p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="15cc89eba530936af4e474f71f1f2b05"My mind wavered the walk home. I didn't remember detention or finding my way from the school. I had been contemplating something ever since I gained my abilities, but when Uncle Ben died, I didn't have anyone to talk to about them. My thoughts broke when a flash of red glimmered in the corner of my eye./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="50a1a473ba73ae905cfe99f6bdd6209e""Mary Jane!" I called, hurrying across the street, "Can I ask you a really random question?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b410f9a6e01444652ba70101af8ccaa2""Shoot, Tiger," she smiled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2baaccf2e11c78120ed5b47ad0622e6b"I started fidgeting, "Well, if you could, hypothetically of course-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ac0b95ba92342898a67fb48372405983"She nodded, "Of course."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c51f2f8b35482f0d9c9097780f544e97""-do things no one else could...what would you do with them?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="274f28bc21413a07703d8f949a04194e"She thought for a second, "So like touching your tongue to your nose?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6b4683009321a9d828090335f5c25e30""Uh, no."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fea09675a7dcb90b7022424501ec9d4e""Being able to sing the really low notes?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0ab06f2ca6810f8d01083b3d39208ff7""No."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="832b9af0577715ab8bced209e97aae85""The really high notes?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="96a6ef469530a660c87817acce5dcab1""What? No."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b4bb5c23bcd88163076049d628d59d0b""Wiggling your ears?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7529177a2026be1634d3cccf416bbc82""No, M-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2c037f2e67cdbd826652551c35b5f9a5""-Ooh! I know! Double jointed!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ecd444fba0d30c1b0e30674180894302"She looked at me excitedly and I smiled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="60c5400e708bda0852b357f4451be226""Yep! You got it." I started backing away, "Well, got to go MJ. Bye!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ffb62c3be6d859c09a4c2d9618b27cc6"She waved and I watched her as she trotted up the steps and inside. She had no idea. I grumbled inside my head all the way into the kitchen and only did my mood brighten when I saw Aunt May had made banana bread. I watched her as she took off her oven mitts and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0b9acaf2417d81e222b6d8661c5d26d2""Hi, Aunt May," I smiled solemnly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1ed262bcb6b52d54e5b8fa1b13bab766"She turned and smiled fondly, "Hello, dear. How are you feeling?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c9f8aec0b7dfc8755bcffd8e909e4464"I hugged her. She smelled of lavender and banana bread./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="267e183847627dfda395f253d0919a0d""Better."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3c5b2ba7b9ef7a861c15cd3832fdcae0""That's good to hear," she maneuvered around the kitchen pulling out a plate and knife, "Do you want some banana bread?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="24ea89f11756a0acb469836608c6102b""Sure," I smiled and took the knife from her hand before she could cut me a piece./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="399c3b2e17a31db57e7afb25b16c269b"I sliced the bread and placed a piece in front of Aunt May. She smiled. I cut one for myself then sat down./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fe1ed10dcb91e1fd6f2f00572397cee1""How was your day?" she asked between bites./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ccb3efd3707c18c22aca78d4a03f593d""It was good."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6c352a3daeb5642fc234a8d6a134781c"I didn't want to tell her about my detention, it would only worry her more than she already did. Once we finished I helped her wash dishes then I gave her a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight. I trudged up the stairs into my room and started on my homework./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="dca4a93fbeba2cebef0cecaa08d5ff20"No matter how hard I had tried, I couldn't concentrate on Calculus. My mind swarmed with possibilities. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Did I really have superpowers? or were they just freak abilities? I guess it depended on how I used them. Uncle Ben's words rang inside my head...em style="box-sizing: border-box;"with great power comes great responsibility.../em Was it such a bad idea to become a superhero? And was that what he was suggesting?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0cc3e0268e1e5592685c143587ee7018"I rolled to my side and looked at the clock: 11:13 pm. There was no way I would be able to sleep with all the thoughts zooming around. I needed to clear my head. But Aunt May wouldn't let me out of the house at this time. I grabbed a hoodie and opened my window as silently as I could and made sure it was dark enough before jumping. My feet landed in a crouch on the slightly wet grass and I started walking./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7defdd300e797d688ad12e294c1a76bd"I thought about what it would be like to be a superhero. Superheroes firstly need a suit. My suit would need to allow me to use my clinging ability, which meant I couldn't wear hard shoes or thick gloves, and I needed holes on my wrists for the webbing to shoot out. I contemplated a whole body spandex suit versus something that had skin showing. No skirts or anything that showed my stomach, that was a rule. With that in mind, I firmly decided on the full body suit. It had to be skin tight too, for aerodynamics. Then I came to the mask. Should it cover just the parts around my eyes or my whole face? I settled on my whole face and it appeared in the picture in my mind. I didn't want anyone to know who I was or even how em style="box-sizing: border-box;"young /em I was. Plus, it added mystery, intrigue./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d1a7fd24abbb03df0595de818f3b84dc"My designing came to a halt when I heard a commotion ahead of me. I didn't realize I had walked into the city until my thoughts of superheroes and costumes disappeared. I ran forward and looked around the corner. A woman was struggling in the arms of two masked men while a third was pointing a knife at her. I pulled my head back before they could see me. I should help, right? Not taking another thought, I climbed the wall I was leaning on and stood on the roof. Taking a deep breath, I made sure my shoes were tied, pulled the hood over my head, zipped my hoodie a little higher, and stepped on the edge./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="96e624513c484814e6c48b14bfd5afab"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"THWIP/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a69034eda65f73b24c8b2d69cb77664e"I shot my arm out and a web stuck itself to the knife in one of the men's hands./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="938f6b957039737e0ea47231137a51ea""What the-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2c07866d5e41ec23b3454d8cfe59f9c8"I didn't wait much longer before jumping off and somersaulting into a crouched landing./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d9dfa6bf5cbbdff75a6eee2a9538fc64""Who the fu-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d6ef22d39db52907c42e029019246245"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"THWIP/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7a9ffdf400b0d0240617afe6040565d9""No potty mouth, mister," I sniggered as he struggled to get the webs off his mouth with his one free hand./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c9eb952eff548c99744cfc85385ae6f9"In one swift motion, I turned and slid my leg out tripping him flat on his arse. I shot a couple webs on his arms and legs before turning to the other two./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2535cfc792c56c1bf3b78809542319f0""Who's next?" I asked./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5a43ee24d19a012c63491879eba18aa2"One man let the woman go and stepped toward me with a look of rage. He almost reminded me of an angry bull. Just as I was thinking that he charged at me, fists raised. I side-stepped him and he went running past./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="03134c64f8fc2c01af80de835069edb4"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"THWIP/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="74c22fd2cc33030fe74d09a7f9fa7b36"I shot a web at his back and pulled him as hard as I could. He flung back and my aim was true; he hit the other man and they fell in a heap on the ground. After shooting a couple webs at them, I turned to the woman. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="33239ebda7aebbf72a442b9a72b5cce0""Are you okay?" I asked, gently./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4e1bd612a6ac23582b69003d0146d65f"She nodded but kept staring./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a8450d2bde0d57e7d6d5e51df6488d43"I shot a web at the top of the building and flung myself up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b8175c19a376e3d628983c2ac77bfba8""Call the police," I yelled from the top./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1fe8663728e2e20f5a3e1c7609caee4e""Who are you?" she called back./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="eceac7699bd5be3685198e079d0edd8e"I grinned under my hood, "A friendly spider!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0cc6434b9893dd54bfe24205c00a5326"That was a stupid thing to say. I should have said something cooler. Like 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Girl' or something. With that, I shot another web and was soon swinging from building to building until I reached an area where there weren't buildings tall enough to swing from. I landed on the ground and looked around for any witnesses. I couldn't help but break into a grin. The fact that I saved a life, the rush of fighting, the adrenaline after it was over, how good I had felt knowing she was safe, it took all I could not to hoot and holler. I was going to be a superhero. I needed to be a superhero. With that thought firmly planted in my mind, I ran straight home, using my abilities to shorten my time./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4c761f170e016836ff84498202b99827"~/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8b5486997ae7ecb26d0ec02ca3aac80c"Before she died, my grandmother taught me how to sew fabric together. I was just about as rusty as I had suspected. Biting my lower lip, I winced as the needle once again pierced my finger. I already had a picture of the outline in my head, but coming up with the theme for my suit was the hard part. Spider. Something spidery. Honestly, the idea of becoming a superhero still seemed slightly absurd, but the idea that I could do something good with my abilities made me keep me going. I had done nothing with my life. Maybe now I could find some meaning in each day. Some reason to keep living in the wake of everything else. I gritted my teeth and continued to sew together the fabric./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ef71b7c4405ee695e6eb9218d0c81e00"The costume was black and red, like a black widow, with a large white spider on the front, its legs stretched out onto my back, where they merged together to form a hollow diamond. In the right light, the black material gave off a blue shine. It didn't turn out perfect, but the finished product was far better than I thought it ever could have been./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="50a1a473ba73ae905cfe99f6bdd6209e""Mary Jane!" I called, hurrying across the street, "Can I ask you a really random question?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b410f9a6e01444652ba70101af8ccaa2""Shoot, Tiger," she smiled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2baaccf2e11c78120ed5b47ad0622e6b"I started fidgeting, "Well, if you could, hypothetically of course-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ac0b95ba92342898a67fb48372405983"She nodded, "Of course."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c51f2f8b35482f0d9c9097780f544e97""-do things no one else could...what would you do with them?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="274f28bc21413a07703d8f949a04194e"She thought for a second, "So like touching your tongue to your nose?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6b4683009321a9d828090335f5c25e30""Uh, no."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fea09675a7dcb90b7022424501ec9d4e""Being able to sing the really low notes?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0ab06f2ca6810f8d01083b3d39208ff7""No."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="832b9af0577715ab8bced209e97aae85""The really high notes?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="96a6ef469530a660c87817acce5dcab1""What? No."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b4bb5c23bcd88163076049d628d59d0b""Wiggling your ears?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7529177a2026be1634d3cccf416bbc82""No, M-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2c037f2e67cdbd826652551c35b5f9a5""-Ooh! I know! Double jointed!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ecd444fba0d30c1b0e30674180894302"She looked at me excitedly and I smiled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="60c5400e708bda0852b357f4451be226""Yep! You got it." I started backing away, "Well, got to go MJ. Bye!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ffb62c3be6d859c09a4c2d9618b27cc6"She waved and I watched her as she trotted up the steps and inside. She had no idea. I grumbled inside my head all the way into the kitchen and only did my mood brighten when I saw Aunt May had made banana bread. I watched her as she took off her oven mitts and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0b9acaf2417d81e222b6d8661c5d26d2""Hi, Aunt May," I smiled solemnly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1ed262bcb6b52d54e5b8fa1b13bab766"She turned and smiled fondly, "Hello, dear. How are you feeling?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c9f8aec0b7dfc8755bcffd8e909e4464"I hugged her. She smelled of lavender and banana bread./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="267e183847627dfda395f253d0919a0d""Better."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3c5b2ba7b9ef7a861c15cd3832fdcae0""That's good to hear," she maneuvered around the kitchen pulling out a plate and knife, "Do you want some banana bread?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="24ea89f11756a0acb469836608c6102b""Sure," I smiled and took the knife from her hand before she could cut me a piece./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="399c3b2e17a31db57e7afb25b16c269b"I sliced the bread and placed a piece in front of Aunt May. She smiled. I cut one for myself then sat down./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fe1ed10dcb91e1fd6f2f00572397cee1""How was your day?" she asked between bites./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ccb3efd3707c18c22aca78d4a03f593d""It was good."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6c352a3daeb5642fc234a8d6a134781c"I didn't want to tell her about my detention, it would only worry her more than she already did. Once we finished I helped her wash dishes then I gave her a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight. I trudged up the stairs into my room and started on my homework./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="dca4a93fbeba2cebef0cecaa08d5ff20"No matter how hard I had tried, I couldn't concentrate on Calculus. My mind swarmed with possibilities. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Did I really have superpowers? or were they just freak abilities? I guess it depended on how I used them. Uncle Ben's words rang inside my head...em style="box-sizing: border-box;"with great power comes great responsibility.../em Was it such a bad idea to become a superhero? And was that what he was suggesting?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0cc3e0268e1e5592685c143587ee7018"I rolled to my side and looked at the clock: 11:13 pm. There was no way I would be able to sleep with all the thoughts zooming around. I needed to clear my head. But Aunt May wouldn't let me out of the house at this time. I grabbed a hoodie and opened my window as silently as I could and made sure it was dark enough before jumping. My feet landed in a crouch on the slightly wet grass and I started walking./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7defdd300e797d688ad12e294c1a76bd"I thought about what it would be like to be a superhero. Superheroes firstly need a suit. My suit would need to allow me to use my clinging ability, which meant I couldn't wear hard shoes or thick gloves, and I needed holes on my wrists for the webbing to shoot out. I contemplated a whole body spandex suit versus something that had skin showing. No skirts or anything that showed my stomach, that was a rule. With that in mind, I firmly decided on the full body suit. It had to be skin tight too, for aerodynamics. Then I came to the mask. Should it cover just the parts around my eyes or my whole face? I settled on my whole face and it appeared in the picture in my mind. I didn't want anyone to know who I was or even how em style="box-sizing: border-box;"young /em I was. Plus, it added mystery, intrigue./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d1a7fd24abbb03df0595de818f3b84dc"My designing came to a halt when I heard a commotion ahead of me. I didn't realize I had walked into the city until my thoughts of superheroes and costumes disappeared. I ran forward and looked around the corner. A woman was struggling in the arms of two masked men while a third was pointing a knife at her. I pulled my head back before they could see me. I should help, right? Not taking another thought, I climbed the wall I was leaning on and stood on the roof. Taking a deep breath, I made sure my shoes were tied, pulled the hood over my head, zipped my hoodie a little higher, and stepped on the edge./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="96e624513c484814e6c48b14bfd5afab"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"THWIP/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a69034eda65f73b24c8b2d69cb77664e"I shot my arm out and a web stuck itself to the knife in one of the men's hands./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="938f6b957039737e0ea47231137a51ea""What the-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2c07866d5e41ec23b3454d8cfe59f9c8"I didn't wait much longer before jumping off and somersaulting into a crouched landing./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d9dfa6bf5cbbdff75a6eee2a9538fc64""Who the fu-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d6ef22d39db52907c42e029019246245"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"THWIP/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7a9ffdf400b0d0240617afe6040565d9""No potty mouth, mister," I sniggered as he struggled to get the webs off his mouth with his one free hand./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c9eb952eff548c99744cfc85385ae6f9"In one swift motion, I turned and slid my leg out tripping him flat on his arse. I shot a couple webs on his arms and legs before turning to the other two./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2535cfc792c56c1bf3b78809542319f0""Who's next?" I asked./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5a43ee24d19a012c63491879eba18aa2"One man let the woman go and stepped toward me with a look of rage. He almost reminded me of an angry bull. Just as I was thinking that he charged at me, fists raised. I side-stepped him and he went running past./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="03134c64f8fc2c01af80de835069edb4"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"THWIP/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="74c22fd2cc33030fe74d09a7f9fa7b36"I shot a web at his back and pulled him as hard as I could. He flung back and my aim was true; he hit the other man and they fell in a heap on the ground. After shooting a couple webs at them, I turned to the woman. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="33239ebda7aebbf72a442b9a72b5cce0""Are you okay?" I asked, gently./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4e1bd612a6ac23582b69003d0146d65f"She nodded but kept staring./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a8450d2bde0d57e7d6d5e51df6488d43"I shot a web at the top of the building and flung myself up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b8175c19a376e3d628983c2ac77bfba8""Call the police," I yelled from the top./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1fe8663728e2e20f5a3e1c7609caee4e""Who are you?" she called back./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="eceac7699bd5be3685198e079d0edd8e"I grinned under my hood, "A friendly spider!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0cc6434b9893dd54bfe24205c00a5326"That was a stupid thing to say. I should have said something cooler. Like 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Girl' or something. With that, I shot another web and was soon swinging from building to building until I reached an area where there weren't buildings tall enough to swing from. I landed on the ground and looked around for any witnesses. I couldn't help but break into a grin. The fact that I saved a life, the rush of fighting, the adrenaline after it was over, how good I had felt knowing she was safe, it took all I could not to hoot and holler. I was going to be a superhero. I needed to be a superhero. With that thought firmly planted in my mind, I ran straight home, using my abilities to shorten my time./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4c761f170e016836ff84498202b99827"~/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8b5486997ae7ecb26d0ec02ca3aac80c"Before she died, my grandmother taught me how to sew fabric together. I was just about as rusty as I had suspected. Biting my lower lip, I winced as the needle once again pierced my finger. I already had a picture of the outline in my head, but coming up with the theme for my suit was the hard part. Spider. Something spidery. Honestly, the idea of becoming a superhero still seemed slightly absurd, but the idea that I could do something good with my abilities made me keep me going. I had done nothing with my life. Maybe now I could find some meaning in each day. Some reason to keep living in the wake of everything else. I gritted my teeth and continued to sew together the fabric./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ef71b7c4405ee695e6eb9218d0c81e00"The costume was black and red, like a black widow, with a large white spider on the front, its legs stretched out onto my back, where they merged together to form a hollow diamond. In the right light, the black material gave off a blue shine. It didn't turn out perfect, but the finished product was far better than I thought it ever could have been./p
