Drawing the Wildcard

Chapter 8: Tragedy Strikes

After spending the rest of the day at the arcade, the trio decided to call it quits. Currently, they were headed to Aunt May's house to study for the classes they missed. And by 'study', they mean mess around on Jake's computer.

"I still say you cheated." Kit mutters as they walk to the house. Jake snickers slightly and Ari rolls her eyes.

"I never cheat at fighting games, my feline friend. I fight with honor." Jake says.

"Yet you cheat at everything else." Ari pipes up.

"Silence, non-believer! I shun thy poisonous words!" Jake replies while pointing at her in an overly dramatic fashion. Ari giggles at his performance. Their revelry was suddenly cut short when they see a couple of police cars in front of the house.

"What's going on?"

"Only one way to find out, Kit." Jake says as the trio walk into the house, seeing Aunt May talking to a police officer.

"Aunt May, what's going on?" Jake asks, glancing at the police officer. The officer turns his attention to Jake.

"And who are you, son?"

"I'm Jake. Jake Parker. I'm her nephew. Is there something wrong?" Jake asks, nervousness beginning to bubble up in his stomach.

"I'm afraid so." The officer says. "We've got a call saying that your Uncle Ben was shot and killed earlier." He says in a sympathetic tone. Jake and Kit's eyes widen in shock while Ari covers her mouth in horror.

"What? No. You're messing with me." Jake says in denial, turning towards Aunt May. "Right, Aunt May? This is a joke, right?" He asks, hoping and praying that it was a joke.

"No, Jake. I got the call from Peter earlier. He's gone." Aunt May replies, breaking down into sobs as she sat down on the couch. Jake just stands staring into space, his mind reeling from the information.

"Jake, I'm sorry, man." Kit says, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"We're here for you, Jake. If you need anything, ask us." Ari says softly, noticing the look in Jake's eyes. The look of a man who just lost everything. She also noticed that he was trying to hold back his own sobs, judging by the way his body was shaking slightly. Ari wraps him in a hug.

"It's OK, Jake. Let it all out." she whispers in his ear. That seemed to do the trick as Jake slowly broke down into body-wracking sobs, holding Ari close to him as she gently runs her fingers through his hair while whispering soothing words into his ear.

---

The funeral was a somber occasion. Especially due to the fact that it started to rain halfway through the service. Not good when you have an outdoor funeral. After the coffin was lowered into the grave, everyone dispersed. Everyone except for Jake, Kit, and Ari. Jake stood there looking at the tombstone.

"I can't believe Uncle Ben is gone." he murmurs.

"Me either, Jake. This city is dangerous. Can't even go out without some punk with a gun threatening you." Kit replies. Ari has a thoughtful look on her face.

"Then we stop it."

"What do you mean, babe?" Kit asks, turning to look at Ari.

"We stop the crime. We'll stop these punks before they can hurt anyone else." Ari states, making Kit and Jake look at her incredulously. 

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Jake asks.

"Simple. With our brains and your new powers, Jake."

"I don't even know what else I can do. All I can do so far is run fast, crawl walls, and sense danger. Oh yeah, and rapid healing." Jake says.

"Then we'll experiment with what you can do. We can do this. Together." Ari says, putting her hand out. "So, what do you guys say?"

"This sounds crazy, babe. But, I'm in." Kit says, placing his hand on top of Ari's. Both of them look at Jake expectantly. He cracks a small smile and places his hand on top of theirs.

"I'm in, too. All for one and one for all."

"We're True Believers." Kit says

"Together, we won't fall." Ari add, the three of them smiling and walking away. On this day, a bond grew stronger and a promise was made.