Title: The Power of Perseverance
Since I was a kid, I've always fantasized about being a superhero. Fortunately, I've inherited my parents' abilities which allowed me to jump to great heights and blend into my surroundings. I can shoot webs just like my parents, Miles and Gwen. Like them, I too own a Spider-Man suit, but mine is designed similarly to my mother's. It features a purple base with a white pattern and yellow lining.
I was pleasantly surprised when my parents took me to Spider-Man HQ for a visit. To avoid any technical glitches, I had my day pass ready. The prospect of meeting the superheroes there filled me with excitement. My wife, Margo Kess, also works at Spider-Man HQ alongside my parents. Things changed when I met the boss of the HQ, Miguel O' Hera. When my parents introduced me to him, he just looked at me with a frown.
"Miguel, this is my daughter, Lana. The one I've been telling you about." Gwen said. "I-I think she would be a great person to have on the Spider-society, wouldn't you?"
Miguel said nothing and just continued to frown at me. "No, I don't. She'd only be getting in the way and would slow us down."
My heart sank. I knew what he meant. I had a disability called 22Q and ITP, which made me different from other kids my age. My parents glared at him, with rage in their eyes.
"Lana has the same powers we do. She's just as capable as anyone else." Miles said.
"Yeah, I can do this," I said, agreeing with my father.
"I'm sorry Lana, but the answer is no. We can't have someone with a disability on our team. You will just hold us back and mess things up." Miguel said. I felt my eyes sting with tears. I've dealt with discrimination a lot and now I have to go through it again. My mother put her arm around my shoulders to comfort me.
"Miguel, this is discrimination," Miles said, his voice shaking with anger. "You're unbelievable. Why can't you just let her be a part of the team!?"
What Miguel did next shocked me. Miguel picked up a heavy object and threw it across the room, nearly hitting me but Gwen pushed me out of the way. "Miguel, what the hell! You almost hurt my daughter!" Gwen yelled. I was shaking as Gwen held me in protective arms.
"I don't care! She can't be a part of the team and that's final!" Miguel yelled.
"Okay, everybody just calm down," Miles said, trying to soothe the argument.
"Miguel please, let me join. You can't just dismiss me like this. I deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. I deserve to be treated fairly." I said. My voice was rising with frustration and anger.
Miguel attacked me, pinning me to the ground. I tried to get up but he slammed me to the ground again and tightened his grip on me. "Get this through your head, Lana. You don't have what it takes to join the team. You will never be as strong as the rest of us!" Miguel yelled.
"Miguel, stop this! Let her go!" Miles yelled. Miles lunged at Miguel, pushing him off me. By now, I had tears streaming down my face. My dreams are over. I was so upset that without thinking, I ran away from the room.
"Lana, wait!" Gwen shouted but I ignored her. I shot a web in the air and swung. I kept running until I was far enough away. Why can't I just be normal like everyone else? When I got home, I stormed inside. My wife, Margo was home already.
"Hey hon, how was your day with your parents?" Margo asked me with a smile.
I just glared at her. "It sucked!" I yelled. I wasn't in the mood for talking, so I stormed off into my room and slammed the door behind me. I ripped off my suit in anger and threw it on the ground. I fell onto my bed, buried my face into my pillow, and surrounded myself with my stuffed animals, letting out uncontrollable tears. I continued to cry for what felt like hours.
One thing is for sure, I am never going back to Spider-man HQ. I'm quitting my dream as a superhero. Voices from outside my room caught my attention. It was likely my parents conversing with Margo about the recent happenings at Spider-man HQ. I let out a deep sigh and turned to my side, taking in the sight of my space-themed decorations while lost in my thoughts. I made a mistake by assuming that I could become Spider-man despite my disability.
Miguel proved that to me. I felt some more tears streaming down my face. I then heard a knock on my door. "Go away," I said.
"Lana? I know you are upset right now, I just want to talk to you for a minute." I heard Margo say through the door. I sighed again and decided to let her in. Margo sat down next to me and held my hand gently. "Your parents told me what happened. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
"It's not fair! Why did I have to be born this way? Why can't I be normal like everyone else?" I said. Margo pulled me into a hug and I began to sob uncontrollably again. I buried my face into her chest as she rubbed my back.
"Shh. I know this is hard for you, sweetie. What Miguel did to you was not okay." Margo said. Margo gave me a kiss. "I know what will cheer you up. How about I take you to the movies and then we can go out to dinner. What do you say?"
I nodded and smiled. "Yes, I'd like that very much," I said.
"Okay then. There's a showtime for John Wick Chapter 4 that starts soon, wanna go to that?" Margo asked me. I nodded again. Margo took my hand and we got ready to go. As we were about to leave, my mother stopped me.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did today, sweetie. You didn't deserve any of that. Tomorrow, we can go back and talk to Miguel and see if he can reconsider." Gwen said. I said nothing and left the house with Margo. Yeah, right Mom, there is no way you can change Miguel's mind, I thought. When Margo and I arrived at the movies, and the previews started, I felt my mind slipping away from my problems. Tonight is the premiere of the new John Wick Chapter 4 movie so there are a lot of people at the theater. I felt my heart rushing with excitement and adrenaline as the movie was starting.
As I watched the movie in the Imax theater, my seat shook with loud bangs. Everyone cheered when John Wick made his first appearance. The movie was boring at first but it got more exciting. My favorite scene was the nightclub scene. I had a rush of adrenaline during the final battles. Everybody laughed in the theater when the dog peed on the bad guy and I laughed too. At the end of the movie when John Wick killed the bad guy, everyone cheered.
When the movie finished and the credits rolled, Margo and I packed up our stuff and made our way out of the theater. "Thank you so much for the movie, Margo it was awesome!" I said.
Margo chuckled. "You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it." Margo said.
After dinner, Margo and I went home. I laid down in bed with her that night, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
The next day, my parents and my wife took me back to Spider-man HQ to try to change Miguel's mind about me joining the team. But as I figured, Miguel turned me down and said no.
"No, Miles. How many times do I have to say, Lana is not fit for the team!" Miguel yelled.
"Miguel she just wants to be a superhero, just like the rest of us," Miles said. As Miles and Miguel were arguing over me, the group of superheroes received a distress signal. A group of villains took hostages and they were threatening to blow up the building unless the demands were met. Miguel called for all hands on deck and prepared to lead the team into battle.
"Stay close to me and Mom," Miles said to me. I nodded. The battle was intense. The villains were heavily armed and they had set up traps and obstacles to make it difficult for the Spider-society to reach the team. Miguel was leading the team, barking out orders and coordinating their movements. I was right beside them, following my parents' every move. I was determined to prove myself, to show Miguel that I was capable of doing this just like everyone else.
And then, in the middle of the chaos, something went wrong. One of the villains had set off a bomb, and the floor beneath us began to crumble. Miguel stumbled and his foot was caught in the rubble. Miguel was about to fall to his death. This is my time to shine. I found myself moving at an incredible speed. I darted forward and jumped high in the air. I swiftly shot out some webs and swung toward Miguel, managing to catch him just in time. Then, I pulled him to safety.
We landed on the ground, panting heavily. I smiled triumphantly when the battle was over and we returned to Spider-man HQ. "I told you, Miguel. I can do anything." I said proudly.
"Go somewhere else. I need to talk to your parents." Miguel said. I took a deep breath and left the room. I sat in the common room, waiting for Miguel's return. I would hang out with my wife but she told me she had some work to do. So I decided to occupy myself with watching some reels on Instagram. As I was enjoying myself watching reels on Instagram and laughing, Miguel returned and gave me an unamused look. I quickly put my phone down and looked at him.
"I talked with your parents. I've decided to let you join the Spider-society." Miguel said. I felt my heart skip a beat. Miguel then handed me a watch. It was the exact same one that my parents wore. Miguel grabs my chin and forces me to look up at him. "This is your watch. Wear this at all times. And when I call, I expect you to be here." Miguel said. I opened my mouth to ask him why but I flinch as Miguel's talons dig into my skin.
"I don't care if you are at school, at the movies, or on a date with your wife, YOU. SHOW. UP. Got it?" Miguel said strictly.
My hands trembled nervously when he was speaking but I nodded. "Yes, sir," I said. Miguel said nothing more and walked away.
As words appeared on my watch, I glanced at it. Welcome to the Spider-society, Lana Morales.
I was now part of the Spider-society. I have proven myself in battle, and I had shown everyone that my disability was not something that would hold me or anyone else back. I was a hero, just like my parents and nothing can stop me now.
A/N: Hello everyone, I have experienced discrimination due to my disability lately, so I have written a therapy fiction to release my emotions and vent. I hope you enjoyed reading my one-shot story and please leave a review. Thank you. I do not own any Spider-man characters. The only character I own here is Lana.