Amber crossed the room, then sat down in the armchair. The last person I could remember sitting in that chair was the police inspector. Somehow, Amber’s presence seemed equally bizarre. Her gaze wandered across the photos on the wall, lingering on a framed collection of pinned bees and wasps. “What a… cute place you have.” Although her tone was neutral, the slyness in her smile made me suspect she wasn’t being entirely sincere.

“Thanks,” I muttered half-heartedly. I sat down on the couch, while Camilo seated himself next to me.

“Totally.” She picked up a snow globe which stood on the table, next to a potted aloe vera. A butterfly perched inside of the globe. Glitter scattered around it as she shook it. “So many, umh, little bug things. Your touch?” She looked at me.

I shook my head. Obviously, the interior design had more to do with my parents’ professions than anything else. But I wasn’t about to tell her that; we hadn’t come here for small talk. “How about we cut to the chase?” I said.

“Right…” She trailed off, and—slowly—put the snow globe back on the table.

“Let’s…”

“So…”

Camilo and I started to speak at the same time. The moment we realized we had interrupted each other, we both stopped—waiting for the other to speak. After a pause, Camilo said, “You go.”

“Okay, so…” I folded my hands, then immediately unfolded them again, not really sure what to do with them. “We saw that… ‘link’ you made between Max and the plant. What was that?”

“I didn’t exactly make it,” she said.

“Then what?”

“I think it’s easier if I just show you.”

Camilo and I exchanged a suspicious glance. While I didn’t understand how her power worked—besides somehow linking Max and the plant—I didn’t particularly want to be subjected to it.

“Get up,” she said as she stood up herself.

Hesitantly, we did as Amber asked. She walked over to us. “Move a little,” she instructed me. I stiffened as she grabbed me by the shoulders. She didn’t exactly push me, but firmly guided me a few feet away from Camilo. His expression mirrored my own confusion. Then, she let go, and positioned herself between us.

Like she had done in the sports field, she reached into the air—as if balancing her fingertips on an invisible surface. A moment later, a beam appeared. Its red light ran between me and Camilo, like a thread going out of my chest and into his. I took a startled step back, while Camilo raised his hands in a defensive posture.

“Voilà,” Amber said.

“Uh… What is this?” Camilo said.

“I can see the relationships between people. They become visible in the form of these bonds.” She nodded to the red beam running between us. “But I guess it’s not always people. Like, Max formed a bond with that plant.” Then, she muttered as an afterthought, “Somehow.”

While listening to the explanation, Camilo reached out toward the beam. His hand went through it like water. He waved his hand back and forth a few times.

As I imitated him, my hand also went through the beam. It radiated warmth—but it was a gentle warmth, like holding a cup of tea.

I was starting to get the picture now—how Amber had seemed like she was somehow familiar with Camilo and I, and why she was so certain that the plant had been the source of Max’s powers… But I still wasn’t sure how it really worked. “What does it do?” I asked.

“A couple things. For starters, I can see the strength of a relationship. When people are closer, their bond glows brighter. Like, before everything with Mr. Howells, you two basically had no connection. But the day after the monster was killed by unknown heroes… I became suspicious of how much your bond had strengthened.”

“So, you thought we were responsible?” Camilo said. He took a couple of tentative steps to the side, studying our connection as it followed his movements.

“More or less. I wasn’t entirely sure at first… So, to test my theory, I made the Stagehand post on the Confessional. And the rest is history.”

“Hold on, is that how you were able to see through my illusions?”

Amber nodded. “When you guys disguised yourselves, I recognized the bond between you. But my abilities are more than just visual. Let’s just say that, when… Well, Florian, can I have your arm?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Come on, tough guy,” she said, her voice soft like silk.

Reluctantly, I held out my arm. Without hesitation, she pinched the fleshy part of my bicep. I immediately pulled away, more startled than hurt. She grinned. The glowing beam followed my movements. Then, its light pulsated, running from me to Camilo.

“Ow!” Camilo exclaimed as the pulse hit him. The beam wavered slightly, like a tightrope that had just been abandoned by its acrobat. Then it settled again. He rubbed his arm, in the same spot where Amber had pinched me. “What was that?”

“It’s like an energy transfer,” she said. “Simply put, once I activate a bond between two people, pain can be transferred between them. So when I pinched Florian, the pain transferred to you.”

“That was more of a punch than a pinch,” Camilo snapped.

Amber shrugged. “It amplifies depending on the strength of the connection. That’s how I was able to knock out Max—through his bond with the plant.” She clapped her hands together. Simultaneously, the beam between Camilo and I vanished into thin air. Although I couldn’t feel any physical difference, I noticed how tense I had been. Not from the beam itself, but rather, how exposed I had felt. It was strange to see one of my friendships on display. Possibly, my only one, I realized. The thought was overly self-conscious, but once it occurred to me, I couldn’t help but wonder what else she had seen. When I walked to class, what connections appeared to her?

The pieces of the puzzles started to shift into place. If she could see how much other people cared for each other at any given time, perhaps it was unsurprising how well she navigated the school’s social hierarchy. Even when it meant putting down those who…

Camilo interrupted my train of thought. “Okay, you have powers. So what?” he said. “Just because you have them, that doesn’t make you a hero. No.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve just been a bitch. To me, to Florian, to Max, and everyone else who refuses to kiss your ass.”

Anger burnt through her stare. It only lasted a second, before she looked down. Her mouth fell slightly open, as if what Camilo had just said started to sink in.

The harshness of Camilo’s words and the hurt in her expression almost made me feel sympathy. Almost. Maybe if she hadn’t treated Max so much worse, it would have.

She closed her mouth, then opened it again as if she were trying to say something. But no words came out. She crossed her arms over her chest, holding onto the sleeves of her denim jacket.

Camilo let out a sigh. I looked between the two, as the silence dragged on.

He continued, “But… If things really are getting worse, you might be right. We might not have any other option. It’s best if we stick together.”

Amber looked up. Her brows furrowed into a puzzled expression.

“But it can’t be like today. You can’t get in our way. You listen to us. And then, and only then, am I willing to give you a chance.” Camilo turned toward me now. “That is, if Florian agrees.”

I had an urge to elaborate on his point. I could summarize the fight with Max and tell her how the situation was essentially taken care of until she showed up. I could break down for her each time she had made things worse. How she had provoked Max, jeopardized the lives of our classmates, and how her continued taunting of him almost got her killed. How, if anyone but me had been hit, they would have died. And what that actually meant; that I should be dead. Being punched through the chest should have killed me.

But somehow, the last point seemed unfair. Because I didn’t die. As much as I resented what the swarm had done to my body, they had also given me a second life. I survived the monster in the theater, and now, a superpowered high schooler on a rampage. And, knowing the risks, I still made the choice to face both of them. I could blame Amber all I wanted, but at the end of the day, I had put myself in those situations. Was that what it meant to become a hero? Was I ready for that? Could we be ready for it?

But what really kept me from saying all those things to her was her expression. Once Camilo passed the final decision to me, she looked at me with a sort of pleading in her eyes. Or maybe it was defeat. The moment passed too quickly for me to tell, almost undetectable before she refocused on the snow globe again. Her expression hardened again into something unreadable. By now, the glitter had settled on the bottom of the globe.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it all, except that there was no need to emphasize anything Camilo had said. He had reached her. At least, somewhat. Hopefully enough. “I can give you a chance,” I said slowly. “But we have to work together from now on, not against each other. No more mind games. And no senseless cruelty.”

Amber was quiet. She looked at both of us in turn, measuring us with her green stare. I started to think she would refuse, then leave. But, finally, she spoke up. “I just… You…” She stopped, then took a deep breath. “Yeah. I can do that.” Her voice was uncharacteristically subdued.

Camilo and I exchanged a look. “So, then it’s settled?” he said, an expression of disbelief unfolding across his face.

“Yeah. I guess it’s settled,” I echoed. We were still standing in the middle of the living room, in a disorganized triangle formation. None of us said anything as we looked at each other. Somehow, I thought that joining a budding superhero team should have felt… different. More like a choice than a shove. “Then we’re a team,” I said, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it seem more real.

That me, Camilo, and the girl who wouldn’t have given me the time of day before all of this, could in fact be a team.