I went to the mall and all the local novelty shops looking for the materials needed to make my costume. I was pretty good in fashion and wanted to have a career as a fashion designer after I graduated from college. Most of the materials I got were red and blue spandex. I decided to use mirror-tinted plastic for the eyes of the mask so I could see out, but no one could see my eyes. The costume also had to be thin enough where I could wear it under my street clothes without it being noticeable. I returned home and went into the attic where I began working. The outfit was pretty much made since I was using a blue unitard. All I needed on it were the red patches with the black webbing. I worked well into the day, cutting and sewing, making sure everything fit just right. The boots and the mask were the most difficult part to make. I held my masterpiece out in front of me.
"Perfect."
"Stacey, what are you doing? You've been up there all day."
"Just working on a little project Aunt Rachel, I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Okay, dinner is ready."
I slipped my costume on to see how it fit. Not too tight and not too loose. The large spider logo covered most of my chest. Basically, it looked like I was wearing a red swimsuit over a blue leotard. I put my clothes on over it, you never would have guessed I was wearing it. I had made the sleeves short enough so that I didn't have to wear long sleeved shirts all the time. The gloves and mask I could carry in my pockets. The boots slid easily into my shoes and still gave my toes room to wiggle around. I threw all the scraps of fabric into the trash and went to sit down at the table. Nicole gave me a curious look.
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" I said as I cut my steak.
"You've been acting weird lately. First you come home sick, then you're better the next morning. You get into a fight and -"
"I didn't start that," I cut in.
"We know you didn't Stacey," Tobias said. "But at least you finished it. Maybe that Rowan girl deserved it. But don't get cocky because you can beat her up."
I nodded and continued eating my meal. There was silence during the remainder of dinner, no one questioned me about my whereabouts after the fight or what the project was that I had been working on all day. I lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. I kept thinking about how I was going to be able to maintain my double life; one as an Animorph, the other as a superhero. Police sirens sounded in the distance, something was happening across town. I eased out of bed, grabbing my mask and gloves, and crawled out the window. I swung through the city, following the wail of sirens. I saw a crowd of people gathered on the sidewalk. Lying on the cold concrete walkway was a young boy, at least eight to ten years of age, maybe older. I got in closer for a better look and recognized him. It was Andrew Rowan, Amanda's younger brother. I saw Amanda kneeling by his side crying, her hand on his chest, which I then noticed was covered in blood. Blood that came from a gunshot wound.
"What happened?" one of the bystanders asked.
"Drive-by," one of the officers reported.
Andrew's eyes were now glazed and lifeless. The paramedics draped a white sheet over him. A death shroud. Two of the police officers pulled Rowan kicking and screaming away from her dead brother. Maybe she wasn't as tough as she wanted everyone to think. She broke free and ran into a nearby alley where she collapsed in a heap of tears. I followed her and slid down a dragline beside her.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"A friend," I told her. "No child deserves that kind of fate."
"I don't even know you."
"My name... is Spider-Girl."
"We have the suspects!" one of the officers announced. "They're headed north on Pullman, all available units are in pursuit."
I crawled up the wall and ran across the roof, leaping to the next, making my way to Pullman Avenue. A red mustang was zig-zagging through the traffic trying to lose the pursuing squad cards. I jumped from my perch on the roof.
THWIP! THWIP!
I swung from one side of the street to the other. Back and forth, advancing on the speeding car. I released the webline and landed on the hood.
"Aaah!" the driver yelped as I punched a hole through the windshield.
The two guys in the backseat took aim at me and fired.
BLAM! BLAM!
With my super fast relexes I was able to dodge the bullets. My spidersense went off right then. I leapt upward just as the car crashed into the gate of the harbor. I clung to the side of the building and watched the three gangsters enter an abandoned building. The police arrived and surrounded the area to prevent any escape. The front door had been barred and they couldn't get in, but that didn't stop me. I simply crawled up the wall and through the window.
"What the hell was that thing?!" one of the gangters asked.
"Whatever it was, we'd better kill it and fast."
I followed the sound of their voices and found the three of them standing in the middle of an empty room, guns drawn and eyes scanning, looking for me. I hung from the ceiling above them and took aim.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
I shot three lines of webbing and snatched their guns away. They scattered as I dropped down from above, but they would not escape me. I pulled each one back with a string of webbing and pinned them to the wall with a web.
"Please! Don't hurt us!" one of them begged.
I brought my face to their's. "Why should I show you mercy? You didn't show any when you shot that child! So tell me why I should."
I heard the front door bust open and the sound of approaching footsteps. I decided to make a quick exit out the window. I made it back into my bedroom without disturbing Nicole and crawled back into bed and went to sleep.