The Hubby Hold (IQ Testing Book 2) Read online

  I exhale, staring at the web. “Look, we brush Ms. Spider to the side of her home, then we gently split the web, between the two parallel rows of cotton plants. Obviously, her web is an obstacle for us to continue the foot pathway. That’s it! We be done! Then, we run back, scooting back into our me-chee chairs, dropping down into the floor then emerge into the Cubby Hole. I really wanna leave, here, now.”

  Lamis exhales, shaking her curls. “I have to agree with ya, Ketona. I don’t see what the other thing would be. But, there’s only one spider, and two of us. That’s means, only one of us, can return back into the Cubby Hole.”

  “Naw, no, I disagree.” I snap my fingers. “Okay, I…you can brush Ms. Spider away from the center of her web, since she’s sleeping, or sun bathing in the heated air, in the middle of that big wide spun web. Then, I will gently tear the web down the middle.” I raise my hands, nodding and smiling. “How’s that action plan for getting us both back into the Cubby Hole?”

  Lamis exhales, viewing the dirt and then Ketona. “It sounds good, coming from your words, Ketona.”

  I hand her the broken branch then rip off another one, to tear the spider web, down the center.

  “I am not going to harm, or kill Ms. Spider, only scoot her towards the center of the thick leaves. She can hide from us. Banana spiders are harmless and friendly.” Lamis parts the cotton plants then shuffles into the same cotton row with Ketona.

  I stand behind her.

  She slows advances to the spider then stops. She breaks a new stem with plant leaves then flings the leaves back and forth, brushing at the spider.

  The spider shivers then rapidly crawls backwards, from the center of the web.

  Lamis extends her arm, as far as she can, without coming into contact with the silky weave of the web. She gently swishes the plant leaves at the spider.

  The spider shivers then rapidly occupies the center position, again.

  Lamis giggles. “She thinks the plant leaves are some big flying mosquitoes.”

  I exhale, biting my lips and rubbing my hands with fear and anticipation. “Okay, shift the leaves towards the edge of her web, let her think the big green fly is smarter,” giggling.

  Lamis shuffles her arm towards the edge of the web.

  The spider shivers then rapidly crawls towards the shaking leaves.

  Lamis giggles and smiles. “It works. She’s moving towards the leaves.”

  “Toss the leaves into the web for her delight and our safety…”

  “Okay,” Lamis tosses the broken leaves and stem, near the edge of the spider web, then slowly back pedals from the spun web.

  I exhale, rubbing my hands with sweat down my cat suit. I exhale, saying. “Okay!” I tear a thick stem from the cotton plant. I march, exhaling and inhaling with fear, trying to control my flight emotion. I rip the leaves from the thick stem, exposing only the naked branch. Then, I tear a pointy sharp at the end point, like an arrow tip.

  I growl then grunt, raising both my arms with the man-made arrow tip. I drop both arms, connecting at the top of the pretty glittering yellow colored spun web.

  My short branch with the man-made arrow tip hits the top weave then sticks, permanently. I grunt with annoyance then jerk the stem backwards from the web.

  The short branch doesn’t move, but the spider web shakes, violently.

  “Ugh! My homemade weapon is permanently stuck in the dang web,” I tug and jerk on the naked branch from the web. “The web is extremely sticky and wet…”

  Lamis back steps from Ketona, pointing at the intact and gleaming yellow web. “Did ya know that the banana spider web has been tested and found to be stronger than steel, by a factor of six…”

  “What!?” I swing my face to Lamis, since my body is hugging the sticky spider web, being short. I yank and pull from the spider web, releasing the stuck branch. “I’m can move. I’m stuck. Where’s the dang spider?”

  Lamis laughs. “She’s long gone, honey! You’re like that overgrown cockroach, that they all fear and run from. I told ya, the banana spiders are shy…”

  “I cannot break free from the spider web. Yuck! The silky fibers are surrounding my hands, feeling creepy and crawly. They’re all over my hands.” I fling my hands, but the yellow threads stick, like glue. I grunt then groan then growl.

  Lamis giggles. “Don’t worry about it! The spider web doesn’t bite ya…”

  “Stop spouting facts! Get it off of me! Get the web off my hands and face. It feels both creepy and silky, too…”

  Lamis back pedals from Ketona, giggling and smiling. “The scientists tried to spin the silk into thread, but it failed. Along the seacoast, fishermen roll numerous banana spider webs into balls then toss into the water, catching bait for fishing. Some of the coastal natives eat the pregnant females…”

  I gasp, scanning the spider web. “The spider’s pregnant. Are her eggs inside the web, too? I cannot get the webbing off of me.” I fling my hands with the golden threads, prettily wavering in the bright sunlight.

  Lamis says. “Naw, Ms. Spider ain’t pregnant. At least, I don’t think so, but, on the other hand, I won’t know a pregnant spider from a daddy spider. Anyways, the coastal natives eat the pregnant females, as protein, either raw, or roasted. Sometimes, the guts are mixed with potatoes, too, but kinda sticky…”

  “Hush it, Lamis! Help me! I can’t get free from the sticky web.” I scream, running backwards from the spider web in both panic and fear.

  The web follows me backwards, too.

  “Get off. Get this thing off of me!” I scream, running backwards. The spider web clings to me, stretching along with me in a backward motion, too. I run faster as the web clings to my hands and chin, screaming.

  Lamis turns then runs towards the end of the row, yelling. “Keep running, Ketona. The web will stretch then snap the spider fibers from your hands. Ya’ll be freed.”

  I scream, running backwards with blindness then slam into the object. Two hands curve around my waist, stopping me.

  He whispers into her eardrum. “Calm, honey! You’re safe. I’m here…”

  I pant then exhale then say with moisture in my eyelashes. “The spider web is stuck on me. I can’t get away from it...”

  She lowers the burning cigar with the good smelling fumes, onto the outstretched yellow thread fibers of the spider web, clinging to both my hands and cheekbones.

  The fire burns and cinders the spider web threads, immediately.

  The taunt web falls from my body, when I slam into his chest from the jolt.

  He giggles. “Captured ya, again, darling.”

  Nephella laughs. “That’s a wicked thing for any particular park place. I don’t like spiders, or spider webs, either,” she winks at Lamis.

  I swing around, smiling into his face. “Rincon, how…what are you doing, here. I mean, thank you! I…”

  He smiles. “I’m here. You’re safe. Back up, sugar, let’s clean your pretty face of the dangling spider fibers.” He raises her arms over her skull, winking at her. Then he grabs and pulls a handful of leaves, saying. “The oil from the plant leaves will act, like a bar of soap, washing off the silky threads of the banana spider web fibers from your cute self.” He squats and chuckles then rubs the leaves, starting from her boots then her kneecaps, then her waist, then her rib cage, then her breasts, then her neck, then her face.

  I giggle and wiggle side to side, surveying Rincon, playing with my body parts.

  He stops at her face, winking and smiling. “See, the yellow fibers are falling away.” He pulls a fresh batch of plants, gently cleaning her chin then he kisses her chin. He gently cleans her lips then kisses her lips. He gently cleans her nose then kisses her nose, when she giggles. He gently cleans her right cheekbone then kisses that cheekbone, grinning. She giggles. He gently cleans her left cheekbone then kisses that cheekbone, winking. Rincon says. “Close your eyes.” He cleans her eyelashes and eyebrows and forehead then tenderly kisses her forehead. He smiles. “Okay, I’
m almost done. You can open your pretty eyes.” She opens her eyelashes, smiling at him. He stands almost on top of her toes, sweet breathing into her face. “The cat suit doesn’t allow the web fibers, or anything to stick to the electrons. The web only attached to your nakedness…”

  I exhale with relieve and love, bathing in the loose leaves, saying. “Thank you.”

  Rincon tosses the used leaves to the dirt then pulls a fresh patch of new ones. He cleans her right arm, tickling her underarm. Ketona drops her arm, giggling. He touches her hand, cleaning between the fingers.

  I smile and say. “You’re really smart, too, Rincon. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I feel the sticky web fibers dissolve away, leaving a sorta oily touch…”

  Rincon rubs up her left arm, tickling her armpit, when she giggles, dropping her arm. He cleans her fingers, saying. “Banana spider webs have been used in regenerating the body’s immune system and have antibacterial properties. That means, ya want get sick, ever, and will remain perfectly pretty, for the rest of our days, together.” He kisses her lips then pulls back, grinning.

  I giggle, turning pinky blush on my cheekbones then smile. “I’m so glad to see ya’ll. How come you’re, here, inside the red color tone? I thought you all would be celebrating your victory dance, inside the gold circle…”

  Rincon tosses the plant leaves, wiping his hands from the oil. He cuddles Ketona, twisting towards the shade of trees. “I…”

  “We…,” Nephella flicks the burning cigar, when Lamis two-steps from both the tall girl and the firing flame. Nephella says. “We, both, noticed ya’ll were missing, from the blue color tone. Is Duchie here, too? Have ya seen her, by chance, either?” She scans the cotton rows, surveys the playing teens, who run through the rows of cotton plants.

  I gasp, stopping under the clump of shade trees. I sit with Rincon on the smooth grass. “But, you answered the questions, correctly, inside the green color tone. I saw Marsilla turn blue, within her me-chee chair, then, I saw that Rincon was missing, too.”

  Rincon nods, cuddling Ketona. “I passed with hundred percent the four academic questions, landing, first, before Marsilla, inside the blue color tone. She was not happy girl. I think she’s got some kind of cat scratch fever. Anyways, I was correct. The blue color tone contained puppies, then the puppies…”

  I exhale, tossing my arms. “Wait! Hold up! I’m totally confused and totally appreciative of your rescue. But, you, both, are missing, being the first and second me-chee chairs, inside the gold color tone, your dream jobs in Colfax. Marsilla is there, first, so she wins, getting her pick of her dream job…”

  “Naw,” Nephella shakes her curls and body piercing, sitting next to Ketona. She holds the single cotton boll in her free hand, lighting it with the burning cigar, watching it burn into a puff of black smoke and gray ashes then laughs. Lamis shifts over away from the mean girl. Nephella giggles, saying. “It actually doesn’t work, like that. I mean, Marsilla doesn’t win, alone. There are five dream jobs, within the golden circle, designated by my mama, the mayor of Colfax, so up towards five teens can take possession of the five dream jobs by answering the single difficult question…”

  I gasp. “So, every teen can qualify for their dream job.”

  Lamis nods and frowns. “We have discussed this, already. There are five dream jobs, but you must answer the single golden color tone question to be awarded your job.”

  I gasp with shock. “I don’t understand. Why did you fail the two questions and then come back to the red color tone?”

  Rincon cuddles Ketona. “For you!”

  I gasp with shock. “For me!?”

  Lamis frowns. “If you have failed the two academic questions, dropping back down into the red color tone, then you take a big chance that you won’t make it into the golden color tone for your dream job?”

  Rincon chuckles. “Naw, I’ll make it into the golden circle, along with my girl,” he kisses Ketona’s cheekbone.

  I giggle then say. “Okay. Ya’ll come back for us. Thank you, very much. Second question, how did ya come back? You would have had to return into the Cubby Hole, then would have had failed the questions, within the blue color tone. Then, you would have dropped into the green color tone and done ‘the thing.’ Then, you would have returned into the Cubby Hole and then would have failed the new questions, within the green color tone. Then you would have landed into the red room of mirrors, along with the crowded me-chee chairs. But, how can ya do this? I thought all the teens, within the current park place, had to leave the room of mirrors, together, all at the same time. Then, the same group of teens entered the Cubby Hole for the next round of academic questions. So, how did ya fake out the Cubby Hole?”

  Nephella grabs and burns a second cotton boll for her fun, laughing. “We didn’t fake out the Cubby Hole. Believe me! You can’t fake or fudge with the Cubby Hole, simply, because of the cat suits. We, the cat suits, and Cubby Hole are both entwined and interrelated, kinda like your blood proteins. You need blood, air, and water to live and breathe, like the three items, during Citizenship Day. Okay. Ketona is partially correct. A teen can slide into her me-chee chair, after doing her ‘the thing,’ within the current park place. The me-chee chair soars back into the Cubby Hole for the next round of questions for the next color tone. However, the teen could be the only me-chee chair, inside the Cubby Hole. The Cubby Hole is a computer, sorta, zapping the teens back and forth inside the wind tunnel, all over the place. So, one single teen could, if academically driven, single-handedly advance through each color tone and then into the golden circle, first, after properly answering the academic questions, with a passing score of 75, of course. If not, the teen’s stuck in the current, or previous color tone.”

  I nod. “This is not an IQ game. This is a psychology game…”

  Rincon frowns with worry. “The Cubby Hole is more than a psychology game. The game’s designed to entrap both your mind and body with paralyzing fear. The first me-chee chair to land into the park place is modeled, after the teen’s fear, which is tested by every single teen. After the fear question is used up, within one of the park places, if the same me-chee chair and teen land inside a new park place, then the park place is designed, after the teen’s love question. That’s make good sense. Exception, we’re discovering that the nice love event is laced with fear elements, too. Inside the green color tone, Marsilla landed, first, again. She had used her fear factor, inside the red color tone, with the cliff jumping event. However, almost all the teens enjoyed that particular sport of jumping off the limestone rock, but her. Then, inside the green color tone, she loved flowers. However, both the flowers and teens were attacked by flying bees, stinging some of the unlucky teens. I used my fear factor, within the orange park place of ants. However, inside the blue color tone, my love of puppies turned into howling and vicious wolves that run from the forest woodlands at us.” He exhales. “Ya see, each color tone is getting more complex and complicated, as you advance up the color chart.”

  Lamis flips her hand, smiling. “But, we’re almost finished, here, so, no more fear elements. But, we gotta go through a second green color tone and then a blue color tone. That’s it and easy,” giggling.

  I gasp, studying Rincon. “Your hands are cut and bleeding.”

  “They’re small cuts and healing. I slapped one of the wolves from another teen…”

  I gasp. “So, that explains why the color tones below us keep changing their park place theme from the original one. When a teen fails, the teen modifies the park place, based on their particular fear or love answers, from the submitted the app for Citizenship Day.”

  Nephella nods, holding another burning cotton boll. The boll fires into ashes then drifts away into the sunlight. “Absoultootly correct, Ketona. The Cubby Hole is both might and fright wrapped into a single chair for each teen, except, for the mostest dead pan seriously minded teens, who can overcome both the fear, within their mind and body, like us. The IQ questions test you mind, when the pa
rk places test your body. So, there are only five dream jobs, for only five teens. Some of the teens are happy, living and working in Dookie Town, or Albend, or Montag, so they answer the right proportion of questions, then they stay put inside their particular color tone. Once Citizenship Day ends, each teen is assigned a job, within their current tone color. However, based on our new experimental information, a teen can surf forwards or backwards, numerous times, also. I’m the mayor’s daughter. I’m expected to advance into the golden circle, but I’m going to have some more fun, before, I finally end up there. I will. I do. I am performing for my mama, too…”

  I view the sky then Nephella. “So, you and Rincon did ‘your thing’ with his love answer of real puppies then dropped back down into the green color tone. I thought the first me-chee chair modified the current park place…”

  Rincon laughs. “It Absoultootly does. Nephella beat me by 3.2 seconds, landing her me-chee chair, first, inside the green room of mirrors. Then, the dang rain and bright lightning storm started…”

  The sky rumbles in far distance of thunder. The clouds turned black.

  I stand, walking from the tree shade and dropping my mouth. “Nephella has modified the park place from the original pretty and nice bright sunny skies into an array of angry purple clouds of approaching rain storm. Some of the teens haven’t gathered the cotton bolls for the first red color tone park place.”

  Nephella stands next to Ketona, nodding, flicking the cigar ashes. “Yes, you are correct, Ketona. You did, but those teens, out there playing around the cotton fields, must gather both the cotton bolls plus get wet from the thunderstorm, before they can…”

  Lamis stands, exhaling, standing next to her. She growls. “We gotta get wet, too, again. Why did you come here, Nephella?”

  Nephella smirks over short Lamis. “For fun, my fun and your fun…”

  Rincon nods, standing next to Ketona. “This is both an IQ and psychology game. We be done, here,” he grabs Ketona by the hand, smiling.