The Spider caught in his web
She liked reading, whether in her room or a different universe.
It gave her peace, given all the things going on in her life. She would have slouched in her room, but times had changed.
She drowned in loneliness, and it slowly suffocated her. She wondered if there was a way to swim to the surface. Although she kept people at arm’s length, not talking to a friend or anyone for that matter left her soul empty.
Maybe it was better that way.
Being with her only caused misery and problems. Everyone denied it, and why wouldn’t they? She had friends who saw past her flaws, they weren’t minor flaws...
Of course, she would return once she knew how, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they would be better off without her.
A wet sensation crept up to her leg. A dog decided to introduce itself. It smiled at her, patiently panting. Was it expecting something from her?
“Hunter!” a little girl ran towards them, “I’m so sowy! Hunter bad dog!” she took a deep breath, exhausted from running. “We pwayed disc dog and I thew a little too hard,” she giggled.
Raven was as confused as a penguin in a desert, a glance to her right, and a red frisbee layed on her lap. Oh. Was she that far gone in her thoughts?
Raven cleared her throat, “No, it’s okay.” she handed her the frisbee, “Here.”
“Thwank uu! Bye bye miss! Come hwere Hunter,” She waved goodbye and ran off to the distance.
Raven closed her book and laid her back on the bench. Central Park was as beautiful as depicted in pictures, maybe even more.
Birds chirped all around her, children played and laughed while their parents drank in their product of affection.
Raven could get used to this peaceful atmosphere that wrapped around her like a blazing fire yet also a cold breeze that formed a soothing harmony. Her hair stroked her cheeks.
She could do this. It won’t be a walk in the park, but she won’t give up. It wouldn’t be fair to her friends.
White overtook her vision, she rubbed her eyes and let out a huff of annoyance. Something or someone flashed her. As she investigated the root of her irritation a boy not much older than her, walked towards her with a stiff posture, and a nervous smile.
“Hey there! I hope I didn’t scare you,” he put his hand behind his neck and chuckled,” I’m a photographer for the Daily Bugle, and I had to take some pictures of the city and its citizens.”
Raven lifted her eyebrow,” And you took a picture of me?”
He nodded and fidgeted with his camera.
“Why?”
“Y’know, I just thought, you looked absolutely awesome in that picture! Here take a look.”
She thought nothing of it. To her, it was just a picture.
“Don’t worry, after I edit a few things here and there, this picture will break the scale of awesomeness,” panic reflected his eyes and he uncontrollably shook his head while flailing his arms, “Not that YOU need anything, because you are gorgeous… I MEAN uhh… uhh… my name is Peter by the way.”
Raven blinked, confused by his words. She could have sworn, he whispered about him being a creep. People never took pictures of her, correction, they took group pictures of her. However, she never was the main star of any photograph. Was Peter an exception or was he just weird? Or both. He sat next to her with a gap between them.
“My name is Raven.”
“What a cool name man! I wished my parents had given me a name like that. But noooo, they had to give me the most casual name,” he sighed and crossed his arms,” If my last name was Smith, I would have won the prize for the most generic name on earth.”
“It wouldn’t be that bad. I mean you would have won a prize.”
Peter snorted.
There was no time to be joking with a stranger, but after all the failures of spells gone wrong and snapping to the point where she almost leveled a house, it was a nice change of pace.
“So, Peter…what do you want to do with that picture anyway?”
“Yeah, right. I have a list of pictures to show for the Daily Bugle, if you are lucky maybe your picture will land on the Newspaper and I’ll have a new job. That is If I have your permission?” a nervous laugh escaped his mouth, simultaneously avoiding her gaze.
“I don’t get your fascination; it’s just a picture…”
“Maybe to you, but trust me, I know when a picture is amazing.”
Raven hummed.
“Sooooo, do I have your permission?”
She rolled her eyes, “Yeah… guess it’s fine.”
“Awesome! But…” he put his hand on the chin, “Spider-Man is most probably going to be on the cover again.”
“The menace of New York you mean?”
Peter groaned, “You really believe all this stuff?”
Spider-Man is the first hero who was introduced to her, since her accidental arrival. Most Newsletters’ coverage harshly criticized him. Some respected and welcomed his service. The Daily Bugle, however… Whatever, anyone said about Spider-man didn’t matter. She was pragmatic when it came to judging people’s character.
She had to see for herself.
“Well, I don’t,” Peter said.
Both fell quiet and relished the beautiful sunset. A warmth covered her body, sunshine cast on her body, she closed her eyes, embracing the comfort nature gave her. Moments like these were special to her, because it showed life had more to offer than her past.
After the darkness engulfed the light, she opened her eyes to discover that Peter was still sitting beside her. His body relaxed against the bench, his chest was sinking and rising in a rhythm which led her to believe, he fell asleep.
To test her Theory, she nudged his shoulder.
“I’m not dead if that is your concern.”
Raven sighed, “You are funny.”
Peter huffed, “Your deadpan voice tells me otherwise, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Raven lifted herself off the bench, “I have to go.”
“I’ll go with you. It’s too dangerous for a girl to be walking alone at night.”
“I can take care of myself. Thank you.”
“Sorry, my aunt would kill me if I don’t do this.”
Raven clenched the book in her hand. A deep sense of empathy and compassion surrounded him like she never sensed before. A coat that would keep anyone safe and warm in a cold bleak environment. It melted your concerns and worries, holding you secure from obscurity and uncertainty.
“Whatever.”
XX
Persistent honking, the air smelled like a trashcan mixed with tobacco. New York wasn’t for the weak. Although San Francisco also scaled to a larger city it was incomparable to the sheer immensity of New York, which made everything around feel small and the volatile spirit, refusing to be tamed.
Peter’s lips moved, because of the ear-splitting cursing of New Yorkers around them, his words couldn’t reach her. A questionable glance from Raven made him speak up.
“I said, do you live in Brooklyn?
It was no surprise this question would come sooner or later. Renting an apartment was out of the question. Unfortunately, she didn’t carry any money or commodities with her.
Most of the time, she traveled to another dimension to cool off. She lost count of her attempts to discover a solution, for some reason, it was yet unreachable. Her dimensional travel transformed into a slot machine, always unknown where she landed next and every try cost her more mental strength.
“Yes, somewhere around here.”
“Cool, I’m from Queens, but Brooklyn is also great without the high crime rates of course…” Peter said with a twinge of irritation and continued,
“And how many years do you live he-”
“You are a talkative one, are you?”
Challenging, Peter crossed his arms, “I mean, the exact opposite applies to you…”
“So?”
“So maybe, it’s not me being talkative and more like you, not being much of a talker or something…”
Raven had to repeat the sentence in her head to confirm what she heard. How can anyone be so self-unaware? Seriously. Her lips pressed into a tight line, impatiently glancing at his face,
“I doubt it.”
He grumbled but didn’t argue further. They walked in silence for a while. When it was time to cross a street, an old lady beside Peter spoke up,
“Excuse me, young lady and young man. Would you be so kind and help an elderly cross the street? I’m not as fast as I was in my younger days.”
“Sure thing, miss,” Peter smiled and intertwined his arms with hers, like it was second nature to him. Raven followed suit.
Situations like these were one of the few reasons why she became a hero. It was mundane in comparison to other heroic actions but showed one simple glimpse of someone she wanted to be.
“Until here is fine,” the old lady said, “Thank you both for taking care of an old lady like me.”
Peter rubbed his hands on the back of the neck which had shown to be a habit, “Ah, it was nothing.”
She leaned to Peter’s face, uttering her words in a subtle whisper, but Raven caught on to her words.
“Treat her right, she is something special young man. I can feel it,” her face turned towards Raven with a beaming smile and left the two alone. Peter fidgeted with the hem of his shirt and avoided looking in her direction.
Romantic relationships were out of reach for her, she could never risk it. Her emotions would be volatile and harder to control. It wasn’t desirable for her anyway. Those pesky hormonal emotions, create nothing but weakness. She didn’t need a person to ask her how her day was or share emotional baggage. No thanks.
Raven ignored the rather embarrassing misunderstanding and went on.
“Uhh, hey! Wait for me!”
XX
She stationed herself in front of an apartment, signaling to Peter, they had reached their destination. To be honest, she picked a random one. She appreciated the gesture, but he picked the wrong person.
“This is your apartment?” Peter said, “Looks nice.”
Raven sighed, “Again, you didn’t have to do this.”
Peter shook his head, “I had to,” smiling melancholically, “Whenever you can help someone, you should. I see it as an obligation and it does put a smile on my face,” he chuckled, “So, that’s why.”
Those words struck her like a gut punch. She never thought someone this young could word such wisdom. She deep dived into his hazel brown eyes. They had multiple layers; one was already peeled. Time slowed down, no one and nothing existed in that moment, but them. The tumultuous and livid city that never slept, lost in a world of dreams.
She broke eye contact. No, perhaps her intuition was wrong…
“I should go…” Raven murmured.
“It was nice meeting you,” Peter said, smiling.
He was about to turn around but froze mid-motion. His gaze focused on a specific alley, opposite their position.
Curious, Raven glanced over her shoulder. Nothing but shadow and silence.
“Is something wrong?”
He spun his head, his trance state disrupted, “What… Oh yeah, right. Right! Everything is chill.”
Raven wasn’t gleaming with conviction,
“Really?”
“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” He hastily shook his head, “Need to go now, bye!”
He ran into the distance and bit by bit the darkness of the street swallowing every trace of him. Weird. Since they first met, Peter was lighthearted and untroubled. His aura also made noticeable changes. There was a warmth lingering, but the usual light vanished, replaced by a calm tension that made the smallest movements feel significant.
What caused this change, she wondered?
Her glance returned to the alley.
In any other situation, she would have shrugged it off. Prying wasn’t what she was known for or encouraged. This was different though, to set off an instant change in behavior from a person like Peter, was uncharacteristic.
Her feet levitated off the ground, resembling a feather swept from the wind. As she cautiously floated towards the alley, her body blended into the darkness. An overweight man with dark clothing pinned a young boy, not much older than ten, against the wall. The neck of the boy graced the knife, the man held in his hands.
“You don’t have more, you little shit?”
“NO, please this is all I’ve got!” the boy screamed, “Please don’t kill me!”
“You are lying!” spit clashed against the boy's cheeks.
“I’m not!” tears streamed down his face, barely catching his breath.
His pleadings fell on deaf ears. Raven saw enough and was about to step in.
“How about you pick on somebody your own size!” her head guided towards the disruption and there he was…
The Spider-Man stood tall and proud on a roof… well almost,
“Forget what I said,” he scratched his head, “That would probably cause an earthquake.”
The man let go of the boy who took the chance and fled the scene, “Who do you think you are?” he pointed his knife at him.
“Obi-Wan, because I have the high ground,” a white substance covered the man’s face. Muffling, his hands pulled the substance. Muffles of struggle turned into desperate screams, as he collided with trashcans and walls around him. The Spider-Man dropped to the ground while firing shots with intended precision. In the blink of an eye, a tangle of webs surrounded him. Hindering every muscle fiber to advance.
“Man… this is way below my paygrade,” he sighed, “Dammit Mr. Stark. I’m better than this.”
Raven noticed a similar pattern. The same energy and aura, she sensed before…
Could it be? Was she right all along?
She lit up her aura which ignited a flash. Spider-Man swiftly faced the minor inconvenience. Both stood in front of each other. The wind blew in their ears, perplexed. His lenses blinked a few times.
He coughed, “What are you doing so late out here miss?”
Their eyes locked, and with each second passing the air became thinner.
“Hello?” he waved his hand, to be met with silence on the other side.
“I should go now…” he said puzzled.
As he reached his hand out, Raven spoke up, “Cut the act, Peter.”
Although he had his mask on, she could imagine the panic on his face.
“Peter? Miss, I think you are confusing me with someone else,” he said, avoiding her accusing gaze at all costs.
With good reason, people like him or Robin hid their identities for the sake of others. It also said a lot about the person, glory or popularity were redundant what mattered was helping people. He was not going to get out of this one, though.
“I am giving you one last chance.”
“And what you gonna do?” he mocked.
“Azarath Metrion Zinthos,” She lifted the mask with a simple spell and her suspicions were confirmed. Cluelessness spread over his face, not realizing what she did. A smile crept onto his face while he mimicked her movements.
“Oh, so you are able to do magic tricks,” he gasped, “How horrifying.” While he gasped, he put his hands on his similar to the famous picture “The Scream”. Dumbfounded, he ran his fingers across his face. Raven hovered his mask in front of his eyes, getting her point across.
“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?” snatching his mask from her grasp and inserted it back on, “Are you some sort of witch?”
“Kinda.”
He paced back and forth on the cemented ground, “This is bad! Very very bad!”
“You had one job Peter!” he pulled his hair, “You fucking idiot!”
She wouldn’t admit it, but his outrage amused her for a bit.
“Please tell me, you don’t want anything out of this,” he pleaded.
Raven directed her eyes on the wall, pouting her lips, “Well…” she said in a small voice.
“You are going to blackmail me, aren’t you?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then, what is it?”
Raven let out an internal sigh. The moment was now, after a few weeks of failures and adversity, this could be a step in the right direction. Her misfortune wasn’t back to haunt her again. Now, the time was right to use her cards well, and use them well, she will.
“I need your help to get back home.”
“…What?”