**OK, new chapter, and out comes my theory. Here are the answers to a lot
of questions. Enjoy :P **
"Honey? Jessi, are you all right?" The voice came from far away, but was coming closer with a painful reality. My eyes fluttered open and the faces of my parents loomed before me. I smiled, and my mom smoothed back my hair. I glanced around. I was in my room, tucked soundly into the quilts of my bed. So that ridiculous 'Spiderman' stuff, it was all in my head? I chuckled softly. Just my writer's imagination acting up. Wouldn't THAT make a funny story. I looked back at my parents, and my smile grew bigger.
"What's up?" I asked drowsily, closing my eyes momentarily. I felt, rather than saw, them exchange glances.
"Er, you don't remember?" said my dad cautiously. I felt my smile disappear. "Hun, we were telling you about, mmphm, when you passed out." My eyes flew open. It WAS real! I sat bolt upright and threw the quilts off the bed. My mom and dad stood up to avoid being covered. I flew out of the room, stumbling with dizziness from getting up so fast. I kept shaking my head, not wanting to believe it. Every kid, at least once in their life, had dreamed of being a superhero. Well, I have to tell you, it's not that great. I heard my dad call from the hallway. I whipped around. He caught up to me and reached out, but hesitated and put his hand back to his side.
"Jessi, please." I stood there, breathing heavily for a few moments. I saw the look in my dad's eye and my shoulders slumped. He was serious. This was real. I felt his arms come around me and I leaned into the embrace. This was really scary.
"Jess, I don't know how to tell you this, except bluntly," came his muffled voice. I took a deep breath. "All those sixteen years ago, yes. I was Spiderman." I jerked, and he pulled me away from him. His hands on my shoulders, he stared straight into my eyes. "This is what I believe happened. When I was bit, the spider's venom somehow changed my DNA. When you were born, half of my DNA was passed down to you, right?" He raised an eyebrow in confirmation. I nodded, feeling very small. "Well, we figured you had a fifty-fifty chance of being like me. You showed no signs of it all through your infancy, so we figured you were perfectly normal. The other night, when that spider bit you? It's venom must have triggered your recessive genes, and now..." he trailed off, trying for 'rueful', but he couldn't hide his excitement. He was obviously looking at me as a person he could share the experience with. I took another deep breath and was silent for a few minutes. "I need to think," I said at last. "I'm going to bed. See you guys tomorrow." I walked to my room without another word.
I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling thoroughly wretched. I hadn't gotten hardly any sleep last night, my head full of images from the past two days. I glanced at my clock. "6:30 am" it glowed flourescently. I took a deep breath. I didn't need ESP to tell me that my whole life was about to change. I tapped my foot impatiently. What are you dreading? asked a voice in my mind. I have no idea, I answered it curtly. And I didn't. Unable to sit any longer, I got up and started pacing, like a lion in a cage. I stopped suddenly and looked at my wrist. The hole, two inches up my arm, was still there, like a tiny pockmark. Curiously, I rolled up the sleeve of my favorite old-style baseball t-shirt and went out on my balcony. The sun was peeking shyly through the smog, growing bolder every second. I held out my arm. And stood there.
I dropped my arm, feeling suddenly foolish. What was I doing? I must look like an idiot to anyone watching. Who's watching, Jessi? asked that voice again. It's six in the morning, genius. My mouth curled up into a quirky smile. Yeah, I thought. Who's watching?
I held up my arm again, determined. I examined the hole thoughtfully, and pushed lightly on my palm. My head jerked back, narrowly avoiding being hit with white stringy stuff. I laughed nervously, then wrinkled my nose. There had to be a better way, a way to do it one-handed, and not look so stupid. I closed my eyes, trying to remember what my dad had done last night. He pushed his middle and ring fingers down on his palm, toward his wrist. I did the same. The white substance, which I now recognized to be a web, flew out of the hole with a zip! and landed on the building across from my balcony. I gaped at it, then my gaze slowly went to my wrist. I felt the smile growing on my face. I went back into my room, feeling extremely pleased with myself.
There was a light tap on my door. "Jessi? You awake, hun?" came the muffled voice of my dad. I opened the door to find him and my mom looking very weary. My mom stifled a yawn and smiled droopily.
"You don't look like you got much sleep, sweets," she said drearily. I raised an eyebrow ironically.
"Oh, but you look beautiful, mother," I said, batting my eyelashes. She and my dad grinned at each other.
"I take it you're not mad anymore?" he asked hopefully. I smiled.
"Dad, I don't think I was angry," I said, shuffling my feet. "Just a bit...surprised, let's say. It's not every day your dad tells you he's Spiderman." "And it's not every day your daughter is reasonable enough to believe you when you tell her you're Spiderman?" he replied. There was a note of worry in his voice, though. I nodded slightly. I did believe him. He relaxed a bit.
"Well, ah, you should get ready for school, I guess," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He massaged my mom's shoulders for an uncomfortable moment, then smiled at me and went back to his room. My mom smiled warmly at me, gave me a big hug, then shuffled behind him, yawning expansively. I closed the door and collapsed on my bed. What now? I thought, frowning. Well, whatever did happen, I had a guide. I stood up again and grabbed my robe, smiling at the thought that I wasn't in this alone. I glanced in the mirror and stopped. I felt the smile grow. And I had something else no one, not even perfect Katelyn Faith had. Super powers! I grinned one last time at my reflection, then headed to the bathroom to start a whole new day.
"Honey? Jessi, are you all right?" The voice came from far away, but was coming closer with a painful reality. My eyes fluttered open and the faces of my parents loomed before me. I smiled, and my mom smoothed back my hair. I glanced around. I was in my room, tucked soundly into the quilts of my bed. So that ridiculous 'Spiderman' stuff, it was all in my head? I chuckled softly. Just my writer's imagination acting up. Wouldn't THAT make a funny story. I looked back at my parents, and my smile grew bigger.
"What's up?" I asked drowsily, closing my eyes momentarily. I felt, rather than saw, them exchange glances.
"Er, you don't remember?" said my dad cautiously. I felt my smile disappear. "Hun, we were telling you about, mmphm, when you passed out." My eyes flew open. It WAS real! I sat bolt upright and threw the quilts off the bed. My mom and dad stood up to avoid being covered. I flew out of the room, stumbling with dizziness from getting up so fast. I kept shaking my head, not wanting to believe it. Every kid, at least once in their life, had dreamed of being a superhero. Well, I have to tell you, it's not that great. I heard my dad call from the hallway. I whipped around. He caught up to me and reached out, but hesitated and put his hand back to his side.
"Jessi, please." I stood there, breathing heavily for a few moments. I saw the look in my dad's eye and my shoulders slumped. He was serious. This was real. I felt his arms come around me and I leaned into the embrace. This was really scary.
"Jess, I don't know how to tell you this, except bluntly," came his muffled voice. I took a deep breath. "All those sixteen years ago, yes. I was Spiderman." I jerked, and he pulled me away from him. His hands on my shoulders, he stared straight into my eyes. "This is what I believe happened. When I was bit, the spider's venom somehow changed my DNA. When you were born, half of my DNA was passed down to you, right?" He raised an eyebrow in confirmation. I nodded, feeling very small. "Well, we figured you had a fifty-fifty chance of being like me. You showed no signs of it all through your infancy, so we figured you were perfectly normal. The other night, when that spider bit you? It's venom must have triggered your recessive genes, and now..." he trailed off, trying for 'rueful', but he couldn't hide his excitement. He was obviously looking at me as a person he could share the experience with. I took another deep breath and was silent for a few minutes. "I need to think," I said at last. "I'm going to bed. See you guys tomorrow." I walked to my room without another word.
I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling thoroughly wretched. I hadn't gotten hardly any sleep last night, my head full of images from the past two days. I glanced at my clock. "6:30 am" it glowed flourescently. I took a deep breath. I didn't need ESP to tell me that my whole life was about to change. I tapped my foot impatiently. What are you dreading? asked a voice in my mind. I have no idea, I answered it curtly. And I didn't. Unable to sit any longer, I got up and started pacing, like a lion in a cage. I stopped suddenly and looked at my wrist. The hole, two inches up my arm, was still there, like a tiny pockmark. Curiously, I rolled up the sleeve of my favorite old-style baseball t-shirt and went out on my balcony. The sun was peeking shyly through the smog, growing bolder every second. I held out my arm. And stood there.
I dropped my arm, feeling suddenly foolish. What was I doing? I must look like an idiot to anyone watching. Who's watching, Jessi? asked that voice again. It's six in the morning, genius. My mouth curled up into a quirky smile. Yeah, I thought. Who's watching?
I held up my arm again, determined. I examined the hole thoughtfully, and pushed lightly on my palm. My head jerked back, narrowly avoiding being hit with white stringy stuff. I laughed nervously, then wrinkled my nose. There had to be a better way, a way to do it one-handed, and not look so stupid. I closed my eyes, trying to remember what my dad had done last night. He pushed his middle and ring fingers down on his palm, toward his wrist. I did the same. The white substance, which I now recognized to be a web, flew out of the hole with a zip! and landed on the building across from my balcony. I gaped at it, then my gaze slowly went to my wrist. I felt the smile growing on my face. I went back into my room, feeling extremely pleased with myself.
There was a light tap on my door. "Jessi? You awake, hun?" came the muffled voice of my dad. I opened the door to find him and my mom looking very weary. My mom stifled a yawn and smiled droopily.
"You don't look like you got much sleep, sweets," she said drearily. I raised an eyebrow ironically.
"Oh, but you look beautiful, mother," I said, batting my eyelashes. She and my dad grinned at each other.
"I take it you're not mad anymore?" he asked hopefully. I smiled.
"Dad, I don't think I was angry," I said, shuffling my feet. "Just a bit...surprised, let's say. It's not every day your dad tells you he's Spiderman." "And it's not every day your daughter is reasonable enough to believe you when you tell her you're Spiderman?" he replied. There was a note of worry in his voice, though. I nodded slightly. I did believe him. He relaxed a bit.
"Well, ah, you should get ready for school, I guess," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He massaged my mom's shoulders for an uncomfortable moment, then smiled at me and went back to his room. My mom smiled warmly at me, gave me a big hug, then shuffled behind him, yawning expansively. I closed the door and collapsed on my bed. What now? I thought, frowning. Well, whatever did happen, I had a guide. I stood up again and grabbed my robe, smiling at the thought that I wasn't in this alone. I glanced in the mirror and stopped. I felt the smile grow. And I had something else no one, not even perfect Katelyn Faith had. Super powers! I grinned one last time at my reflection, then headed to the bathroom to start a whole new day.