The Spider, The Night's Wave, The Tempest, The Archer

10

Peter and Nathan, followed by an angry Grace, approached an empty yard, wearing their masks again.

Peter muttered, "Stay close to the ground? What is he talking about?"

The cousins stopped walking, spotting something. Grace rolled her eyes and followed her friends. Peter, Grace and Nathan entered the yard and found a piece of Brice's damaged weapon that had fallen out of the vehicle. He crouched down to tentatively flip it over with his fingertips.

"Whoa," Peter commented.

Grace frowned. "Don't touch it. You have no idea what it does."

Peter, Nathan and Grace found the glowing energy core. Peter's phone rang and he answered a call from Ned.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Peter said. "Nathan, Grace and I are on our way back."

"Actually, I was calling to say maybe you shouldn't come. Listen to this." Ned pulled his phone off his ear and raised it into the air.

"When I say "penis," you say "Parker,"" Flash said. "Penis!"

"Parker!" the crowd cried.

"Penis!"

"Parker!"

Peter, Nathan and Grace could still hear Flash and his friends chanting in the background.

"Sorry, Peter. I guess we're still losers. I'll see you, Nathan and Grace tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow in school." Peter hung up and carefully lifted the weapon. Metal and wires encased the glowing core. Peter looked up, determination clear on his masked face.

Grace crossed her arms. "Take me home. I won't ask again."

The three made their way the their apartment building and Peter and Nathan walked Grace to her apartment.

Without another word, Grace entered and shut the door behind her.

Peter hung his head in frustration. He could only hope Grace would forgive him.

Nathan glanced at his cousin. "She'll come around. She always does."

"This time I messed up."

"Dude, give a little time."

The next morning, Peter knocked on Grace's door, hoping she wasn't still angry with him regarding the previous night.

The door opened to reveal a stony-faced Grace. "Let's go." She put her backpack on.

"Did your mom or dad say anything last night when you got home?"

"No, Mom was out, dad was asleep. Had to get up early. I'll have to talk to them about the dance eventually. I'll come up with some lie though."

"Nathan and I have to figure out what I'll say to May."

"Maybe we can come up with something together."

"If we do, our stories have to be different enough that they don't think we ran off together."

"That'd be more lying sine we did run off together."

"Nathan and I ran off and you followed us."

"Okay, fair, but we have to be careful about phrasing. Don't want them to assume things."

"Uh, yeah. Right."

Nathan sighed as he walked up. "Bad soap opera. Let's go or we'll be late."

---

In shop class, Peter hit the weapon core casing with a hammer. The core emitted purple light as it was partially freed from the metal casing.

"Oh," Peter said and started to pull it apart. Ned, Nathan, Gabriela and Grace joined him.