The Masks we Hide Behind || Peter Parker [1]

twenty-four: flashbacks

Sometimes, I ask myself, Madelyn, what are you most scared of?

Well, the answer to this is rats. Rats absolutely terrify me. But that's beside the point, because this evening I find myself pacing back and forth on a rooftop, all suited up. My hands shake and my knees tremble, and my legs have turned to jelly. I feel as if I may collapse at any given moment. My breath shakes as I breathe in and out deeply, trying to calm myself down.

I'm supposed to be heading to Avalanche's warehouse, but I began to feel nauseated as I swung through the streets. I couldn't think of anything I ate that could have made me feel sick, but when I stood on solid ground I had begun to freak out. So now, here I am, trying to just breathe.

Why am I so nervous?

I sit myself on the edge of the rooftop and pull my mask off, bunching it into my left hand and closing my eyes, wiping at my forehead with the back of my gloved hand. The breeze ripples through my hair and it sits in a frizzy mess after sitting in the mask for some time now.

Could it be about Avalanche?

No. It can't be.

It couldn't be, right? I had seen him only once since my father was killed, and that was to save one of my best friends.

Maybe I am scared.

But why? What could I possibly be scared of? I've dealt with Avalanche countless times and now, all of the sudden I'm literally having anxiety over him. What's going on?

I look at my surroundings and frantically decide that I have to keep going and just brush it off. I'll be fine, I'll be fine. Right?

I take a deep breath and reach around to unzip my backpack and grab the small, torn piece of notebook paper with the warehouse address scribbled in sharpie. I read the address one last time before shoving the piece of paper back into my bag and taking off.

My stomach flips, twists, and turns as I soar through the city, and I find myself just as nervous as I was last year when I had to speak in front of my entire school for a group project. Actually, I'm even more nervous than I was then, which is saying a lot.

I'm not even close to the warehouse location as I feel the all-too-familiar rumbling of the buildings I swing off of. I quickly come to a stop and land on the sidewalk near a group of terrified pedestrians, and stare in horror at Avalanche himself.

My eyes widen and I swallow hard as I look around the area. "Everyone, get out of here!" I scream, and I successfully gain the attention of nearby citizens. They do as they're told and run away, hopefully to safety. Soon, the street is almost clear, however the traffic hasn't moved an inch.

"You decided to show up again?" The Avalanche booms, his voice echoing throughout the streets. I bite my lip nervously, my hands beginning to tremble.

"Let's take this somewhere else," I shout and aim my wrist up at the building just to the right of the man. "These people deserve to live."

"That's where you're mistaken, girl." He scoffs, turning towards me. He slowly kneels down and begins to press his hands to the concrete.

"No!" I cry out, my wrist flying forward and shooting a web that carries me over to Avalanche. My heart races as I manage to throw him to the side. He stumbles only slightly and turns back to me. I can see the smirk slowly spread on his lips in between the slit of his metal mask before he quickly slams a fist onto the ground. I watch in horror as the ground ripples and rips up in chunks of concrete, in a straight, quick path heading towards me.