Spiders Crawl

Sixteen

I fell back as she swung at me again. I coughed out blood but got up again.

"Aren't you persistent?" She said angrily.

"Where's the team when you need them?" I muttered.

"Charlotte!" I heard Luke's voice call me. Speak of the devil. The rest of the group was running behind him. They weren't in their superhero clothes so I had to choose my words carefully.

"Luke! Get out of here!" He gives me a confused look and I look where the shifter was, but nothing was there. She ran away.

"Are you ok? Let's get you home." He carried me as the others followed.

"Did someone hurt you?" Sam said concerned. Thats a first.

"I'm not sure what happened." Which was the truth. I didn't know how it changed into me and why. I didn't know why this morning I felt such a way that could only be explained by Osborn. I was basically the most confused person in the world.

"We need to get those cuts looked at." Ava said as she pulled out a napkin from her purse. Why she had a napkin in her purse? I never even knew she carried purses.

"No I'm fine. I need to find Peter." I said as I got up.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Danny insisted but I kept refusing.

"I need to go to Pete's."

"Fine. We were on our way anyway." Sam said. And we all left.

...

"Charlotte?" Peter said shocked.

"Hey there Pete. Glad to see you too." Ava said sarcastically.

"Peter, I need your help." He gave me a confused look but he later understood.

"Of course! Math book upstairs. Sorry guys, I promised her a private tutor class." He lied.

After everyone else left, we went upstairs. "What's wrong?"

"Do you believe in shape-shifters?" I asked him with a serious face. He laughed.

Then he realized I wasn't kidding. He cleared his throat and sat down. "Ok, lets say I do. What does it have to so with anything?"

I took a moment to think. "I was," I couldn't believe what I was saying. Maybe I was just hallucinating? No. The pain and wounds were real. "I was attacked by one."

He looked at me surprised. I tried to convince myself this was all a dream. "Charlotte, did you see its face?"

"It's a damn shape-shifter! It had my face." He stayed quiet and gave a silent apology. "Sorry, I've just been on edge since this morning."

"The school is still fixing so wanna grab lunch tomorrow?" Peter blurted.

"What happened to it?"

"I'll tell you during lunch tomorrow?" He said hopefully. I smiled.

"Sure. 3:00?" He nodded and I left.

While walking home (Harry's penthouse), I started getting really worried. I felt as if I had eyes on me.

I stopped every once and a while and turned around. I griped my suit, which was under my clothes, everytime I heard a noise.

When I finally couldn't take it anymore, I abruptly turned around and caught a shadow retreating back behind a dumpster. "Who are you?! Show yourself!" I said and a few minutes later, a man came out into the light shined by a lampost. Talk about dramatic entrace.

He had salt and pepper hair, green eyes, and seemed in his early 40s.

"Charlotte." His deep voice sent shivers,down my spine. He looked me straight in the eyes.

"Who are you?" I slowly raising my hand just in case.

"It's me. Your father." He said hoping I would remember.

"Carter?!" I finally realize. A smile grew on his face as he walked over to me. With every step he took forward, I took backwards.

He left me and mom. Becuase of him, she's dead.

"Charlotte," He held his hand out. "Please." I stared at the dirty hand. He was covered in bruises, scratches, wounds, you name it. I still gave no pity.

"Tell that to the headstone of mom's grave." I said coldly and turned my back on him. I continued on my way to Harry's.

I could hear him running towards me, so I took a quick turn into another alley and climbed the wall. I stayed on the roof, and saw him turn and find me gone.

He looked side to side never bothering to look up. "I'm sorry." He quietly said, before going back.

I sat down on the edge and just stayed there. Why was he back? Why now? As if he's sorry.

I don't know how much time passed, but I saw the sun start to come up. I was exhausted, and Harry must be worried sick about me.