Peter Parker had never felt such remorse as he did today, because his indulgence had led to Uncle Ben's death. He didn't even dare to look at his aunt, who was weeping inconsolably in the living room, let alone tell her that he had caused all this. He was like a little animal that, after being struck down, retreated to its den, licking its wounds alone, unwilling to interact with anyone.
Even the girl he liked, Gwen Stacy.
Even his best friend at school, Harry Osborn.
"It's not that Peter doesn't want to see you, but he might need some alone time right now," Aunt May said, walking Gwen and Harry to the door. She gently hugged them and comforted them. Her husband's death had also left her deeply saddened, but it also made her realize that the family needed someone to stand up and support them. As an adult, she was more able to control her emotions in front of others.
"I know." Gwen also hugged Aunt May. "If there's anything you need tomorrow, I'll ask for leave for Peter. I'll come visit him over the next few days."
"I'll visit him often too," Harry agreed.
"You are both good kids. I'm glad Peter has friends like you." Aunt May forced a smile and watched the two people wave goodbye before she closed the door.
"Do you need me to give you a ride? My driver is nearby." Harry and Gwen walked side by side and pointed to their driveway parked on the side of the road.
"Thank you," Gwen said, not refusing Harry's offer. They got into the back seat, one behind the other. Harry gave the driver a few instructions. The car started and drove towards Stacy's house.
The car was quiet. Harry and Gwen were both silent, as if neither wanted to speak to disturb the stillness. Harry could see the worry and loss on Gwen's face, but he didn't know how to comfort people. His tricks of sweet talk to make girls happy didn't seem right in this situation, and on Gwen.
"You like that boy." Gwen, who had been silent with her head down, suddenly heard a voice. She raised her head in a daze and looked at Harry beside her: "What did you say just now?"
"What?" Harry was startled by Gwen's sudden question and asked back in confusion.
"Didn't you talk to me just now?" Gwen blinked. She clearly heard a voice talking to her just now, but she was not paying attention and couldn't tell where it came from.
"Of course not, I thought you needed some time alone." Harry shook his head.
"You like that boy named Peter!" Another voice was clearly caught by Gwen.
Gwen glanced around in confusion, and finally her eyes fell on Harry beside her: "You really didn't talk to me just now?"
"I promise I didn't!" Harry held up his hands.
"But I actually heard someone talking to me just now." Gwen frowned.
Harry looked at Gwen worriedly after hearing this. "I know you're worried about Peter's condition, but there's no need to put so much pressure on yourself. I think you're hallucinating. I sometimes get this way when I'm under too much pressure from school. Sometimes I dream about my father's disappointed face, which is terrible."
"Maybe." Gwen didn't argue.
Stacy's house was not far away, and the driver soon arrived at the destination. After saying goodbye to Harry, Gwen got out of the car with her backpack and walked towards her home.
"Your mind is full of that boy, can you change the picture to something else?"
The sudden voice rang out again, and Gwen stopped dead in her tracks. Her face paled slightly as she looked around. Seeing no one else around, she frowned and asked tentatively, "Who are you?"
"I am you." The voice quickly replied.
"You're me?" Gwen felt a little absurd for a moment. She felt she was mentally normal and stable, with no signs of schizophrenia. She had even had a full-body monitoring session when she was halfway through her job at Heberon, and everything was normal!
"You can just think of me as an alien symbiont. We coexist with the host, grow together," the voice said. "You don't need to look for me. I'm inside you. I'm communicating with you through my consciousness."
"Symbiote? You have your own thoughts and will? When did you enter my body?" Gwen asked a series of questions. She felt that none of the shocks she had experienced in the past year were as great as today.
"Of course I have my own thoughts and will. As for when I entered your body? It should have been a few days. I feel that your brain is very suitable for me to live in. I don't like hosts that are too stupid." said the voice.
"Wait, can you tell me what I'm thinking?" Gwen suddenly realized something she had overlooked at first.
"Of course, it's an instinct. We feed on the host's emotions, and different individuals have different tastes. For example, I prefer happiness, especially the happiness gained from knowledge. I particularly like it. You're in a terrible mood today, which has ruined my appetite. It's like a chef cooking a table full of terrible dishes, and you have to finish them. That's not the scariest thing. What's even scarier is that the chef has no intention of stopping and is still making more terrible dishes.
"I didn't mean to scare you, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. I'm not one of those rough guys who eats everything and anything. I don't have a big appetite!" the voice complained frantically.
Strangely, Gwen could actually feel the discontent of a certain consciousness in herself, even though she didn't know whether it was an illusion or the truth.
"I'm sorry." Gwen apologized subconsciously under the influence of this emotion.
"Do you like that boy? If so, why don't you confess? I've seen your memories. For you, simply confessing your feelings would allow you to be together," the voice repeated. "But I suggest that if you really want to be together, you should give yourself more private space and learn more. At least that way, you can have enough food to eat every day. The dopamine released by love is good, but it's not a regular meal for me."
"I think I need to get checked out," Gwen said. She didn't want to have this unknown symbiote in her body forever, especially when it could share her memories.
"Your body is very healthy. In fact, even if it is not healthy, I can make you healthy. You don't need to worry that I am a threat. You and I have a symbiotic relationship where we prosper together and suffer together." The voice naturally and easily noticed Gwen's inner uneasiness and thoughts, but it did not show it fiercely. Instead, it tried to reason with Gwen to gain her trust.
However, Gwen had made up her mind. She decided to go to the company for a check-up as soon as possible. Even if this parasite that claimed to be symbiotic and coexisting appeared harmless to humans and animals, she must at least know what this thing in her body was.