Scott impatiently followed along behind the spider back to the campsite. A part of him wanted to start running, but given the distance involved, he'd probably run out of breath part way there, then have to stop for a break, thus defeating the purpose, but the whole way, his mind was filled with thoughts of strange men coming across the campsite and taking Alice. Is that what happened with their mom? Had she been kidnapped while they were away? He should have been there! But then again, what could he have done? Over and over, these thoughts ran through his mind, chasing each other around in some twisted fusion of thought and emotion that made actual logic all but impossible to use until he was within sight of the camp.

With a final burst, Scott ran past his guide to the camp, looking about franticly, only to see Alice laughing hysterically as Charlotte "jumped" through a series of rather large squares that had been drawn in the dirt, trying to keep her many legs inside the one square at a time, creating quite the comical sight.

As Scott stood there, gasping for air, the two of them looked at him as though he was the weird one. Charlotte was the first to speak up. "Is everything alright?"

A part of Scott's mind noticed that Charlotte's movements, which seemed so alien usually, now appeared positively human when compared with the larger Charlotte back in the tunnels. Looking around the camp, he saw several other giant spiders wandering about like usual. He suddenly felt a little foolish. Of course, Alice was fine. Even if Scott had been here and something had happened, Charlotte would be far more effective at protecting Alice from strange men than he could be. They'd probably take one look and run. And if they did stay and fight? Well, thinking back on just how many spiders were back in the tunnel, Scott realized that unless they brought a sizable group with them, it probably wouldn't end well for them.

Realizing he was just standing there while the two looked at him, waiting for him to answer, Scott finally spoke up. "Uh, yeah, everything is fine... You both continue...whatever it is you're doing."

Charlotte looked down at the square in which she currently had all her legs squeezed inside. "Alice told me this is called 'hopscotch.' Apparently, it is a task to aid in developing coordination and motor control. Though I have assured her that I do not benefit from such activities as my body is managed more by internal pressures rather than muscle development, she seemed to think my participation was somehow beneficial."

Despite his concerns only a moment ago, Scott couldn't help but smile. "Well, she's right. Seeing you playing hopscotch is probably very beneficial for her dopamine production. A very essential chemical that helps humans maintain a healthy mental balance."

Charlotte looked down at her square, then back at Scott. "Then I suppose I shall continue." She proceeded to "hop" from one square to the next, which was more of a shuffle than a hop, causing Scott to smile.

Still, despite everything being okay right now, that didn't mean he had nothing to worry about... He needed to find out more about what was going on, and he needed to find out more about Charlotte herself. And what really happened to their mother? He'd been operating under the assumption that she was dead all this time, but what if she wasn't? What could he do about it either way?

However, at the moment, there wasn't much he could do, so instead, he watched as Alice and Charlotte played their game, deciding to enjoy the moment for what it was.

-

As the night drew on, Scott built himself a little campfire. Maybe it was out of fear of what lay beyond in the dark, or perhaps he just wanted to feel a connection to home out here in the wilderness. Whatever it was, this little source of heat and light in the darkness made him feel just a little at peace. As Alice fell asleep, he looked over at Charlotte, who had initially approached the fire cautiously but was now in a "resting stance" opposite Scott. The way the flames made the light shift and twist across her form should have made the spider woman even more terrifying, but for some reason, Scott was oddly comforted by her presence.

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Alice may be more human, but she is also a child, utterly dependent on Scott for her survival. Charlotte was more than that. She could get by perfectly well on her own, but chose to spend her time with them, or at least a portion of her time. But that made him think back to his questions from earlier. Knowing that once Alice was asleep like this, she was unlikely to awaken for anything short of a major earthquake, he decided now was as good a time as any to get to know Charlotte a little better. Unsure of where to begin, he just asked the first question that came to mind. "Charlotte, what are we to you? Alice and myself, I mean."

Charlotte stopped and thought for a moment, then tilted her head in that odd way of hers as she spoke. "You are Scott and Alice. Male and female humans living near my home that have helped me learn much of your ways."

Scott smiled a little but shook his head. "Well, I suppose that's literally true, but not what I was asking. Let me word it a different way. What would you do if we were in danger?"

There was a crackle in the fire, causing Charlotte to look down and then up at Scott again before answering. "I would try to help like I did when Alice fell in the creek."

Scott looked down at Alice. "I don't know if I ever thanked you for that, so...thank you. But that's still not quite what I was asking. What would you do if we were in danger, and helping us meant also placing yourself in danger? Not just a body or two, but everything you are?"

Charlotte looked at Scott momentarily, then looked down into the fire again before answering. "I don't know. It is hard to conceive of such a thing."

Scott nodded, then looked back at Alice as he continued speaking with Charlotte. "I can understand that. I would have never 'conceived' of our current survival situation not long ago. It's hard to know what you're willing to do, or even what you can do when your back is up against a wall..." Then, looking up, he added, "Metaphorically speaking."

Realizing what was coming next, he raised his hands to cut Charlotte off as he clarified. "Metaphorically speaking means the words are symbolic of something else. In this case, having your back against a wall means you're in a difficult situation and don't have many options."

That seemed to satisfy Charlotte, so he continued. "Anyway, I discovered back at your cave that there are other people in this forest with us. People who shouldn't be here. I don't know what they want or what they'll do if they find us, but it's very possible they mean us harm." Realizing that he'd best not understate the situation, he added, "They might even want to kill us."

Charlotte tilted her head. "They are like another She competing for resources necessary for survival?"

Scott smiled sadly and nodded. "Something like that, though with people, it's not always about competing for resources. Sometimes something is just wrong with their heads, and they are violent for the sake of being violent."

Charlotte nodded. "Sometimes a She will be...wrong, and the council of She will band together to wipe the rogue She out before they can threaten us."

The council of She? That was definitely something Scott wanted to know more about! But that would have to come later. For now, he had to focus on the threat at hand. "Yeah, that sounds about right. We have groups of humans who will usually band together to wipe out people like this, but out here, Alice and I don't have access to other people for help. All we have are each other...and you."

Charlotte twitched a little, then tilted her head to look at Scott as she spoke. "I am strong. Stronger than Scott knows. If wrong humans come for you, I can protect you!"

Scott smiled at Charlotte, but the smile wilted slightly as he looked into the fire. "It might not be that easy. Humans are also stronger than you might think. Out here alone in the forest, Alice and I don't have many of the tools or weapons other humans have, and those weapons are terrifying. They'll have guns that can accurately shoot metal projectiles hundreds of feet with enough force to puncture your bodies. They might even have bombs that are powerful enough to collapse your caves and turn them into rubble. If bad humans find out about you, it's very possible they'll come in large numbers to wipe you out. If that happens, your only real options are to run or hide..."

Charlotte was quiet a little longer before speaking again. "Then I will take Scott and Alice to run and hide with me."

Scott smiled again, this time a little more genuinely. "That might be what it comes down to, but first, I want to go back and visit our old campsite. The one where you found the body. Can you lead me there?"

This time, there was no hesitation. Charlotte nodded. "Yes. I can lead you there."

Scott nodded. "Thank you. I hope I'm just being paranoid, but right now, I need to know more."

Well, it wasn't a final answer, but at least Scott had something he could do. With a clear goal laid out, he finally felt like his head wasn't running in so many circles.