Here we go! I'm SOOOO excited about this story!
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Peter Parker sprung up off his bunkbed only to hit his head on the bed above him. He rubbed his head and growled. Jackson looked down from the top bunk.
"Petey you bonk your head every morning!"
Pete looked up at the 10 year old blondie over him "I know. I'm still sore from yesterday."
That was a lie. Right now Peter's side was sore from the bullet wound from last night's patrol. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the throbbing headache he had.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
And that wasn't helping. The beeping stopped and Pete looked over. A little Kendra was on her tiptoes and had pushed the button.
"Thanks Kendra."
The 5 year old smiled back at him. "You're welcome Petey!"
Everyone went their separate ways to change for school. After Pete had changed, Serafina walked over. Sera was Peter's best friend, besides Ned from school, and his not-blood-related sister. She was also the only other person besides Ned that knew his secret.
Peter was Spider-Man. Yep. The swinging and sticking to walls Spider-Man. Ever since Peter was put into an orphanage after all his family died, parents in a plane crash when he was 3, uncle from a mugging he could've stopped, and aunt from cancer that he couldn't afford the treatment to, it had been harder for him to go out as the friendly neighborhood spidey.
Having someone who could cover for him and could patch him up because she was training to be a nurse.
"How the bullet wound Mr. I-Don't-Take-Hits?" She asked him in a low voice.
"Fine Doc." He replied.
"It better be idiot. Now let's see if we can get everyone out of the house before Dolores." She said and herded the littles out the bedroom door.
The 11 kids rushed down the cracked, dusty stairs and into the makeshift dining room/kitchen. It was poorly put together, 14 mismatched chairs around two tables shoved together, grimy counters and the smell of alcohol still hung in the air.
Peter started picking up bottles and throwing them and making eggs. Sera was sitting on the kids down, grabbing their lunchboxes and backpacks, and starting everyone's lunches.
Halfway through breakfast, there was a thud from down the hall.
Dolores was up.
Peter stood abruptly, Sera trying coax him down. Ms. Dolores stumbled in. Her frizzy, terribly dyed orange hair was all which way and a sleep mask with fake eyes sown on is still perched on her head. Her hurts-to-look-at neon pink nightgown still had a bit of dried vomit down the front of it.
"Good morning ma'am." Peter said stiffly, trying to draw her attention away from the children behind him.
She trotted right over and landed a hard slap across Peter's face. "You ungrateful bastards better be to school on time so I don't loss my good money." She cracked open a beer with a hiss then stumbled back out and to her room.
Sera let out her breath and released her protective hold on the two children closest to her. "You alright?"
Peter looked back at the 17 year old, "Yeah but it didn't help much with my headache."
That was one of Ms. Dolores better days. Sera has had to google how to pop back a shoulder and how to treat fractured ribs a few times.
~ time ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ skiparoo ~
Peter got out of Midtown at 3:15 and decided to check back at the orphanage before starting his patrol. He was the last one there. The older kids had gotten back from their early jobs and Sera and all the littles were back.
"Hey Parker!" Mac, the almost 18 year old high-school-dropout-so-he-could-get-a-job-and-pay-for-food, called out through his bloody nose.
"You alright man?" Pete asked concerned. Mac shrugged it off, wiping his nose with a paper towel again.
"Checking back before patrol?" Sera asked when he got close enough.
"Yep. And I forgot extra web fluid."
Serafina put her head in her hands, "Please grab that. I don't want a repeat of last Wednesday."
"It was only a 15 story building!" Peter called from the stairs.
He came back down and was heading out the doors when his spidey sense blared and a grubby hand grabbed his collar.
"You're not going anywhere bitch. We have people coming in. I highly doubt they will pick any of you ungrateful children but I still have to look good. Clean yourselves up and look like you love your life." Dolores ordered. Peter shuddered. He voice was like stiletto nails on a chalkboard. He helped Sera wash up the littles. Hopefully these people only took a few minutes to realize this place was hopeless.
