Peter Parker
"Spider Man? As in that guy who can swing from buildings like Tarzan?" Ophelia asked Tracy as she folded sweaters into perfect pillows and placed them on the display nearest the register counter. Tracy stood on her tip toes straightening the large assortment of strangely beautiful paintings on the wall behind the counter and scoffed at Ophelia's question.
"First of all. Tarzan swings from trees, not buildings." Tracy stated and Ophelia let out a little laugh and put her hands up in defense. Tracy cracked a smile then resumed straightening the paintings. "But yeah that's him. He's pretty cool you should like google him or something." Tracy said then paused what she was doing and looked over to Ophelia. Her smile grew wider and she leaned on the counter and placed her chin in both her hands and tilted her head to the side.
"What?" Ophelia asked sensing her exuberant boss was about to ask her for a favor.
"Maybe you could... you know... use your little voodoo mind trick and ask him to come by the shop again? He could help promote us." Tracy said slyly.
"I just met him and it's not like it was the greatest of first impressions. I nearly warped him." Ophelia admitted. Tracy sighed. She knew exactly what Ophelia was talking about. Ophelia had confided in her about her powers when they had grown closer. Ophelia considered her a friend. And when she mentioned warped she knew she meant messing with the mind. Tracy stood straight and walked over to Ophelia's side and began helping her fold the sweaters.
"Sorry. I didn't realize." Tracy said softly and Ophelia nodded. "But if you are up to it. I think it would be great for business." Tracy said not looking away from the polka dot sweater in her hands.
"You really do have no soul." Ophelia said and winked at Tracy.
"Hey!" Tracy replied laughing and nudging her friend in the side. The two friends laughed for another few minutes before Ophelia actually thought about what Tracy had said.
"Look. If he comes in again YOU can ask him if he would be willing to do one of his little Spidey promo things he does. But I want no part in it." Ophelia replied. Tracy's smile fell but she nodded in agreement. She understood how Ophelia felt about the Avengers. Especially since she never had any good experiences with them. She had only ever been in the presence of one other Avenger. And it wasn't a pleasant one. She was trapped and needed saving. And when the opportunity came for said Avenger to help her, they turned their back and walked away. Ophelia didn't want revenge, this isn't that type of anger, but the type that would make someone hold a bit of a grudge. So not wanting to interact too much with one of the world's mightiest heroes was understandable.
"Let's hope he comes back then." Tracy replied
"Sure." Ophelia said not so enthusiastically. It wasn't that she thought Spider Man was a bad person. She just didn't know him. Didn't know if she could trust him. The Avengers did in fact save the world many times. But they also caused destruction wherever they went. She hoped if the Avengers were needed again that they would think twice before causing so much havoc. Whether intentional or not.
The rest of the day went by in a breeze. The shop got busier in the afternoon as expected. Customers came and went and the new sweaters they put out all but sold out in a few hours. The weather was getting colder and people were eager to update their winter wardrobes with some fun vintage pieces.
By six in the evening it was time for Ophelia to leave for the day. She grabbed her faux leather black satchel and slung it over her shoulder. She walked out of the break room and waved to Tracy goodbye as she made her way toward the door.
"Make sure you lock up when I leave Trace!" Ophelia shouted as she closed the door behind her. Tracy waved at her as she walked out. Ophelia walked a few paces down the street and waited to see if Tracy would lock up behind her. Like she did every time Tracy closed alone. And just like every night Tracy did indeed lock the door behind her. Ophelia worried for her friend. She loved her but she knew how gullible she could be. Too trusting. Or maybe just the right amount of trusting. But Ophelia didn't trust easily. She could let people into her life but she never told them much about herself until she truly understood the person they were. And so far the only two people in her life who she could really trust were Tracy and her best friend Levi. And just like Tracy, Levi meant a lot to her. He was the first person she befriended in Manhattan. He literally ran into her on the sidewalk. He knocked coffee she held in her hands as she walked home one morning from the coffee shop. It was a summer morning so thankfully her coffee had been iced. At the time the incident made Ophelia very aggravated. But after a long chat and a replacement coffee paid for by Levi himself they became great friends. And now they look back at the incident as a happy accident. A great one at that.
Ophelia put in her headphones and scrolled through her phone and decided on listening to some Sam Smith. His songs always made her feel all the emotions. She moved her head slightly to the beat as she walked to the alley around the corner from Unique Vintage. She peaked from the entrance to alley before securing her bag tighter to her chest. She stepped behind the large dumpster and waited a minute or two for the sun to set just a bit more behind the tall buildings. As soon as she had some more cover of darkness she placed her hand in front of her and twisted her fingers and made a circle of bright red light. She held it there for a moment then pushed it forward quickly. The circle expanded just large enough to fit her entire body. She took one last glance from side to side then stepped through the circle and it vanished the instant she walked through.
On the other side of the portal was Ophelia's apartment. Exactly how she left it. She flicked her hand and a red light swirled around the light switch and the lights turned on. She threw her bag on her small kitchen table and grabbed her phone with her headphones still in her ears and walked over to her bathroom. She entered her bathroom and flicked on the light with the same maneuver from before in the main room. She pulled her headphones out of her head and played the music loud from her phone. She turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat and the steam to rise. The steam from the shower fogged up the bathroom mirror as she stripped off her clothes and danced to the beat of the music.
A minute later she was in the shower singing along to the song and began washing her dark hair. A small smile on her face. This was her happy place. Alone and safe in her apartment she loved so much. A place where she could truly be herself, powers and all.
About fifteen minutes later Ophelia emerged from the bathroom and a plume of steam left the doorway. She had a towel wrapped around her body and she dried her hair with another towel. She walked over to her bedroom and walked in to change into her pajamas. After she changed into her red pajama shirt and black shorts she snapped her fingers and her phone dropped into her hand from a tiny red portal above it. She shut off the music she hadn't turned off just yet and walked over to her kitchen. A few minutes into making some simple pasta for her dinner Ophelia froze. She felt that she wasn't alone. She slowly moved her fingers toward the knife on the cutting board.
"No no no. Don't do that." A familiar voice said behind her. Ophelia hesitated but then lunged for the knife. She spun on her heel and flung the knife in the direction of the voice. The knife flew in the air but was caught in the hand of a masked figure in red hanging upside down from what looked like a rope. The figure flung the knife back at her but it landed in the sink next to her. Ophelia looked at the sink then back to the masked figure in shock. The masked figure slowly lowered themself from their spot near her ceiling and turned upright. Ophelia's eyes flashed to a bright red and she held her hands up in front of her, fingertips emitting red wisps. The figure stopped moving and slowly moved their hands to their neck. They pulled at the base of their neck and pulled their mask off. Ophelia's jaw tightened as she recognized the person before her.
"Hi. I'm Peter Parker." He said with a smile and a little wave.