Chapter 1 Bitten
The results of the lab were in, failures. Every one of them. Created in tiny transparent tubes the projects wove and twirled, twining silvery strands across the glass, unable to know the depths to which he hated them.
He screamed, crashing his hands against them all, crushing every last wiggling body, their spindly legs twitching and crunching with the glass shards that scattered, covering the table. Blood dripped from his fingers as he heaved breaths labored with fury.
He hated spiders.
*******
The Bus wobbled ominously as Lauren settled down in her seat. Spotted grime layered the metal railings next to each chair, and rain stained windows rattled as the bus merged onto the street again. She pulled the clip out of her hair and let the loose brown strands settle around her shoulders. She slumped into the seats and began rubbing her eyes before she remembered she had makeup on. Sighing dramatically, she pulled on a black jacket from her bag, and slipped it on over her red blouse.
She glanced sideways at the bulky form next to her. It was a huge man, his hands were rough and cut, several very recent lines of stitches crossed across his knuckles, angry and swollen with fresh pain.
She looked away, focusing her eyes on the vague buildings passing blurrily through the dirty windows on the opposite side of the bus.
It was barely noon, but it felt like the day was already over. Lauren had gotten up early, made breakfast for her family, and caught an early bus to get to a new job interview downtown. The interview hadn't gone well. She had torn her black tights a few moments before going inside, and her skirt only went to her knees, callously revealing the snagged leggings. After walking inside she found that her interview had been moved up half an hour, and she was very late. Things went downhill from there.
She sighed and leaned against the back of her seat, her head easily clearing its questionable plastic backing. After a few moments her neck began aching uncomfortably. She sat up.
Time lagged on the bus, and she found herself staring unfocused out the window, observing all of the strange shapes and hues. She pondered as she sat. A recent attack in a nearby town had made many people quite jumpy, and fear was edging its way through the populace. Luckily, some new superhero had shown up and stopped the villain, but not before seven civilians had died.
The world was a scarier place, with "heroes" and "villains" around.
Gentle music wafted up the aisle as the bus driver turned on the radio, she scratched at an itch on her hand.
Glancing down, her heart jolted at the dark shape on her wrist.
A spindly spider, a deep crimson color, like blood, was framed against her pale hand.
Terror shot through her, and she barely stifled a yelp of fear, her mind flicking to the hulking figure beside her.
She quickly slapped at it, but the damage was done. Two angry red marks, almost too small to distinguish from each other, burned on her skin.
She rubbed at it, frantically trying to push away the growing pain, but her small efforts did not make much of a difference. She quickly dug in her bag, pulled out a Band-Aid and covered the bite.
Panic took root in her stomach. Was it venomous? Should I go to a doctor?
She shoved down the fear and shouldered her bag. I'll be fine, if the bite gets worse than it is now, I'll ask someone.
She nodded to herself and got off at the next stop.
She walked slowly, the world tilting and blurring slightly. A headache began pulsing behind her eyes. She steadied herself on a bench, trying to control her dizziness. She felt sweaty despite the distinct chill that was in the air.
Somehow Lauren arrived home; her memory felt fuzzy. She wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten there. With the last bit of energy she possessed, she stumbled up the stairs, ignoring her mother's questioning call, and collapsed into bed.
Pain tormented her as she gripped her hair, curling in on herself, as if to make herself as small of a target for the pain as she could. She crushed her eyes closed for what seemed to be hours, the light draining out of the day, desperately trying to sleep. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her body, and she drifted off.
Her powers manifested the next morning.
*******
Daybreak brought a measure of relief, though a headache still hounded her through her day.
Lauren sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes and looking around. She was still dressed in her interview clothes from the day before, and her wavy waist-length brown hair was sticking up wildly, partially cemented to her skin from sweat. She quickly showered and started downstairs. As the last stair step came, she missed it slightly, her feet betraying her. She frantically grabbed for the railing, hoping to stop her fall.
The thick banister crunched in her hand and she collapsed on the ground, unhurt but thoroughly embarrassed.
Elena looked up from her position in the kitchen, drying plates from the dish-washer. "Are you all right? "
"I'm fine Mom, I just.." Lauren looked at the shambles of wood clutched in her fist. "I'm sorry, I just broke the railing."
"well I guess that's what it's for," Elena put down her towel and walked over, examining the failed banister. "Wow, you really did a number on that, there must have been a flaw in the wood." She brushed her hand over the jagged edges. "You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah I'm good." Lauren stood and dusted off her sweater. "I'll get something to cover it so Caleb doesn't hurt himself."
Her mom eyed the clock, "Actually, you'd better get going. "
Lauren glanced over and started, it was already 7:16. Uh-oh. She nearly tripped over herself again running through the house and grabbing her bag out of the coat closet. She hopped into her shoes and tugged on a jacket. Before she could open the door, her mom wrapped her in a quick hug. Releasing her she smiled, "Have a good day."
She shouldered her bag, "I will."
"And eat this!" Elena handed her a toasted piece of bread with Peanut Butter on it, and pushed open the door.
Lauren took the bread thankfully and dashed down the street. She stuffed the toast in her mouth so she could tuck her arms into her bag, and continued running as ate her breakfast.
Surprisingly, she reached the bus stop in no time at all, not even out of breath, despite lugging around a heavy backpack, and having just sprinted for two blocks.
"Huh. the power of peanut butter, man will never know. "
She munched her breakfast and waited on the bench, watching as the usual crowd gathered at the corner of the street.
Spring hung in the air. Fresh winds blew Lauren's hair across her face and she breathed in the smell of flowers blooming and grass peaking out of the cold soil. The flash of wings above her further indicated the blossoming season as robins emerged from the previously snowy landscape.
It was her senior year of high school, and she only had a few months before it ended. The summer held the promise of camping trips and swimming pools with her friend Andie. Andie was a curly haired blonde with a knack for anything athletic and any kind of adventure.
The bus came screeching around the corner, about as majestic as an overweight llama, and pulled to a stop pointedly further down the pavement from where all of the kids had gathered.
They loaded up and Lauren barely managed to slide into a seat next to Andie before the bus lurched off, careening down the street.
"Did you finish the Stats project yet?" Andie chewed her gum at high speeds while she spoke. "I'm only halfway done, but I think I can finish tonight."
"Yeah I turned it in early on Friday." She rubbed her head for a moment, feeling a wave of pain roll through her head.
"You Okay?" Andie looked concerned, her brightly colored lips pouted a bit as she put a hand to Lauren's forehead. "You feel a little flushed."
"I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well. So how did your Volleyballs tournament go?" She smiled as Andie started animatedly describing the drama before the game, and the bus rumbled on to school .
*******
Classes came and went, the day blurring by. Soon lunch came, and Lauren headed to the science room, always abandoned for lunch, but on the second floor with huge windows. A perfect place to eat.
She was alone, as Andie was detained for lunch, and Lauren wasn't much of a social eater anyway, preferring to be alone or with Andie. She set her tray down on an empty desk, and pulled open the windows, leaning on the sill with her elbows, and letting the fresh air cool her face.
A burst of wind whipped through the window, rattling the desks and sending stacks of papers flying around the room. Panicking, Lauren quickly dashed after them, snatching leaflets out of the air and clutching them to her chest, she moved to close the window, but one paper blew past her, flying through the frame and into the open air. She reached for it, one hand gripping the other worksheets and the window ledge, the other straining to reach the fluttering sheet.
She felt the exact moment she reached too far.
The sill cut into her stomach and she faltered, too far out to get back in, her balance tipping forward. She tried to scream but no sound came out, and she tumbled out of the window, arms waving madly in any attempt to save herself.
I'm falling she thought.
The edge of her fingers caught on something and she desperately clung to it. She slowly opened her eyes to see her fingers, gently steepled on the flat building. Barely tilting her head up, she saw she was only a few hand-widths away from the window, but it seemed as far away as the stars.
Adrenaline was shooting through her muscles, causing her whole body to tense. She tried to breathe and shift her weight onto one foot to climb the wall, but her shoe's traction on the slick surface failed, and she swung down, held up only by her fingers pressed against the moist exterior.
Her hands trembled as she carefully lifted one hand, sliding it gently along the wall, and reached closer to the sill. She shoved down the absolute astonishment at her situation, and focused on what she was doing. With incredibly slow movements Lauren climbed the wall until her fingers brushed the inside of the window sill. With one quick lurch, she pulled herself inside and collapsed on the ground.
Her heart thundered in her ribcage as she felt the moment of falling over and over again. She curled up under the window, hugging herself and trying to recover, slowing her breathing.
How did I do that? What happened to me?
She looked down at her hands. They looked the same as always. She clenched them and leaned her head back against the wall. It's okay, I'm okay. ...Right?
The day was a blur, Lauren went to her classes, she took notes, but it felt like someone else was doing it for her. She just kept flashing back to that horrible moment when she felt her stomach drop. But after every time she envisioned it, she felt the strength in her body, she saw her own hands gripping the building, with no traction at all.
The room she sat in was dark, a dim projection playing on the whiteboard, and students snoring all around her. The teacher was making his rounds, occasionally rapping his knuckles on a desk, to ensure proper attention was being payed.
This isn't what I think it is? I couldn't be...
Her heart jolted and she lunged out of her desk, without knowing why. She watched her own hand reach forward at the same time teacher tripped over a loose binder. Lauren watched him fall as if in slow motion, his hand was caught behind him, and his head was about to hit the hard floor. Seconds before he made contact, Lauren had reached all the way over her desk, and caught the back of his shirt. She held him there aloft for a moment, as if he weighed nothing.
He quickly got a foot under him, and was able to stand up. In the dark, there were a few whispers and giggles, but no one seemed to really have noticed what happened. The teacher looked to her, and nodded his thanks. Then he cleared his throat and continued, though far more cautiously, walking around the classroom.
She looked at her own hands, just as small and innocently shaped as ever. I didn't even realize he was falling till I'd already caught him. She glanced at the clock, still a few minutes before class was over.
As soon as the bell rang she dashed out of class, hustling down the hallway. Pushing the library doors open, she briskly walked to the back left of the room, crouching down to find a very specific book. She ran her fingers along the spines, their uneven heights making little mountains and valleys under the shelf.
She found what she was looking for, and pulled it out. It was so thin that shelf barely moved after she removed it. Flipping through the pages, her breath caught a little. She shut the book and quickly brought it over to the Librarian's counter and checked it out. Tucking it under her arm, she left the library, letting the doors close behind her.
The cold streets of New York looked up from the pages of the book spread on her bed. She had read the book over and over, staring at every image.
Lauren stood by the window in her room, a lamp glowing dimly behind her. The stars had just started winking in the darkness, the moon was barely a sliver.
She pulled up her phone in the dark, and watched out the window as the clouds shifted in the sky. She stared at the screen for a while, before quickly tapping the call button, and holding it to her ear. The phone rang a few times, before she heard the other end pick up.
"Hello?"
"Andie I need you to cover for me. "
*******
She dropped the phone on to the window sill and looked up into the darkness.
New York would hold answers.