The Fraud: a Spider-Man fanfiction

//22- THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT//

Rose and the rest of the decathlon team stood outside the Monument, it was a cement circle around the memorial surrounded by a circle of the US flags, grass and a couple of bushes. Mr. Harrington had left them alone while he purchased the tickets and got the information about the next tour. "I just wanted to congratulate everyone for today, you did an amazing job, guys," Liz said, the crew smiled as the professor came back, "we should go back to the pool tonight."

"Thanks, Liz," Rose mumbled.

"I told you you could do it."

The professor came back with everyone's respective tickets and gave one to each one. Michelle sat down on one bench and took out the books she had been reading since Rose had memory, it was extremely thick and with a black cover. The group went ahead, leaving Michelle sitting. "The tour's in five minutes, you coming Michelle?" The girl looked away from her book.

"Nah, I don't think so," she raised her eyebrows, "I don't like to celebrate things that were built by slaves, you know? I just don't feel comfortable."

"It's fine, just stay here until we're done, enjoy your, um, book" Michelle nodded and Harrington followed his students to the Monument.

The group had started to make the line through security. Rose had noticed that Ned seemed to be fighting with someone through the phone, "don't worry, it's in my backpack, no, no, I'm fine, Peter." Peter.

Rose approached Ned and took the phone from his hand, "Peter?"

"Oh, hi Rose," he said, he sounded agitated. Rose could swear that she heard someone on the back say Is that Rose?

"Jesus, you had me worried sick, where are you? You sound-"

"Rose, I need to talk to Ned."

"Miss, please put the phone in the belt, please," one of the security guards ordered her. Rose took the phone away from her ear and put it on the belt. As soon as it entered x-ray the call disconnected. She took the device on the other side and gave it back to Ned, apologizing for taking it from him. The boy assured her it was fine and that he was worried as well.

The whole group entered an elevator together, it was see-through and inside there was a woman in a uniform who began to explain everything they needed to know about the Memorial, "The Washington Monument is a memorial for the US president George Washington," that woman sounded like she was going to fall asleep at any moment, "The building is 555 feet, five and one eight inches tall." As the group went up, the woman pointed out at the structure of the monument and said a couple of fun facts that made the rest of the group eager to get to the top.

A blue-ish white light came out of somewhere behind Rose, the group of students looked in terror at Ned, whose backpack seemed about to explode at any second. The boy took it off and threw it to the ground just before the elevator shook and everyone fell to the ground. They could hear glass breaking from somewhere.

Everyone was panicking, the guide of the tour along with Harrington helped everyone back to their feet. Ned's backpack was completely calcined and there was an orange outline in the elevator ceiling of when the strange explosion had cut it. "Ned, what the hell is that thing?" Betty screamed.

"I- it's-" he tried to shake, but the elevator shook again, throwing everyone to the ground, Rose handed face down to the floor, she could feel the skin of her inner cheek had ripped and she could taste the blood. This time, the adults stood on the ground, terrified as well.

Everyone was breathing heavily and they could hear their own heartbeats banging their ears, "just stay calm, we will get help soon." The guide said.