herself into an even tighter ball and visibly shuddered.
Since Summer was used to the spiders, even if she didn’t like them, she
took charge. She stood up and went to the front. She came back with a
paddle in one hand and a life jacket in the other. There were a ton on board,
just in case. June felt a pang. She should have made sure Arabella had a life
jacket. They really all should be wearing one. What if Arabella couldn’t
swim like she and Summer could? She made a note to put the dang things
on after. She’d make sure Summer wore one too, even though she’d
complain about it.
“You’re going to squish it with that?” June protested. “And who wants to
wear one of those with spider guts all over it?”
“I’m not going to squish it,” Summer said. “Jeez. I know what I’m doing.
I’m just going to help them overboard.”
“They can swim?” Arabella whimpered. She sucked her bottom lip into
her mouth and worked it between her teeth.
June noticed, and a faint shiver slid up her spine that wasn’t spider
induced. It wasn’t unpleasant either. She made a second note to stop looking
at Arabella’s lips. They were far too pretty and perfect, and when she
worked them between her teeth like that, it did strange, inexplicable things
to her body.
“Unfortunately.”
“I’ve never seen a spider that big. They’re terrifying. Nuclear looking.
Are you sure they didn’t get into anything? Something we should report?”
Summer laughed wickedly. She was enjoying herself, even though she
hadn’t planned the moment of evil. Or maybe she had noticed the spiders
when she’d gotten into the boat and said nothing. June ground her teeth.
“No, they’re just that big. Not nuclear. No strange spills in the lake or
anything. We won’t find any three-headed, six-eyed fish. At least I don’t
think so, but you never know…”
“Just get them,” June shuddered, “before they leap at us.”