𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 | 𝐩. 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫

𝟎𝟓. 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝

— 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 —

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WHEN MAX WOKE UP, HER HEAD WAS POUNDING AND SHE HAD NO IDEA WHERE SHE WAS. The last thing she remembered was that she'd stepped out onto the stage and completely botched her first line before the ceiling came crashing down. There were a few other lucid moments, but they were difficult to differentiate from the psychedelic dreams her mind had found swimming where they didn't belong.

Her vision was blurred, glitching and swaying between colors and moments that didn't belong together. It was like a child had gotten ahold of the remote that controlled her mind and was constantly switching the channels with discontent. The world was blue then green then purple then pink. It was black and white. It was vibrant. It was dull. It was gold. And finally it returned to what she considered normal.

As she slowly turned her head to look at her surroundings, it appeared she was in some sort of abandoned construction site. And considering it was New York, it was impossible to pinpoint where exactly in the city she currently was. Recognizing that it would do little good to panic, she elected to focus on the facts: counting them one by one on her fingers under her breath as she rose to her feet and paced across the open space.

"It's alright," a voice called from the rafters. Her eyes shot upward, catching sight of the red and blue flash as it fell. And there before her stood New York's very own Spider-Man. "You're safe here."

He was wearing the mask. She knew he was wearing the mask, but her vision began acting up again. One second he was wearing the mask, the next he wasn't. One second he was a brunette with brown eyes, the next he was a blonde with blue. He looked older then younger, wore glasses then didn't. The suit was red then blue, and at one moment a solid black. It was all too quick to take in. She could feel her eyes moving back and forth as if suffering from nystagmus... and then she could feel them rolling back into her head, threatening to knock her unconscious.

She didn't even realize she was falling until he caught her. His voice was warm and currently all she needed to feel comfortable in the foreign environment. "Woah, now. I've got you."

Her breath was heavy. Not from exhaustion, but disorientation. She closed her eyes and simply focused on the breath of her lungs, counting the rhythm as if it were a song playing on the radio. And when she'd counted up to thirty, she decided she was composed enough to come back to reality.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she opened her eyes. There was a small amount of confusion contained in her Hazel irises as she'd forgotten that he had yet to actually take off his mask. Like it was scorched in her mind, she could still see the faint outline of the boy she'd set her sights on in the theater.