Chapter 13 : The longest day of my life (Why ?)

 

Midtown High’s parking, Midtown High, Queens, New York, 25th of January, 07:45, in Gwen Stacy’s mind

 

Gwen was pacing like a trapped lion in front of the schoolgate, anxiously waiting for Flash to finally arrive.

 

Since the accident at the Oscorp tower, her mind had been running circles around itself for the rest of yesterday, especially after his comforting presence vanished from her side.

 

But she had seen the urgency in his eyes, the steel in his gaze when he told her not to say a word when the fact that the spider had bitten her finally dawned on her.

 

Gwen had nearly run back to Oscorp when Flash decided to play hooky while leaving her stranded in school with only a few instructions that could be boiled down to ‘do absolutely nothing before we meet again tomorrow’.

 

But in the end, despite his absence and him taking no heed of her panic induced texting, she still chose to trust him and stay put.

 

He promised her answers, and she believed him when he whispered to her so in the bus.

 

When she finally got home, the fever that started to plague her during the afternoon had reached its paroxysm, and she passed out, clothes still on, on her bed for the night.

 

Waking up hadn’t been any easier for her nerves than the previous day had been.

 

The shrilling sound of her alarm had been louder, harsher, harder on her ears, and she had jolted out of her bed in panic.

 

That would have been the end of it if her jolt hadn’t prompted her to clear the nearly ten feet separating her from the ceiling of her bedroom in what she instinctively knew to be one light jump, finding herself stuck to said ceiling on her back, heart hammering at a totally unnatural rhythm in her chest.

 

When she had finally managed to unstuck herself, she had landed on her feet like the most bodily able gymnast in the world.

 

The worst was that she saw it all happen in slow motion, like her mind was running overdrive in a body that was struggling to follow, a feeling that still has not abated.

 

Everything. Was. So. Slow.

 

The colors were crisper, the sounds louder, the scents almost overpowering at times, her taste buds felt weirdly acute and she had to change her blouse three times before she found one that didn’t itch her like sandpaper.

 

But nothing trumped the fact that she had the distinct impression that everything, everyone around her, was acting like they were waddling through molasse.

 

She had been panicking at the idea to talk to her parents like that, sure of herself that it wouldn’t escape the constant vigilance of her dad.

 

It hadn’t been needed as her mouth was still running at what she now knew to be the usual march of time, her brain perfectly translating the long winded and elongated sentences directed to her into normal ones in response.

 

Interacting with her cellphone had been a chore and a half though, her texting now too fast to be properly registered by the more limited machine when she finally found Flash’s answer to her pleas for help, a simple yet reassuring message assuring her that everything was fine and that even if her morning was rough and bizarre, he would be able to explain why to her tomorrow.

 

So here she was, pacing like the trapped beast she felt like, waiting for some sort of explanation for what the hell was happening to her at the appointed place.

 

That’s when it began.

 

Gwen suddenly started to feel like she was under the gaze of an enormous predator, every fiber of her strangely acting body telling her that she should really pay attention to the unknown-thing-that-way-coming-closer.

 

Her head naturally jerked in that direction to evaluate the supposed threat, survival instincts overruling everything else.

 

Flash was here, arriving on foot from a direction that she knew for sure wasn’t the one from his home.

 

And all those nice little instincts she just listened to were apparently pointing in his direction.

 

Extremely-dangerous-possibly-enemy-Flash just kept his pace leisurely, waving lightly to her with a soft smile when their eyes crossed.

 

The unknown threat acted just like the person she had fallen for, and looked just like him, square jaw, short messy blond hair and baby blue eyes.

 

But it couldn’t possibly be him, or her brain wouldn't be running escape scenarios in her head in repeat, alternating between different ways to run back home each of her seconds.

 

She trusted Flash, the new, improved, Flash.

 

He wouldn’t hurt a fly, was calm and collected, soft spoken and made funny faces when Liz’ ended up slurping her spaghettis a little too loudly for his taste.

 

Faced with this conundrum, Gwen made the only logical decision

 

She took a step back, face twisting with fear.

 

An act that made extremely-dangerous-possibly-enemy-Flash pauses, a frown etched on his face as their eyes were still locked into each other.

 

Gwen, goosebumps still crawling on her body and her overactive mind pushing her to run away as fast as she could, as far as she could, without ever turning back, then saw something unexpected.

 

In the confine of her mind, in the slow motion characteristic of everything that now surrounded her, she saw extremely-dangerous-possibly-enemy-Flash promptly facepalm and groan.

 

“I totally forgot about the danger-sense.” Gwen heard extremely-dangerous-possibly-enemy-Flash lightly sigh under his breath.

 

Not in her own perception of a second because it would have been too fast for a normal human but probably close enough to one real second of time later, the feeling of inescapable danger suddenly vanished and extremely-dangerous-possibly-enemy-Flash with it.

 

Except there was also no Flash anymore.

 

Instead, just where the threat to her life had been standing a moment ago, a girl, probably her age, was now looking at her, hand scratching the back of her head with an awkward smile.

 

The girl was unnaturally beautiful, Gwen’s hyper brain immediately told her. Her face was almost too symmetrical to belong to a human being, with a heart shaped mouth adorned by thick lips, a button up nose, soft features and high cheeks. She also sported the most impressive mass of golden curls Gwen had ever seen. Of the previous illusion, because Gwen was convinced she had seen something of the sort, only the baby blue eyes and the fair skin remained, except she could now see that the latter was totally spotless with her newfound improved vision.

 

The girl was also clad in one of the most daring, almost provocative, outfits she had ever seen.

 

A strange crop-top, half-hidden under a denim jacket with fur accentuation on the cuffs and collar, seemed to wrap her chest and only that, hanging for dear life from her neck, a heart shaped cut giving a hint of her cleavage. Despite the chilliness of the weather, her midriff showed an impressive amount of skin and lightly toned belly.

 

A skirt reaching above the knees, apparently made of layers of lace superposed together, followed, almost see-through high-stockings peeking underneath, and she was wearing platform shoes of the strangest make she had ever seen, both round and boxy at the same time.

 

As a finishing touch, a tote-bag was hanging negligently from her right shoulder, one of its straps lazily falling on her forearm.

 

The whole outfit was in various shades of purple, lilac and white, and the stranger absolutely rocked it.

 

Gwen felt a little bit of heat rise to her cheeks, because the girl was objectively stunning, and she had started to walk closer to her once again during the time her brain had taken to reboot itself.

 

Even if by her previous standard it had been quite short, to Gwen it had taken almost an eternity and a half.

 

When the stranger finally stopped next to her, Gwen belatedly realized that the girl was taller than her by a good inch, even before the platform shoes.

 

The stranger opened her mouth, seemed to think better of it, then exclaimed, eyes risen to the sky.

 

“God this is going to be so awkward.” She whined.

 

The girl’s voice was a rich alto, a little husky on its edge, giving Gwen the feeling she had been mouth-fed a caramel treat with each word.

 

The voice was new, but the speech patterns, soft and round, were not.

 

Then it hitted Gwen at full force, her hyperactive mind connecting the dots in a world of slow motion.

 

The previous illusion.

 

The same baby blue eyes, down to the shape of the iris, now that she could see them from up close.

 

The speech patterns.

 

Her eyes grew the biggest they ever had, and even before the stranger could recompose herself, she exclaimed herself.

 

“Flash ?” Gwen blurted out.

 

And the girl sighed.

 

***

 

Midtown High’s parking, Midtown High, Queens, New York, the same day, 07:45

 

Well, that was that.

 

I was suddenly very glad I had taken the time to handle my business at the DMC before coming here because it was becoming clear that it would take a while.

 

Legal processes tend to get done extremely quickly when you can enter yourself in the system by simply asking him and the printing machine during the off-hours, who knew ? I’ll see to have a proper ID made later on, a driver's license will suffice for now.

 

But I should’ve known that a telepathic suggestion on the scale I was projecting would trigger the danger sense of a spider-totem.

 

And now I’m going to have to play it by ear with Gwen while her mouth is flapping open like a fish starved for air.

 

In the confine of our mind-link, Iris is laughing her ass off, waves of [Amusement, mirth] rippling irregularly.

 

I mentally swatt her, feeling peeved.

 

Where is the manual on how to explain to the girl who’s crushing on you why the hell you look like a Victoria Secrets’ model on her off-day ?

 

I raise a hand to halt the barrage of questions inevitably coming, screw my eyes shut for a beat and pinch the bridge of my nose.

 

One long exhalation later and I’m as good to go as I will ever be.

 

“Hi Gwen,” I start while smiling, having firmly decided to just wing it, “I remember promising you some answers yesterday.”

 

Her mint green orbs remain the size of an UFO, slightly marred by little undereye bags, proof enough that her night must have been everything but restful.

 

“But you’re a girl !” She blurt-hisses under her breath, eyes darting all over my curves.

 

If only you could see my ass under that skirt, girl, you’ll faint.

 

“Always was, dear, the body is new though. My name is Aria by the way. Lovely right ? I know, I chose it myself.” I quipp back, having bigger fish to fry right now, “Now, onto more important subjects, like what happened to you yesterday.”

 

I slid an arm under hers and we start to make our way into the school proper, Gwen still googly-eyed at my retort.

 

“You being bitten by that spider wasn’t an accident,” I whisper under my breath, my everything-is-fine aura still blaring at full blast around us just in case, Gwen now properly excluded, “Do you believe in the theory of the multiverse, Gwendolyn ?”

 

She takes a second to answer, probably an eternity for her, with her brains now rewinded to be able to handle her immensely improved reflex.

 

“I don’t see the link between those propositions, but I know of it.”

 

Her eyes are firmly glued to my chest as she answers, which I would find flattering at any other time but not when I’m explaining to her the true origin of her powers.

 

“Well, turns out the theory is true.” I start, mulling over what I’m going to say as we make our way in the still deserted hallways, everything remotely electrical kindly ignoring our presence, “There’s a bunch of universe, very similar to our own, in which you can find other earths, with little variations on it. In some, the nazis won the war, in others the russian dominate all of europe and the USA are a collection of still smocking craters and so on and so on.”

 

I pause as I reach my locker, bending a little to finagle with its lock.

 

“One day, long ago, on one of those earths, a human, of african descent to be specific, inherited the same power that you have now : enhanced strength, reflexes and senses, a sixth sense to warn him about dangers like what you felt earlier when I fucked up, and a battery of spider related abilities. His name was Anansi, and he became known as the Spider-God.”

 

I turn around, locking eyes with Gwen whose cheeks now sport a nice red complexion.

 

I tut.

 

“I know that my ass is a very nice thing to look at, but not right now Gwennie.” I tease her with a wink.

 

Her getting caught red handed and her subsequent sputtering and attempt at denial actually make me laugh.

 

I slowly shake my head, regaining my seriousness as I rest my back on my locker, arms crossed.

 

“It was just a title given to him by his tribe and their enemies at the beginning. Until one day it wasn’t. It’s not very clear how he did it, but he became aware of something through his powers. A place, a very special place, common to all those universes and his own. An immense tapestry linking them all, that he chose to call, relatively appropriately if you ask me, the Web of Life and Destiny, and enshrined himself in it, truly becoming a god.”

 

I gesture vaguely around us..

 

“All of our universes are connected to it, and so are we. Well, maybe except me now that I think about it, but now isn’t really the time.” I add thoughtfully, “The important part is that Anansi, who now calls himself the Great Weaver, regularly choses agents to do his bidding to protect the Underweb and you, Gwennie,” I point a finger at her for extra-emphasis, “Got handed the job yesterday when dear specimen 42 bit you on the hand.”

 

I straighten up once again and step closer to Gwen, whose face is now ashen.

 

I put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she relaxes a little, her green mint orbs locking into my eyes.

 

“But,” She starts, sputtering a little, “But how can it be magical when the spider was just an isotopic crossbred ?”

 

“The spider did nothing, except turn your blood radioactive, it’s the fact that you specifically got bitten that turned Anansi’s attention to you and made him put the mantle of a spider-totem on your shoulders.” I poke her belly and she swatt my finger absentmindedly, “The Great Weaver has a thing for consistency and choses nearly each time the same bearer for his mantle in each known universe.”

 

“That means there’s others ‘Gwen’ like me.” She mumbles, a little stunned.

 

I nod.

 

“At least one that I know off.” I answer directly.

 

“But how do you know all of that ?” She finally asks.

 

I mull over her question for a second, thinking at the most logical and easily understood explanation possible.

 

“Theoretically speaking,” I slowly start, “If each of those universes varies in a different way, then it’s totally possible that there is a universe where everything that I just explained is freely available to everyone in an easily understandable format, like, say, a story. With me so far ?”

 

She starts to nod, but interrupts herself mid-motion, realization dawning on her.

 

“You’re not from this universe.” She blurts out.

 

A smile tugs the corners of my lips.

 

“Always quick to catch on.” I congratulate her gently, my thumb on her shoulder making a little rubbing motion she subconsciously lean into.

 

Better that I stop that right now.

 

Getting my hand back, I cough into it to make it seem natural.

 

“I’m indeed not. I woke up here in Flash’s body after his accident during the match.”

 

“You faked the amnesia, then ?” She continues with a little voice, head downcast.

 

“I did,” I admit while slowly nodding, “Because that’s the only thing I could possibly do when I found myself in this universe at first. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and all of that. I would have been sent to the asylum in short order if I didn’t keep my mouth shut.”

 

Her lips start to quiver.

 

I slowly put both of my hands on her shoulder, one of my thumbs gently raising her chin.

 

Her green mint orbs are screaming at me that she feel so fucking lost better than any words could.

 

“Gwen,” I slowly start, my eyes locked into hers, “I am sorry I lied to you. I betrayed the trust you gave me. Yes, I did not have any choice but to do it because it was the only logical thing to do, but it does not make it the moral thing to do.”

 

I sigh, eyes closing for a second, my own shoulders sagging.

 

“And I fucking hate lying. Those three months had been tearing me apart.” My eyes open once more, her own still staring weakly at me, “I’ll understand if you’re mad at me and don’t find it in you to forgive me, this is your right and I have no choice in it. But I swear I would’ve told you earlier if I had been able to.”

 

She still says nothing, her gaze a little glazed over, and I do not want to peek behind the curtains of her thoughts to know what she’s thinking.

 

The silence stretches awkwardly between us.

 

“Ahem,” I start anew, one hand raising to scratch my cheek to stave off the awkwardness, “Good news is, I did find the original Flashy’s mind by accident earlier this morning and managed to bring him back. He’ll go back to school next week I figure.”

 

A tear pearl at the corner of her eye.

 

“Since when ?” She mumbles weakly, gesturing vaguely at my body.

 

I exhale, feeling uncomfortable due to her crumbling mental state.

 

“Yesterday evening, or close enough. As to how, the short answer is clever body-hacking due to alien intervention. We can talk about it later if you still want to but I have a lot of things on my plate today and very little time.” I answer while smiling apologetically.

 

“Why ?” She asks, a little more forcefully.

 

I close my eyes anew, sighing softly.

 

“Because dysphoria is a bitch and I felt awful and…” I start.

 

“That’s not it !” She cries.

 

My eyes shot open, and her tears are streaming now.

 

“That, that’s not what I meant…” She bawls, and I can tell that it’s both ugly and liberating at the same time for her, “I, I was asking myself aloud why ?… Why, why do I still like you…”

 

My cleavage promptly inherits his fair share of an upset and sexually confused teenage girl’s head, as Gwendolyn starts sobbing quietly in my bosom, hands gripping the fabric of my ‘jacket’ with superhuman strength.

 

As my hands hesitantly reach the top of her back to pat away her distress better, I’m internally screaming.

 

You have to be fucking kidding me !

 

Iris, of course, starts snickering anew, comfortably removed from awkward human interaction as she is.

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