Make Way for the Spiders

Dinner was delicious, and Frank had even brought brownies for dessert. We ate those in the living room, and when Mom and him started talking about work, I excused myself to my room.

Looking at the clock, I saw that it was seven. I didn't have to meet up with Spiderman until ten. To pass the time, I decided to look for an outfit to wear tomorrow.

I rummaged through my boxes for a while until I found the perfect outfit. It was a black dress, with short sleeves, a collar, and a small red belt around the waist, that matched my hair. I decided that I would wear my red heels, and bring my red ballet flats in case my feet began to hurt. But, for my hair, I was at a loss.

Should I curl it? Straighten it?

I sighed and checked my phone for the time. Eight. I could hear Mom and Frank in the living room, laughing.

He was still here?

I had another two hours before I had to meet Spiderman. With nothing else to do, I started to unpack the boxes in my room. I hung my shirts and jeans in my closet, and threw all my socks and pajamas into my drawers. When all my clothes were put away, I went into the hall, and grabbed the first box I saw with my name on it.

I opened it, and found all my decor. It had pictures, little figurines, my alarm clock, and a few of my books. I set my alarm clock on the bedside table, and placed my little fairy figurine next to it. She had midnight black hair, a deep blue dress, and crystal like wings. The face was very realistic, with blue eyes, and pink lips. She was a gift from my mom when I was a little girl, and I loved it.

I hung my pictures on the wall, and placed the rest of my figurines in various places.

When I was done, I stepped back to admire my work. I still had a few things to do. My laptop was still buried somewhere, and I still had a lamp to place on my desk. I looked at the clock again. Nine thirty.

I listened for any evidence of Frank still being here, but it was silent. I put on some plaid pajama pants, and black tank top, then walked into the living room where Mom was sitting.

"Hey," she said when she saw me.

"Hi," I said. "I'm going to bed early, okay?"

Mom nodded, and stood up. "I think I'll follow. I have to go into work early in the morning to meet up with Mr. Samuels," she told me.

Mr. Samuels was her new boss here in New York.

"Okay, night," I said, giving her a hug, then walking back down the hall to my room. I sat on my bed, playing games on my phone for a few minutes before I got bored.

I had twenty minutes left, so I put my hair into a low ponytail, put a watch on, and put on my hoodie. I picked up the black mask, and held it in my fingers. I tilted my head from side to side, unsure if I should wear it. I must have stood there for ten minutes, because when I looked back at the clock, it was ten to ten.

In a rush, I threw the mask on, and climbed out on the fire escape. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then raised my hand, slightly curling my fingers, and watched the web hook onto the top of the building.

I groaned, looking up. Last night, when I had to climb up and down, it left me really sore. Nevertheless, I began to climb.

I had climbed about three stories, when I felt a familiar tingle run down my spine. It wasn't like when I was being attacked-no, this was warmer.

"You know, there's a much faster way to get up there."

I yelped, and lost hold of the web, but a gloved hand caught my wrist. I looked up to see Spiderman holding onto me.

He lifted me up, and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Hold on," he advised, and started swinging throughout the city.

I clung to him, afraid that he would drop me. We arrived at the park, and he finally let me go. I looked around, and noticed how quiet it was.

Even the passing cars seemed to whisper rather than roar like usual. Spiderman walked over to a bench, and patted the seat next to him.

"So, how are you liking New York?" he asked.

I sat down and shrugged. "I like it," I said. "It's not Arizona, but I like it."

Spiderman chuckled. "Arizona, huh?" he asked, and I nodded. "Well, what did you do today?"

I sighed. "Went for a jog... Beat up some guys who attacked me... Went for a walk..." I trailed off, shrugging.

"You beat up guys who tried to attack you?" He asked.

I nodded. "But then I accidentally hit a guy with a web, and they all freaked out, thinking it was you."

Spiderman laughed, leaning back on the bench. "Now I wish I was there," he chuckled.

I smiled. "So, what are you going to teach me?" I asked.

"Tonight, nothing," he told me, shrugging.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Well for one, the only thing you know about me, is that I'm Spiderman. And I know absolutely nothing about you," he said.

"So you just want to talk?" I asked. He nodded. "Alright," I decided, shrugging. "You first."

"Name?" he asked.

My eyebrows knit together as I stared at him. "I don't know your name either," I said. "And why do you want to know so bad?"

He shrugged. "At least give me something."

I huffed and stared at the little pond. I really didn't want to tell him. It didn't seem fair if he knew my name, yet I had no clue who he really was.

Spiderman was waiting, so I smiled. "Call me Red," I said. "Red?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's my favorite color." Of course, I didn't want to tell him the real reason why he could call me Red. My hair was pretty darn noticeable.

"Alright, Red," Spiderman said, sticking out his hand, "I'm Spiderman."

I giggled and shook his hand. "Alright Spiderman. Tell me about yourself," I said, leaning back on the bench and checking my watch - only ten thirty.

"Well what do you want to know?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I told you about how I got my powers. How did you get yours?"

"Same way you did. I was bitten by a radioactive spider," he told me. "Although, I wasn't an experiment. It was an accident."

I shook my head. "There are no accidents or coincidences in the world. Everything happens for a reason." I swear, I could see the smirk underneath that mask.

"You're one of those people?" he said.

I laughed. "I guess so, yeah."

We were silent for a bit. "So, how often do you save the city?" I asked. He shrugged. "I deal with small stuff like robberies and fires all the time."

"What about that giant lizard thing?" I asked.

He laughed. "Been in town for a day, and you already know about that?"

"I have connections," I winked. "So, what was the story on that?"

"What?" he asked. "Your connections didn't tell you about that?"

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't pry," I explained.

"Well, the giant lizard turned out to be a scientist experimenting on himself," he said. "He wanted to turn the entire worlds population into giant lizards. He had a vision of, in his mind, the perfect society."

"How did you stop him?" I asked.

Spiderman shrugged. "He was a friend, and he wasn't in his right mind. Now, he's getting the help he needs."

We sat in silence for a while. I checked my watch, and saw that it was eleven, and stood up. "I should probably go," I said. I wanted to get up early for my first day of school.

Spiderman nodded, and stood up also. "I can give you a ride back."

I laughed. "More swinging?"

"Of course!" Spiderman joked. "It beats walking." Then he gripped my waist, and shot out a web, that latched itself to the nearest building. "Hold on," he advised, so I wrapped my arm around his neck.

Then we were flying through the city once again.

He dropped me off on the fire escape outside my room. I didn't ask how he knew, because I just figured that he saw me climb out of my window or something.

"Same time, tomorrow?" he asked. "Sure," I said, smiling. "Where at?"

Spiderman thought for a moment. "How 'bout I just meet you here?"

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

He nodded, then turned, and started to swing away.

I wondered if he had smiled.