I want to say, first and foremost, that I haven't played Spiderman 2, only knowing the story beats. I decided to just jump in head first and write this anyway because of the idea of how to make Cindy different from her original counter part - I found it interesting, especially in implication, that I had to keep going. There will be inconsistencies to events relating to Spiderman 2 and possibly the other games in Marvel's Spiderman in general.

Regardless of that matter, I hope you enjoy.

Cindy could sense the creatures that were flying towards her home.

They were still far away, long enough for her to make a run for it and find relative safety with the authorities a few blocks away. In fact, small group had split off and were rushing to evacuate this suburban neighborhood. But they were too slow, she could tell.

She could run, but doing so would...

She began to panic, looking all around her to find any places to hide, conceal herself until they are eventually warded off by one of the two spider-men. But she knew, she knew that neither of them were nearby. They were likely doing their job and going after the black stuff that's protruding from the city. Even with the aggressive behavior the first spider-man has shown, she still had faith that he would do the right thing - he always did.

That's why, when she ran into the closet during the heat of the moment, sensing that the flying creatures were closing in on the neighborhood, she prayed in her mind that specifically the first spider-man would somehow arrive and save her. She would be the first to witness his redemption, to feel that her faith was right.

She heard screaming,

The loud popping of gunshots from the civilians that were armed,

She can feel them being taken by the flying creatures, becoming a part of their flock -

She held her breath, held her mouth with wide eyes.

She begged,

She pleaded, She prayed that the creatures would not notice her -

Yet the tears began to fall,

They sensed her.

She could do it -

She could run out of here and make it by the skin of her teeth,

But she didn't want to, this place was the only place in the world where she felt safe.

She didn't want to hurt anyone.

Not after that one time.

She jumped and became stock still when she heard the thumping -

Thump, thump, thump,

Thump-thump-thump,

Thump. Thump.

Bang!

She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears. Her lips quivered, tears like hot rivers down her cheeks. She couldn't hold back the sobbing moans rising like a crescendo within her. The sense of finality hurt more with the attempts of trying to hide her presence even when she knew that the creatures knew where she was.

"...I'm sorry..." Was what whispered out of her mouth, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

She heard them enter the house, they knew she was alone and they wanted to relish the thrill of the hunt, no doubt.

Then there was a loud crash,

The flock growled and snarled,

The din of battle commenced -

Crashing,

Broken glass -

She pressed her hands against her ears, and squeezed her eyes harder -

Splintering wood,

She could even feel the sheer force of the fight through small tremors that waved through the house,

Cries of pain.

Silence -

Silence so loud that she didn't dare to move or remove her hands and open her eyes. A tense silence that one wrong move could cause the end or continuation of a life. She chose to stay still, not even to lick the salt in her lips made by the tears.

Here, in this darkness, there came the comfort,

The comfort of nothingness.

After spending so many years in that place, being in the dark was the only time that she ever felt normal -

Nothing wrong,

Nothing abnormal,

Just her, her being, and her consciousness.

That was all her world needed to be,

How it should be.

She heard footsteps moving through the house, and her heart beat faster the closer they approached her room. Slow, steady, and the fact that they were they only sound in the house - ominous.

Step,

Step,

Step.

Her eyes were as wide a dinner plates when she heard the turn of a door knob and the opening of her room door. She covered her mouth out of concern that her paced breathing would give her away.

Step,

Step,

Step -

The footsteps stopped in front of the closet door.

She couldn't breathe,

She was frozen in place. She dared not to uproot herself in any meager attempt to hide herself, even behind the few boxes of clothes she had yet to open from moving in. Where was she going to go - rather, what was she to do when the door opened?

The door knob was turned, and the door opened.

She closed her eyes.

That loud silence returned,

She didn't dare to open her eyes to see what or who it was that had opened the door. But the pull in her mind told her to open them, her senses went off.

Her eyes popped open,

Slowly, she looked up,

And she stared in awe.

Her jaw went slack,

She smelled the strong smell of iron,

And her mind was tingling with explosions -

She knew who it was,

And it was impossible that this person was here -

Bright red eyes looked down at her

- She blacked out.

When she came to, she found herself on a stretcher that was being used as a bed for her. She lifted her head and saw that an impromptu cubicle had been made around her with empty cardboard boxes. If there had been a blanket above her acting as a roof, she would have been tempted to call it a fort.

She already knew who went through the effort to do this. The entrance to the cubicle was conveniently made in a corner, where she wouldn't have to see anyone or anyone see her unless they both made the effort to look in or out.

He knew her well, too well, and for good reason.

A person walked in and Cindy made a small smile, "...Hi, Dad."

Albert Moon's face brightened instantly the moment he heard Cindy's voice.

"Cindy!" In his hand was a plate of food, french fries and a few chicken strips, he knelt down and handed her the plate, "Here, had a little trouble getting this. I just told the guy that it was for a brave kid who was by themself."

Cindy looked at him, not missing his choice of words, and began to eat one of the chicken strips, "...Where are we?"

"FEAST. That nice lady I told you about? Her son volunteers at the FEAST shelter in Chinatown. Police found you passed out. Looks like one of the spidermen made over to you."

"Mmm-hmm..." Cindy jumped, looking off to the right at one of the wall of the cubicle, then behind her at another wall and scooted forward, "...How long are we staying here?"

"For a while, Cindy. With what's going on in the city, maybe even a couple of months."

Cindy frowned nervously, "...Its safe, right?"

Albert reached out and put a hand on Cindy's arm, "Yes, sweetie. I checked. The kids might get loud, and the police and military are outside."

Cindy wasn't convinced.

Albert looked at his daughter in the eye, "I'm here, sweetie. I'm here."

"...Okay."

"I need help people get comfortable in the shelter. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

Cindy nodded as she ate a french fry.

"Okay. I'll check in when I can. Oh! Here," He pulled a can of soda from a pocket inside his coat, "Managed to get this, too. Enjoy your meal, sweetie." Albert went, and as soon as he did Cindy jumped, startled, throwing up her hands to catch something, anything but empty air.

Cindy blushed. She hated living or being in cities, this phenomenon happened more often than not inside of them. The only time where this rarely happened was that rural town in the mid-west. Secluded, far away from the troubles of the world - she had even been tempted to call it a living time capsule surrounded by a forest, half of the people there were still using flip phones, khahki pants were not uncommon to see there, and their mannerisms were untouched by the trends outside.

They were quiet.

Unlike the city,

Unlike now.

Cindy had finished her meal and was finishing her drink when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye - one of the boxes. It crawled out and she froze and eyed it with wide eyes. Unblinking, her eyes followed it as it made its way across, nearing her vicinity.

Black,

Eight legs,

Hairy,

A multitude of glassy black orbs.

Her chest began to hurt and the world become one with the sound of her breathing pacing into hyperventilation. Her blood ran cold and a light-headedness washed over her. It went on, crawling without even acknowledging her. Yet it brought out the dark within her and bringing it back to the light of her conscience.

She clutched her chest as she put the effort to finish her drink by chugging all of it. She put the plate on the ground and set the empty can atop it and slowly laid down as though a sickness was come over her.

She gulped and closed her eyes,

She took a deep breath that rattled the cage of her ribs,

She pull the blanket over her and clutched it hard.

She stayed that way until she dozed off.

...For you... Always...

Cindy gasped as she was startled awake,

She didn't know where she was,

She felt something across her torso,

She found herself in a place of claustrophobic proportions,

She -

"Cindy! Cindy!" She felt a hand touch her shoulder and she jumped, her head darted to the side - she relaxed, she saw her father, "Its okay. We're here."

Cindy looked out of the window of the car and saw that they were at the Nice Lady's apartment complex. She took a deep breath and did her best to relax. "Another nightmare?"

Cindy nodded - it was the third one this past week.

Always in disjointed fragments, never a clear picture of what the dreams mean,

But they always involved her crawling and, rarely, running -

And sometimes, like recently...

"Well, you're going to forget it quickly," Her father said, "The Nice Lady is a great cook."

"...But, you say that to everyone?"

"I'm serious about her." He got out of the car.

Cindy's face fell, "...I'm sure you are."

She followed her father after getting out of the car, entering the apartment and walking up the stairs.

As she was behind her father walking down the hall, she suddenly jumped as something struck her conscience. It was like those moments before in that FEAST shelter, but something about this one was different this time. A distinction that was similar to that which differentiated fresh water to salt water.

She sensed that it was coming from the upcoming door they were approaching.

She saw the name on the door.

It was coming behind the apartment of the Nice Lady -

Morales.

"Rio and her son are good people, Cindy. Nothing you need to worry about." Her father assured her.

Cindy gave a quick nod as her father rang the door bell. But her mind kept going back to the thing she sensed inside the apartment. It was strange, everything she had sensed before had a particular distinction, almost like a flavor.

But this one...

She had only sensed it once,

During December,

When that other Spider man was showing up more,

It was that one time... In the mall when...

"...this is my daughter, Cindy."

Cindy jumped when hearing her name. She looked up and saw Rio's son, Miles Morales, she remembered, and who is likely his girlfriend.

She made a shy smile,

Stiffly waved,

And immediately she hated herself.

She could do that better, and no doubt she looked like a clown. But doing introductions over again would be redundant and awkward.

Remembering to be polite, she held out a hand to shake hands with Rio,

Miles's girlfriend,

Then when she went to shake Miles's hand, her senses went off again -

She looked up,

And stared wide-eyed at Miles, who was staring back with a slight tilt of his head -

He was -

She felt a tapping at her shoulder, "Cindy," Her father said, "Hailey's his girlfriend?"

Cindy jumped and let go at once, "Oh, uh, sorry!"

Albert laughed, "Sorry about that Miles, she's always in that brain of her's."

Embarrassed, Cindy pouted and looked off to the side, making Miles chuckle.

"Its all good. We're still in the middle of getting things ready, if that's okay?" Miles said.

Albert raised his hands, "Its fine! Need any help?"

"Sure!" Rio said, gesturing for Albert and Cindy to enter, "We're a little behind schedule and some help will be nice. Ah, Miles, how about you and Cindy get to know each other? She's going to Brooklyn Visions soon. It'll help if she had a friend there."

"Sure. No problem."

"Hailey? Can you help me with the soup? Albert, there's something in the oven, set up the table - its almost done, a few plates, is all - and watch it, please."

"I wouldn't dare mess with your cooking." Albert said chuckling as Rio, Hailey, and him walked off towards the kitchen.

Cindy watched them go, particularly her father -

It was strange, seeing him with another woman. Not that in itself, its just that after everything it was hard to think that he had moved on so easily. Well, maybe she was exaggerating. Even though she stayed in her room most of time, she wasn't blind to his personal struggles, especially after what had happened with her mother. It was the first time she had seen him genuinely smile after all that. Maybe this was just what he needed, and it was obviously that he really liked her cooking.

"I heard you're home schooled?" She heard Miles ask.

"Mmm-hmm."

"What made you want to change? Something with your dad?"

"Kinda. It was... also something I wanted. Wanted to meet other people, and it felt like I was getting fat sitting in the house all day."

"You? You look more in shape than most girls I've seen."

"Mmm-hmm."

Cindy pointed to a room down the hall, "That your room over there?"

"Yeah, but its really messy in there. Been busy with school, especially with college stuff."

"Can't be any messier than mine." Cindy said as she went over to the door.

"Uh, hold on." Miles said as he got in front, "Uh, just give me a minute."

Miles opened the door and squeezed through the crevice. When the door closed, Cindy could hear the shuffling, things being put away, a closest being opened to throw things in before closing. A cleaning being done in a hurry.

But... if she was right...

What he was really doing was...

The door opened, and Miles allowed her in, leaving the door open.

Cindy looked around, "Huh... Very clean..."

Miles snickered, "That a bad thing?"

"No... From what I heard about boys, I just thought it would be messier."

She spotted an old photo of an police officer with a boy beside him, "This you?" She looked at the photo then back at Miles, "You really got taller."

"That's how it is, sometimes." Miles glanced at her height, "You're one to talk, for being sixteen."

"And... I'm guessing that's your dad?"

"...Yeah." His change in tone didn't go unheard to Cindy.

"...Sorry I brought it up."

"Its alright. Just trying to live up to his example is all."

Cindy's face fell, but not for too long, not wanting to think about it.

"Anything I should know about Brooklyn Visions?"

"Nothing much really. It might be weird since you've been home schooled your whole life."

"Any cliques or groups I should look out for?"

"Not really, if you mean bullying. Some teasing, but the principal doesn't take kindly to bullying. Mainly because kids and parents don't want their ears blown off."

Cindy's eyes fell on a post-it-note above Miles's desk, "...Thirty."

"What?"

Cindy pointed, "The answer's thirty, not forty two. Work's a little off - right there. You must have been in a hurry to make an easy mistake like that."

"Oh, uh, thanks."

Cindy saw the few tools on his desk, "A little project you're working on?"

"Yeah, nothing fancy though. Robotics stuff."

"Mmm."

Cindy looked over, "You have a mannequin?"

"Graduate next year. Mom wants to make sure the measurements are right for my gown, doesn't want another growth spurt to change at the last minute."

Miles cleared his throat, "Uh, sorry to ask, but you can hear me right?" He said, referring to the ear buds Cindy was wearing.

"Yeah."

"And, uh, why are your glasses so big?"

Cindy took them off and handed them to Miles, "They're fake. My eyesight's too sharp. I can see just fine without them, but without them my eyes will start to hurt after a while."

"Really?" Miles's brows went up, and he looked through Cindy's glasses - they were indeed fake, plastic lenses, and were making his vision murky when he looked through them, he gave them back, "That's really weird. That's the first time I've heard anything like that."

Cindy put her glasses back on, "Well, people are different."

"Miles!" Rio called from the kitchen, "Food's ready! Come to the table!"

"Okay!" Miles yelled back, then jerked his head in gesture to Cindy to follow.

The moment Miles turned away and walked a few feet, Cindy, with fluidity and silent grace, went to the closet that was silently ajar, pushed it open just enough for her to see through, and saw what she needed to see. By the time Miles looked over when not hearing Cindy's footsteps, he jumped seeing that she was following him with complete silence, not expecting her there. There was no sound in her footsteps.

Miles chuckled at himself, "You walk so quietly, I didn't think you were next to me."

Cindy did a half-purse of her lip, "I get that a lot."