Spiderman From the Ashes : Volume One

Chapter Nine - I'm Here to Hold You Up*

Well, I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette
A lifeless face that you'll soon forget.

"Can you tie my shoes? Papa?" a young voice echoed through the empty room. Meanwhile, a tall man knelt down to fasten the shoelaces.

"Okay, I'll do it for you." he reassured her, "But if you stumble like before, I'll be here to steady you." his gaze staring at the shoes.

As time passed, those words grew fainter, fading into a distant memory. Piper almost felt as if she had forgotten how it sounded like.

As the girl's feet carried her toward a building teeming with children, she stumbled. The distance seemed both far and near to Piper, blurring her perception. She fell once, but struggled to get up, still lying on the ground.

Numerous questions swirled in her mind. Why was she alone now? Why didn't she have someone to lean on? Why didn't he seem to be there for her whenever her chin hit the concrete?

If Cassandra had been there, Piper would have had no cause for complaint—only if she truly desired it. Piper knew that she never wanted her there.

In the distance, thunder rumbled, heralding an impending heavy rain. Piper worried her boots would become soaked during the trip, potentially embarrassing her in public if she arrived late.

When she reached the school building, she dragged her boots across the entrance carpet. Children passed Piper through the narrow corridors, looking as if they wanted to catch her by the concrete. As if they were waves curling up between the cool, damp sand of the beach. All of them as if they wanted to drown Piper. Everyone knew who she was and what she did.

Whenever her eyes settled on the children's faces, an unsettling smile seemed to surface from within them. Laughter accompanied this eerie expression, yet none of these children appeared as menacing as the two boys who confronted her in the bustling corridor.

"Get out of my way." Her shoulder jerked abruptly backward as a raven-haired boy shoved her, nearly toppling her to the floor. The other boy joined in the laughter. The supervisor intervened, reprimanding them with a barrage of words that failed to alter their demeanor. Piper struggled to get up.

The supervisor was also a pedagogue, as was Piper's instructor (who helped her do her homework in class due to her condition).

After the class session ended, the little girl needed to find a place to hide from the bullies, an excuse to avoid confronting them in the school courtyard. Her usual refuge was the girls' bathroom, but lately, even there, some girls would mock her out.

That's when she decided to sneak into the janitor's room, as always. The smell of rusty metal hung in the air, and the small space was illuminated by a flickering light.