Arachnophobia ⇒ Peter Parker

fifteen: like father like daughter

     Outside of Rose's window, a little girl held tightly on to the legs of her father. Her small body, draped in a fur petticoat, clung to and shuffled alongside him, attempting to keep up with his fast pace. He had an arm wrapped around her and the booming chuckles that left them captured the attention of those nearby. The warmth of this moment reflected on Rose's smiling lips, and a gutting feeling wrenched in her chest as she remembered her own father. His beautiful smile could brighten her mood regardless of the situation. He never failed to turn her sad tears into tears of laughter when he sprung up one of his silly jokes. Even on his last day, sprawled over a hospital bed with tubes running through his body, he managed to vanquish the harsh melancholy that tainted the dreary hospital room.

     What she didn't know about her father was a particular moment that was of his doing. This moment would change her life forever, and she never knew of it. She continued to stare at the father and daughter in admiration, completely oblivious. However, the moment itself was playing itself over in the mind of, to her, a stranger.

     Charlie walked up to the front desk. The bounce in every step he took was one accessory that made his large smile appear to be even wider than it already was. His glasses bobbed up and down on his angular nose. His arms swung in a forward and backward motion and his heels were picked back up before they were able to touch the ground.

     Charlie opened his lips, smile unwavering, and enthusiastically said, "Greetings and salutations! Would you by chance know where I could sign someone up for the PTY Camp?"

     "Go through that door and walk straight, you'll find Officer Mack's room," The woman muttered, taking long pauses after each word. The two were a strict contrast - fluid black writing on a crisp white paper.

     In front of him was a door with tinted windows and a dulling linoleum plaque that read Officer Mack. The door swung open beneath his grip. The officer inside sat at his desk, shuffling disorderly papers and rubbing his crumpled up nose. Officer Mack peered up at the man, studying him. The officer pushed his glasses upward and scratched his balding head. Charlie proceeded forward and took a seat in front of him, shifting into the cheap foam that lined the chair.

     "Why hello, Officer. I was wondering if I could sign my daughter up for your Police Training for the Youth Camp," Charlie bubbled.

     Officer Mack grunted at this and bent down over one of the drawers in his desk. He grabbed a stack of paperwork and slammed it in front of him.

     "You have to fill this out," He grumbled. The officer took out a stray pen from his mess of disorderly stacked police reports and threw it at Charlie.

     Charlie grabbed it from him and began to vigorously scribble away at what was in front of him. The officer glanced upward, signaling for the departure of this man. However, Charlie was too occupied in what he was doing to realize this. The officer sighed and continued on with his work.

     Charlie simply wanted to provide a good future for his daughter. She had shown interest in this occupation so he was determined to pay for her position in this camp. He believed that his daughter was perfect for the job, from her sharp thinking to her unbeatable stamina. Even though she was only in her first year of Junior High School, Amalia had her heart set on it.

     After half an hour, the man pushed the documents back towards the officer. He glanced at them, checking for any mistakes.

     Officer Mack cleared his throat and said, "Sir, on 'extra information' you put that your daughter plays the recorder. Is this really necessary?"

     "Why, of course. I happen to think that her musical talent is a critical aspect of her persona. She's absolutely brilliant. Now if we're done here, I should get going," He said, offended at the officer's distrust. Charlie pushed upward and out of his chair. He slowly left the office; his footsteps resonated on the tile flooring.

     He was determined to get his daughter into this camp, regardless of what it took.

     Rose never did go to the Police Training for the Youth Camp. Her paperwork was lost in amongst the other piles that occupied Officer Mack's room. The passing of her father came before it, and she had never managed to sort everything out. All that remained were her hidden desires. There was no way in which her mother could pay for the camp when there was only a small source of income holding three-person family afloat. Piles of hospital bills replaced the girl's night out with friends or new mobile phones. The family was on financial hold.

     Despondent over the way things had turned out, Rose turned over to renting books out at the public library. Her already intelligent mind was expanding. Her ideal night was curled up in a corner, flipping away at pages of her most recent book. She was determined to not be a burden, and she developed a fear of being one.

     Talk about being a burden, her family's lives were in danger simply because of her. She always wondered, would she be in this position had she done something differently? In reality, she had nothing to do with getting chosen. That fateful day, which is so kindly displayed above, was the cause of everything she was currently going through. However, her fate was sealed on a cool day in the warm month of July, when Officer Mack peered over at his papers beneath a thick layer of spiraling white smoke that streaked from his mouth out to the tip of a hot red cigarette.

     On one fateful day in the heat stroke of July, Officer Mack stumbled across a set of paperwork that had been filled out years before. It had been over a year since the man who had filled them out stumbled into his office with a dream for his daughter. The officer looked at the paper once more, analyzing all of the details that coated it. A smile perched on his face when he realized, the girl was perfect. He picked up the office phone that lay beside him and punched in a set of numbers that were familiar to his touch. The machine buzzed, and the rattle pressed against his ear beneath its soft hum.

     "Hello?" A man's voice muffled out from the other line. His words were laced with dominance and the sweet aroma of a cigarette stub.

     The officer kicked his legs onto the desk in front of him and said, "Isaac, I'm contacting you about the spot you have in that program of yours. I was just stumbling across some old forms of mine and I think I've found a girl who would work perfectly."

    Later that night Isaac lay in his bed, drifting into sweet dreams with a warm smile tinting his usual frown. Maybe he knew it, maybe he didn't. But that night lit the pathway to what he would later come to know as the destruction of the Avengers.

     As for Rose, she would be forced to place it numbly into his hands.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

So, you have finally found out why Rose/Amalia was chosen by Isaac. Did this surprise any of you all? Tell me below. Also, I would so appreciate it if you would comment or like this chapter! I guess we shall meet again next chapter...