From the Shadows | PETER PARKER [2]

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Eloise throws her head back and groans in frustration. She gets plenty of looks, mostly because she's in her Shadow suit sitting on the edge of the sidewalk outside of a tattoo parlor. She's on the the same street Cliff was shot, and although it brings back plenty of unpleasant, fresh memories, she pushes all of her emotions to the back of her head so she doesn't get distracted.

It's the second day Eloise is doing this. She hides her identity to ensure her safety and visits every single shop and building on the street to ask questions. She is mostly successful with getting people to answer her, probably because she's known as one of the heroes who actually cares about the working-class. Once she briefly explains to some curious store clerks that she's questioning everyone on the street because the police aren't taking up the case, she gets even more publicity. MJ showed Eloise an article about how everyone is on Shadow's side, and it should have made her happy, but it didn't. She'll be happy once she finds Cliff's killer.

The sky is streaked with warm oranges and pinks, so Eloise decides to call it a day and head back home where MJ is currently listening to Eloise's playlist. The girls have been hanging out more often, but it isn't exactly your typical teenage girl sleepovers.

Eloise returns to an alleyway in the outskirts of the city where there are no cameras so she can change back into her normal clothes. She stuffs her suit into her backpack, more forcibly than needed, before zipping it up and heading home on foot. When she's only a block away from the apartment building, Eloise feels someone's eyes on the back of her head again. It's the same feeling she got a few days prior when she was walking home from the police precinct.

The feeling becoming almost overwhelming, Eloise whips her head around and stops in her steps. A figure ducks behind a building. Eloise curses herself for not having her powers at the ready so she could have stopped them before they ducked out of view.

Her alarm peaked, Eloise quickly takes after where the figure disappeared. Of course, when she turns the corner, the alley is vacant. In fact, there's no sign of anyone being there at all. It's a dead end too, with no doors on the sides of the buildings, so there's no possible way of them escaping either.

Eloise blows out a long breath of air and shakes her head. She's probably just being paranoid.

When Eloise returns to the apartment, MJ is lying off the edge of her bed on her back with a book in front of her face. MJ lowers the novel and acknowledges Eloise's arrival.

Eloise slips her backpack onto her desk and takes out her notebook. She taps it with one finger and looks over at MJ. "I am getting nowhere."

"Hm." MJ sits up and sets her book down after marking her spot. "Did you learn anything from your little trip?"

Eloise sighs and sits next to MJ on the bed. "I mean, it kind of just confirmed what I already knew."

"Which is. . .?"

"That the shot was from a distance," Eloise says, picking at her nails. "It didn't go through Cliff's body, so it wasn't short-distance or anything. No one on the west side of the street even heard the gunshot, but some people near the east end did. That means the shot most likely came from one of the buildings that are lined up on the east end of the street, so I'm going back tomorrow to look into it some more. Maybe I'll convince some building owners to let me see some security tapes if they have any saved from that day."

"See?" MJ nudges Eloise's shoulder. "You're getting somewhere."

Eloise looks down and doesn't reply right away. She bites her lip and glances at MJ. "Thanks for helping me out, I don't think I could do this without some support. Peter's been busy working with Stark and Ned, like you already know, got a summer job."