A Touch Of Normalcy
Penny nearly missed her train.
Her alarm woke her up like it always did, but she had grumbled and brought her hand down too hard and smashed the vintage clock to pieces. When she finally roused again it was seven minutes until the train would arrive at the station and she hadn't even gotten out of bed.
She'd practically launched herself across the room in a sluggish haze as she quickly rifled through her closet and grabs the best items she could find. Her closet is essentially barren, only twelve complete outfit hanging inside. She often rotates the clothing to make various combinations. The last thing she wanted was for anyone at Midtown to discover the reality of her home life. If anyone there realized just how pathetically poor she was, she'd be a total laughingstock.
Not that she wasn't already.
At least when Flash Thompson made her life a living hell it was because he was jealous of how much smarter she was than him. He wasn't making fun of her for being the poor little orphan girl.
She wanted some sense of normalcy in her life. Something she certainly never got while swinging around Queens —patrolling as Spider-girl —and not something she had while living with her indifferent fosters. Midtown was the only place where she felt like Penny Parker. Not Spider-girl. Not the girl who got her uncle shot. Not the girl whose aunt ended her own life.
Just herself. Penny Marie Parker.
She'd quickly banished those thought, not having the time to dwell on them. She quickly dressed in a knee length jean skirt with silver buttons sown down the middle and a gray top with hues of burgundy and green floral patterns. Her faux-fur boots where pulled on with haste and she swiped her backpack from the floor by the door. She'd taken two step out of her room before she darted back in, grabbing her old and cracked cell phone off the desk, along with her wallet. Not that she had any money anyway, but it had her school ID badge.
Penny had stumbled and weaved her way through the crowded streets of Queens and managed to reach the train station just as the train pulled into the station. She breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed today was to miss her only way to school. Sure she could use her webslingers to get there, but Penny didn't want anyone connection Penny Parker and Spider-Girl. No point in having a mask and a secret identity if she's going to be reckless like that.
Penny kept her identity a secret from Aunt May.
She also hadn't told Uncle Ben, but she had a feeling he knew something was going on with her as she saw something sparkling behind his eyes before they dimmed.
Aunt May was so sad, wallowing in her depression. She'd taken a leave from work at the hospital, bereavement. The life insurance they received helped keep the two of them afloat. Penny tried to spend all the time she could with Aunt May, trying in vain to ease some of the burden that was placed upon her. She was only 52 years old when she passed away.
The first week after Aunt May's suicide had been horrible.
Penny had lost her parents when she was very young, but that wasn't quite the same. She couldn't remember Richard and Mary Parker. They were illusive figures who she knew existed once but were long since lost and forgotten in the span of the forever passing years. It's similar to historical figures from history. They had a story, a legacy that they left, but there wasn't anything that truly represented them as they were in life.
All she had were the stories Uncle Ben used to tell her about her father.
He had been an outstanding bio-engineer whose work revolutionized the field, the majority of his contributions are still so advanced that even now it's impossible to dole his research to the public because there's no one who can complete his work.
Penny didn't know what exactly her father created as everything was still classified by the federal government. She did know that her father graduated from MIT with a degree in bio-engineering as the top of his graduating class. It made her wonder what he'd think of her.
Sure she wasn't a complete moron, but she was no good with anything related to that field of science. She designed her own webslingers and was pretty damn good when it came to chemistry, it her web fluid was anything to go by. Would he be proud of his daughter who spends her nights fighting crime? Or would he be upset that she was risking her life instead of ensuring she reach his level of intellect?
She sighs, shaking her head.
Those were pointless thoughts. Questions that would always remain unanswered as the only one who could give them was long dead.
As for Penny's mother, she was an enigma.
Uncle Ben knew very little about the mysterious Mary Parker. He told her how he never knew that Richard had been in a relationship with her until they were already married. The first time he'd met her mother was Christmas Eve the year before she was born. Richard and Mary had arrived at their apartment and Mary was already pregnant with Penny.
He said that he only saw her a couple more time, usually when dropping Penny off to be watched by Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Uncle Ben said that Mary always seemed closed off, like she wasn't entirely straightforward. She was nice and kind and loved Penny very much, but seemed rather detached from everything else. She never spoke about her own family and rarely spoke about herself.
Penny had a hard time imagining her mother being that sort of closed-off individual. Not when she saw how Mrs. Leeds dotted on and usually ended up embarrassed her son Ned whenever she spent the day in their home. Ned Leeds was her best friend. They've been friends since childhood so she knows his whole family like they were her own. Mrs. Leeds always hugs Penny and presses a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.
Their house always smells like pastries and sweets. Mrs. Leeds loves baking, she owns a bakery in a small little hole in the wall in Queens. Sweets and More!
She never has a problem with Penny coming over to her house on the daily and always feeds her whenever she comes. Penny suspects that she knows that her fosters don't exactly give her enough to eat. Not that they starve her, but they have five other children living with them and Penny eats a lot more than a girl of her age, height and weight should. With her metabolism burning through everything so fast, it's easy to be hungry far too often.
Penny never felt like she was full, but she wasn't loosing weight and she felt perfectly fine so it wasn't a serious problem. It was just that she could eat more and was always just meh. Not totally starving but not satisfied either. She couldn't complain though, at least the Driscoll's fed her at all.
She wasn't going to complain when at least she had something to eat.
The music blaring through her earbuds help her block out the noise of the skidding train as it pulls into the station, her stop. Penny gets up, making sure not to catch the eye of any of the exiting passengers and makes her way through the crowd.
It doesn't take her very long to arrive at Midtown.
Students are huddled together all around the entire building. She doesn't bother paying attention to any of them, even though she can see their mouths moving, she can only hear the music. Penny manages to reach her locker without incident, no tripping and no Flash Thompson.
Penny pulls out her earbuds, unplugging the cord from her phone jack.
If she had money she'd probably buy a pair of wireless headphones so people — meaning Flash — can't yank them forcefully out of her ears. She can't count the number of times she's had to scramble for cash to replace her cheap earbuds because Flash damaged the cord by pulling to hard on them.
She doesn't have time to get a job, not that many places would hire a fourteen year old. Not to mention that it'd severely hinder her ability to be Spider-Girl. Instead of going for patrol right after school she'd probably have to go to a job, meaning innocent people were out there. In trouble and in need of her help. She didn't want to abandoned those in need and having a job would keep her from helping the people in her city.
Penny's phone buzzes.
Mrs. Rossi sent her a text.
Angelina Rossi had been Penny's social worker since she was first placed in the system. She's been the one whose placed Penny in every foster home since Aunt May passed away. Before landing with the Driscoll's, Mrs. Rossi originally planned to relocate her to Staten Island, but Penny begged and pleaded. She wanted to stay close enough to attend Midtown with Ned.
Luckily everything pulled through and she was able to stay in Queens. Which meant she didn't have to loose her only friend and start over in a new place with strangers. The family in Staten Island were really wonderful fosters, or so she was told by Mrs. Rossi, but Penny would gladly continue living with the Driscoll's if it means she can continue going to school at Midtown.
The text was short and straight to the point:
I'll pick you up on Thursday after school for our monthly meeting. I've already spoken to your foster parents.
Penny quickly types a reply before putting her phone into her pocket of her skirt.
"There you are, I've been searching all over for you. Thought we were meeting by the entrance?" Ned Leeds said taking his usual spot beside her.
"Nearly overslept, had to hurry out of there. Y'know how the fosters are," she said, even though she knew he didn't. Penny rarely told him anything about her life with the Driscoll's. It was an unspoken rule between them that he wasn't supposed to ask about any of her fosters, current or previous. If she divulged anything about them, that was one thing, but Penny actively avoided mentioning her foster parents. She rarely spoke of them and if she did, it only was if it was crucial for whatever she was telling.
What she had told him was that she had five foster kids who she shared the house with and that her foster parents couldn't care less about her or what she did so long as it didn't cause trouble for them. She could be spending every night drinking herself into oblivion and they would brush it off like water on a raincoat, but if she got caught doing anything illegal she'd be in serious trouble. Both with Mrs. Rossi and with her fosters. Hell, they might even kick her out for getting them into trouble.
"Yeah. Pretty late night for Spider-Girl, wasn't it?" Ned is sure to lower his voice at the mention of Penny vigilante persona. He knew she didn't want anyone to know about her nightly activities. It'd be headline news if anyone overheard them.
Assuming they even believed them that is. They weren't exactly the peak of coolness and popularity. More than likely they'd be laughed at by their peers. Which was better than anyone discovering that Penny was Spider-Girl.
No one would take Spider-Girl seriously if they knew it was Penny Parker under the mask. Who would? A fourteen year old orphan girl with nothing to her name. She was supposed to be their local hero?
Penny just shrugs her shoulders at Ned's statement. "All my homework was done. Besides, I couldn't stand by and not help those people."
Her eyes aimlessly drift to the few photos she has hanging on the inside of her locker door. The first one she focuses on in one of Uncle Ben, Aunt May and a significantly younger version of herself. Her long, dark brown hair has been tied into two low pigtails, both waves of locks falling down over her shoulders. Aunt May's face is shinning with happiness as is Uncle Ben's.
"You saved a little girl from being flattened by that truck, rescued a cat in a tree, prevented a robbery at the bank, helped an elderly woman get home, and even stopped a mugger. In one night!"
"That's what I'm supposed to be doing, helping people. I got these powers for a reason and it's up to me to do the right thing with them. They all needed help."
Ned just smiles at her. "Which is why you are so much better than me. I'd totally use those powers to shove it in Flash's big dumb face. Imagine how he'd react if he knew all the cool stuff you do on a daily basis."
Before they can say more, the warning bell rings.
Penny grabs the textbook she needs for Mr. Harrington's class out of her backpack and shuts her locker. She waits while Ned has a fight with his own bag before hurrying to catch up with her.
"Mr. Harrington said he has a surprise for our class. He told me in confidence."
"Really now?" Penny was now quite curious. What could he have planned? "He didn't happen to tell you what exactly the surprise is, did he?"
Ned aura is smug before promptly deflating like a popped balloon as he shakes his head. "No. He wouldn't give me anything else, not that I didn't try. I've been bugging him the last few days since I found out. I was going to tell you earlier but you've been so busy with patrols that I just didn't have a chance to mention it. Plus it sort slipped my mind when we're talking about superhero stuff."
Ned and Penny sit down in their seats just as the final bell rings. Mr. Harrington is already sitting at his desk. He gets up and closes the door.
"Now before we start today's lesson, I've got exciting new for all of you. All this is the only class where all the students aced their test last week, we've been given a very special opportunity. This Friday we're going to have a tour of Stark Industries building here in New York. All I need from you is this permission form signed by your parents or legal guardians. The bus will leave first thing in the morning once the second bell rings. If you miss the bus, then you miss the trip."
Ned jostles her, his eyes glittering with excitement. 'Stark Industries!' he mouths, grinning widely.
Penny stares down at the permission form like it a gold brick. Whoa... Stark Industries huh? She couldn't help the grin that crept across her face.