The Sensational Spider-Girl

Issue #1: A Wish Granted

There has been a lot of news lately. A lot of anti-mutant propaganda and news about super-powered people is becoming more frequent. Caught in the middle of this barrage were the young people, who are struggling with growing up in such a chaotic world. Despite this, high school was all too normal. A bunch of kids just trying to find their way: teasing, hazing, it was all so alarmingly normal.

At least, that was how it seemed to Scarlett Navy, a fifteen-year-old female student of Midtown High. A girl of average height, shoulder-length brown hair put up into a ponytail, and glasses covering large, brown eyes. She pushed her way through a congested hallway, trying her best to make it to science before the bell rang—more difficult than it should be, but it is a crowded school. Most people seemed to ignore her as she scrambled past. There was a thunderous slam as she noticed Flash Thompson, a tall, blond and generally massive football player. He was pushing Peter Parker into a locker, making him spill his books everywhere. Peter was the school's fallguy. He was short, skinny, and a total bookworm. Peter picked up his books and pushed up his glasses in frustration as he stormed away. Scarlett felt sorry for him, but what could she do? It wasn't like she had much sway with the popular crowd herself.

Finally, she made it to the science lab and found a place in the far corner of the room. Peter was still fuming at the lab station in the front of the classroom. The science class was the usual fare, Scarlett wasn't really that interested in science. She gave a yawn and realized that class was nearly over when the instructor cleared his throat.

"Now, remember," Mr. Roberts, a lanky middle-aged man with dark hair, began, "the bus for the field trip to the Oscorp Research Center leaves here tomorrow at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. If you can't make it, find a ride. Just be there by nine-thirty."

Oscorp? That was tomorrow? She could have sworn that wasn't for another month. Shaking her head, she took a second to wipe her eyes as she realized that she has been spending too much time day dreaming. What was this class even about?

The ho-hum monotony of this school was getting to Scarlett. Sure, she saw the news, read articles online, but nothing sensational has ever happened in this corner of Queens. No mutants in hiding or costumed superheroes. How does that stuff even happen? Once again, she realized that she was in her own world as her face crashed into an open locker.

"Hey, where's the fire?" A familiar voiced called down to her. A red-headed beauty peeked from the other side of the locker with a sympathetic smile.

Feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment, Scarlett got back to her feet. "Mary Jane, sorry. I—"

"You were spacing out again," Mary Jane finished her sentence.

Believe it or not, Mary Jane was Scarlett's best friend. They have known each other since they were in grade school. The two of them were an odd pair. While Scarlett herself wasn't bad-looking, she was not anything special. When standing next to Mary Jane's radiance, that point was all-too-clear. What made Mary Jane always stand out to Scarlett was one crucial fact: Mary Jane was the only one to pay attention to her. Everyone else acted as if she was not there.

"Yeah," the brunette admitted.

The two of them walked together down the hall. It was a totally different experience. Scarlett did not have to work to get through the hall. Who wouldn't part way for such a beauty? Scarlett blinked and wondered why she always had these weird thoughts about Mary Jane. She pushed it aside and continued on her way.

The rest of the day was the same boring nonsense that Scarlett has done for ages. Everything was always so blasé, like she has done it all before, probably because she has. Sure, the difficulty may increase every year, but the routine is essentially the same. Go to school, go home, do homework, study a little, watch TV, maybe call Mary Jane, and then go to bed and do it all over again. Were these really the best years of her life? If so, the rest of her life must be a boring, waking nightmare.

"Why don't you get a boyfriend?" Mary Jane suggested, as she was gathering her things to go home.

"Huh?" Scarlett snapped out of her world.

"You were just talking about how you want more excitement in your life and a guy might do that."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "That's easy for you to say. Oh, just go get a boyfriend. Boys aren't interested in me."

Mary Jane's locker slammed making Scarlett jump. The other girl looked down at her and said, "Trust me, if you took maybe fifteen extra minutes in the morning, you wouldn't have to try very hard, either. You're a very pretty girl; you just hide it too much."

It wasn't like Scarlett could argue. She wore baggy t-shirts and pants. Not because she was making a statement, just because they were comfortable. Mary Jane was right, though. Beauty was often not about comfort and certainly not convenience. She knew very well that Mary Jane didn't just wake up and naturally have her make up on and her hair done, she needed to work at it like any other girl.

The smile on Mary Jane's face fell as her stare looked over Scarlett's shoulder. "Don't look, but Liz is headed this way. Just don't pay attention to her and hopefully—"

"Well, if it isn't Miss Mousey and Big Red," Liz Allan called out to her from behind.

Scarlett turned and saw an attractive blonde girl wearing a cheerleading uniform. She would think of her as pretty if she didn't know about the venom that comes out of her mouth. Liz was flanked by two of her cheerleader friends—both would ordinarily be seen as attractive. Scarlett never bothered to learn their names. One of them was named Samantha, right? She could have sworn—

"Hey! I'm talking to you. Come back to Earth, Mousy." Liz called out to her.

Her mind was racing; she didn't know what to say. Seeing her friend in trouble, Mary Jane grabbed Scarlett's hand and yelled, "Sorry, but we have something we need to do. Bye!" The bigger girl pulled Scarlett along by her hand and left a smirking Liz Allan behind. Just outside, she stopped and turned to look at her friend. "Look, Scar, you can't let girls like that walk over you. If you can't think of something to say, then just go. Don't give them any satisfaction."

"She still seemed pleased with herself," Scarlet retorted.

Mary Jane sighed. "Only because she knew she got under your skin. You froze."

"She called you a name too, you know."

Flashing a smile, Mary Jane said, "Yeah, but I know how awesome I am, so things she says don't bug me. You need to build up some self-esteem, girl."

That was easier said than done. If she looked as good as Mary Jane, she was sure she would be brimming with self-esteem too. Liz knew where to hit Scarlett where it hurt. She was self-conscious about her height and round face. Getting called "Mousy" made her so… Scarlett's fist clenched at her side and her body grew a little rigid. Oh, she got under her skin alright.

Taking in a breath, Scarlett started walking and said, "Oh, well, I'm going home now."

Mary Jane opened her mouth to say something, but then sighed and shook her head.

Scarlett tossed her schoolbag against the wall absentmindedly as she walked through the front door of the small two-bedroom apartment. The dingy apartment was kept as clean as possible, her father saw to that. She took some time to look around before concluding that her parents weren't back from work yet.

Taking a moment, she noticed a picture of the three of them together. They looked exactly as they were: a happy family. Despite what the media likes to say, there are a few happy families left in the country. Her parents rarely fought and were quick to make up when they did. There was little to no family drama in her life. Her father, Richard, was a tall man, completely unlike her. No, she took after her mother in that department. He had brown hair mixed with some pepper and a beard that scratched her face when they hugged. Her mother, Lana, had long, blonde hair and looked kind, but was emotionally distant. She let Scarlett know she cared through small things, like packing an extra cookie in her lunch.

It's a weekday afternoon and she's alone. What else would a teenager do in her situation? She picked up her school bag and took out her books to do her homework at the kitchen table, of course. Isn't that what everyone does?

Just as she is getting situated, the door opened and her father came in energetically, tossing his keys in a dish by the door. He smiled at her and said, "How was school?"

She blandly looked back and said, "Same as always."

He walked over to Scarlett. "Oh, come now! I bet there's a boy you like, huh?"

Shrugging, Scarlett replied, "Not really. School's only been back for two weeks."

"Well, that's fine. Your mother was a late bloomer too."

"Where is she?" She asked, tapping her pencil on her math notebook.

He waved a hand and said, "Oh, she texted me that her meeting was running late." He looked down at his watch. He lived his life by that watch. She doubted that he was ever late for anything in his life. He was a bus driver. Not a glamorous job, but he enjoyed it. He was the opposite of her mother, who worked at Murdock Law Firm as an associate.

Lana took her job seriously and is gunning for a partner position right now. That meant that she was hardly home anymore, so her father was relied on to pick up the slack. It was something he did in stride. Visibly, he did not seem to mind and showed a near infinite amount of patience.

Clapping his hands, Richard walked into the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner that night. Scarlett turned her attention back to her math homework, wondering briefly why her father asked her about boys before continuing to work.

Later that night, her mother came home late. She knew this because she woke up to her parents yelling. They never yelled at each other like this. Putting her pillow over her head, she did what she always did when they fought and pretended like it wasn't happening. They would forgive each other by tomorrow morning and everything will be fine again. Just like always.

Scarlett woke up to a heavy atmosphere in the house. It made her nervous, but she got ready like she always did. Everything was fine. Everything was always fine because nothing ever changed. It'll just be a boring day, just like all others. She kept reassuring herself, but something gnawed at the back of her mind. She didn't like it.

Her parents were both gone to work, but that was the same as usual. She double-checked to make sure that she had everything she needed for the field trip today. There was an extra two cookies in her lunch today instead of the usual one. A cold feeling crept up her spine, but she chose to ignore it as she left the apartment.

Walking to school was unnerving. Usually she just drifted off into her own world and the trip was quick, but her mind was staying alert. It wasn't allowing her to distract herself like she usually did. By the time she got to school, her patience was running thin and it was only the morning. The bus was waiting for her in the bus-loading area; the teacher was outside checking people off as they loaded. She approached him.

"Ah, there you are, Miss Navy. You okay? You look a little pale." Mr. Roberts asked.

She gave a quick smile and said, "No—I mean, yes, I'm fine." Then she hurried onto the bus.

Looking around, she saw that the bus was already fairly packed. Did it take her longer to get to school than it usually did? Her whole day is off. Exasperated, she looked around for an open spot, there was only one. Mary Jane looked up at her as if to say, "Sorry." She looked again, but no luck. Shrugging, she walked to the back wheel of the bus and sat next to Peter Parker. He looked surprised and then immediately looked away. Well, sorry for not being Mary Jane, tiger. Jeez.

With that, they were soon on their way, traveling down the busy streets, heading to the research facility on the edge of downtown. Scarlett attempted to occupy herself by looking out the window, but it wasn't like she was seeing anything for the first time. Why is everything taking so long today? Finally, they pulled up to a tall building with a sign that said Oscorp Research Center.

Before anyone could move, Mr. Roberts stood up. He held up his hands to silence the bus and announced, "Take a look at the person you're sitting next to. They're your partner. Anywhere you go and everything you do will be with this person. Don't let them leave your sight. If your partner skips out on you, you will use participation points just like them. Now, let's go."

Great, I'm stuck with Parker. How could this day get any worse? It's not like she hated him, but he never gave her a reason to like him, either. They filed out of the bus and Peter busied himself fiddling with his camera as they entered the facility. There was a tall woman of African descent waiting for them in the lobby. Mr. Roberts took a moment to shake her hand and formally thank her for her time.

Meanwhile, Scarlett's eyes were moving around the large, impressive lobby. It had high ceilings, plain walls with lights cut into the ground work. There were chairs, but they seemed to be shorter than most chairs. Whoever this Osborn guy was, he seemed to have a thing about making everyone else feel inferior.

Peter gave her a nudge as the group started to move on. He really is a serious guy, huh? The woman led them into a room that seemed design to showcase the research being conducted in the facility. The usual affair: weapons research, biochemistry, genetics… You know, sciencey things. Scarlett gave a yawn as she listened to the guide speak—only tuning in to halfway through her speech.

"…And this," She gestured to a thirty-inch monitor which was displaying information about spiders and DNA, "is what you'll be walking through today. We're using radiation to manipulate the genetic structure of spiders. We're hoping that if we succeed, our research can be applied to more complex creatures—maybe someday humans. We could cure genetic disorders and diseases before they manifest. Come along. There's more to see in the lab." The guide led them further into the facility.

As they walking through, Scarlett comments, "Cure diseases? Yeah, right. They're just going to use it weaponize people."

Peter gave her a surprised look.

"What?"

"I…just wasn't expecting such an observation out of you." Peter said, impressed.

She rolled her eyes. "I pay attention to stuff sometimes. Besides if there's one thing I enjoy, it's current events."

Peter and her lagged behind a bit to have their brief conversation. They rushed to catch up, but Peter stopped short and she accidentally ran into him, knocking him forward a bit. Gasping, she grabbed his arm and pulled him back just before he would have hit Flash.

"I'm so sorry, are you—ow!" She winced, slapping the back of her neck, but nothing was there. Something bit her! She looked around and saw a spider scurrying away. A strange, tingly feeling rushed through her body. Was that spider poisonous?

"I'm okay. Is something wrong?" Peter asked.

Up ahead, she could hear someone point out that there were ten cages, but only nine spiders in the cages. Her eyes narrowed a bit, her mind putting the pieces together. Was she bitten by one of the radioactive spiders? Should she tell someone? But she wasn't sure, there could be other spiders around and she feels fine. Great, in fact. She looked down at her hand and clenched it. She…feels good. It's probably better not to cause alarm, anyway.

The rest of the trip was about as exciting as one would expect—at least for anyone that isn't Parker. He looked like he was having the time of his life. Let him have his day, he probably doesn't get many like this.

It was late afternoon by the time that Scarlett was walking home from school. She stopped and took notice how she didn't feel like she was getting tired from the walk. She had never been athletic. Looking up and down the street, she didn't see anyone. She shrugged and then sprinted as fast as she could; she was amazed it was like she had the grace of a cheetah! She leaped into the air and grew a bit terrified of her own abilities when she went farther up than she had intended. A dull buzz in the back of her skull rang out as she approached a telephone pole. Uh-oh! She surrendered to her instincts and closed her eyes.

When pain didn't follow, she opened her eyes and found that she was holding onto the pole. But with what? She moved her hands and found the surface to be sticky—wait, it wasn't the pole. Her hands were sticky! Not only that, but her arms were supporting her weight. Slowly, she climbed down and took a moment to stare at her hands.

What happened to her? Was…she a mutant? Or did it have something to do with that spider that bit her? No, that's silly! But it was the only thing that made any sense. She couldn't think about this right now, she walked the rest of the way home. Why did this happen to me? Will these strange powers eventually go away?