1 | ISSUES ( Peter Parker )

09

           

CHAPTER NINE | CAN'T SAVE EVERYONE

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she was fierce, she was audacious, but most of all, she was a girl who had her world crumbled as fire danced within her

-e.s.

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Bella glanced down at the guy she had knocked out and tied up. Normally she would wait for the police before she ditched the scene, but the radar on her watch was beeping furiously. The words ARMED ROBBERY were glaring up at Bella in bright red. Cursing, she tightened the ropes around the man's ankles and wrists before teleporting to the coordinates.

Bella's blood ran cold when she saw who was in the store. Uncle Ben was standing in front of the counter, his arms held up while the cashier dug through the cash register. Bella felt sick. She had spent a lot of time at Peter's apartment in the past month, and Uncle Ben and Aunt May were both so kind and welcoming to her.

"Uncle Ben!"

Bella turned on her heel and saw Peter sprinting towards the store. In a split second, she teleported to Peter, grabbed him, and teleported to the other side of the street.

"Let go of me!" Peter yelled.

"Listen to me," Bella yelled back, her voice louder than his. "You can't go in there!"

"That's my uncle in there," Peter shot back, his voice softer this time and his eyes wet with tears.

"Look, I'm gonna try to save him, okay? But, Peter, I need you to stay here so I can do that."

"How'd you know my n—"

"Stay here!" Bella yelled, teleporting to the store.

BANG! BANG!

"No!" Bella screamed, rushing into the store.

Uncle Ben and the cashier were both on the ground bleeding. The cashier had been shot in the throat and was dead already. Uncle Ben had been shot in the stomach and was bleeding profusely, but was still alive.

Anger surging through Bella's veins, she vaulted over the register and kicked the robber in the gut. She yanked the gun from his hands and whacked him over the head with it. He crumpled to the ground. Bella pulled a couple zip-ties out of the pocket in her suit and tied him up before rushing over to Uncle Ben.

"Sir, are you all right?" she asked, clutching his hand while pressing her other hand to his wound.

"Uncle Ben?"

"Peter," Uncle Ben rasped out.

"No, no, no," Peter choked, falling to his knees beside his uncle.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Bella turned away from the two and searched the store for a phone.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"Um, this is Poltergeist... there's been a robbery at King's Convenience Shop on Jordan Street in Queens. Get here fast, please. One man is dead and... the other isn't looking good. The robber is knocked out."

"Thank you, I'll send someone right away."

"—that girl you like, ask her on a date, all right?"

"Uncle Ben, stop talking like this," Peter said. "Everything's going to be okay."

Ben continued speaking, but she couldn't listen to his rattling breaths and Peter's sobs. Bella didn't know what to do. She had never let someone die before. That's why being Poltergeist felt so good. She saved everyone. She put the bad guys in jail and saved the day. Tonight she was a failure.