Truth Be Told

Chapter 1

Vanessa Crowford looked out of the clear glass window of the taxi she was riding into New York City. The buildings were tall and beautiful, the sidewalks were crowded with new yorkers pushing each other here and there, and the traffic was absolutely horrible. So many cars honking and yelling at anyone who got in their way. 'Are you sure this is the place you wanted to be in?' she thought to herself. She looked at the angry driver who continued to yell bloody murder outside his window at the drivers in front of him. She let out a sigh 'At least I'm here.' 

The cab finally pulled up to an apartment building that was about 10 stories high. Vanessa gathered all her belongings and was about to step out of the cab but the driver stopped her. "Hey! You forgot to pay lady!" he said. His voice was raspy and low and his hair was messy under the taxi cap he wore. She gave him a hard stare before opening her purse and taking out a 20 dollar bill. She handed it to him through the window. "Keep the change," she said without smiling. The man just chuckled before driving away. Vanessa watched the cab disappear into  the distance before grabbing her two large suitcases and walking into the building.

It might have looked pretty on the outside but in the inside, it was revolting. The walls were an ugly shade of brown, the furniture looked old but decent enough to have, and the floor was made out of red, scratched up carpet. It had so many chips of dust that fell either off the walls or the ceiling. Sadly, this was just the living room. Vanessa was hoping the kitchen and bathroom were clean enough and didn't have any bugs crawling around, but when she walked into the kitchen, it wasn't a pretty sight. The stove, sink, and floor was covered in dirt and the walls were a pale, ugly yellow. Big changes had to be made around here. Vanessa took her suitcases into the bedroom. Lucky for her, there was a queen size bed that had a comfy mattress and clean sheets. She hoped there were no bedbugs. Biting her inner cheek, Vanessa set her suitcases on the bed before plopping herself on the sheets. She stared up at the dusty ceiling. 'Welcome to your new home' she thought to herself. She put her hands over her face and rubbed her eyes. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe leaving her grandmother, Laura, was a mistake. Well, maybe not. She already made it this far, she can't go back. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't. She would have to take another flight and car ride back to California and for what? Nothing. Vanessa rose up from the bed and walked over to her tall, glass doors that opened up to the terrace. She stepped out into the chilly weather as the wind blew lightly against her hair. She looked around at the surroundings of the other buildings in the area. One caught her attention. It was a really tall building that stuck out. It was almost as tall as the Empire State. She squinted her eyes to see the word "Oscorp" on the side.

Vanessa snapped back into reality when she felt a strong pull on her hair. She screamed out in pain as the hand pulled her body and her back hit against the wall. She gasped before the hand covered her mouth. It was a man who had a dirty beard and mustache on his face , covered in small scars, and his hair looked like it was never washed. "Shh Shh calm down hot stuff." he said while chuckling the scent of his smelly breathe hitting Vanessa's face. She grunted before swinging her leg up and hitting him in the jaw. He yelled out in pain and released her. She started to run to the doors but he grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her down to the floor, causing her to hit her head with a hard thud on the cement. He got on his knees next to Vanessa and used one hand to pin her hands over her head. Vanessa tried to struggle out of his grip, but she was already in enough pain from the fall. He gave a mischievous smile before using his free hand to unbutton her shirt. Vanessa's body shook with fear. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth. "Hey man, that's no way to treat a lady." The man stopped and looked around before a web caught his hand and pulled him off of Vanessa. She quickly sat up and scooted back, letting the railing support her back. She looked up to see that the pervert was hanging upside down from the railing of another apartment balcony. Vanessa stood up and buttoned up her shirt. "Hey, you ok?" Vanessa yelped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her savior. He wore a red and blue patterned suit that resembled a spider web with a mask that covered his face. "Yeah, I'm fine," Vanessa replied almost in a whisper. He nodded, "Don't worry, he's in a lot of trouble now," he said while looking up at the hanging criminal. He turned back at her. "What's your name?" he asked. "Vanessa." she replied, giving a sheepish grin. The spider boy didn't say anything after that. Instead, he just stared at her. Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. "Um, hello?" she said waving her hand in front of his face. "Vanessa.." he said quietly. Vanessa kept her confused expression. Before Vanessa could say another word, he jumped on top of the balcony railing and shot a web at another building like a rope."Wait!" she yelled. He stopped and turned towards her. "Wh-who are you?" she asked. "Spider man," he said before jumping and swinging off into the city. As she watched him disappear into the night, she caught the sound of police sirens coming. Vanessa looked down and saw that about 3 police cars appeared. Police officers stepped out into the open and pointed their guns at the hanging criminal. Vanessa slowly backed away into the shadows of her apartment.

Vanessa locked the balcony doors. She made her way to her dresser to change into a pair of shorts and a long shirt. She then ran over and made sure her doors and windows were locked just in case no other  creep would come and rape her again. Vanessa turned off the lights and laid down on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking back to Spider-man. Vanessa wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her but she could've sworn his voice sounded very familiar.