Light in the Dark | PETER PARKER

eleven

SCHOOL IS strange without Peter. It has been a whole week since the incident with Ben, and Alani has yet to visit him. What's holding her back is Harry, who said that Peter doesn't want any visitors when Gwen asked about him.

Organic Chemistry feels empty without Peter sitting in his seat near the front, eagerly raising his hand for every question. The lunch table is uneven, Harry sitting on one side while Gwen and Alani sit on the other. News of Peter's uncle's death has reached the entire school too. A dark cloud passes over the school for the first day or two after the incident, but after a while it seems to fade. The cloud never leaves Harry, Gwen, and Alani.

Another day passes, and Alani decides that it's time to see Peter. She has been searching high and low for the murderer and thief, but she hasn't found him. She didn't notice any defining features that would give her any way to immediately recognize him, so it feels like she's searching for a ghost. Maybe talking to Peter can give her some hints at the man's identity since he was face-to-face with him.

On Friday after school, Alani takes a detour from the alley she usually changes into her suit in to the Parker house. She has her backpack slung over her shoulders, her denim jacket with a fuzzy interior pulled over a black hoodie. With her black hair pulled up into a high ponytail, the brisk mid-November breeze nips at her cheeks and ears.

Alani knocks twice on the front door. She waits for a few moments until soft footsteps on the other side of the door approach. The door opens, revealing a woman who Alani recognizes from church. She has wiry glasses set upon her thin nose, and her brown hair is on the top of her head in a bun that is partially falling out.

The woman looks Alani up and down, assessing her. "Hi, can I help you?"

Alani tries to give her a friendly smile. "I'm Alani, a friend of Peter's from school. I was wondering if I could see him?"

The woman's eyes light up. There is still sadness behind them, but it seems less dim. Opening the door wider for Alani to enter, the woman says, "Sure, of course. I'm May, Peter's aunt, by the way."

Alani steps inside as May closes the door behind her. Inside is a lot warmer, and there are many pictures of May, Ben, and mostly Peter everywhere.

Turning to May, Alani says, "It's nice to meet you, and I'm really sorry about what happened. I want you to know that you and Peter have been in my prayers this past week."

May holds a hand to her chest, her eyes filling with tears. She blinks them away before any can fall. "Thank you so much, I appreciate that." She pauses. "You seem familiar, have we met before?"

"We go to the same church," Alani replies. "You and Peter sit a few pews in front of my family."

"Oh, really?" May smiles, but then she glances at a door across the living room and her smile falters. "I've been trying to get through to Peter, but it has been hard. Harry has came over a few times but Peter hasn't really opened up to him, hopefully he will with you."

Alani smiles hopefully, but she knows that Peter and her aren't all that close. If he didn't open up to Harry, then he probably won't open up to her either. She's just some random girl from school who doesn't treat him like crap and accompanied him while he was sneaking around Oscorp.

"We'll see what happens," Alani says instead.

May nods. "His door is the one right over there." She points at the door she glanced at earlier.