Yes! after a full week of slaving over my keyboard, I've finally finished this chapter!

And guess what, this one is over 6,000 words long! That's twice the length of the last one!

Oh, and did you see the new cover art?

I made it myself :3

Also, I'm dedicating this chapter to all those awesome people that reviewed.

TheFemaleBen10

Mep (Guest)

spize666

grapejuice101

fanficaddict246 (by the way, your name speaks to my soul!)

you guys are awesomeness impersonated!

And I specifically want to thank grapejuice101 for pushing me to finish this chapter on time!

Without your Pm's I'd probably have procrastinated:)

On with the story!

Chapter 14

I pulled the covers back and tumbled out of bed, nearly ramming my knee into the bedside table in my rush. I knew it was still too early to get up for school, but I was out of my mind, worrying about Kass and Val since I'd not heard from them at all in 24 hours. Valentina, I wasn't fretting about too much, since she seemed like a sensible girl; But I knew just how much trouble Kass could get into and didn't need a repeat of when she'd jumped on Troy's head and dragged me into her parkour race. I'd only survived THAT because I'd been morphing into a kaiju and had enhanced strength and agility that I don't have now. I growled at the thought. I'd really LIKED being able to fly...

The house was still dark when I finally managed to get downstairs. I scoured the living room quickly, then grabbed the phone from its cradle as soon as I saw its bright green numbers illuminating a corner of our sofa. I sat down right where I was and proceeded to dial their house's phone number.
It rang.
And it rang.
It rang twenty successive times before I rolled my eyes and firmly punched in the number again.
This time I got the voice machine.
"Kass, wake up! "
... I waited for a while, then:
"I have cookies!"
There was a rustling sound on the other side of the phone, then a click.
"Yes, hello, wherearethecookies?"
I sighed. "There are no cookies; I was trying to wake you up."
"...you are evil."
"...and I expected that response. Mornin' sunshine!"
She huffed into the phone, then woke up enough to realize who she was talking to.
"Linzy? Sheesh, Ersa, why are you calling me at 4 o'clock in the morning?"
(A/N: By now you've noticed that Kass calls Linzy "Ersa" sometimes, which I assume you're either highly curious about or you've figured out what it means. If you think you know, kudos to you. If not, I'll keep dropping hints since I think it's funny. )
"Oh you know, just checking in. I didn't want Peter and Aunt may overhearing my conversation and questioning the extent of my," amnesia". "
"Ok, you seriously need to fill me in."
"You too!"
"...you first. I'm all ears."
I sighed. I knew Fury would have eyes and ears everywhere at our house later on in the show, but I didn't know about presently. Should I really spill everything indoors?
"One minuet, Kass."
I decided not to, since its better safe than sorry. With feigned urgency I crept upstairs, grabbed T.B off the floor then crept back downstairs and slipped out the door before he could ask what was happening. In the yard I came to a halt and mentally addressed my backpack. 'T.B, can you do a scan to see where the nearest area that's not monitored by Shield is? I need to be where they can't hear me on the phone."
He was silent for a moment, then he gave a mental nod.
"There is a particular spot on the roof that should be safe..."

So I spent the next half hour sitting on my favorite slope of roof, chatting with my friend about everything that'd happened to me so far, and in turn she regaled me with tales of her inprisonment. Joy.
"...I don't think I've been here as long as you, though. As soon as we left RC9GN you landed here, but I got stuck somewhere in between because Jay bird came outta nowhere and grabbed onto my foot. It must've messed something up, because when we finally did arrive she knocked me out and I woke up a few days before I escaped, and you said you've been here for months!" "Wait, seriously?" "Mm hm!"

I shook my head, then stopped when I realized she couldn't see me. "That's really weird. She...she didn't hurt you, did she?" Kass hesitated. "Nah, only verbally. She threatened me a lot." "I'm sorry. I wish I ..." I trailed off. There wasn't much I could've done. I glanced at my watch. "My time is up; Aunt May should be getting up any minute now to start breakfast. Bye Kass, Say hi to Valentina for me. Oh, and if you need me call my cell. It's..." I rattled off the number then hung up. With a sigh, I scrambled off the roof and snuck back into the house, managed to get back to my room without anyone seeing me, climbed back into bed for another half hour before I had to get back up, and slept.

"Zzzzzzz...zzzzzz...zzz..."
"Linzy wake up!"
"Zzzzzzzzzz...zzzzz...zzz.."
"You're gonna be late for school!"
"Zz...zzz...zzzzz-whhhhhaaaa!"
And I woke up suddenly as a foot pressed against my face.
"What the heck Peter?!" I snarled, grabbing his foot with my hand and shoving him back. He stumbled a little, but smiled at me despite it. "You slept through your alarm. Aunt May sent me up to wake you, and I had to take a different approach."

"Gee cuz, what would I do without you." I asked dryly. "Be late to school. Sooooo… you're awake now. Bye!" Then he swept out of my room like Loki was on his tail. Except that it doesn't really work since he hasn't met the freak yet. Eh, it's confusing. I forced myself to get up, dreading having to brush my wild hair and pick out yet another outfit, so I merely pulled on jeans and a t-shirt while slapping my hair into a ponytail. Well…really it was a nub, since my hair's so short, but I can live with it. Once I got downstairs Peter had already disappeared; and I remembered that most of this episode was taken up with him hanging out at Shield. 'Whelp, I guess I wont be doing much today.' I mused, forgetting that T.B was on my shoulder; so it came as quite the surprise when he suddenly spoke up. "erm,well, not quite. I've actually been planning something for you for a while now."

"…what do you mean?"

"well, ah… I think it'd be easier if I just showed you. You have good improv skills, right?"

"um, kinda..?" What a strange question…

"Great. Someone important is going to call your phone. Make sure to introduce yourself as your Non de plume, ok? In 20..19…18-" My eyes widened and I hastened to get my cell phone out. "Wait, what do you mean? What's happening?" "Just go with it, 17…16…15…14-" "but I-" "5, 4, 3,2, 1-" The cellphone in my hand started to ring, and I struggled to get ahold of myself. What do I do?! "Answer it!" T.B snapped, and I screeched before answering the phone. My non de plume, huh?

"Hello?" I answered, lowering my voice a bit to sound more serious.

"May I ask who is speaking?" Asked a deep, almost familiar voice on the other line. I spared a glance at T.B. 'say, R.E' he whispered, and I nodded.

"R.E"

"Hello, ma'am. This is Nick Fury, Director of Shield." I nearly gasped. Why the heck is Nick Fury calling me?! "Agent Coulson gave me the number you left after you saved his life last week, and he insisted I call you. After all the times you've saved all our hides lately, I'm interested to see if you'd like to be a part of an… experiment of sorts."

I gulped. Ok, I have no clue what he's talking about. Improv it is.

"I'm listening."

"I'm forming a team of new superheroes. I'd like you to join them."

Whaaaaa?!

"Pardon? I'm not exactly what you'd call a "team player"." I said, eyes wide, struggling to keep my tone strait.

"That's not how I see it. I see a potential great, a new type of hero with brains and brawn. How about we discuss this more in person, then you can understand the extent of my offer before making any decisions." I hesitated. How is that supposed to work?! I'm no super hero! T.B gave me a hesitant mental smile. 'Well, that's not entirely true either. At least meet with him. I'll take care of the rest, ok? Trust me.'

I gave an inaudible sigh. Yes, trust the talking backpack. What is my life coming to?

"Very well, Director. Where and when?"

Director Nick Fury was having a surprisingly good day. Spiderman had agreed to join shield and was currently busy with his training, and the ever elusive R.E was coming to the helicarrier to chat about her possibly joining as well. Originally the plan had been to only have the five teenage heroes he knew the identities of, but that had changed when a mysterious figure began to show up at the times Shield needed help the most. They hadn't even known anything about this new unofficial aid to their forces until she saved Colson's life and gave her name. Or rather, her Initials and a phone number written on a card.

And so the Agent brought up a valid point.

She could be trusted, and even if they've yet to discover her true identity, her loyalty was already proved unwavering.

Or so he said.

Personally Fury was doubtful; he was sure it was a teenager they were dealing with according to records of her physique, yet she proved to be a worthy adversary in hiding who she is. Even the phone number she left was highly secured; Shield couldn't even crack trace it. What kind of teenager had that kind of tech in her arsenal? He was about to find out.

"Ok, now explain." I snapped as soon as he'd hung up.

"Linzy, it's not that hard. I did some research a few months ago and collected as much information about this show that's possible. I realized that even if you were a part of the Parker family, you wouldn't be involved enough to actually see a lot of the stuff that goes on in this universe. So, I took some liberties and created a superhero persona you could identify with. Using some machines and a lot of biomechanics, I created a suit that can pretty much sustain anything. It can also mold your biomass into a more… physically able unit, and has many tech savvy gadgets that could be useful for a superhero."

"Ok, number one;is that a thinly veiled attempt at calling me fat? And two, how is it possible I saved agent Colson's life as a superhero when I didn't even know about this until now?!" "You were asleep."

"I was…asleep." "Yes; and you may have experienced strange nightmares or dreams because of it, but it was necessary to accustom your body to the suit. If I had not exercised you in it while you were unawares, it would have been too much stress on your body and mind to handle. So I controlled the suit manually and set up this marvelous adventure for you to take part in. I'm… sorry if I surpassed my boundaries. I was just trying to help." I sighed, uncertain of what I should say. On one hand he'd made me a superhero suit and apparently powers, but on the other he was a talking backpack who'd taken control of my body for who knows how long. It was kind of creepy, quite frankly. So, instead of replying, I got right down to business. "Show me the suit."

When I reached into the bag I had expected to pull out fabric, maybe armor, but instead I pulled out a chocker necklace that looked like it could've been bought at a department store.

"Are you enjoying messing with me?"

If he could've T.B would've rolled his eyes.

"I'm not messing with you, now put on the necklace."

I shot him an incredulous look then clasped the thing around my neck.

"Ok, now what?"

"Tap the rectangular pendant on the front that looks like mother of pearl."

I pressed my finger up against the accessory, and then gasped as it began to heat up. The mother of pearl pendant melted and seeped over my skin; expanding and stretching until it covered every inch of my body in a skin-tight suit. Then it began to constrict. It felt like the suit had wheedled its way into my muscles and was burning them. I wanted to scream, but the mask now covering my face denied me the ability. The sensation lasted for a few more seconds, then everything was different. My body no longer felt bulky and heavy, but light and powerful; my physique had changed completely. The milky surface of the suit then began to glow, and swirling jagged patterns colored lime green and dark purple appeared and settled on it until they were stationary.

The transformation was complete.

"What…was… that?" I stuttered, staring at my dainty new hands and long, toned arms.

"That was the nano bots and body mass synthesizers in the formula. They work together to disguise you while also heightening your physical capabilities and enabling you to do things you've never dreamed possible. There's even a voice modulator to ensure your cousin does not recognize you when you inevitably meet, as well as thrusters on the soles of your feet."

My eyes widened.

"So what you're saying is that if I wanted, I can fly and do parkour again."

"Yep!"

"And all that pain was the body mass synthesizers changing my fat and stuff into muscle?"

"Yup. Good inference."

"…Wow…"

"Wow is right! Are you willing to forgive me now?"

I held my tongue and was silent, thinking.

"…If you can get me out of school for the day so I can practice using this thing, then yes."

"That can be arranged." Tb said with a sly tone to his voice.

"Awesomeness. Let's go!"

With a spring in my step and a smile beneath my mask, I realized I'd never felt so…healthy before. I'd always been overweight, and to have this new freedom was astounding. Grabbing T.B off the floor and going to pull him over my shoulders, I hesitated. How would I go gallivanting across the city with a giant backpack weighing me down? He noticed my conundrum. "Oh. I know. Hold on a second…" The backpack started to shake, and then turned inside out. It had somehow become a fanny pack.

"Um…"

"I know. It looks better than you'd think."

"…Ok…"

I figured, hey, it's not the weirdest thing to happen today.

"Let's go."

"WOOOHOOO! OH YEAH, FLYING, I LOVE YOU!" Enjoying a nice breeze is one thing, but soaring at high speeds hundreds of feet above the highest building really gives you an adrenaline rush. Especially when you're in your first superhero suit, about to fly into Shield and meet Nick Fury and ultimately(ha, clever word choice) the team.

"Um, Linzy? I know you're having a great time and all, but we're about to enter Shield airspace so you might wanna cork it, ok?"

"Aww!" I wanted to argue, but I knew the task at hand was integral to my future here; so I quickly replaced my joy with seriousness and got ready to go in.

"Ok, let me take over for a little while. We need to get inside undetected, and I'm not entirely certain you'd be able to do it with only a day's worth of practice, yet alone a few hours."

I sighed, then resigned myself since I knew it was true.

"Alright. Get me in, then back off. I want to do the rest myself, ok?"

"Yup. Here we go…" The suit angled itself towards the helicarrier which could be seen vaguely in the background. I watched my hands as they shimmered then blinked out of existence, along with the rest of my body. Stealth mode brought a whole new definition of awesome to the table.

As we approached the giant carrier, I could feel subtle apprehension building in my mind. I took a deep breath to calm myself, then watched as we flew around the helicarrier in search of an entrance. Somehow we made it inside, and T.B retreated so I'd have control again. It took a while for me to make it to where Fury was, but I was rewarded with a familiar scene. Fury, White tiger, Iron fist, Nova, and Power Man were all watching Spiderman in his training session. Though I could've sworn I was too late for this, a check with T.B told me that it was only 8 o'clock. Had we gone through a time loop or something? Eh, who even cares anymore…

My thoughts were disrupted when I heard Fury chuckle, and I snapped back to attention when Power Man spoke. "I completed mine in under 18." He said, referring to the battle simulation my cousin was currently partaking in. "There's no discipline to his fighting technique. He's just thrashing around hitting things!" White Tiger added a bit harshly, but not misguided. She continued, "But Fury says he's good for the team." "Why is Fury testing a new candidate?" Nova demanded as he came running up. "I didn't approve this!" I bit back a chuckle at his tone. What a dork. "Look who thinks he's still in charge. That's so cute." She remarked sarcastically. I kinda zoned out for a while after that; to be honest I was thinking about how to make the biggest yet unexpected entrance I could. Maybe I should see if T.B has fireworks; nah, that's a little too big, I think. "…helicarrier for a month if he makes It." oops, I missed a lot of that conversation; I'd better start paying attention. "Toilets too?" Iron fist asked, and White Tiger nodded. "Toilets too." "You're on." "I'm in." "Heh, me to!" I decided to intervene; Now's a good a time as ever

"Betting, huh? Isn't that a bit below your stations?" I asked as T.B turned off stealth mode and revealed me to the five. They all reacted at once. "Ahhh!" "Intruder!" "Hello." "Where did you come from?!"

Fury simply turned around, not surprised at all. Or, if he was, he wasn't showing it. "Ah, R.E. I was wondering when you would show up."

"Hello, Director. I hope your offer still stands, now that I'm here. Your team doesn't seem very… welcoming. I'm afraid they might object to your decision, especially after everything I just heard."

"Trust me, they have very little to do with my decision making. One moment," he turned, then pressed a button. "Next!" The Spider's voice filled the small area with an air of cockiness. "Web parachute test, red button. See you tomorrow." The director replied, then he turned off the screen. "Sorry, had to take care of that. Now R.E, have you considered my offer?"

"Fury!" "What offer?!" "I didn't authorize this either!" "hm…"

"Yes sir. I have no intention of denying your offer, but do have a condition. Nothing you can't handle, of course."

"Shoot."

"I'll tell you who I am, but only if you keep it confidential from the others."

"What?" The man asked, taken aback; He hadn't expected me to actually divulge my secret to him. I guess I could've held it over his head, but he'd have figured it out eventually. He's Nick Fury, after all.

"You heard me. I'm willing to let you know my secret, but only so you'll trust me. Other than you not telling or even hinting at it to the others, I have no conditions."

He was stoic for a while, thinking it over. Then he held out his hand. "I accept your condition. Would you like to try your hand at the simulation room now, or later?"

I took his hand in my own and gave him a firm handshake. "Now's fine. I'm already here, after all."

I smiled under my mask. "Besides, it'll be fun."

I walked confidently into the room that Peter had been in moments before. New robots were already aligned on the walls, ready to be destroyed.

Fury's voice came over the speakers, and I prepared to engage the enemy.

"This exercise will gauge your efficiency against superior numbers. Disable all attackers. You have 60 seconds on the clock. FYI, Captain America did it in ten." "What? No way, he'd never take more than seven seconds for only seven robots!" "You think you can do better?" he laughed, and the robots started to move. "I hope not!" I cried, reaching into T.B fanny pack and drawing out a pill shaped capsule. I pinched the edges and it grew into a long, slender staff. T.B had convinced me it was made out of stuff tougher than titanium, but it was hard to believe until it sliced through three of the robots as if they were made of butter. I'd like to say I was nonchalantly dominating the rest of the fight, but I was really taking everything seriously. T.B acted like Iron man's computer and told me battle skills and the weak spots of the robots twenty times quicker than would be possible if not for our weird mind link thing. I finished only after I was certain to have passed at least 19 seconds, in which I did a dainty backflip and used the thrusters in my feet to melt the robot's head off. "Well, what's my time?" I asked, scraping melted robot off of my boot. "…I can't believe it!" I heard White Tiger gasp in the background. Finally fury replied. "13 seconds!" "What?!" I almost screamed. I had even tried to take my time! How on earth could that eternity have only lasted thirteen seconds!?

"That's impossible!" I said, shaking my head as I walked back into the control room.

"It would seem otherwise, my friend." Iron Fist counseled, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I only achieved a time of twenty seconds. You have proven yourself more than worthy of our team, in my opinion." I inclined my head, since he couldn't see if I smiled or not, and thanked him. He returned the gesture, then turned to the other three. Nova looked down his nose at me, then snorted. Yup, definitely a dork. White tiger shook my hand and gave a similar response to Iron Fist's. Power man simply slapped me on the back. "Cool shades." I commented, and he smiled. "Well, now that you're all getting along," Fury began, casting a warning look at Nova, " I think it's time you all head to class. R.E, do you have somewhere to be?"

I shook my head. "No sir, not today."

"Good. Let's get to know each other, then. Follow me, I'll find a conference room we can use."

I padded along behind him, absently watching as shield personnel passed us in the halls. "T.B, how do I take off my mask and not the whole suit?" I asked mentally, feeling a little nervous. 'you just trace around your neck with a finger. It causes the nano bots to retreat from that space back into your suit fabric. Linzy, are you sure you want to do this? I can tell that you're nervous.' "Yeah, I am, but if Fury doesn't find out now he'd find out in the future. Just make sure you make a scan when we get there to check for bugs or cameras. You…can never be too careful." 'well said.'

I sighed, and followed Fury in when we arrived. "Is it clean?" 'It is.' "Good."

I turned and faced the director of one of the most powerful organizations of this world.

"I'm pretty sure you already know my face, so I'll get this over with quick and we can move on to explanations." I put my index finger to my neck and traced a connecting line all the way around. My mask felt as if it were melting off my face, and as it blended in with the collar I had traced my hair proofed out as if it were breathing after a week of holding its breath.

I lifted my head and looked him in the eye, slightly impressed by myself for making him have such a confused, awed expression on his face.

"I'm Linzy Parker, and I'm Rosezelene Ersa."

Meanwhile, at school…

"Mr. Parker, have you seen your cousin today?" the teacher asked as she looked up from her attendance roster. "Um, not since I left the house this morning. She must've gotten sick or something. You know she's not one to skip." The teacher snickered. "Yes, quite unlike someone else I know."

Ignoring the jab, Peter gazed out the window with a concerned look in his eyes. He hoped that was all it was, but with Linzy he could never be certain. Maybe she really had skipped.

He had no idea.

"Wow; I honestly never expected this. You're very good at keeping secrets. "

"Yeah, it would seem so."

"So you lost your memories and ended up living with the Parker family, but you had the suit when you first woke up? Interesting; there's no record of the suit's description anywhere in our databases, and trust me, I've looked."

"I'm sure you have." I said, cocking my head. "listen, there's something else."

"Yes?" Fury asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Um, you see… spider man."

I thought it was impossible to surprise the man twice. It wasn't.

"…You know, don't you?"

"Um, yeah. Don't tell him though; Peter would freak if he found out I knew this whole time. It's kinda hard not to notice when you live with him; he's lucky Aunt May's so oblivious when it comes to him."

Fury exhaled loudly and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples with his thumb and index finger.

"So, we're just going to add that as another condition."

I offered a weak laugh. "Sure. I… I'd tell them, you know. The team I mean. I'd tell them all myself if I thought it'd help, but at this point in time it'd mostly hinder." I bit my lip and averted my gaze. "I just… I… I'm going to wait until they all trust me. Until they trust me as R.E and as Linzy. Otherwise, I don't know what would happen. Chaos, most likely."

"Hmm. Well, it's your decision. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me."

"Thank you for trusting me enough not to tell the others, especially my cousin. I know he can be hard headed, but someday he'll come around. " I smiled knowingly, then traced the line around my neck once again. My mask formed back slowly, and I stood up from the table. "For now I think that's enough to keep us both awake at night thinking, so let's adjourn this meeting and go our separate ways."

"Agreed. But first, take this." He handed me a small wristwatch. "It's a shield issue communication device. No one else knows your secret, so you will have to work out a lot of excuses in case we need you during school or family activates. I'll do everything I can to help you, but I can't be everywhere at once."

"I understand, sir. Goodbye."

Now to practice in the suit some more, get home, and get sick. I didn't need Peter getting back before me and knowing that I wasn't there at all today…

I knew there was a whole other half to the episode, but they really didn't need me for that. I'd just have to leave it up to the others to mention the mysterious R.E to our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler.

…I just made everything a lot more complicated than it had to be, huh?

Later, somewhere else in New York…

"I appreciate a hand now and then," Spiderman said as he dusted off his suit, "but I didn't really need to be saved by…who're you guys?" The team stood in front of him, and decided to start the introductions. "Iron Fist, Namaste." The first hero began with an ancient Sanskrit greeting. He wore a yellow mask that covered his whole head save for his mouth and chin, and a green suit with a dragon like figure emboldened on his chest. "Iron Fist. Kung Fu master with fist of well… Iron." He looked up with a smile, and Spiderman shrugged, unamused. The girl in the full body cat suit went next. "White Tiger. Acrobatic ninja with steel claws and cat powers. The big guy here is Luke-" "-Power Man." The guy interrupted hastily. It was enough to make one think he'd decided on the spot. He was dressed in yellow and black, but his disguise only consisted of a pair of sleek sunglasses; otherwise, he looked pretty normal. "If he calls himself "Spiderman", then I'm calling myself power man. It's cool and doesn't scream 'I have low self-esteem'." He stopped then added, "Super strength and bullet proof skin." White Tiger almost snickered. "Ok, Power Man."

"And I've already met captain bucket head." Spider said, boldly. You could just tell there would be tension there later… "Able to carry two buckets of water in a single-" "-Name's Nova, creep." He interrupted in a disgusted tone. "Nova Creep. Catchy." "Nova, the human rocket." He continued, ignoring the arachnid. "Okay…" "And R.E, but she disappeared a few hours ago." Iron fist added, and the others nodded. "She's strong and agile, but has gadgets and an indestructible suit."

"No powers, huh? Like an "Iron Woman". Heh.

…Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get this bike back to HQ. I'm with shield." Idiot…
Nova smiled. "Small world."

Realization dawned.

"Oh no."

Oh no is right. Poor Spiderman…

Later at shield to work out this whole mess…

"No no no no no. I never signed on to be part of a team."

"It's not a team, it's a program." Agent Coulson explained. "If you'll just let me explain…" "No. Nix! Nein! Nyet! Na-uh! No way! Never!" Spiderman was unrelenting, and he stormed off to White Tiger's obvious Joy. "I win the bet! No toilets for the Tiger!"

…

We'll see tiger. We'll see.

The next morning had come far too quickly for my tastes. Once I had taken my suit off yesterday, my muscles had been in as much pain as I've ever felt in my life. T.B had explained that, while the suit changed my body's physical make up, it would still treat my muscles as if they had actually done all that work and thus they were killing me. None the less I dragged myself out of bed, pulled on some clothes and put my hair up in a ponytail-nub. At least if I did that every day my actual body might lose some weight. That's gotta burn way more calories than a regular workout…

I yawned as I trudged downstairs and gave Peter a wan smile when I passed him in the kitchen. "Ready to head to school?" he asked, and I merely groaned. "Nope. I'm pretty sure I'm still sick…" Aunt may put her hand on my forehead while she stuck a piece of toast in my mouth. "No fever this morning, school time it is!" "Meh." And so I munched on the toast, grabbed T.B, and followed Peter to school.

"Finally. Both school and spidey life are back to normal."

"Did you say something Peter?" I asked, turning around. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when Flash called to him in a sing song voice, "Oh Puny Parker~ Locker knocker time!" I sighed in tandem with my cousin.

"Unfortunately." He breathed, and I shot him a glance. He needs to be more careful; someone other than me might overhear him some day.

I took a step backward as a hand shot out and grabbed Peter, pulling him out of Flash's way right in time and causing the jock to fall into his locker. The door closed with a bang and I smiled; looks like it's time. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the locker Flash was in, happily ignoring his groan of pain.

"Wait, do I know you?" Peter asked, becoming more confused as three other people came out from behind his savior. "Any of you?" The boy on the right went to answer his question "Say hello to your new classmates." He inclined his blonde head with a smile.

" Danny Rand."

"Luke Cage." Said the tall, dark skinned boy that'd saved him. He nudged the shorter boy on his right, who seemed unwilling to talk.

"Sam alexander." He spat out, looking uninterested but shooting me a smile when he saw me.

"Ava Ayala." The girl contributed. She had a smooth olive skin tone and long dark brown hair.

"Think about it." she added. I couldn't hear what they said next, because they lowered their voices, but it wasn't like I didn't already know. Peter stiffened at something Luke said, then in a voice I could hear, "Hey! This-this is great! Really, really… great. I just gotta go talk to… a guy." Then he turned hide tail and ran. I shook my head and approached the others. "Hi. My name's Linzy; that buffoon you just saved is my cousin, Peter. I'm sorry about him, he has awkward social skills." Sam snickered at this, and I took Ava's extended hand in a warm handshake. "Nice to meet you." she said with a smile. I turned to Luke. "Thank you for saving my cousin; he means well but like I said, he's super awkward around others. Although…he usually doesn't run away from them like he did today. I'm sorry he was so rude." "Hey, don't sweat it." he said, taking his hand out of his pocket to shake mine as well. "I think we just surprised him. Who's the guy that was trying to beat him up?" "Who, Flash? He just likes to pick on my cousin since Peter doesn't fight back." I sighed and shook my head like I was confused. "I just don't get him. Peter's really brave, but he only stands up for others, not himself. If it had been me Flash was trying to pick on Peter would never have allowed it."

Danny hummed. "It seems like your cousin thinks that if he takes it from this bully, "Flash" would be less likely to signal other people out. A noble thought, if you consider it."

I cocked my head to the side. "Hey, you may be right. I've never thought about it like that before. Anyway, it was nice meeting you all. If any of you need help around school, let me know." "Will do. Thank you for your kindness." Then they all turned and walked down the hallway, probably in search of my cousin.

A few moments later peter came thundering down the hall, muttering to him the word "no" over and over again. I tried to get his attention, but he just kept walking. "Hello? Can somebody let me out? Please~ anyone?" Still ignoring me, Peter stepped back and smiled at Flash's pleading. "Ok, maybe yes." Then he started walking again. "The nerve of that web head…" I muttered, my hands curling into fists. I sighed and relaxed my fingers again. Getting angry at him wouldn't help anybody, and he was already gone anyway.

"Please?" Flash whimpered.

I frowned. What's his problem? He's not afraid of the dark, is he?

Rolling my eyes I turned the dial on the locker to Peter's combination. He'd made me memorize it in case he ever forgot and needed something from his locker, and I think in the long run he'd appreciate his stuff not smelling like jock.

"Alright, Eugene. Hold your horses…" I chided as I opened the door and stepped back before Flash could fall on me. "Parker-ette! I mean, uh, Linzy! Thanks so much!" he stopped short of hugging me, which I was thankful for, then his eyes widened. "Wait, did you just call me Eugene?" "Um, yeah. That is your name, right?" "…yeah. Everyone calls me Flash, though." "Well, considering I released you from a rather dark prison and saved you the embarrassment of having the janitor let you out, I think I've earned the right. See you later, Eugene." I said as I turned on my heel and walked to class. "See you…" he echoed. Now why does he sound so confused? I wondered, then forgot as soon as I was out of his sight.

Maybe I should have let Stan get him after all.

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to review, I'm okay with that!

-R.E

(See? See what I did there? Ha!)