A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan Page B

school. You're my best friend, Darren, the only person I can really talk to. If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do."
    He started to cry. I watched him for a few seconds, torn between fear and sympathy. Then my nobler self got the better of me and I put an arm around his shoulder. "It's okay," I said. "I'll still be your friend. C'mon, Steve, quit crying, okay?"
    He tried but it took a while for the tears to stop. "I must look like a total fool," he finally sniffed.
    "No," I said. "
I'm
the fool. I should have stood by you. I was a coward. I never stopped to imagine what you must be going through. I was only thinking of myself and Madam …" I made a face and stopped talking.
    Steve stared at me curiously. "What were you going to say?" he asked.
    "Nothing," I said. "It was a slip of the tongue."
    He grunted. "You're a bad liar, Shan. Always were. Tell me what it was you were about to let slip."
    I studied his face, wondering if I should tell him. I knew I shouldn't, that it could only mean trouble, but I felt sorry for him. Besides, I needed to tell someone. I wanted to show off my wonderful pet and the great tricks we could do.
    "Can you keep a secret?" I asked.
    "Of course," he snorted.
    "This is a big one. You can't tell anyone, okay? If I tell you, it has to stay between the two of us. If you ever talk …"
    "
You'll
talk about me and Mr. Crepsley," Steve said, grinning. "You have me over a barrel. No matter what you tell me, you know I can't blab, even if I wanted to. What's the big secret?"
    "Wait a minute," I said. I got off the bed and opened the door to the room. "Mom?" I shouted.
    "Yes?" came her muffled reply.
    "I'm showing Steve my flute," I yelled. "I'm going to teach him how to play it, but only if we're not disturbed, okay?"
    "Okay," she called back.
    I closed the door and smiled at Steve. He looked puzzled. "A flute?" he asked. "Your big secret is a flute?"
    "That's part of it," I said. "Listen, do you remember Madam Octa? Mr. Crepsley's spider?"
    "Of course," he said. "I wasn't paying much attention to her when she was on but I don't think anyone could ever forget a creature like that. Those hairy legs: brrrr!"
    I opened the door to the closet while he was speaking and got out the cage. His eyes squinted when he saw it, then widened. "That's not what I think it is, is it?" he asked.
    "That depends," I said, whipping off the cloth. "If you think it's a deadly performing spider you're right!"
    "Oh man!" he gasped, almost falling off the bed in shock. "That's a … she's a … where did … Wow!"
    I was delighted with his reaction. I stood over the cage, smiling like a proud father. Madam Octa lay on the floor, quiet as ever, paying no attention to me or Steve.
    "She's awesome!" Steve said, crawling closer for a better look. "She looks just the same as the one in the circus. I can't believe you found one that looks so similar. Where'd you get her? A pet shop? From a zoo?"
    My smile slipped. "I got her from the Cirque Du Freak, of course," I said uneasily.
    "From the freak show?" he asked, face crinkling. "They were selling live spiders? I didn't see any. How much did she cost?"
    I shook my head and said: "I didn't buy her, Steve. I … Can't you guess? Don't you understand?"
    "Understand what?" he asked.
    "That's not a
similar
spider," I said. "That's the
same one
. It's Madam Octa."
    He stared at me, as though he hadn't heard what I'd said. I was about to repeat it, but he spoke up before I could. "The … same … one?" he asked in a slow, trembling voice.
    "Yes," I said.
    "You mean … that's … Madam Octa?
The
Madam Octa?"
    "Yes," I said again, laughing at his shock.
    "That's … Mr. Crepsley's spider?"
    "Steve, what's wrong? How many times do I have to say it for you to …"
    "Wait a minute," he snapped, shaking his head. "If this is really Madam Octa, how did you get your hands on her? Did you find her outside? Did they sell her off?"
    "Nobody would sell a great spider like this," I