Chapter Eight

The final bell rang and the students ran out the school doors relieved to be done with another school day. Anna and Hillary walked out the doors together into a building intersection talking happily about what they were going to do when they got to the mall.

"I've seen this cute little shop around the food court that has the best jewelry in the world, I'm serious!" Hillary said placing her hand on her chest as though her breath had been take away.

"I've seen that." Anna agreed. "It's right by my favorite shop."

"And what's that?" Hillary asked.

"'The Guitar'. It has every instrument imaginable! Traditional and contempoary. I go there whenever I get a chance to go to the mall." Anna replied.

"I've never been inside it. You'll have to show me." Hillary stated. The two friends rounded a corner and ran into Brittney and her posse who, unfortunatally, got to go to the same school as Anna.

"Hey Anna. I like your new look. It really reflects the dark rings under your eyes. Also, your tentacles give you that wild, bratty, idiot sorta look." Brittney insulted. The members of her group snickered at her mean joke. "Oh, and I see you've managed to pick up yet another loser. Who are you supposed to be?" she asked saucily crossing her arms.

"Hillary Parker. And I'm proud of it." Hillary stated solidly.

"Well Hillary, don't worry, you won't have to endure her for long. Her taste for blood'll get the best of her one of these days." Brittney said with a cruel smirk.

That harsh comment burned Anna; Hillary could see it. "Her taste for blood? Oh, better watch out. The sun'll burn you. It does to all the underground creatures." Hillary fired back defensively. She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows challengingly.

Brittney, although disturbed by this comment, decided to ignore it for her title was at stake. "By the way Anna, I loved your song at graduation. Didn't it go something like this?" The snob began pretending to sprout tentacles and faint. The other girls laughed. Anna clenced her fists in anger and she wished that she could crush Brittney with something heavy...very heavy... like a car. She didn't realize it, but her father's warning of temptation was true.

C'mon. C'mon! We want to, we know you want to, even the teachers probably want us to.

Please? Just one stab?

No, that would be wrong. She told herself. I don't want to earn a reputation like Dad. I won't do it

"Ignor them, Anna. They're just jealous." Hillary said grabbing Anna's arm and pulling her along.

"Jealous? Of what?" Brittney spat. Hillary tried to stop Anna from returning but couldn't. "Why would I be jealous of you?" Brittney cringed as she looked Anna over.

Anna could barely stand it; Brittney had been harrassing her since the seventh grade. Her hands clenced in furry as she tried her hardest not to do something she'd regret. Hillary walked back and took hold of her hand. "Of course you'd be jealous. Anna's got natural looks, the best kind, and friends. Unlike you who's half made of plastic and has a bunch of pets, but no friends." Hillary stated coldly. Brittney's mouth dropped open and her posse didn't know what to do either. "Come on, Anna. We don't need to hang around these rejects any longer." She said with a smirk as she walked off with her friend.

They made their way to the parking lot where most of the kids had gone home making the concrete seem bare and cold. "Thanks." Anna smiled.

"Oh it was nothing." Hillary answered blasély. "You'd do the same for me."

"Anna looked at her shoes. "Yah, I guess. I know I would, but it wouldn't be nearly as good as yours. Your defense was so beautifully harsh, and clean, and powerful...and legal." She added quietly.

This comment caught Hillary's ear and she looked at Anna strangely. "What do you mean by 'legal'?" she asked.

"Well..." Anna trailed off. "You know that these tentacles enable me to do many things, and I have all this power and stuff, and sometimes I'm tempted to use it in the wrong way. Like back there."

"You haven't done anything, have you?" Hillary asked in horror.

"No, but it's freaking me out!" Anna exclaimed as they sat on a bence to wait for their rides. "You see, there's this thing passed through genetics that's like...I...I don't know, you hear voices in your head. But I'm not skitsofranic! It has to do with my tentacles." Anna lowered her eyes in thought. "My dad was trying to help me with it, and I kinda blew up on him. I guess it really wasn't his fault, and now I've made him fell bad and that he's not doing a very good job...and—"Anna confessed emotionally.

Hillary had no clue what she was talking about. "Wait. What are you talking about?"

"You know that joke you made earlier? About my dad being Doc Ock? Well, he is." Anna explained.

"Whoa...I didn't know metal could pass down through genetics."

"Normally, it can't. He didn't know either; and that's big news because he's a scientist and everything." Anna said. Hillary seemed to be taking the news very well; maybe it was because she too had a gift and a mysterious father.

A car horn honked and they both looked up. "Hillary, it's time to go." Aunt (or great aunt in this case) May said from her car window.

Hillary looked back at Anna. "So are we still on for the mall?" Hillary asked.

Anna shook her head. "No, I don't feel like shopping but tomorrow would be fine, though. I have to go home and do something." She said with a tint of gloom in her voice. "I hope you understand."

"I do." Hillary said. "Good luck." She replied betting Anna's real message. Hillary grabbed her backpack and got in the car. Another car honked its horn but this one was parked in the parking lot.

Anna walked to the car and opened the door. She sat down and buckled her seat belt. "How was your first day of school?" Rosie asked with a smile.

"Pretty good. I've made a friend." Anna said.

The car pulled out of the school grounds and onto the road. "What's her name?"

"Hillary Parker." Anna replied.

"So your...tentacles...arms...appendages...-I don't know what you prefer to call them- didn't cause you any trouble?" Anna shook her head. Rosie's smile faded and she let out a long sigh. "Listen, I'll cut to the point. You know your dad is really doing his best. I think you made him a little upset this morning."

"I know, I already feel horrible about the whole thing." Anna said with an honest sound of regret. "Did he really take me that seriously?" she asked.

"I'm afraid he did. He takes your words very seriously." Rosie replied. Anna smacked her hands to her face and groaned. She was certain that no other person on the face of the earth could have been as stupid as she felt at that moment. "You should probably go talk to him." Rosie said relieved that Anna understood so quickly.

"Don't worry. I'm going to go talk to him." Anna assured her mother.

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Hillary got home after spending a couple hours at her Aunt May's house. She dropped her backpack by the door and slipped her shoes off. Hillary looked around curious as to why the apartment was so quiet. The silence brought an empty feeling that made the teenaged girl uncomfortable.

Hearing the door close, Mary-Jane came down the hall. "Oh, hey Hil." She greeted coming over to her.

"Hi." She said still looking around. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh, there was a fire down on Forty-Second Street." She replied casually.

"Oh." Hillary replied satisfied with the answer. "I met a girl by the name of Anna Octavious today and I'm wondering if she could come over to spend the night Friday." Hillary said.

Mary-Jane smiled. "You'll have to ask your dad about that. But otherwise, it's fine with me." She said.

"Ok. When do you think he'll be home?" Hillary asked.

"Probably in half an hour or so." Her mother replied walking into the tiny excuse for a kitchen. "Are you hungry?" she asked taking a bottled water out of the fridge for herself.

"Water's fine." Hillary said. Mary-Jane chucked the water bottle at her daughter. Hillary shot web out at it, caught it, and pulled it back to her. "Thanks." Hillary said as she opened it and began drinking it. She walked off to her room, dragging her backpack behind her, to do her homework before dinnertime.

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Anna paced the floor in her room nervously, "Dad, I know I was kinda rude to you the past few months, and I know you were only trying to help me even though I didn't want to believe it, and I'm sorry." She murmmered to herself. Anna took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. She repeated her apology in front of the mirror to make sure she looked truly sorry. "Dad, I—"

"You what?" Otto asked walking into her room. Anna bit her lip; this was it. The madien voyage. Her one and only chance to get it right. The two sat on her bed. Doc Ock looked at his daughter's anxious face, "What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked alarmed as he looked her over.

"No, I'm fine. But, you see, I've kinda been blowing up on you over the summer. I know that you were only trying to help me, and it wasn't really your fault for it...as I had accused...and I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Anna bit her lip again and hung her head shamefully. "...I'm sorry." She said quietly.

Doc Ock was sure he heard a definate sniffling and whimpering. He hugged his daughter close to him. "Oh...it's ok. I forgive you. I'm not exactly the easiest person to cope with I've been told." Anna flinched as if to laugh at his joke. Doc Ock rubbed her back lovingly.

"I'm sorry I was so mean to you..." she squeaked out as more repenting tears fell onto Otto's lap.

"It's ok. You're fine...I'm not holding anything against you..." he coaxed.

Rosie was hauling a load of clothes into the utility room and overheard them talking. She slowly backed up and peeked into the room. Otto didn't notice her nor Anna. Rosie stood there for a few seconds longer enjoying the view. She regretted not owning a camera for this moment should have been saved in an album. It was a truly beautiful sight seeing Anna crying on her husband's shoulder and Otto almost crying himself. This was repentance in it's prime.