~ Issue #2: Kraneea ~ (Part 1)
To hope for more… to hope for a change, this in itself was only a dream within a dream.
At least, this was how Claire thought the world around her worked. The busy people of New York who never stopped jumping higher and higher to reach for their dreams up in the sky were nothing more than feeble fools who knew not better.
For Claire, change was the apogee of the ideals of the dreamer who managed to somehow break out of the norm and become someone else, someone better, like a character ripped out of a fairy tale. And all of this was reflected through the way she lived her everyday life.
The alarm went off at 7:10 AM in the morning and played one of the most annoying songs Claire could have ever hope to find on the internet. The moment she heard those banshee cries coming from the speakers of her phone, she opened her eyes and reached for the device just so she could make it shut up before she rudely woke up her neighbors.
With a groan escaping her lips, she looked at the time and wondered for a moment if it would be alright to ignore the alarm and go back to sleep for a just a few more minutes.
Shaking her head, she let the thought fly away. After all, no morning went by without it plaguing her mind.
After a quick shower, and a big mug of coffee, Claire was ready to head off to work. It was almost 7:50 AM now and she had to be at her office by 8:30 AM. She knew that it would take her around half an hour to get there if she didn’t miss the first train.
Claire never missed it unless special circumstances made it so.
Right now, considering the time of the year, she could only hope that she would have the good luck of NOT getting on the same car as someone dressed up as Santa Claus again. The woman did not hate the joyous holiday, but she never really did feel like she had a reason to enjoy it either. That was why, for her, people who dressed up as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or some other holiday characters were nothing more than mild annoyances on her way to work.
But to say she hated them? Not really.
The current date the 12th of December, but that did not mean she was ready to celebrate it with all the joy and happiness as everyone else in New York did. At her office, this period of time was hectic and annoying, especially if the boss decided to lay off someone again.
Before she left for work, Claire did not forget to feed her pet Huntsman Spider a nice fat cricket.
“Oh~ Aren’t you cute, Kraneea! Eat up now, mommy’s coming back later, if that jerk of a boss of mine doesn’t give me extra work again.” she let out a heavy sigh and closed the lid on the cage.
As she was ready to leave her apartment, she looked in the hallway mirror. The woman reflected there wore a beige office suit, with a white shirt and a black brooch attached on the left side of her collar. She had long dark-brown hair that flowed down her shoulders, chestnut eyes which reflected an everlasting boredom and lack of energy. Her lips were cracked, and the smile she put on always seemed forced. Claire was also somewhere between chubby and fat. The stress from work coupled with her lack of exercise made her add the few extra kilograms faster than she had expected.
A look of concern appeared on her face when she noticed how her belly pushed out her clothes. It was an uncomfortable sensation to live with, but she did not see herself as ever being able to get rid of it. Within her mind, all those thin and fit women out there were a different species of human altogether. She also could not see at this point a good reason as to why she should change her lifestyle and habits.
Being thin is not for me... I simply can’t do it... she thought before looking away from the mirror and heading out.
Indeed, in her mind, she was just a woman cursed by fate with the inability to get thin or change herself in any way or matter. She was a woman… without inner power or self-confidence.
From her apartment building to the 145th Street Station she only had to walk for a minute or so, then she would take the C Eight Avenue Local train to reach the downtown 23rd Street Station. That journey took her around half an hour, and the suffering of a stuffed train was mildly annoying.
Claire expected for this day to be just another regular day at the office, she would fill up a bunch of papers, send them over to accounting and then start with a brand-new stack of documents. Once in a while, her boss would give her a special assignment and that would be what caused her to head home late. What Claire did not expect today was that she would get summoned to her boss’s office as soon as she stepped through the entrance door.
All of her colleagues were looking away, and Martha, the beauty among them was giggling behind her back.
This is going to be bad, isn’t it? Claire thought when she stepped through the door and saw her boss ready to blow a fuse.
The middle-aged fat man barked at her for over half an hour, explaining everything she did wrong or rather was presumed to have done wrong because Claire could not remember doing any of those things.
She understood at that moment that this whole thing was just a scheme to get her fired and look incompetent. Thus, giving her superiors the chance to hire someone else.
Just as she expected, her boss asked for her resignation at the end of his speech. From what Claire could see, there was no room to argue back even if she was in the right. She did not have the looks to use as a tool, and she lacked the confidence needed to sustain her point of view.
Without so much as speaking a word against her boss, she nodded and gave up the fight.
After signing the resignation documents, she left the office with a stuffed cardboard box in her hands. Within it were her office supplies and a few personal things like a picture of her pet spider.
Her coworkers didn’t even bother to offer their support to her, one of them even mocked her by saying how the air will stop smelling like a dirty ocean now that the whale of the office left. Martha called her creepy for having a picture of her spider rather than her family, then again, she called her creepy for having one as a pet in the first place.
Ever since she got hired here, Claire ignored their rude and awful remarks. She didn’t want to fight back because she always believed that she wouldn’t be able to win against them, and her lack of confidence in herself only made the others pick on her more. In their eyes, she was a weakling who could not fight back, someone who would not complain if others bullied her, an easy prey.
With a heavy sigh escaping her lips, Claire went back to the subway and returned home. There, at the entrance to her apartment building, she saw a notice from the landlord.
“The residents of apartments 22B, 23B, and 24B are required to vacate the premise by the end of this day. Your final notice for paying the rent was last week.” she read out loud and was immediately confused by what was written there.
How can this be? I never received a notice like that? When? How? Is this the landlord’s trick to kick us out in the curve? she thought and although anger boiled down inside her, she managed to remain calm.
She already had a bad start to her day, there was nothing she could do, or so she told herself.
Upon entering her apartment, she placed the box down on a chair and then slumped in her bed.
Claire was at a loss. She had no idea what to do or whom to call upon. In her mind, there was nothing she could do to change her current predicament. As a woman with such low self-esteem and a family who didn’t care whether she was alive or not, she felt more alone than ever. If she died on the side of the road, only Kraneea, her pet spider, would probably miss her.
Throughout her life, she was not one to go out of her way to make friends or clear up the misunderstandings between her and her family. Usually, if someone wronged her or she wronged them, she would tend to stay as far away from them as possible. If needed be, she would even move out of the area just so they would not meet.
The idea that nothing would change even if she tried her best to do so haunted her to this very day. Her life never changed, she herself never changed, her relationships never changed, her life was just one downhill after another, so she could not see herself as someone reaching out for the helping hand of a friend or family. In her mind, those people never wanted to offer her a helping hand anyway, she was of no use for them, so even try to reach out in the first place?
These warped ideas were further enforced by the repetitive nature of her lifestyle. Day after day she did the same thing, day after day she thought about the same things. Nothing ever changed and nothing was supposed to. Things like social networks were there only to look at funny pictures and have a place where to post her pictures of her pet spider, nothing else.
However, finding herself without a job and an apartment to stay in, Claire all of a sudden began to feel as though fate was changing, but towards the worse.
When she looked back at her own life, she felt as though the whole Universe had wronged her, that it wanted her dead or stomped down into a hole from where she would have no chance to escape.
After all, for her, life even with change was nothing but one downhill after another.
More than an hour had passed by with her thinking about these things, crying her heart out, and cursing at the fate she couldn’t see.
“Ungh... I can’t do this anymore… I need to find a new place to stay... and a job.” Claire told herself as she pushed herself off from the bed.
With her sleeve, she wiped off the tears that flowed down her cheeks. Since she never wore makeup because she firmly believed that she was not beautiful enough for it, she didn’t have to worry about her suit being stained by mascara or lipstick.
A few hours later of looking through personal ads and at various real estate agencies, she finally found a good place, which was not that far from her current location and at around the same rental price too. It was a studio apartment located somewhere in Sugar Hill, not far from the Dance Theater of Harlem.
It was an offer too good to be true, but she set aside her own fears and worries and immediately called the number in the ad to see if the place was still available.
By 6 PM, Claire already signed a rental contract for 6 months and had a moving company take her stuff there. The last thing left at her old place was Kraneea’s cage, which she wanted to carry by herself back to her new studio apartment.
“It’s time to go, girl.” Claire told the Huntsman Spider, which was hiding underneath the dried foliage that served as her little burrow.
There was also a piece of wood there under which she could hide if she wanted to, and from all points of view, this was one healthy arachnid.
Claire picked up the big plastic box and headed out. On her way there, she put on her Bluetooth headset and turned it on, but while it was connected to her phone, it didn’t play anything. It was there just for show, to pretend as though she was on call with someone or listening to music, a self-defense mechanism to avoid being talked to or called out to.
“I don’t know what to do, girl. This new place is a bit too much for me, and I can’t ask my parents for help either. Sigh... This has been one lousy day. I got fired from my job. I got an eviction notice. At least it doesn’t rain...” she showed a wry smile.
The Huntsman Spider was looking back at her with curious eyes, but she could not talk back. She could not give her any advice. In the end, she was just a pet.
Claire continued to talk like this to her spider, molding the conversation in a way that it appeared as though she was talking with someone through the headset. If someone stopped her and looked at her phone though, they would pity her for how lonely she was.
When she reached the W 150th Street, a lightning cracked the sky and a loud thunder soon followed. Not even a moment later, drops of rain fell all over New York. Claire stopped in her tracks and looked up at the dark clouds that loomed menacingly above the city. She showed a wry smile and then continued to walk.
“Just my luck, huh? I’m probably going to catch a cold too... I mean, it’s the 12th of December, not exactly the best time of the year to get drenched by the rain.” Claire giggled, and while the people around her ran for cover, she ignored it completely.
At the next intersection, she stopped and waited for the traffic light to turn green for her.
“At least it can’t get any worse than this, isn’t that right, girl?” she said as she lifted up the spider’s cage and looked at her with a soft smile on her lips.
When the lights turned green, she stepped on the crosswalk. She wasn’t that far now from her new apartment building. Just a few more minutes and she would be there. A good hot shower would await her, and her mind was on ordering a big pizza with lots of cheese on it.
SKREEECH!
That was the sound of a tank truck breaking hard, trying to stop itself from crashing into the pedestrians. The driver turned the wheel left and right, struggling to keep the heavy machine steady, but when he saw Claire in front of him, he pulled a hard left.
The last thing the woman saw was how the tank truck lost control and turned to the side. The logo of the VortEX Company, a big V that overlapped a big E and X, on the side of the tank vanished and the top slammed into her at full force.
In that moment, it was lights out for her. The shock of the impact knocked her unconscious, so she was spared of the pain that would have soon followed.
The moment when Claire was hit, Kraneea’s shelter box was squished to her chest and shattered to pieces. The Huntsman Spider, unfortunately, was unable to flee and was squashed between the debris. The body of her master was sent flying back a meter or so before it fell on the hard road and rolled a couple of times before coming to a full stop. Some of the plastic shards had pierced through her chest and a few of the spider’s remains were lodged in her wounds.
Claire at this point had stopped breathing.
What happened? she asked herself when she opened her eyes. Why am I lying on the ground? she wondered. Wait! That... that can’t be... Why do I look like... she stopped as she realized in horror that what she was looking at was her own dead body.
Covering her mouth with her hands, she felt as though the whole world was spinning around her, yet she was not feeling sick. The pain she should have felt was not there, actually, she wasn’t breathing at all.
No! No! No! This can’t be happening! she shouted, but there was no one who could hear her, after all dead men told no tales.
At that point, she saw someone flying past her, it was an old woman. Claire could see right through her, and she was turning more and more transparent, as if her presence in this world was slowly fading away. But as she followed her with her eyes, she saw the old woman flying up to the sky, where a big vortex of light was sucking up all the lost souls of this world.
What... What is that... she said, but she received no answer.
That light, that beautiful light was pulling her closer. It was mesmerizing, soothing, calming. For Claire, it felt as though if she were to go and touch it, she would end up forgetting all of her troubles, all of her fears, all of her pain.
“Damn! A whale got beached!”
The rude remark of a nearby man who witnessed the accident pulled Claire out of her trance.
Shaking her head, she looked back down at her dead body that was being washed by the rain. There was no pain in her eyes, there was no sign that in her final moment she suffered, there was only surprise and a bit of shock.
When she looked at the one who tossed those disrespectful words at her, she saw how a nearby woman was already scolding him for being an insensitive misogynistic jerk. It didn’t matter that she was a bit on the chubby side, he had no right to say those words after she was killed like that.
Still, despite the brave arguments of the woman, the man’s friends disagreed with her. It soon turned into a battle of who was right or not on calling the dead woman fat.
Not even one of them is trying to see if I’m still breathing... Claire lamented when she saw how self-centered these people were.
CRACK!
The tank of the truck ruptured, and the transparent gel-like substance spilled out, drenching Claire’s dead body in it and washing over the entire street. Several people got hit by it, but thanks to the downpour of rain, the substance was quickly diluted and flushed down the drains.
This, however, meant that now no one would not even try to get close to her. While there was someone trying to get the driver out, they were staying far away from her.
In her mind, Claire hoped that maybe someone would have the decency to rush over to her and see if she was still alright. Maybe what she was seeing was something like an out of body experience because she was near death and not actually dead.
This can’t get any worse... she sighed and then looked up at the sky.
Far from the vortex of light, she saw something.
What’s that? she wondered.
It was like a multicolored sphere, from which she could sense an incredible energy, an unfathomable power. The spirits stopped in their tracks to look at the sphere as it was slowly piercing through the atmosphere and falling down on Earth.
I don’t know why... but that thing is scary. she said as she held herself and tried to move away from it.
This was the first time since she woke up that she felt... fear, and a pressure of energy she could not explain.
“What’s that?” one of the people on the streets pointed up at the sky.
Everyone now turned their gaze towards the sphere which looked as though it was ripping apart the very essence of time and space. Light bent around it, and the storm came to a halt.
“Whoa~” the people had now forgotten their bickering and were completely mesmerized by it.
Their attention was caught by the next best thing, and as for Claire... she was forgotten already.
Looking at them from this perspective, as a ghost up in the sky, she did not know what to feel.
It’s not fair... It’s not fair! she said when she realized how little respect everyone had for her.
But she knew... she knew that she was a nobody. She knew that these people did not know who she was and how she has lived her life. She knew they did not know anything about her and there was a high chance no one would even realize she was gone for years to come. Everyone who knew her, including her own family, would probably think she was still hiding away in her house, lamenting her bad luck, crying over being lonely, and talking with her pet spider about how ugly and fat she was.
All of these thoughts rushed through her mind, and she didn’t like them at all. She couldn’t accept that this was all there was of the woman named Claire. She would have wanted for there to be more, to feel at peace with something at least, but she wasn’t.
From the amount of grief, sadness, and tumultuous emotions raging inside her, Claire began to feel as though the whole world was spinning around her, the shapes of the buildings bending and twisting into a spiral. She felt dizzy, and she now knew that deep down in her heart she didn’t want to die yet.
Clinging to her last thread of sanity, as she felt her very existence washing down that torrent of bad memories and painful emotions, she reached out and grasped that hidden desire of hers.
I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I want to LIVE! Claire shouted at the top of her lungs.
In that moment, when her soul burst with an unwavering strength and power of will, the sphere that fell from the sky emitted a powerful wave of energy. It traveled faster than sound and did not stop at anything. It did not damage the electronics, it did not have a kinetic effect like a shock wave, it was as if a ghost had passed through everything.
It got closer and closer to her, and it was visible with the naked eye too. This startled the people on the ground, who went for cover, trying to hide from it. The wave of energy, was getting faster and faster, speeding up the farther it got from the sphere in the sky.
When it reached her dead body and right after it passed through it, a lightning bolt struck it. The flash of light caused everyone to close their eyes and look away, all except Claire, who was just a mere spirit.
What she felt when the wave of energy passed through it was power... an infinite amount of power, and a part of it resonated with her strong will and desire to keep on living. Then, when the lightning struck, Claire felt herself being sucked back into her body.
BADUMP!
That was the sound of her heart starting to beat again, the sound of life flowing through her veins.
BADUMP!
With another heartbeat, her body turned back to life, and she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and her ears were ringing. There were people screaming and running. Their movements appeared to be slow to her. The whole world around her moved slow, but she had no idea why.
She felt a stinging sensation coming from her chest and looked down. There were shards of acrylic stuck in her.
It hurts... she thought and then slowly she moved her hand and pulled them out one by one.
When she was done, Claire looked around one more time, but her vision was still blurry and her ears still ringing. She pushed herself off the ground. It was easy, she did not struggle at all.
With a wobble, she began to move out of the street.
I need to get home... to rest... she thought as she moved towards her new apartment building.
Despite being hurt and in a trance-like state, Claire knew that she couldn’t go back to her former residence, she didn’t even have the key for that place anymore. So, she moved slowly, one step at a time. Her only focus was her heartbeat and the burning sensation in her limbs. It didn’t hurt, but she felt as though something inside her was changing. Her instincts were telling her to move out of the way, out of people’s sight where she would be defenseless.
Eventually, somehow or someway, she reached her new apartment studio. She opened the door and stepped inside. The bed was right there in front of her, but it felt like it was a mile away. It was only now that she was feeling the weight of her own body, and a terrible weakness overcame her.
Claire knelt on the ground and struggled to move closer to her bed.
Inside this apartment, there was nothing unpacked, not even a blanket. The bed was covered with a simple white sheet, which was there when she rented it. All the boxes she brought from her old place were stacked up neatly one on top of each other in the corners of the room, making the studio look more like a storage unit than an actual living space.
By the time she reached the bed, she was sweating and heaving. Her body was telling her that she was safe now, that there was no reason to struggle and fight anymore, that she should let herself go and relax.
It was like the sweet whisper of the Sandman when you were dead tired from work and slumped down in your bed. Claire knew all too well this feeling. It was her friend after so many years of work.
I’ll rest... on the bed... she thought and closed her eyes.
Claire did not open them again. Her body, tired and weakened, succumbed to exhaustion, right there, next to her bed and not on top of it.
Time then passed by. Minutes turned to hours and hours turned to days.
A whole week would have passed before she woke up again, but during this time, she barely moved at all. Her mind drifted in and out of consciousness. It was as if she was floating down a river, and she had no idea where it was taking her. All Claire could see were the endless stars above her, twinkling with a brightness she never saw before.
To her left and to her right were trees big and lush, but she could only see the tip of their crowns and one or two branches sticking out from the sides. From time to time, she saw a big spider hanging on those branches. It wasn’t scary, and she felt as if she was welcoming her.
The spider was welcoming her to her world.
When it was time to wake up, she opened her eyes and felt a surge of energy rushing through her body. The first thing she did was to let out a big yawn and then stretched her arms and neck. The sensation felt really good, entrancing even.
With an ease she never felt before, she got up from the ground and looked around her. Some of the boxes had been toppled over, and her clothes were all around her. She discarded them in her sleep, which was a first for her. She was completely naked now, but she didn’t feel cold. When she looked down at her legs, she felt as though something was amiss. They were too thin.
What the? she thought and then looked at her hands and hips.
The overflowing fat tissue that once made others shame her was now gone.
A part of her felt frightened by the sudden change, while the other was overjoyed.
Claire was smart woman, and she knew that something like this couldn’t happen overnight. The world didn’t work like this, it didn’t grant miracles at the snap of the fingers, besides, she had no idea how she got back to her apartment and why she was now naked of all things.
A mirror! I need a mirror! she thought and got up from the bed.
She rushed to the bathroom and the moment she laid eyes on her own reflection; she froze.
Claire did not recognize the woman who was looking back at her. Sure, she was somewhat similar, but she was so thin and beautiful, completely different from how she knew she was. The face of the chubby woman with constant black circles under her eyes was now gone and replaced with a healthy-looking woman worthy to be called a model from a beauty magazine.
It was as if all the useless fat in her body had been consumed or maybe gathered up cell by cell and then disintegrated into thin air, while at the same time letting her retain just enough to not ruin her image.
Claire was a bit terrified by what she was experiencing, but what happened next made her scream.
“KYAAA!!!”
Her reflection in the mirror suddenly opened a second pair of eyes, right above her normal ones, closer to her temples. Those eyes were not human ones, they were like those of a spider, round and shiny. Yet, Claire knew they were not an illusion because the moment she opened them, the way she saw the world around her changed as well.
Her field of vision was enlarged, almost like using a PC with multiple monitors which now surrounded the main one at the center. Yet, the images they captured were not the same. They were more focused on the details and showed a far richer spectrum of light.
“What the hell is this?!” Claire said as she moved her hand in front of her new eyes, and in that instant, she focused on the tiny cells that made up her skins.
She quickly removed her hand.
Taking a step closer to the mirror, she focused her vision on her eyes. What she saw was amazing. The level of detail was absolutely stunning. It was as if the image was captured by a high-performance camera, but what she found fascinating was the fact that the blackness of the eyes was actually just the black iris. Unlike the one in her regular human eyes, this one was a super-iris that could expand a lot more than the regular one.
“Why do I have a new pair of eyes?!” she asked herself and then felt something on her palate.
Opening her mouth, she took a quick look.
When she focused on that area, she realized that she could contract her muscles there, and so she did. In that moment, a pair of fangs popped out. They immediately reminded her of a spider’s chelicerae. She could even feel the tiny venom sacks in the back of her mouth ready to shoot out a drop of venom.
By instinct, she knew that if a human was envenomed by her, that individual would have a very bad day. This substance was a highly potent nerve toxin, which in small quantities acted as a paralyzing agent, while in larger doses could stop a human’s heart in a matter of seconds.
As for her, she was immune to it, or at least that was what she instincts told her.
Carefully, Claire pulled back her fangs and closed the eyes on top of her head.
She took a deep breath and leaned on top of the sink.
What’s happening to me? she thought and then looked up in the mirror at herself.
The woman reflected back, as long as one didn’t take into account the hidden fangs and eyes, was absolutely stunning. She was beautiful and gave a certain feeling of allure.
I’m a huntress...
It was just a fleeting thought, but she felt as though it was representing her.
Letting out a sigh, she turned to move to her room, but then something reflected in the mirror caught her attention. There was something on her back, something hairy.
Slowly turning around, she saw what she could only describe as the tucked away legs of a spider. There were four of them.
The mere sight of them shocked her and she backed out of the bathroom screaming. Because she focused on that area, her muscles reacted and the spider legs on her back stretched out. The four limbs extended quickly with what appeared to be a mushy exoskeleton, but when they were at full length, a spike of electricity flowed through them, and they hardened like steel. The tiny tactile hairs stood on end, and the tips of the legs stuck to the ceiling and walls.
“What’s going on?! What is this?! What is happening to me?!” she cried out as she tried to move, but while the huge legs remained in place, her body was lifted off the ground.
The strength behind her new limbs was extraordinary. She did not even feel the weight of her own body, but then again, spiders were known to jump at over fifty times the length of their own bodies.
Because she could not focus well, she was getting moved left and right like a helpless rag doll.
“No! I have to stop!” she cried out and when she tried to reach for her legs, the muscles on her forearm moved and from underneath her skin, a fang-like blade popped up.
Just like before, it was mellow and mushy at first, but when the spike of electricity flowed through it, the blade hardened like steel.
“What now?! NO! What’s happening?!” she cried out as she saw the changes to her body.
As a result of her frightened state, her other pair of eyes opened up, bringing her new sight into place.
Claire found herself being moved around left and right until she finally stopped struggling and gave up. Her legs also relaxed, and Claire was able to control her movement a little better. She first closed her second pair of eyes and then slowly retracted the blade in her right hand.
Instinct told her how to do everything, but all of this was like using a pair of muscles you never knew you had before.
Releasing a bit of tension in her back legs, she lowered herself down until she touched the floor with her feet. Little by little she was starting to understand how to use her new limbs, the instinct was there, the information, the feeling, all she had to do was follow it.
Knock! Knock!
“Are you alright, dear? I heard screaming and a loud noise... Did you fall or something?” the landlady asked her.
“Huh? I’m alright! I’m perfectly fine! Just... fine.” Claire replied in a panic as she looked at her new hairy legs.
“If you say so, dear. Just keep it down then, there are children and elderly living in this building.” she told her.
“Yes! Of course! I’m sorry!” she said.
“It’s alright. Have a nice evening.” the landlady said before she left.
“You too, ma’am!”
Once she was gone, Claire let out a sigh of relief and then looked at her huge back legs.
“What am I going to do with you?” she wondered.
There was something keeping her legs stretched. There was a muscle somewhere in her body which made this possible, but she had no idea how to control it.
I need to relax. she thought and then closed her eyes.
Little by little she began to relieve the tension in her limbs. Then, as if responding to this new state of relaxation, the muscle that kept them stretched calmed down. The legs pulled back and deflated before returning to their retracted position inside her back.
When it was over, Claire opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. To do this, she had to focus a lot more than she thought she would. The desire to keep her legs stretched out was great. The instinct was calling out to her to use them to move around and hunt, to find a good prey for her new fangs. She refused to do it, though.
“What’s happening to me?” she wondered, but this time in a lower voice.
As she carefully touched her back, she noticed that her legs were carefully tucked away inside, without disturbing the muscles she would have otherwise needed to freely move. Actually, it was her entire anatomical structure that changed in order to compensate for the use of these new appendages of hers.
Naturally, she heard of scenarios like hers, but those things were mentioned only in comic books or anime. For something like this to happen in real life was absolutely ridiculous. She didn’t even know where to start from, but one thing she was certain of was that even though her new legs, fangs, and claws were similar to a spider’s, they were far different from them. Rather than saying they were simple arachnid parts attached to her, it would be better to say that she evolved arachnid-like parts with her human nature as the base of it all.
As Claire looked around her room, she noticed that she had yet to start unpacking her stuff. Everything was still in cardboard boxes, and it was a good thing she didn’t knock down anything with her huge spider legs.
With a sigh escaping her lips, Claire got up on her feet and moved towards the nearest box. She would use this time to unpack and think about what was to be done from now on. The new changes brought to her body as well as the ever-growing need for more money was going to be a problem for her.
It was difficult enough as it was to be fat-shamed at work, but how am I going to survive through the day with spider legs popping out of my back or a second pair of eyes on my forehead? Why is this happening to me? she thought, but these questions did not have an answer yet, or at least not one she could fully accept.
Becoming a guinea pig for some mad scientist wasn’t an option either. Of course, becoming a test subject for the military was also a possibility, and at worse, she would be forced to turn to a life of crime, running away from everyone and struggling to survive to see another day.
It took her a little over an hour and a half to finish unpacking everything, and she was surprised by the fact that she still had enough energy to spare.
“Well, it wasn’t that hard!” she declared, but as she was looking around to see if there was any box left unpacked, she noticed that the window’s drapes weren’t pulled, and her naked body was on full display for anyone lucky enough to catch a glimpse from the other side.
Strangely enough though, she was not bothered by this. Claire never had any exhibitionist fetish, but she felt a bit prouder of her new body, and in weird way, she was seeing it as a tool for attracting the prey she desired.
Among spiders, there were those who used their own bodies as effective lures for unsuspecting insects. The wasp spider mimicked the colors of flowers, while the crab spider took residence in flowers and used its body to increase the ultraviolet light reflection of the plant, which was highly effective as a lure for insects. The same went for the orb weaver spider, whose big abdomen was a visual lure. On this note, the bolas spider had the strangest way of attracting prey. Its body emitted the sexual pheromones of moths, which confused the spider with a potential mate.
Humans, by nature, also used physical attraction as a basic way of attracting a potential companion. The reason why Claire went through an intense beautification process was partially to blame because of this ‘natural lure’ instinct but also because most of her fatty tissue was absorbed and transformed into the many extra parts she now possessed.
Looking down at her naked body, Claire become more conscious of her own feminine attraction. She found it interesting, and it gave her a rather liberating feeling as if... she was in control, as if she had a power that she had been longing for her entire life.
With a smile on her lips, she then moved to the bathroom and took a long shower. What she didn’t notice when she did this was the fact that the temperature was set at around 56 degrees Celsius. It was HOT, yet she didn’t feel a thing.
After she got out, she moved to the dresser and took out a bunch of clothes from there. Everything was a few sizes bigger, making her feel as though she was wearing a sheet or a toga instead of the actual skin-tight clothes that they were before.
Without realizing, at one point she extended her top back legs and began to use them as a way of picking up clothes and looking at them. She moved on instinct because she was too focused on how everything wasn’t fitting her anymore. Although the fabric was good, the sizes were terrible.
“My old t-shirts are a mess now and... huh?” she finally noticed her legs.
Blinking surprised, she looked at the one that extended from her back in order to grab one of the t-shirts and then looked at the other legs which worked as a hanger for now.
“When did I?” she asked herself and then rubbed her eyes.
Claire could have sworn that she could not remember when exactly she extended her back legs and started to use them. Everything happened so sudden and natural that it took her completely by surprise.
“Well... it’s not that bad.” she said as she picked up the t-shirt hanging on her right leg. “I’ve always loved spiders, and I do need to get used to them. I don’t want to have them popping out in the middle of the street now, do I?” she giggled.
Without concerning herself about her legs anymore, she continued to look through her clothes in the hope of finding something good.
In the end, she did not find a thing. So, using a sewing needle and string, she began to modify a t-shirt and a pair of old pants that she found out last week that they did not fit her anymore, but which were too baggy now.
Her ability to sew did not come from her spider mutations, but rather it was something she had to learn ever since she was young. Her parents were not the type to sit down to sew up the hole in her clothes. They would rather buy her something new and rip the old thing to bits.
Once she was done remodeling her clothes, she put them on and took a look at herself in the mirror.
The baggy t-shirt was now a better fit, but it felt right to her. The same went for the other clothes, it was clear that they were once a bigger size and rather than complimenting her beautiful looks, she felt as though they were chipping away at it.
I need to buy new clothes, urgently! None of these fit me anymore, and there’s nothing to wear for an interview either. Who will hire me if I go looking like I just raided a second-hand store for their leftover spare t-shirts and baggy pants?! I need a dress... or more. Claire thought as she turned around to look in the mirror, but when she looked at her spider legs, she said “Except for bare-back dresses... I definitely can’t get one of those.”
With her mind made up, Claire cleaned up her clothes, and tossed them all in a corner. She figured that it was a waste to throw them away. Either she bought a sewing machine and made them fit or gave them away to the needy. She also didn’t have the heart to toss away the t-shirts of her favorite game franchises, so she was vying for the first option.
I hope I have enough money... she thought as she picked up her wallet.
When she reached out for her phone though, a bolt of electricity was discharged from her fingertips and destroyed the device completely.
With mouth agape, she was now looking at the smoking piece of technology that redefined the term: useless.
“NOOO!!!” she screamed.
She picked it up and turned it around to look at it, but... there was nothing she could do. Her phone had gone up to Tech Heaven.
Wiping off a tear, she tossed the broken device in the trash bin and then left her studio apartment.
The first thing on her agenda for this evening was to go shopping for some everyday clothes and maybe find a decent dress to wear. She would also need a new pair of undergarments as the others were not an exact match. Rather than going out without a bra and pair of panties, she modified her old ones to fit her new size.
In her mind, a good pair of underwear could prove to be more effective than the lack of it if the idea was to lure in a man.
It took her several good hours of shopping to finish getting everything she wanted, and her credit card was near empty now. She did not splurge, but she now had everything she needed for a week at least. Unfortunately, she had to get a new phone as well. It wasn’t as expensive as her old one, but it would have to do.
Among the things Claire never thought she would buy was also a makeup set. She bought it on impulse or rather instinct. Before, when she was a few kilograms short of a heart attack, she didn’t see the need to add color to her face. Even now, Claire was quite beautiful in her own natural way, so normally, on would think that she didn’t need it. Whether she wasted money on the makeup set or not remained to be seen. For now, she did not mind having it.
On her way back, however, she was surprised by how the men tossed their gaze at her. Claire wasn’t wearing her modified baggy clothes anymore, and the red dress she had on was hugging her body just right. Each sway of her hips was absolutely enchanting for the men, and the subtle smile on her lips made her glance simply alluring.
Claire had become an enchantress without even realizing it, but she didn’t mind it. She liked the attention, and she felt more natural and relaxed now than she was before when she constantly thought about how others looked at her. Then again, it also never crossed her mind that some of the stares might have been due to the fact that she was wearing an elegant dress meant for evening occasions and it was the middle of December.
As she got off the train at the 155th station, she remembered what her friend from High School told her once about relationships in general.
“It all starts with the looks, girl. If he can get past that is the real test, but you can’t really see if someone is good for you or not if you don’t even take care of yourself. It’s your body, so the way you use it is your choice.”
Claire walked out of the station and stopped a few meters short of the entrance. Looking up at the sky and thinking of how she felt in the past couple of hours made her realize something.
I always complained about men not liking me, but I never even tried to make myself appealing to them be it in personality or looks... Today, I behaved so differently from the old me, but it felt good, I didn’t feel... superficial just happy with myself, happy with my own body... Claire lowered her head and looked at her hands.
She was carrying several heavy bags, but she could barely feel the weight.
The air was a bit chilling at this hour, but she didn’t feel it even as it whipped against her bare skin. Maybe some of those people who were looking at her were wondering how she wasn’t feeling cold, but this thought never passed through her mind. She was wondering just one simple thing... Why didn’t she take better care of herself before? She literally had to die before she realized what she really wanted, and it wasn’t as though she suffered from a disease that prevented her from losing weight either.
I did that to myself... I ate and ate and ate... out of stress, out of sadness, out of depression. I could have stopped myself; I could have chosen to do something about it, but it was me who chose it all... she thought and for a moment, she became horrified at all the things she had done so far not because of how much she wanted to do them but because of how much she hated herself for being in an ‘unfavorable’ situation.
Everything, in the end, was the result of her own crooked view of the world.
She wanted to laugh at her own foolishness, but she abstained. She had enough craziness for one day, and she still had to process all of this. Not to mention that she had to find a job quickly or she would literally end up hunting bugs in the dark alleys to eat.
Upon reaching her apartment building, she greeted the landlady, who was sweeping at the entrance.
“Huh? Claire? Is that you?” the woman asked surprise.
“Yes...” she showed her a wry smile.
“What happened to you, dear?” she blinked surprised, after all, the woman she remembered to be Claire Martery was definitely not someone so beautiful and slim.
“A good diet... and lots of exercise?” she replied.
“Is that so? Erm... How should I say this, it’s hard to believe.” she said, narrowing her eyes at her.
“Maybe, the change is kind of drastic, after all. Erm, but I do have the key you gave me. I also have my ID. Here.” Claire said trying to find proof of who she was.
The landlady checked the document and the key, but it was indeed quite a different change. What she was worried about was the possibility of an identity theft or worse, an impersonator. Then again, as long as she paid the rent and didn’t do anything illegal, maybe she had nothing to worry about?
While thinking about that, the landlady returned the documents and key.
“Alright, just be sure with them diets. I heard some people end up anorexic because of it. Those poor teenagers look all skin and bones to me.” she let out a sigh and shook her head.
“Yes, it’s terrible, but don’t worry about me, miss Culiery, I won’t end up like that. I’m done with my diet anyway!” Claire replied with a soft smile.
It was a bit difficult for her to lie like this, but the truth was far more unreasonable and unbelievable. What would she tell her? That she got hit by a truck, her pet spider died, and she ended up inheriting her genetic abilities?
“Have a good evening, Claire.” miss Culiery told her.
“Yes, you as well, miss.” she replied and then went up to her apartment.
Once she was inside, she let out a sigh of relief and slumped down on the floor.
“That was close.” she said.
Looking to her left, she saw all the items she bought today, and a smile moved up on her lips.
This was the first time she felt so happy about buying new clothes. She couldn’t wait to wear them all on different occasions and if luck would have it even get more of them. The way the fabric hugged her body was more relaxing than it was before, she felt like the dress really did help her shine more than normal. It was a very strange and rather invigorating feeling for her.
With a smile on her lips, she got up from the floor and then took out a bare-back t-shirt from one of the bags and a pair of sweatpants from another. She changed into them right away and placed her new red dress on a hanger in the bathroom, with the intention of giving it a wash later that day.
Then, with an innocent giggle, she grabbed all the bags she brought home and jumped right into rummaging through them. There was no need to hide her back legs while she was inside, so she took them out and enjoyed the relaxing feeling that washed over her.
As she looked through her clothes, she hanged them on her legs and then looked at herself in the mirror.
“They are so beautiful!” she giggled and jumped like a child who just received a new toy.
Even the makeup set could be considered a toy as her innocent self showed up the moment she began to fiddle with it. After several attempts, where the first one quite literally turned her into a clown, she finally drew a good one.
While wearing a cream blouse, she took a picture with her new phone.
It was the very first selfie she took in her entire life. Up until then, she felt too ashamed to take any and was worried that people might shun her if she uploaded it on her social apps. To embrace this new change in her life and give it a fair chance, she used a completely new account on everything. This picture was going to be the first one uploaded there.
“This... feels good.” Claire said as she looked at her phone.
For her, this day had been one filled with enough changes to last her a lifetime, but a part of her knew deep down that this was only the beginning. With her rather extreme physical changes, she knew that sooner or letter people were going to find out about her, as for having a relationship, that was something she couldn’t see happening any time too soon. After all, Claire could barely find the courage to accept herself as a half-spider half-human person, so what could she expect from someone else? Humankind in general had an innate fear of spiders and other creepy crawlies. What she became now was something akin to a monster.