Spiderman From the Ashes : Volume One

Chapter Six - Ocean of Secrets

On her day off, Arisu decided to revisit the amusement park in the center of the city. As she walked through the colorful entrance gates, memories flooded back from her teenagerhood and summers spent here with the hooligans. The vibrant rides and attractions around her remained unchanged since she had moved from Arizona.

Arisu had a tiring week, filled with work commitments and setbacks. But now, as she stood in line to buy her ticket, she felt a sense of mild excitement wash over her.

As she entered the park, Arisu took advantage of her newfound freedom and explored different attractions on her own. But after a while, the thrill began to fade and she started to feel lonely. Now that she gained new powers, she took advantage of that to make a simple cleaning up in the neighborhood.

Like saving a cat from a 5-story building or stopping a robbery in an alley next to her workplace.Feeling accomplished, Arisu treated herself to a mint ice cream cone at the food court. As Arisu sat there, she couldn't help but smile at the milk mustache that formed on her upper lip. But without a mirror nearby, she wouldn't know it was there until later.

"Guess who is here?" Someone cover her eyes with her palms and whispered.

"Let me guess, the redhead chick who is my neighbor?" she joked, as the figure stepped closer, she realized it was indeed Vicky.

"I wuz just kidding, y' know.." the woman apologized, fidgeting with her fingers while holding a dripping ice cream cone.

"I know that. So why are you doing here?" Vicky asked, noticing Arisu's avoidance of eye contact as she licked at the melting frosting.

"Hanging around, and you?" Arisu asked back

"Taking my nephew to take a walk around, he insisted to go here." Arisu was eating the shell while she was explaining, her eyes going wide up a bit.

"yeah, I see it." Vicky introduced a boy named Sean to her, it was a good-hearted kid, even though he reminded someone else, which blurred in her mind thereafter.

The Arisu's sharp gaze pierced through the confusion in the young woman's eyes. "So, what led you to come here?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity.

"To this park?" she clarified.

"No, to Detroit. I've always wondered why, you'll never find anything amazing here." the woman replied sharply, but there was a hint of eagerness in her voice.

"I've been looking for a new life, a life where I could go to college, earn a master's degree." Vicky explained

"Why didn't you do that in your own city? Did someone hold you back?" Arisu bit her lip.

"No, it was my own choice." she lied nervously.

"I just wanted a fresh start..." she justified herself, letting out a deep sigh as she met Arisu's intense gaze.

"Whatever decisions you make in your life... only you know the right choice." Arisu stated firmly, wiping her hands with a napkin after finishing her ice cream.

They went through some rides together, after much insisting. Arisu sat on the front row of the cart. Sean almost opened his arms while riding, Vicky seems care so much of him. After that they went to the carousel, something that Arisu refused to ride on, she claimed that she is too old for that.

But she couldnt resist into Vicky's puppy eyes, so she accepted. The boy resembles someone, but isn't Haru. No, we was more joyful than him. He had a smile, that bringed joy to everyone who saw it.

It reminded of that kid.

"Do you need any help?" a voice on the void asked.

"I can, I can do this on my own!" the kid stammered, stumbling over her words, as she stood up confidently, even though she hadn't noticed her injured knee.

"if you can do this on your own, why you are always tripping?" the voice asked, with a tone of concern, she knelt down to check the condition of her knee, but the child herself took a step back when the voice hesitated to analyze.

"None of your business!" the kid yelled.

Her smile full of pride intriged Arisu a bit, why such a young kid with a severe condition could be so happy almost all the time? even when she is hurt?

if Haru could see her one day...

"I'm late, I should go." Arisu said while she gets up her seat, she lifted up her palm and waved for Vicky and the kid. She left the park.

As Arisu entered through the back door, the familiar corridor greeted her with a dull flicker of fluorescent lights. She quickly made her way to the storage room, pulling on her faded overalls as she went. The sound of children's voices grew closer, like a swarm of bees approaching after the hive had opened for the day.

Arisu's feelings towards her job were neutral at best. Most days were routine, but there were moments when some mischievous kid would purposely make a mess in the hallways, causing her extra work and frustration.

With a quick glance around, she expertly shot a jet of webbing to retrieve the last remaining garbage can from a distance, adding it to her overflowing garbage bag. She could feel the strain on her shoulders and spine as she hauled it all away. But no matter how hard she worked, it seemed like the kids always managed to undo everything in less than three hours.

At lunchtime, Arisu made her way to the staff room, turning the door knob to enter. To her surprise, she found the same little girl, barely half her height, seated on one of the chairs with her legs hugged tightly to her chest.

"Are you going to come here single every day just to annoy me?" she complained as she facepalmed herself.

The girl's laughter erupted, filling the air with its lively energy.

"What? Do you think I'm a clown or something?" She choked on her laughter, followed by a cough.

"I just can't help, you're so funny." She laughed until her chest heaved and her breath ran short.

"Ah, clever... but then, do you want to skip class or...?"Her expression gradually changed from curiosity to apprehension, her eyes darting around as she lowered her head in thought.

She remained silent, guilt flooding both conversations. A weary sigh came from the janitor.

"Running away."

"Running away? from who?" the woman asked

"From Myles...and Clark. They're always picking on me." Piper stammered over their names, as she clenched her fists when thinking about the two brothers.

"You should report this to your teacher, or the principal as well." suggested the woman, her voice firm.

"They .....don't listen to me." Piper's words were filled with frustration and fear, followed by a tense pause. She genuinely looked nervous.

"If you want, I can speak for you." offered Arisu, checking the time and realizing that lunch had already passed. She grabbed the handle of her trolley and made her way towards the door, pausing at Piper's next words.

"But what if I beat them up?" Piper suggested

The woman looked back and just said a simple "You can't settle everything with revenge." and then she closed the door with a thud. The echoes of her footsteps faded away as she made her way down the hallway towards the school cafeteria.