Alrighty. Well, I guess I didn't get this one up a whole lot faster, but I certainly got a lot more reviews. Thanks to you all!
Despair Faction – Thanks! And, thanks again! I hope you like this chapter just as much!
Jjonahjameson – You gave me some great pointers! Suggestions are much appreciated!
Hotsauce6548 – Thank you! Glad you like it!
Mary Jane Watson-Parker – Wow, thanks so much! I guess you can kinda identify with the characters then, huh?
Funness – Good to hear that I'm presenting the emotions well. About an explanation of her powers, I have already written that section down and you will see it in a future chapter.
Laurajslr – It is kinda cool to think about what they would be like as parents. Third movie maybe? crosses fingers
A wad of twenty dollar bills landed on an open backpack. Then they were quickly covered by some flying tank tops. Nikki also tossed in a few pairs of jeans and all the stuff she kept in the bathroom minus her contacts. After gathering a few more important and prized possessions, she shoved everything inside her bag and looked around.
It was a weird feeling to suddenly pack up and leave everything behind. But, Nikki reminded herself, it's not forever. I'm just staying with Grandma May for a few days. Then I'll come back and Dad will apologize for everything he's done to us. She smiled at the thought, even if she wasn't quite sure how likely the second part of her imagined scenario was.
Nikki's plan was simple. She stay with her grandmother until her dad got over being angry at her and even felt bad about it. Of course she knew better than to get some crazy idea of running away for good. Nikki knew she had no where to go and being a fifteen-year-old out on their own in New York City was about as stupid as you could get. Nikki was not stupid. She was reasonable. And she wasn't staying here a minute longer than she had to.
So, after surveying the room briefly to make sure nothing vital had been forgotten, Nikki grabbed her stuff and strode confidently over to the wall. Then she took a deep breath, slung her backpack over a glowing shoulder, and jumped out.
Peter grumbled to himself the whole way up the steps. He still hadn't figured out how Mary Jane could be so persuasive. Finally he made it to the top and knocked nervously on the door, hoping he wouldn't have to break his way in to talk to his daughter.
There was no answer. Sighing, Peter knocked again and this time called out, "Nikki, listen. We have to talk. I'm really sorry about what happened." No response. He tried the door handle and found it was unlocked.
Slowly he pushed the door open. The room was dark and empty. The only sound was the patter of large droplets slapping against the window pane.
Peter blinked back thickening threads of worry that were trying to wrap themselves around him and assumed Nikki must be hiding, although that sounded a little immature for a teenager. However, after a few moments of scouring, Peter Parker reached the sickening conclusion that his daughter was gone.
Nikki clutched the soaked backpack to herself miserably. How could she have been so foolish as to think that just her amazing new abilities would get her safely through this torrential rain? She had been thoroughly drenched within minutes, leaving the poor girl to stumble blindly along the sidewalks and desperately trying to convince herself that she wasn't lost.
Unfortunately, she was. The sky was about the same color as the macaroni and cheese Ben had made last week when he forgot to boil it in water. Black and charred. Nikki could barely see whether or not she was on the sidewalk, and reading street signs was pretty much out of the question.
All of the sudden, a gunshot ripped into her despondent thoughts. Instantly, Nikki forgot about being wet and hurried ahead to see what was going on. When she reached the store, her bag tumbled to the ground.
A man with a gun was holding up a cashier and looked like he had already knocked out the only other worker in the small shop. He waited as the terrorized lady began shoving some money into a bag for him. Nikki's first instinct was to scream for the police. Then it occurred to her. She had the abilities to stop this guy. His bullets would go right through her!
But before the girl had a chance to play hero, Nikki recognized the cashier. She was Lanae, a senior from school who continually picked on Erin, one of Nikki's friends, during volleyball. "Eh, on second thought, it's not a lot of money," she told herself and began to turn away. "He'll probably just take what he came for and go."
Suddenly, Lanae looked out and saw her. "Hey! Help!" She screamed frantically. The robber turned around and fired through the window at Nikki.
The bullet sped at her in slow motion. She started to duck, but a strange sense in the back of her neck told her that it was coming too fast and she was too close. Nikki squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the lead shoot through her chest before she hit the ground.
The robber got a little freaked out when he watched the girl crumple onto the sidewalk. Turning, he saw the cashier giving him a horrified look. Sirens sounded in the distance, startling them both. Instincts took over and he raised the gun to her head, pulling the trigger.
Two feet crashed into his chest, sending the man flying into a shelf. Lanae screamed in pain as the bullet ripped through her shoulder and fell across the cash register, unconscious. The robber barely had a chance to stagger dazedly to his feet before a punch to the head knocked him out like a light.
Spider-man turned and looked up to see the flashing red and blue police lights reflecting in the broken shards of the window. If only the NYPD would notice the similarity between his costume and their sirens, maybe they could work together.
"But until then, I think I better be going," Spidey grunted as he webbed the robber up and jumped out the broken window, swinging away into the night. He had something much bigger than getting along with the police on his mind tonight.
Nikki stepped timidly out of the alleyway and watched Spider-man vanish into the heavy fog that hung over the city because of the still pouring rain. Before she had a chance to really let the close call sink in, she saw the newly arrived paramedics rolling two stretchers out of the store. They were talking loudly over the screeching sirens.
"Yeah, I think that one will be fine. Just a nasty bop on the head to put him out. But this one took a shot pretty badly. She'll probably need surgery and…"
Their voices droned on, but Nikki stopped listening. She knew what she could have done and was suddenly feeling extremely guilty. A bullet with a hint of blue lay on the street where she had landed. Nikki picked it up and took one last look at the destruction. She had faked dead to avoid being shot at again and then fled as soon as the she knew she was out of danger. What a cowardly thing to do! Nikki thought irritably and closed her fist around the small piece of lead.
Spider-man's amazing appearance and how he had saved Lanae's life came back vividly to mind. But Peter Parker should have been out looking for her, not worrying about petty robberies in New York. The people of this city had gotten him for long enough. Angrily, Nikki tossed the bullet into a gutter at the same time voices from the police questioning two guys reached her ears.
"Somebody else got shot too! I saw it!"
"Yeah, it was a little girl! She fell to the ground and I guess I didn't notice her until after Spider-man came and saved that cashier. When I looked back, she was gone!"
Nikki's face blanched. If those witnesses spotted her, she'd instantly be questioned and examined for any gunshot wounds. And explaining how she took a bullet through the chest and run away from the scene was not high on her to-do list. Nikki looked around worriedly for somewhere to hide.
Only one store across the street was still open and suddenly seemed incredibly inviting. Nikki grabbed her bag up off the sidewalk and forced herself not to run too fast. Nobody paid any attention to a teenage girl with a blue backpack and she made it across the street unnoticed.
A little bell rang inside the shop as the door opened. The dark haired and well dressed manager looked up from a magazine he was reading to see the customer who had come in at such a late hour. His face lit up instantly and he hurried from behind the counter, dropping the magazine on it.
Nikki gaped stupidly at the hand extended to her as if she'd never seen anyone do that before. Her wits had somewhat been left back on the sidewalk where she had fallen. They returned in a rush as she recognized the cheery man in front of her.
His hand had dropped back to his side, but the smile remained. "I see you decided to take me up on my offer. It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Parker."
Nikki glanced to her right and saw a sign on the counter. Welcome to Odrade's Fresh Food Mart!