Reincarnated as a Spider (Draft/Writing practice)

Alicia’s family.

Father

Stoic man of few words, skilled mechanic and a technician has excellent culinary skills. Frighteningly perceptive.

His father Steiner was drafted into the war and lost his life in his youth. Left only with his mother he quickly became independent. His only remaining family, his mother worked as a tailor having to entrust him to a family friend. Already introverted, due to the stress of his father’s loss he turned even more inwards. He learned how to cook during this time. Until he was taken under the wings of Alexis, an old family friend, and close friend of his father. By his mentorship he learned to be a mechanic.

Alexis

Alexis was a close friend of Steiner. Rivals in love for the hand of Alicia’s grandmother. Before he was drafted into the war on a night of drinking, Steiner half jokingly asked Alexis to take care of his family should he not return, which he accepted and carried out both because he still loved Alicia’s grandmother and later in honor of his late friend’s memory. He died from lung cancer in his forties and in his will he entrusted his modest mechanic shop to Alicia’s father.

Grandmother

Workaholic in her youth. Now a retired tailor, mother to Alicia’s father and. She taught Alicia how to knit when he broke his legs. Taught her daughter in law how to cook.

Mother

Extraverted, energetic and outgoing woman. Marketing and PR manager of a midsize company.

Her mother died from Tuberculosis and her father heartbroken, became an alcoholic and gambling addict. He died shortly after from liver failure in the street mud with nothing to his name but ragged clothes on his shoulders. Orphaned at a young age she was taken into a distant relative’s family but their reception was lukewarm at best. Though not alienated, she really couldn’t accept them as her family. Her would be siblings, although not bullying were distant. During this time she developed a façade of a ‘normal’ teenage girl.

Where lines cross

Moving to the place of her new ‘family’ she also had to change her school. Same school Alicia’s father attends. A year after changing schools Alicia’s mother met her future husband. She often cycled to and from between her school and home. After school when she would ride home, her well worn bicycle acted up. At this point Alicia’s father was already well known in his school as a reliable handyman. Through small talk conversation while working to fix her bike he saw through the perfected fake image of the girl and called it out. Though through the tactless and insensitive delivery he caused her to break down, crying. When he finished repairing her bike, remorseful for his actions he offered to carry her to her home. Though because she wasn’t in a state to properly convey directions, he first left the bike in Alexis’s shop and then brought her home while giving her a piggyback ride. Recovering at his home after a meal from Alicia’s grandmother who extended an unconditional familial love she felt as if she finally found a place where she could truly call home. The two quickly got along and rest became history. Her foster family home was indifferent to her decisions and approved of her decisions to move out after graduation without much difficulty.