Peter started awake in the back of the taxi. The taximan glanced in his rear-view mirror towards him, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath that Peter didn't catch.
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up, his mind still in the process of waking up. His limbs felt heavy, and he had to make a mental effort to keep his eyes focused on the road ahead of him. Dirt gave way to grass, which lead to trees that spread across the landscape for as far as the eye could see on either side of the road. Sunlight scattered between the trees, obscuring whatever might be hiding in the shadows. Peter pushed that thought down.
They drove by a crooked sign that should read 'You are approaching Nevermore Academy' in dark purple writing, though 'Nevermore' was spraypainted over with 'Freak' in red paint. The taximan chuckled at the sight. Peter just gulped.
He'd heard of the academy before though knew little of it. It was infamous in the state. He'd heard the rumour of monsters attending the academy but paid the rumours little mind until recently.
One of the first things he did after being informed that he would be attending the academy was googling it. When he typed the academy into the search bar, he was greeted with the schools website. Clicking on the link he was brought to the homepage of the website,
Rounding a corner, the roof of the school slowly came into view. The roof was sharp, tiles overlapping and cutting across the sky. Statues and gargoyle adorned it, casting judgement down onto whoever walked below them.
Ahead of them he could see a black metal gate that had grand stranded designs. 'Nevermore Academy' was spelled out in metal on the gate in what Peter assumed was a gothic font. Was everything gothic themed at this school? He hoped not. He regretted not researching as much as he should have.
A prickling feeling manifested on his neck for a second as they passed through the small forest and his heart began to beat quicker. Peter rubbed the prickling spot, massaging it and started to control his breathing. The sensation of it soothed his nerves that were threatening to overspill.
The taxi came to a stop just as the whole school came into view up the hill. To Peter it looked like it belonged in a film like 'Crimson Peaks'. The school was covered in it's on shadow, almost as if it had cloaked itself in its own darkness. The few windows he could make out looked old, as if they hadn't been replaced since it was first put up, he doubted any light could get through them. Despite the school's nasty appearance, it made him smile, she would have loved it…
"This is as far as I go. You'll have to walk the rest of the way." The driver said gruffly, furrowing his eyebrows as he glared up at the academy.
"Okay" Peter said, opening the door and stepping out into the open. He breathed in and was surprised at how crisp and fresh the air was, after living in the city his whole life he had gotten used to air that wasn't the cleanest and had the smells of the city clung to it. He took in another breath. It was nice. He felt stupid for thinking it, but he expected the air around the school to smell like death.
The driver walked to the boot of the taxi and opened it, hauled the small suitcase out of it and handed it to the teen. The man looked Peter up and down, his eyes were searching for something, what that something was the teen didn't know. The man's eyes focused on the scar on Peters face and his gaze towards the teen softened. He shrank under the gaze.
"What are you?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" Peter responded, blinking rapidly completely clueless as to what the man meant.
The man rubbed the back of his neck, "you know, are you a uh… werewolf or something?"
"Oh, uh no I'm not a werewolf though that would be really cool," the man scoffed at that," I'm a uh psychic I guess?" he mumbled, the man barely catching what the teen said.
"You guess? Can you see the future? What are the winning lotto numbers for tonight?" he asked, half joking and half hoping that out of all the freaks to drive he had lucked out.
"No not that type of psychic, I can't see into the future or anything." Peter responded, the drivers hope deflating and his eyes lost a small shine they had gained. He looked at the teen and raised his eyebrows and Peter knew what the man was thinking, he was a useless psychic. The man wasn't wrong, Peter was useless.
"So, what can you do?"
This was the question he had been preparing for and had practiced the answer in front of the mirror for months. He and Mr. Banks had rehearsed every morning, afternoon and night for four months. As much as he hated lying to people and talking about his powers, this was unavoidable, and he needed a believable story. He could do this.
"It's something comparable to a sixth sense, I get this feeling when me or someone around me is in physical danger. When I get the feeling, I know the general direction the danger is in."
The man grinned at him, "shit you're like a human metal detector, but for danger. I wouldn't want to get into a fight with you."
A blush crept onto Peters face, and he rubbed his arm, "I wouldn't say that. I mean I have a general idea where the danger is coming from but reacting to it is an entirely different story," he lied. This was much harder than he expected, practicing the lie in front of the mirror was in a completely different ballpark compared to lying to an actual person.
The man nodded his head, "So if someone threw a baseball at you from behind, you'd know someone threw it from behind you but if it was thrown too hard, you'd still get hit?"
"Yeah…"
Rubbing his chin, the driver seemed momentarily lost in thought, "fascinating…"
A strong wind blew, passing through the trees whose leaves had just began to wither and fall, it brushed against the teens skin sending a shiver across his body. His hair that was already unkempt was blown even more out of order, strands of it pointing in every direction. Pulling his oversized jacket closer around him, trying desperately to close off any entrances that a cold gust could enter he glanced towards the distant school.
In all honesty he had no idea what to make of it.
From the distance he was at he could barely make it out, he could see distant shapes move back and forth between what he assumed was the entrance and a small clearing at the front that was full of cars that were nothing but coloured blobs to the teen.
Undoubtedly, up there were parents and children who were hugging each other and crying as they said they're final goodbyes before they left. Some would be counting down the days until the weekend or whenever they would see their family again. Some would also be thankful for the break away from their families, cherishing the time alone they would get to spend with their friends.
"Yeah, it's something alright," the driver began interrupting Peters thoughts, "stood there for almost what, two hundred years now?" he whistled but his tone of voice made it seem like he wasn't happy.
Peter shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, this is my first year here."
"A bit late to start your first year huh?" the man joked, smiling at the teen.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
"Why now though? I assume you were in a regular high school before this so what made you want a change of scenery?" the driver asked.
Fire and screams.
"My… circumstances changed and apparently Nevermore is where I'm supposed to be." Peter said dejectedly, the man casting a quick glance at the scar that ran down one side of his face.
"Be among your own?" the man guessed, and Peter found it hard to argue with it. He would be among people like him, though even in a school like that he would be the odd one out. Though nobody would know it, he wasn't born like this. His powers were an accident.
"Among my own." Peter echoed.
His own. What did that mean really? His people, people 'gifted' with special powers? Apparently werewolves were considered 'his people' even though there was a stark contrast between him and someone with the ability to transform into a wolf. Dark shadows began to creep from the treeline towards the duo, the dark spots snaking and twisting around as they danced as the wind brushed against branches.
"It's getting dark now kid, you better get to that school soon. I'm sure as hell not sticking around in this forest when it gets dark, not after what happened," the man shuddered, casting quick glances into the surrounding trees.
"What happened?" Peter asked, the man stopping just before he was about to open the car door. Everything about the man changed before the teenager's eyes, his eyes darkened, his shoulders slumped, and his breath quickened. Peter could feel the nervous energy radiating from the man, it was suffocating. A small droplet of swear rolled down the man's forehead though it was quickly wiped off when he pulled out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and dragged it across his forehead.
The driver opened his mouth, as if to begin saying something but swiftly closed it before any sound escaped. He tapped his toes through his shoes onto the damp grass. The driver went to say something again but closed his mouth before he could talk again.
A well had burst open and this man was laying out all of his pent up thoughts on what had happened. Peter wasn't sure what was wrong with the man and was beginning to think that the he wouldn't be able to say anything but with a loud gulp and a shaky breath the man began to speak.
"The sheriff, Galpin is his name. He's a nice man, a fair man. Known him my whole life, hell we went to school together, played on the same football team. Kids at school used to call him 'Rocketman', half because he used to sprint down the field faster than any other player, half because he couldn't stop singing the song whenever he went to have a shower…" the man ranted, only stopping to take a breath.
Peter regretted asking.
The driver cleared his throat and wiped his forehead again, "That isn't important. What happened was there was a monster, a monster that killed and mutilated its victims, killed citizens and students alike. The sheriff and the town assumed it was a student," Peter raised an eyebrow at this but didn't comment.
"Well they arrested a boy from the school, his name was Thorne or something similar. Everybody thought it was over but then… it wasn't. I don't know the full story, no one does apart from whoever was involved. The monster wasn't a student. It was the sheriff's son. It was a shock to the whole community when it was announced. Now he's locked up in some asylum though I doubt he'll ever see the light of day again."
Another cold wind blew, the sound it carried vague vestiges of words and grunts that sent a shiver down the pair's spines. "I don't go far into this forest and if you had any sense neither would you. Stick to your schoolwork and keep your head down. Learn whatever weird nonsense that school teaches you and then get as far away from it as possible when you're finished." With that ominous warning, the man opened the driver door and plopped down into the drivers seat. He stared the engine, it whirred to life and he began to do a U-turn. The car left a small smoke trail as it bumped down the road. It disappeared behind a turn and Peter could hear it retreating into the distance.
A monster. Another monster.
This one was apprehended. This one couldn't hurt anyone.
Casting a quick glance into the dark forest, he picked up the small suitcase and began his trudge towards the school.
Billy Joel sang into his ear as he walked, he had put in his earphones during the walk. They were barely held together and if the wire got twisted a certain direction, they wouldn't work but he didn't have another pair and they still kinda worked so they'd do.
He wondered what the students there would be like, if a whole town could be convinced one of them could be a mass murdering monster than…
'Don't judge a book by its cover Peter, it could be your favourite if you give it a chance'
Bens words came to him then, as he stepped onto the pavement next to a road. He said to him when he was five years old and they had stuck with him throughout his childhood, considering he used to be the social outcast of whatever school he was in.
A picture on the wall caught the teens attention, ripping him away from his nervousness temporarily as he stared at something in the photo. It was a class photo from 1992. In it were numerous students all of whom were adorned in robes and wore a small black hat with raven wings on both sides of them. People smiled, hugged each other and blew kisses towards the camera. It was a happy photo. A messy head of blonde hair drew Peters eyes. A familiar pair of blue eyes stared back at him, there was a sea of happiness in those eyes. There hadn't been the last time Peter saw him. He had his arms around someone, a woman with red hair that stretched to her shoulder. They were present in other pictures around that one, either in the background or were the subjects of it, in every one they were smiling and holding each other, a small cackle of electricity erupting from the fingertips of the blonde man.
Peter instinctually stroked one of his fingers down his back. Happiness like that in the photo should have mad him happy, instead he felt empty. That man smiling at him was no longer capable of happiness, or perhaps even any emotion.
"You may enter now," a voice announced from behind the closed door.
Man, this is going to suck.
Hesitantly, Peter gripped the door handle and twisted it open. Inside, a small plump woman sat at a desk, her body mostly obscured by the large desk she sat at. On the desk, papers were placed in neat stacks, folders were open and a small cup of tea sat within reaching distance of her. There were no windows in the room, instead a small chandelier dangled from the roof, it was made of glass and metal and twinkled in its own light. The floor was a light wood that Peter couldn't place while the walls were covered in a dark green wallpaper that had dark trees on them.
Turning his attention to the secretary, he was a little taken aback. She wore black glasses that made him wonder how she could see anything out of them. Her hair was the lightest shade of blonde he had ever seen though it was turning white at the roots, he thought it was hard to tell. An awkward silence stretched momentarily before the woman looked up from her computer. Something unrecognisable flashed across her eyes quickly, Peter being unable to pick up whatever emotion it was through the dark lenses.
The woman stood up quickly and made her way over to the teen, holding out her hand and Peter took it. Her grip was surprisingly strong and she shook it reverently.
"Mr Parker, it is a pleasure to meet you," she smiled, offering a hand for him to shake.
"It's um a pleasure to meet you too Ms…?" he asked as he shook her hand.
"Tanaka. Mrs Tanaka."
Peter nodded his head and repeated the name again, trying his best to remember it. The last thing he wanted was to forget people's names. Mrs Tanaka looked him up and down before casting a quick glance to the back of a picture frame before focusing back on the teen.
"I hope you don't mind me saying," the woman began, tugging at the hem of her black and purple jumper, "You've done a lot of great things, you stopped my son from getting mugged last year and… I wanted to say thank you."
From the bottom of her heart she was being sincere, Peter was sure of it though the gesture made him uncomfortable.
"Oh well that's good… that's good… You're welcome?" he mumbled, unsure as to what the right response to a statement like that should be.
"I just… I hope you don't regret anything you did. You helped a lot of people-"
The door to the principal's office burst open, stopping Mrs Tanaka mid-sentence as the principal walked in. The woman commanded a presence, her back was straight and her shoulders were held eye. Her angular jaw matched the intensity in her eyes. While Mrs Tanaka was warm and bubbly and you felt comfortable around her, the other woman was the complete opposite. Peter could tell he didn't want to get on her bad side.
Compared to the secretary, the principal looked normal, no weird blackout glasses were present on her face. Though looks could be deceiving, maybe she had fangs or had tentacles that came out of her stomach or something. At this point he honestly wasn't sure what to expect from anyone at this school.
The woman casted Peter a quick, cold glance before levelling her gaze towards the Mrs Tanaka. Said secretary shifted uncomfortable at her gaze, bouncing from one foot to the next as she stood. Turning to Peter, she fixed him with a cold gaze, "Follow me," she muttered.
Without another word she turned on her heels and walked into her office. Apprehensive of what was about to happen, Peter followed the woman inside, lagging behind a bit. Compared to Mr Morita, who while having a stern appearance when you got on his bad side but was actually funny and pleasant when talking to him normally, Peter couldn't imagine this woman being fun to talk to at all.
"Take a seat" she said sternly as she sat down at her desk.
Peter sat down opposite the woman, though he didn't have enough nerve to look at the woman. Instead, he was glanced at all the oddities in the room, like the deer skull, the stuffed giant spider, a Yeti memorial, a guillotine, two plague doctor masks, a-
"Before I get a student to show you around I'd like to let you know something," the woman began, narrowing her eyes at the teen.
Whatever was about to be said Peter knew he wouldn't like.
"You are not one of us, you are lucky to have been accepted into this school. I did some research into your heritage and not a single one of your ancestors attended this school nor married someone that did. You have no connection to this school, no blood that you share with it. The board of directors for this school however seem to feel pity for you. They graciously approved your application when it arrived to them. There was much discussion around it, the noble boy who lost it all wants to be among people like him. It brought tears to their eyes," she scowled.
"I'm telling you this now, so listen closely. If you bring a monster back to this school and it harms a singular student, faculty member or a brick of this fine school, I will see to it that not just your education is cut short... Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes…"
"Yes what?" she asked sharply.
"Yes ma'am…" Peter finished, his shoulders sagging.
"Good now get out of this office and wait outside."
Peter stood up and left the office without a word, digesting what the woman had said. Everything was so unfair, why did she have to hate him? Just because he wasn't one of them? What a bunch of bullshit. He didn't even want to be here, he just wanted to be alone. Realising that his anger was dangerously close to boiling over, he took deep breaths like he was thought to. They helped, slightly.
But alone he wouldn't be, at least for the moment. Ms Tsulka brought a boy with her when she returned to the reception. He was around Peters height, had long brown hair that brushed against his shoulders. On his fingers was some kind of black smudge, though what it was exactly the teen couldn't be sure. Whoever it was walked next to Ms Tsulka awkwardly, keeping pace with her long strides.
"Xavier Thorpe this is Peter Parker, out new transfer student," she motioned towards Peter, "if you could please give him a tour of the campus and to his dorm, I have urgent business I need to attend to and unfortunately I'm unable to show Mr Parker around," she smiled.
Peter doubted she had any urgent business to take care of, she just didn't want to deal with the outsider.
"Sure, okay I can do that," Xavier agreed.
Tsulka smiled at him, "Good," she turned to look at Peter and the smile dropped, "have a good day Mr Parker." With that the woman turned on her heels and went into her office.
When Peter looked over to Xavier, he caught the other boy looking at the scar on his face though he looked away when he noticed Peter looking at him.
"So uh, welcome to Nevermore I guess?" the long-haired teen began, gesturing around the empty hallway. He proceeded to give Peter a tour of the school, showing him where the cafeteria, library, study hall and various classrooms are. Remembering all the locations was easy enough, though not for a good reason.
In Xaviers words, "Class 13 is next to the painting of the man getting executed, the cafeteria is below the tarantula sanctuary, the history class is the one with an iron maiden as the door…"
Peter silently nodded along to everything that Xavier was saying. At some points the other boy tried to get an opinion out of him but every time that happened Peter would either shrug his shoulders or just answer with something like, 'it's cool'.
It wasn't that he disliked small talk (he did a little bit, more so because he sucked at it) or that he didn't like Xavier, the other boy seemed cool and chill, some of the jokes he awkwardly tried to crack were funny. It was just that… he didn't belong here. As much as he wanted to argue with everything Ms Tsulka had said to him, he just couldn't. Everything was true. He also didn't have a great track record with friends.
Minutes passed quickly, the tour was almost done and Peter was glad it was almost over. He just wanted to sleep.
"Now this is the quad," Xavier gestured to the open area as they walked into it, which was an octagon. Some people turned to look at the duo before returning to their own conversations.
"It's an octagon…" Peter muttered.
"It is yeah," Xavier grinned, "someone I know said the same thing last year when it was her first year. I think you two might get along."
I doubt it
"Now for some final parting wisdom," the teen began, stroking his hair back before gesturing to multiple groups around him, "they're the werewolves, they can be meatheads, but they mean well and don't pick on people outside their circles,"
He then pointed to a group of students who all had glasses similar to Mrs Tanaka, "They're the vampires and judging by your lack of glasses you're not one of them. They are nice most of the time, they only show their sharp teeth when they get competitive."
"Next to them are the sirens. My girlfriends over there, she's the one in the middle," Peter glanced at the girl he was pointing at. Even from the distance he was from her, her eyes were striking. They were the colour of the sea. "They're a nice group though some of them think a bit too highly of themselves," he furrowed his brow as he spoke, and his eyes lingered on one of the male students far from the middle.
The teen didn't ask and as soon as the other teen looked away from his target the look on his face washed away and was replaced with a smile.
Xavier quickly explained the faceless teens that had been creeping Peter out since he first noticed them as well as all the students who were wearing beanies, they're gorgons apparently.
"And the final group for this tour are the psychics. We're too many and varied to have one particular clique but we're all friendly and try to get along. Over there," Xavier pointed to a table tucked into a corner, "are my friends, you're more than welcome to sit with them or you can sit with me and my girlfriend if you want."
Neither option appealed to Peter whatsoever.
"I'm good thanks, I have to answer a couple of emails anyway," he responded. The other teen seemed to accept that answer.
"That's cool. Oh and before I forget, we're officially roommates so I'm looking forward to getting to know you better over the semester."
The smile that the boy in front of Peter was giving him was too nice and made him look away. "Oh, that's… cool?" Peter responded. He felt guilty as Xavier visibly deflated in front of him after he spoke but he genuinely had no idea how to react. He was kind of hoping and expecting after that little speech that Tsulka gave him that he'd be isolated from the rest of the school as much as possible but apparently not.
With that awkward end the tour came to an end and Xavier returned to the table his girlfriend was seated at and Peter sat down at an empty bench.
He sat silently for the time he was there, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram when he turned to look at what was setting his spider-sense off minorly. When he turned and saw what it was he was greeted with the blackest eyes he had ever seen on possibly the creepiest girl he had ever seen.
Jericho was an odd town, it felt like it had been taken right out of the Salem Witch Trials and planted into the modern day, though the teen supposed that's what it was aiming for. The town was littered with references to its history during the time, the statue of its founder Joseph Crackstone was proudly displayed in the centre of town surrounded by flowers and some charred grass. Signs hung on streetlights directing people to museums and gift shops.
The shop Peter was looking for wasn't too far away now, google maps was telling him it was less than three blocks away.
As the newest member of the Engineering and Repair club he was assigned with the menial tasks that the other members didn't want to do. Such as getting parts and supplies from the shop he was making his way to. Being in town was a nice escape from the school and gave his mind some peace. Despite its depressing vibe and obsession with their founder, it seemed to be a peaceful place and it had the added benefit of not setting off his spider-sense as much as Nevermore. Here, it was easier to ignore and let fade into the background.
Google Maps told him to turn left at the next corner and when he did he was greeted with perhaps the dingiest and smallest shop he had seen so far in the town. The windows were brown with green spots speckled along the glass that gave the impression that they hadn't been washed in years. An arched, green canvas hung slanted over the doorway with bold yellow letters that read 'Jericho Electronic Repairs'. It was a… not very creative name. There was a tagline on the windows though it was hard to read with all the spots though Peter thought it read 'Best Prices in Town', though it could have said something else.
Putting his phone back into his pocked he gingerly opened the door and stepped inside, the smell bell that hung over the inside of the door rang as it fully opened. Straight ahead of the teen was a small counter that was laced with exposed wires and mechanical parts. On either side of the entrance were shelves that were lined with basic supplies like wires, chargers and extension leads.
"What can I help you with boy?" a gruff voice called out.
Sat at the counter was a burly looking man with possibly the most elegant beard Peter had ever seen. It ran almost to the mans bellybutton and had whispers of grey hairs mixed in with the vibrant ginger.
"I-I'm here to pick up some parts?"
"Well, are you or aren't you?"
"I am…"
Remembering the list he was given, Peter fished the piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to the man behind the counter. The man took it and began reading it, nodding his head as he got further down the list.
"Ah, that Nevermore club then. I see… you're not the usual boy that collects them."
"Oh I'm new and I was told to come and get them."
"Ahh, fresh meat eh?" the man chuckled to himself and Peter did not like the implication of it. Turning back to look at Peter the man raised an eyebrow, "I meant that you're new you know? Giving the new guy all the work they couldn't be bothered to do."
"Oh," was all the teen could muster in response.
Peter didn't know what to make of the man but when he began to eye up the scar on his cheek he began to grow uncomfortable. The teen scratched at it and that seemed to snap the shopkeeper back to reality.
"My name is George, I suppose you'll be seeing a lot of me this year if they send you to get the supplies all the time," he explained, stroking his beard as he spoke.
"I'm Peter then," Peter responded, holding his hand out for the man to shake. For a moment the man eyed the hand curiously before taking it and shaking it.
"Hell of a grip you got there Peter," the man observed.
In response Peter loosened the tightness of his grip and slipped his hand out of the shake. "Thanks."
"Now let me get those parts for you quickly," George said as he walked into a room in the back before emerging a few moments later with two small plastic bags. Peter took them from him and thanked him before making his way out of the shop and back to the car that would take him back to Nevermore. That man, George, seemed nice and some of the stuff Peter caught a glimpse of in the back made him made him wish that the club did more than repair phones and watches and whatever else the school or students needed. Oh well.
His first week of school began to go by quicker than he expected, much to his surprise. There was a lot of classes that he needed to get used to. Unsurprisingly Midtown did not have a class on deadly plants and their care or have a chapter on Lycan biology. There was definitely a learning curve to this school that he didn't expect.
Throughout the week the teen had mostly kept to himself. Xavier regularly attempted to talk to Peter, though only really when they were both in their room at the end of the day. He appreciated the attempt at being nice to him, he really did but he wasn't looking for anymore friends. Apart from Xavier, a handful of random students attempted to make small talk with him, though it never went anywhere. Their eyes always lingered on his scar, which made him uncomfortable though he supposed he couldn't blame their curiosity.
So, his friendless self spent most of his school day either in class, in the library, the mechanics club room or exploring the campus. The library and mechanics club room were nice as people rarely went into them, so they were always quiet. There was the odd time a student would come in with something wrong with their phone that would force Peter to talk to them but other than that it was okay.
When it was quiet enough and he was sure there was nobody around he would pop in his earphones and listen to his voicemails and videos on his phone. Alone, he would close his eyes and imagine he was somewhere else with other people.
Peter awoke with a start, his middle and index fingers pressing down on the inside of his palm on both of his raised hands. Awareness came to his panicking mind slowly. He was okay. He was in bed in his dorm.
He put a hand to his forehead, his hair clung to it and when he lowered his hand it was wet.
On the opposite side of the room, Xavier slept soundlessly. Luckily Peter hadn't awoken the artist who would almost definitely ask him about what woke him up.
A soft breeze blew into the room, Peter shuddered and pulled the covers over him. Outside, the moon hung in the sky, silver light trickled into the bedroom through the windows. When he rubbed his eyes, he could feel the bags under them rub against his fingers. Sleep was something functioning humans needed, at least eight hours every night and Peter was definitely a functioning human. Barely.
Hopefully coffee would be on offer for breakfast. Lots of coffee.
Realising that he needed to at least try to go back to sleep, he adjusted his pillow and lied back down. His mind had different ideas, however. No matter how hard he tried or how many sheep he counted his brain refused to be quiet and go asleep.
After what seemed like hours to him, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber, signs of dawn seeping through the cracked curtains.
Days passed in a blur and before Peter knew it his first week at Nevermore came to an end. Getting used to the vastly different curriculum proved to be more of a challenge than he expected though there were few classes he struggled in. Botany was surprisingly interesting; he loved the class though nobody else seemed to be too enthusiastic about it. With permission from Weems, he had been allowed to swap 'Lycan Social Studies' for 'Physics'.
There were few spaces of normality in the school, so he appreciated the math and physics class were a nice change of pace.
There was an air of excitement ever present throughout the hallways. Students buzzed with excitement in the hallways, whispers of a 'Crash' echoed around every corridor. Xavier had explained it to him while they were in their room one night, saying that it was a get together in a field where everyone would drink until they couldn't walk straight.
To Peter, it sounded like possibly the worst idea he had ever heard. He rejected Xaviers invitation, saying he 'had homework' he needed to catch up on. In reality it was all done but luckily the other teen seemed to accept the lie.
On the night of the 'Crash', after Xavier had left for it, Peter decided to roam the empty halls of the school. There were interesting places scattered throughout the school and he had decided that it was better to know where they were than to not.
Silence stretched throughout the building, an unnatural one that sent a shiver down his spine. There wasn't a moment in the day when his spider-sense wasn't vaguely going off, a minor tingle at the back of his head. Now, inside the almost entirely empty school it was silent. Was it weird that he became accustomed to it? Was it weirder that he missed it?
As he rounded the corner after passing the 'Snake Room' (he did not go in there), not watching where he was going someone bumped into him.
The bumped person fell back onto the floor with a small thud and Peter looked down at the figure in confusion.
"Parker…"
"Wednesday?"
She stood up, brushing some dust off the bottom of her black leggings before examining him. Her eyes were cool but sharp, there was something in them that set him on edge. It felt like she was looking for something, searching him for whatever he had to hide. And he had a lot.
"What are you doing here? Not going to the 'Crash'?" he asked, trying to keep his voice cool and steady but it came out sounding forced.
"I could ask you the same," her tone was neutral but even then, it felt sinister.
"I'm just exploring the school, it's bigger than my last one so I want to get familiar with it, so I don't get lost," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.
Her cold eyes carefully analysed him, and he found it hard not to squirm under her gaze. "I suppose that makes sense," she relented, nodding her head. Those cold eyes stayed though, still searching him for something.
"W-well I'm going to check out down there so…"
With the most elegance and composure he could muster the nervous teen side-stepped the gothic girl and walked down the corridor. Internally, his senses were slowly dialling up. That girl was trouble, every part of him slowly began to scream it whenever he was near her.
Back at the other end of the corridor, Wednesday watched as he rounded a corner out of view. Thing crawled up her back and onto her shoulder, the sole limb tapped and squirmed on her shoulder.
"Yes Thing, I want you to tail him."
In response it shook and sent fingers flying in every direction.
"I don't care about your spa day," she scoffed, "just make sure you get a detailed report to me by the end of next week. Ten thousand minimum word count."
Visibly deflated, Thing jumped off of the teens shoulder and landed with a small, graceful thud on the carpet. It scuttled off in the direction Peter went.