Any thoughts of having a pleasant day were shot right to hell when Perenna saw the news headline on the television.

'Criminals murdered enroute to lock-up.' It had the mugshots of the pink-haired woman and the larger woman glowering out of the screen.

"There is no comment on the investigation at the time, but what we can gather is that these women had an altercation with the vigilante known as Spider-Girl at the Silver Spoon in Midtown yesterday..."

Perenna tuned the rest out, sinking in the table in the kitchen. She grabbed the coffee her aunt set down in front of her. "Why do you watch the news in the morning? It's so...depressing."

Aunt May went around the table to the counter, waiting for the toast to pop. "I like to be kept informed of what's going on." She said, and glanced back at Perenna, eyes crinkling a bit playfully. "Such as how your study date went last night."

Perenna rolled her eyes. Her aunt didn't mean it, seeing it as little more than an obligatory joke. "Can you not call it that? We studied, that's it." At least she had enough money for a cheap camera now. Although she'd have to make sure The Bugle hadn't found a photographer yet. Then it just meant she wasted her night for nothing. No, worse; skipped out on her friends for Harry.

"It's good you're getting along with your classmates though. I know you're not the most social of people." Aunt May said.

"Harsh." Perenna huffed. Inside, her gut twisted. Maybe if she weren't awkward, she could decipher why Eddie was acting so weird lately. Was it really just the stress of university? Then again, if she were a people person, Perenna wouldn't have duped so easily into tutoring Harry last night.

It didn't help his house was practically a ghost town. The only other person she'd seen besides Harry was the butler. Maybe the staff were hiding out of sight, but not even his parents were around. Perenna at least knew better than to ask about that considering who his father was.

Perenna glanced down as her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a text from Eddie.

Hey, want to hang out tonight? My place, say 5?

Perenna raised a brow, but since he was trying to speak to her again, it made her hope their friendship wasn't fraying like she feared. Sure, but can't stay long. School stuff.

Cool. Me too. See you then.

Perenna finished off her coffee and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Gotta go. Oh, and I'm hanging out with Eddie after school."

Aunt May nodded, and tapped her cheek. Perenna shook her head with a smile and huffed playfully, but kissed her aunt's cheek anyway. "Have a nice day, Perry."

"Thanks, I'll try." Perenna called, before slipping out the front door.

It weighed on her all the way to school, that she fought those two women and now they were dead. Even more, it made her think of the odd comment one of them said about getting a sample. A sample of what though? Perenna sighed deeply, and wondered if she was trying to find connections where there weren't any.

She stopped short when she got to the school, and noticed a large crowd of students around a bench where Flash stood on top. Perenna didn't hear what he was saying over the crowd, but wandered over to where Mary Jane and Gwen were sitting at the steps by the entrance.

Mary Jane beamed when she saw Perenna, who braced herself when the redhead launched at her, hugging tight. Perenna tried not to wince. Some spots still hurt even after her healing took care of the worst. "Can you believe this?" Mary Jane kept one arm around Perenna, using the other to gesture at the crowd. "I swear Flash could be saying the sky is green and they'd eat it up."

Perenna furrowed her brow. "What is he getting on about this time?"

Gwen smoothed her hair, adjusting her headband in the process. "Flash is telling everyone about how he saved Spider-Girl yesterday."

"What?" Perenna stared incredulously at the crowd. "How could anyone believe that?"

"He's got witnesses." Mary Jane drawled.

Perenna snorted. "Who, his friends?"

"Who else." The redhead retorted. She shook her head. "Pretty sure at least half of those students are just listening to hear Flash's story change each time he tells it. Not sure about the other half honestly."

While it set Perenna's teeth on edge and made her skin prickle, Flash was small potatoes compared to the thugs on the street. "He can have his fifteen minutes, the rest of us at least aren't going to be late for class listening to his drivel."

"Oh, you brought out the fancy words, you must be mad." Mary Jane said and poked Perenna in the shoulder.

Perenna shrugged the arm off. "Not mad, just irritated. He can say whatever he wants and people will eat it up." she muttered.

"Speaking of which, how'd it go with Harry?" Mary Jane asked. Perenna's brow twitched.

"Tactful." Gwen quipped.

Mary Jane crossed her arms. "What? Obviously since Perry didn't show up last night, she went to tutor Mr. Popular."

"It didn't go anywhere, obviously." Perenna retorted, and held the door open for her friends to head in first. She broke off to head to her locker, but paused when she noticed Harry standing in front of his, while a tall blonde leaning in close was chatting him up. The blonde also happened to be blocking Perenna's locker. "Great." she muttered, and marched up. "Excuse me?"

The blonde stopped, and craned her neck. Perenna might have gotten taller, but the blonde still had a few inches on her. It made her look very imperious as she stared down her nose at the brunette. "Yes?"

"You're in front of my locker." Perenna said.

The blonde blinked. "Oh, my bad." she shuffled away, and took up a spot on Harry's other side. "Where was I? Yeah, so I was thinking maybe we could start up what we had over the summer? Now that you're back from Europe and all."

Harry was silent too long, and it made Perenna grab the textbooks for her morning classes faster. Not quick enough, because Harry finally answered before she could scram, "That's a nice thought, but I'm a senior now. I got to start thinking of my grades more."

"So what, it's like those three weeks never happened?" The blonde spat.

"Of course not, I just find it hard to justify 'getting back together' when we weren't a thing in the first place." Harry replied. Perenna went absolutely still, because the last thing she wanted right now was to be noticed. "I know it sounds harsh, but it's not like we labeled it or anything."

"...I see." The blonde sounded anything but placated. "Well, I hope whatever bimbo you spew that line to next gets you good, jackass!"

"Felicia!" Harry called, but the blonde stormed off down the hall. The students who'd been watching scrambled to get out of her way. Perenna closed her locker as Harry glanced back, and she cursed. So much for a clean getaway. "You heard all that?"

"I was standing right here; it'd be harder not too." Perenna retorted.

Harry snorted, crossing his arms as he leaned against his locker. "Can't exactly be sure with you. Like how you came to tutor me when you said you were busy, or when you stood me up before that. Anyone ever tell you how wishy-washy you are?"

Perenna narrowed her eyes. "You really don't have the moral high ground here."

"Like you're one to talk. You had that one jock who followed you around everywhere when he was here, Eddie, right? And now you have Mary Jane getting all touchy-feely." Harry replied.

This time, Perenna rolled her eyes so hard she was sure something strained. "They're my friends. I guess you wouldn't know that's how friends act since yours only want you for your money."

For a moment, Harry's expression hardened, before it relaxed into a condescending smile. "You took my money."

"I never said I was your friend." Perenna shot back.

"At least I can count my friends on more than one hand." Harry said.

Perenna's jaw clenched, and she glared at him. "Quality over quantity." she hissed, and muscled past him. She was not going to be late to class because of him of all people. And she was taking his money all the way to an electronic shop.

Though when Perenna turned the corner, it wasn't her spider sense which alerted to her something amiss, but her still sensitive ears. The sobbing was coming from the girl's washroom, and she hesitated. With a quick glance at the clock on the wall, she found it was a minute until class started.

Perenna went into the girl's washroom anyway. The main area was empty, and she gazed over at the stalls in the back of the room where the cries started anew. Perenna swallowed, but she made her way forward and knocked on the door. The crying ceased abruptly. "Are...are you," she stopped, because of course this girl wasn't okay if she was crying, "do you want to talk?"

The sound which came out of the stall might have been a laugh, if it weren't mixed in with a bitter sob. "Talk?" she repeated, and sniffled. "What's there to talk about?"

"It might help. And look at this way, you can stay in there and we'll never have to see each other again." Perenna replied. She hesitated again, before inhaling a deep breath. She'd never told anyone this, not even her friends. "I...my grief counsellor once told me that it sometimes helps to talk about what's bothering us. Sure, it doesn't always solve everything, but at least sharing with someone lets you know you're not alone in it anymore." Her cheeks flushed, because she couldn't believe she'd just told all that to a stranger. A door being between them helped.

There was a long pause inside, and so low Perenna almost missed it, the girl said, "I thought we had something. To him though, all those movie nights, dinners at restaurants and romantic getaways-it all just meant nothing. Like I was nothing." A loud sniffle followed. "I want to hate him so much, and I hate that I can't because it all did matter to me." Renewed sobs echoed throughout the washroom.

Perenna was a bit stumped by whether she could even say anything, because how did she make this girl feel better? She bit her lip, and closed her eyes when the bell rang. "There are other fish in the sea?" The girl snorted, and Perenna hurried to say, "What I meant is, if this jerk thought he could use you, then he's not worth a minute more of your time."

"Easy for you to say, I bet you haven't ever had your heart broken."

Perenna inhaled sharply. Maybe not in the same way, but her heart did break when her uncle died. "You're right, I've never been in a relationship so I don't know what it's like. I can only offer you my opinion, whether you choose to take it is your choice. I'm not here to be your therapist, I'm just here to listen."

"Some way to listen, hearing me blubbering like an idiot over a guy." The girl said.

Perenna furrowed her brow. "Then...what would make you feel better?" She stepped back when the stall door opened, and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

The blonde who was arguing with Harry. Perenna stilled, waiting for any recognition to cross the girl's face, but none came of it. Only a firm stare which lessened the redness of her eyes. "Not being here to see that bastard's face next period." she growled. "You might not be a therapist, but some shopping therapy is just what I need to get my mind off that jackass." She wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks. She paused before going to the door, glancing at Perenna. "Thanks for listening. See ya around."

Perenna blinked. "Uh, alright." She was a bit uncertain when she'd see the other girl again, as she was fairly sure they didn't have classes together. 'Then again, I don't think I even know her name. Harry called her 'Felicia'?'

Shaking her head, Perenna realized how quiet the hall was, and it hit her like a sack of hammers she was late for class. Gasping, she made a mad dash for her homeroom period.

Perenna stared down at the slip held between her finger tips, wanting to just throw it away. A written warning for skipping class-despite only being twenty minutes late. Sure, she could have told the real reason, but no way was she going to rat Felicia out. Perenna almost jumped when an arm slid around her shoulder, and Mary Jane leaned further in to stare at the warning slip.

The redhead gasped dramatically. "Perenna? Late for class? The Perenna Parker? What is the world coming to?"

Perenna rolled her eyes, and shoved the slip into her pocket. "I'm only human, even I make mistakes. Big ones, if I'm being honest." she grumbled.

Gwen took the seat across from Perenna at the lunch table. "How can we not react to this event though? You've never been late for class or skipped school unless you were literally sick as a dog."

Perenna groaned and let her head fall into the crook of her arm. Mary Jane patted her shoulder. "I get it, I'm a nerdy goody-good who never takes risks."

"There, there, Tigress, we can set you pack on the straight and narrow." The redhead said, but Perenna saw the tiny smirk on her face. The brunette rolled her eyes, before she caught sight of another blonde entering the cafeteria.

Perenna sat up abruptly, almost startling Mary Jane as she jerked back. Perenna though kept her gaze on the blonde. Felicia seemed to be doing better, but how was she supposed to know for sure? The blonde had been wearing trousers and a sweater this morning, but now she had traded it for a ruffled skirt and tights with a blouse that had flowing sleeves. Felicia glided into the cafeteria with an effortless grace that Perenna was envious of, especially since the blonde was wearing those strappy heeled shoes click-clacking against the tiled floor.

And much more slowly than it should have, Perenna realized that Felicia's trajectory wasn't toward the cool kids or the lunch line-but straight for her table. Perenna tried not to sink into her seat when the blonde arrived next to her, placing a manicured hand onto the empty chair's back.

"Is this seat taken?"

Perenna decided to keep her gaze on the table in front of her. "No." she waited until Felicia was seated and even longer before the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at by everyone left. "Though don't you want to get something to eat?"

"Oh, I already had lunch." Felicia said. "I just wanted to thank you personally for your...help this morning." She slipped her purse off her shoulder, and dug out a pink envelope to slid into Perenna's field of view. The brunette glanced at the blonde from the corner of her eye. "I'm having a Halloween party next month. Consider this your VIP ticket. See you later, doll."

And just as suddenly as she appeared, Felicia was sauntering back out of the cafeteria. Perenna just stared at the envelope as though it were the most mystifying thing in the world right now.

"Perenna," Gwen said, her tone slow and measured, "when did you start being so friendly with Felicia Hardy?"

"And did she just call you 'doll?'" Mary Jane asked, nose scrunched. "What is this, the nineteen-twenties?"

Perenna finally tore her eyes away from the envelope, and glanced between Gwen and Mary Jane. Her cheeks flushed from the embarrassment of not having an ready explanation. What was said in that washroom was private, after all. "It's nothing. Felicia was...having guy trouble. I gave her some advice; she's just being nice."

"Pretty big way of being nice." Mary Jane muttered. She sighed and leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed. "Well, aren't you going to open it? This is like being given a unicorn wrapped in diamonds."

Perenna's brow furrowed. "It's just a party."

Gwen let out a quiet scoff. "Perenna, you do know who Felicia Hardy is, right?" The brunette just stared at her, because 'what?' The blonde mirrored Mary Jane's sigh, only somehow managed to be more refined. "Her mother is a fashion mogul who runs at least three charities and rules a cosmetics empire."

"Hardy." Perenna repeated the name, and her eyes widened. "Oh, that's the by line on those skin creams you use. I guess you're a fan?"

Gwen snorted in an unlady-like manner. "I'm a customer." Then her lips pursed and her voice lowered. "Though don't go spreading it around I use skin care products-no one can know how much effort it takes in looking as good as I do."

Now Mary Jane snorted. "Wouldn't want that perfect image being shattered, perish the thought."

Perenna gave the envelope a considerate gaze. She supposed if there was so much weight behind Felicia's name, it was likely getting an invitation to a party was some kind of big deal. Which was funny, because the actual letter inside wasn't in any fancy engravings or used on special paper.

It just said 'You are invited!' in sharp black letters with a little smiley face at the end. Scratched underneath was the date and time.

"Wow," Mary Jane said, glancing over Perenna's shoulder, "that's...that's really underwhelming. If Felicia's got all that money, why couldn't she spring for fancier writing?"

Perenna shrugged. Maybe this was about pity or pride, and Felicia only gave her the special treatment to bribe her into silence about their talk in the washroom. Perenna slipped the letter and envelope into her backpack. No sense in thinking about it now. Felicia probably wouldn't.

Spider-Girl decided on a quick patrol through the city, swinging from building to building and trying to make any photo look casual for her camera. Well, as casual as she could while web-slinging. And hoping no one tried to snap a photo for The Bugle either, or-okay, she was starting to ramble now.

She flipped onto the side of the building where her camera was stationed in a web, and tucked the device into her backpack. 'Got my pictures, now I just to get these to The Bugle and it's a few hours of relaxing and hanging out with Eddie', she thought.

Spider-Girl was about to swing off, before a piercing scream caught her attention. Time to get back to work. She webbed her backpack onto the side of the building, and leapt off with a swing towards the scream. She followed it to a warehouse and the scream went unnervingly silent. 'Crap, I hope I'm not too late.'

She clung to the ceiling, hoping for a better view of the dusty crates and plastic covered furniture. She could see everything from the layers of dust coating everything to the particles reflected in the sunlight through the windows. 'Why would someone do a robbery in here? '

"Ma'am? Hello? Are you hurt?" she called, but no reply was forth coming. She jumped down and began to look around for any disturbances to where the noise originated from. Her footprints left imprints in the dust on the floor, but so far there was nothing else. Why- her foot bumped into something, and when she looked down-her eyes widened.

It was a tape recorder. She picked it up with slow trepidation and ice spilled into her veins when the scream she heard-

Her spider-sense kicked. It was too late, and the edge of an elbow smashed into her back all the harder for it. The force sent her skittering across the dusty floor, leaving a clean smear from the impact. Spider-Girl gritted her teeth as the blow sent shocks up her spine, but nothing felt broken-thankfully. 'What the hell hit me?' No one was in sight and nothing else was disturbed-

Spider-sense kicked in again, but this time she was able to roll and dodge the foot which slammed into the ground where her head used to be. Spider-Girl reached out to grip the white-clad leg, only for a gloved hand to grab her wrist.

She was lifted off the ground, and got a look at her assailant. If her back was not aching, she would have laughed despite the pain. The figure was clad from head to toe in a white suit, and covered in black spots. Even the eyes. "You look ridiculous." she wheezed.

The figure tossed her into a crate, the wood breaking on impact. "Says the woman who dresses up as a spider." Spider-Girl gritted her teeth as he walked up to her, and before her eyes, he lifted his hand to the air, where a black circular shape appeared.

Confusion creased Spider-Girl's brow, before it jolted into place as he reached into the void and pulled out a vial. "Neat trick," she said snippily, "too bad you still look like an over-sized Dalmatian."

If there had been any emotion on the blank mask, she was sure he'd be frowning. The figure opened the vial and the lid held a needle at the end. "Stay still, this is going to hurt a lot."

Spider-Girl sneered, and showed him what she thought of that. She webbed a plank of wood, and slammed it into his chest. Or rather, where it would have landed if hadn't used those black voids to disappear. She staggered to her feet and glared around the room. "Now that's just cheating, Spot."

Spider-sense flaring, the young woman rolled forward and twisted back around to watch the tail-end of Spot's missed swing at her. It was freaky, seeing only the upper half of his body sticking out of the black void. Spider-Girl narrowed her eyes. "But you'll go down just like the rest of the two-bit thugs. You're not even the first powered one I've fought."

Spot chuckled darkly. "I'm well aware; you forgot to finish the job though."

Spider-Girl's eyes widened. Did he just-? She tensed when he drifted back into the void, and web-lifted herself to cling onto the ceiling. "I got this, it's not like I haven't dealt with murderers either." There was some chilled edge in how casual he'd been in admitting his guilt. 'Then again, if he just up and said that, would he have even felt guilty?'

Her spider-sense was the only defense against a man who could freaking teleport. If he wasn't, you know, a murderous criminal, she'd be impressed by how he cracked the physics behind it. "You sure we can't talk shop? I'd love to know how a crook managed to invent teleportation."

She dropped to the floor as Spot slammed his fist out of the void where she had been clinging. If she could see his eyes properly, they were no doubt narrowed. "Don't much care how they got it to work, just that it does."

Spider-Girl's brows knitted together. 'They? So that suit isn't his invention?' This was bad. Who on earth had that kind of money and science behind them to- her eyes widened as the spider-sense slammed into her too late.

Along with the knee that smashed into her back. She skittered across the ground; another clean smear left in the wake. Spider-Girl coughed as she inhaled the dust, and shook her head. 'I can't beat him.' It was a grim realization, but she was smart enough to know that there were too many variables and unknowns to take him down. It was a gamble, but if he set this whole thing up to get her- 'Maybe that means he won't be bothered to go after anyone else. I hope.'

Much as it pained her-literally and metaphorically-to be on the defensive, it was easier to get into the rhythm for a plan of escape. Spider-Girl swung up to the ceiling again, and tensed for preparation when Spot disappeared into the void again.

This was beyond ridiculous, not even twenty minutes yet and the shtick already wore out. She just needed to retreat and come back with an idea on how to prevent him from getting away.

Her spider-sense flared once again, and she narrowly missed the needle aimed at her face. She twisted around to kick him back into another void, before she slung a web and pulled herself through a window. The shards broke under the impact, but it let her get an upward escape to the next building.

Spider-Girl didn't stop running until she was nearly across Midtown. And she didn't relax until she was sure he hadn't been able to follow. Her mouth twisted as she leaned sat down on the ledge of a building. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she stared up the setting sun. 'I need to figure out how to take him down, and soon.'