When I walked the streets in the early evening that night, I found a library tucked into a street corner. It was small but went up two stories, and from my vantage point, I could see a stairwell going downstairs. I hesitated uncertainly, slowing my pace down to a walk.

I could very easily get some vital information here, I could get home quicker. Wait, 'vital information'? Hydra really did rub off on me. Ugh, ok I could find out how to get home here. That sounded more like... me.

With a quick glance around me, and a small survey of escape routes, hiding spots and vantage points, I entered the small building.

The walls were stuffed to the very top with books, the shelves barely far enough apart to fit two people walking through them. Well, unless shuffling awkwardly passed counting as two people being able to fit past each other. I would hate to be here when its jam-packed with people. There was no way to climb over the bookshelf so you would probably have to... I don't know, grab on to two opposing shelves? Whatever, didn't matter that much.

But I did feel claustrophobic, and if Hydra burst in here... Well maybe if I moved them I could create tiny prisons? But with my wrist would I be able to do it without hurting it further? It wasn't hurting all that much now but still...

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts and glanced around. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in my thoughts. When I looked up I found some signs which probably indicated what each section was for. Probably... because I couldn't read a single one...

It was as good as a dead end for me. If I couldn't even understand what something was saying how on earth was I supposed to find any relevant information?! I mean... anything I need? Ugh, I hate you Hydra.

I glanced back outside, a frown growing on my face as I hovered by the door uncertainly. Maybe I could try and find a whatever-this-language-is to English dictionary? Surely someone would be interested enough to have one that translated whatever the language the people here spoke into English? If I could find something like that I should be set, right?

Except that would take way too long! The amount of time I could be spending here, flailing around looking like a lost, confused puppy would be ridiculous. Would it really be worth it? I should be able to find plane tickets some other way, surely. But... I had no idea where an airport was, and I wasn't positive I could even get on to a plane with only the gate number and destination... right? And I would still have no idea how things have been going on back home.

Ugh, I hated everything about this.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched this old guy at a counter giving me an oddly piercing stare. Or maybe it was a searching stare... maybe he could already tell that I wasn't actually a citizen of this country (that, from what I had figured out, was definitely most likely Wakanda. Even though Wakanda is supposed to look more like its filled with farms according to every Geography teacher, news websites and so on). I shifted uncomfortably but the guy still wouldn't look away. Please ignore me, please don't be a part of Hydra, please don't call anyone.

I bit my lip, I should try to throw off some suspicions and act normal instead of staring back at him like a deer in headlights. Didn't want him to call the police on me for loitering or something, too. Taking a quick deep breath to calm my nerves I wandered in. If I didn't find anything I could leave in twenty minutes. That was fair, right? I could probably find something in that time frame, and if I didn't I could give up my search.

I walked further in, following one of the signs to some stairs. I glanced around once before walking down them into an equally packed in space, but above all the shelves I was able to find what I had been hoping for. Computers. Ah, the internet, how I've missed it. How many a night have I spent doing nothing on it? No one would ever know.

Except, as I approached them, they looked less and less like any I had ever seen before. They didn't look old or falling apart, which might have explained why if they had been made before my time and were no longer being used by anyone back home. No, instead they looked sleek, well polished, and the screens seemed to be... literally hovering outside of the computer.

My thoughts once again wandered over what Wakanda was up to. Hiding this amount of knowledge and resources from the rest of the world... what on earth could they hope to gain from forcing the rest of the world into ignorance of just how advanced they are? It seemed so strange...

I walked up to and sat down in front of one of them, feeling nervous hesitation once again fill me up. Would I even know how to properly work this thing in the time I had allowed myself? Actually, no I didn't need to set that time limit for myself any longer. I would figure it out, I had all the time in the world, except for when they closed the library. I didn't need to stress myself out.

I took a deep breath, paused, then reached out towards the screen. My eyes flew wide in shock when it almost felt like I was... touching a physical thing. I looked around and realised that my finger was on the floating screen. When I pushed a little, though, the screen gave way and my fingers went through to the other side. I pulled my fingers out and checked them over. They were fine...

It was like a mix between a sci-fi hologram and an iPad. It was so strange...

Deciding that I should try and get something done before I got another suspicious or curious glance I focused instead on what was on the hologram/screen. Thankfully it wasn't foreign to me this time. There was Google, Safari, Facebook, Tumblr, some brightly coloured thing that I was guessing was a game, what looked like a notepad, settings and more. Ok, that just made my job a whole lot easier.

I decided against going on to any of my social media (as Hydra could easily be tracking that, waiting to see if I logged in) and instead went into google. If I could find a flight sometime tomorrow, or even in a day or two, I should be set. Even if it was in a week I should be fine. It would likely be harder to escape the less time I had between here and getting to America. The longer they had no trail of me the more area they would likely cover so the more their resources would be stretched. It's perfect! Except that what I was about to google might set off some minor alarms...

You win some, you lose some, I guess.

I typed in 'flights to America' and in no time at all found one in an airport that seemed to be just outside of the city here. It was headed to Louisville, which in all fairness wasn't as far from home as say... Mexico, but it wasn't straight into New York...

Oh well, better than nothing. I could work with it.

I sat back in the chair, hesitantly wondering if I should even look up what had happened back home while I had been gone. After a long moments pause, I sighed and gave into my curiosity. I was going to leave here in five minutes anyway. Worse case scenario they get here and I have to escape again.

I typed in 'Miles Morales' and the first thing I found was a news site about me being missing. It was dated for a month ago...

Huh...

I had been gone for a little over a month. That was about what I had thought, so that told me that they were likely throwing me off with the day-night thing or didn't want me dealing with jet lag which could potentially mess up results. Or maybe scientists were all night owls.

I sat there, wondering if I should look any deeper. I... knew that there would be people missing me. That was what the article would likely be talking about, me... and everyone who misses me pleading to get me home faster. It would only make it harder for me to... to do what I need to do, I would be more emotional and that could compromise me.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. I could do it if-... when I got home. Until then, the knowledge that they had been worried enough to put it in the news would be enough.

I was still wondering if there was anything else I really needed to find out before leaving when I realised my spider-sense was going off at a low, warning hum. I sat up straighter, blinking. It definitely wasn't an 'everyday' hum. It really did seem to be warning me of something.

Nope, no way, nuh uh, I wasn't going to risk it, whatever it was was not going to get anywhere close to me.

I shut off the computer and hurried back up the steps. I kept my head low but eyes darting around for the potential threat as I walked out of the library. My steps were hurried, but I made sure they didn't appear urgent. If my spider-sense was anything to go off of, it was still approaching me but the further away from the library I got the less urgent it became.

I walked into an alleyway and grabbed the wall, one quick look around in the dark to make sure nothing was off, and I pushed myself up. Too impatient to simply climb up normally, I braced on the wall, tucking my wrist in safely, before hopping across to the wall opposite, and again, and again until I was landing in a small tucked roll onto the roof.

Keeping low, I hurried over to the edge of the building and peered over. I made sure that nothing but my eyes were hidden from sight. I had to know what had caused my spidey-sense to go off. Knowledge was power and all that.

As my spider-sense grew louder, but no more urgent, I spotted a person walking towards the library. I watched them with narrowed my eyes, noticing that they were holding something that glinted in the moonlight. It looked sort of... long. Probably a gun.

I clamped down on the strong instinct to run, they could be about to rob or hurt someone and I couldn't sit idly by if that were the case. There was a chance they weren't Hydra at all... but my hopes fell when they walked up to the libraries entrance with a determined, confident stride, looked around in a suspicious manner, then entered. Who would rob a library? With a gun, no less?

Finally, my spider-sense grew quieter the less of the probably-Hydra person I could see until it was no more than a quiet whisper.

I let out a breath I had been holding, turning around and letting myself lean against the low wall. See, this is why going to the library had been a horrible idea! Less than five minutes after searching up my name my spider-sense had begun to go off and I had to leave. God, I was so stupid.

I dragged a hand down my face, that was way too close. I had to get out of here, maybe I should head towards the airport and take the next flight possible. Wait, no they will think that's where I'm going right now. I would have to wait a couple more days before I could possibly throw off suspicions. There... there had been that one that was headed towards Washington...

I put my head on my knees, I could do this. I had gotten through the hardest part - escaping - already. I... I should be- no. I can do this.

Over the next few days, I thankfully did not have my spider-sense go off except for the smaller things, like someone watching me, to step carefully over a curb, to not bump into someone, that sort of thing. Tiny things that I could have figured out or avoided without any powers to help.

I was still fairly confident that that person at the library had been a part of Hydra. It was too much of a coincidence to be anything else and my spider-sense hadn't lied to me so far. But for some reason, I hadn't seen or heard anything that suggested them being in the city. It made me nervous, it felt like they were laying some sort of trap for me even though I knew they would be more likely to come in with guns a-blazing, but I couldn't be confident. I had to be on my toes if I wanted to survive but I could tell that the underlying fear I had every minute of the day wasn't... healthy. I hated feeling on edge like this.

Which lead me to where I am now, watching a homeless shelter with a line that I could see from my vantage point leading to warm, nutritious food. I wanted some, badly. I was hungry, had gone cold for all the nights I had been here and I just wanted something to make the ache go away.

Except... I didn't want to potentially raise anyone's alarm. Even if none of the people here are a part of Hydra I was still fourteen and certainly looked it. So, a kid like me, wandering into a place like this, all alone, obviously tired... I just had to be glad that I didn't have any bruises on me. If there was someone in here that was in Hydra I could easily punch them in the face and run but... I couldn't exactly do that if it was a person who meant well, with a concerned look on their face. I didn't even have the language to explain myself!

Just... was it worth it? My stomach rumbled, loudly mind you, again and I sighed. I didn't want something out of a dumpster. I hadn't lowered myself down to that standard yet and I wasn't going to start now.

I couldn't starve and I had a long flight tomorrow, not to mention trying to get on the plane in the first place would be a nightmare. A rumbling stomach could give away my position just as much as a movement of any kind.

I went to the edge of the building where an alleyway was and I carefully and quietly lowered myself to the ground with one hand. Keeping my head low but my chest puffed in an attempt to strike a balance between invisible and intimidating enough to keep people from walking up to me. I walked in and thankfully no one even looked up to check me out.

I joined the line, folding my arms but keeping my injured arm more or less flat to my chest. I tapped a finger on my left elbow and bit my lip. I tried to keep myself from flickering my eyes around to study all the people here and if they're looking at me and where all the exits are but I had already looked and god I shouldn't be this anxious. Surely teenagers were somewhat common?

When I reached the front of the line I saw the man behind the counter give me a sympathetic look and I was caught between defensiveness, glaring and keeping my head down. So instead I just accepted the offered bowl of soup and walked over to an empty table.

I resisted the urge to hungrily drink it all in one go and grabbed my spoon. I barely hesitated long enough for my spider-sense to quickly check it before I ate it. It was pumpkin soup and it settled nicely in my aching stomach. I quickly began to scoop more in. In under a minute I was almost done.

Someone cleared their throat beside me and I paused, looking over. There was a man sitting there with a concerned look in her eye. Crap. He looked like he was in his early twenties.

"Ingaba ulungile?" He said quietly.

I looked back down and continued to eat, trying my best to show I wasn't interested in whatever he had to say. Please, please go away.

From the corner of my eye, I watched him sigh. "Ndi ... ndiyaqonda. Makhe sikuncede, nceda."

I finished the soup, barely looking over at him as I stood up. He grabbed my hand, thank god it wasn't my injured one, and I flinched but otherwise didn't move. I felt frozen in place...

"Ndiyacela..." he pleaded. I looked down and then back at him, looking him directly in the eyes.

"You can't help me. Stop trying. Sorry." His eyes had gone impossibly wide, giving me the chance to tug my hand out of his grip and go put my dishes in the collection area.

As quickly as I could with my pounding heart, I rushed out of there. This had been a terrible idea... But my stomach wasn't complaining any longer.