her room, Gwen lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
The peeling wallpaper was still there, shaped like a chubby pigeon. She stared at it for a long time, but her mind was elsewhere.
Kraven.
The guy who called himself "The World's Greatest Hunter."
Why did he come for her?
Paranoia? Or was he hired?
Gwen mentally sorted through potential masterminds—Kingpin? The Hand? Or Silk?
She had just seen Kingpin last night. Though they hadn't spoken much, that mountain of a man didn't seem like the type to hire an assassin. He preferred getting his hands dirty himself.
The Hand was possible. She had driven Murakami away, and Madame Gao surely held a grudge. But The Hand's style was swarming with ninjas, not hiring a lone wolf hunter.
As for Silk—
Gwen recalled those amber eyes and her saying, "I'm going to reclaim your power."
That woman was paranoid enough; it was definitely possible she would pull something like this.
But Kraven didn't look like he was hired. That look in his eyes, that aura—he truly saw her as prey.
Gwen sighed.
Forget it, no use overthinking. She would deal with whatever came her way.
She rolled over and closed her eyes.
---
Early morning.
Gwen woke up naturally. Sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, drawing a crooked golden line on the floor.
She sat up, stretched, and walked to the mirror.
The mirror reflected a girl who had just woken up—her long blonde hair was a bit messy, her blue-gray eyes still slightly hazy, and her skin was so fair it was almost translucent.
Gwen leaned in close to the mirror, examining her face.
Did her skin look even paler?
She pinched her cheek; it was soft and elastic.
Could self-healing also whiten skin?
Gwen shook her head, tossing the strange thought aside.
Humming a little tune, she opened her door and headed downstairs.
Helen was already busy in the kitchen and poked her head out when she heard the noise.
"Morning, honey."
"Morning, Mom."
Gwen sat at the dining table and found George already there.
He was reading the newspaper, and when he heard her, he looked up, his gaze landing on his daughter.
"In a good mood, I see," he said.
Gwen nodded and picked up a piece of toast.
"Woke up on my own."
George's lips curled slightly, but he said nothing.
The TV was on, and the morning news was just starting.
J. Jonah Jameson's face appeared on the screen, as passionate as ever.
"No doubt about it! This spider-freak thinks she's unrecognizable just because she changed her skin!" He pointed to a photo on the screen—taken by someone last night, showing the white and pink suit, black webbing patterns, and a cape on the back.
"She even went to Hells Kitchen! Is that where she belongs? That's a den of criminals! What was she doing there? Colluding with them?"
Gwen took a bite of toast, expressionless.
She was used to it.
Really used to it.
It would be weirder if Jameson didn't scold her one day.
Helen brought over some milk and glanced at the TV.
"Why does this man yell at Spider-Man every day?" She frowned. "Isn't she saving people?"
George picked up his coffee and took a sip.
"The media needs topics," he said. "The more people yell, the more people watch."
Gwen kept her head down, focusing on her breakfast.
She noticed that while George was speaking, his gaze seemed to linger on her for a moment.
But when she looked up, he was already back to reading his paper.
After breakfast, Gwen grabbed her backpack and headed out.
Peter was already waiting at the door.
His eyes lit up when he saw her.
"Morning, Gwen."
Gwen walked over and naturally took his hand.
"Morning."
The two walked toward school side by side.
The sun was nice, feeling warm on their skin. The streets were gradually getting busier with people walking dogs, morning joggers, and parents taking their kids to school.
Everything seemed so normal.
As they reached the school gate, a voice came from the side.
"Parker!"
Gwen turned and saw Flash Thompson walking toward them.
She instinctively stepped forward, shielding Peter.
"Flash, what do you want?"
Flash paused, then raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Don't be so tense, Stacy," he said. "I just want to ask Parker something."
Gwen frowned and didn't move aside.
Flash looked at Peter, his expression a bit awkward.
"Parker, can we talk in private?"
Peter glanced at Gwen and gently patted her hand.
"It's okay."
He followed Flash to a nearby corner.
Gwen stayed where she was, staring at them, ready to rush over at any second.
But the next scene left her stunned.
Flash threw an arm around Peter's neck, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered something.
Peter's ears slowly turned red.
Flash's expression grew more excited, and finally, he patted Peter hard on the shoulder.
When the two walked back, Flash had a "lesson learned" look on his face.
"Stacy," he gave Gwen a thumbs-up, "you've got good taste."
Then he left.
Gwen looked at Peter.
"What did he say?"
Peter's face was red, and he kept his head down as they walked.
"No... nothing."
Gwen caught up to him.
"What did he say, exactly?"
Peter was silent for two seconds, then whispered.
"He asked me... how I got you. He wanted me to teach him."
Gwen was stunned.
Then she laughed.
"That's it?"
Peter nodded, his ears so red they looked like they might bleed.
Gwen shook her head with a smile and took his hand.
"Let's go, we're going to be late."
As they entered the school building, they ran into Harry.
He was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his head down, lost in thought.
Usually, Harry was bright and full of smiles. But today, his brow was furrowed, and he radiated a heavy, low energy.
Peter stopped.
"Harry?"
Harry looked up, saw them, and forced a smile.
"Hey, Peter. Gwen."
Peter walked over.
"What's wrong? You look terrible."
Harry was silent for a few seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Peter," he said, "I... I have something to tell you."
Peter glanced at Gwen.
Gwen nodded.
"You guys talk, I'll head to class first."
She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she peeked back.
Harry was whispering to Peter with his head down. Peter's expression slowly shifted from concern to surprise, and finally to gravity.
A sense of unease rose in Gwen's heart.
But she said nothing and walked into the classroom.
During lunch break, Peter found her.
His expression was complicated, as if he had a lot to say but didn't know where to start.
"Gwen," he pulled her to a corner, "about Harry..."
Gwen looked at him.
"What happened?"
Peter took a deep breath.
"He said the Osborn family has a genetic disease."
Gwen's heart skipped a beat.
onto-regenerative hyperplasia.
The disease that led to Norman Osborn becoming the Green Goblin in the comics.
"His father," Peter continued, "has already started showing symptoms. Hand tremors and other things."
Gwen was silent for a few seconds.
"Is there a cure?"
Peter's expression became even more complex.
"Someone said... there's a way."
"Who?"
Peter looked at her with something in his eyes that Gwen couldn't quite decipher.
Silk.
Gwen was stunned.
"Silk?"
Peter nodded.
"She said Spider-Man's blood can save him."
Gwen's mind buzzed.
Spider-Man's blood.
Her blood.
Silk's suggestion definitely didn't come from the goodness of her heart.
What was she planning?
To have Harry come looking for her? To make Harry her enemy just to save his father?
Or was her target not Harry at all—
But to force her to expose her identity?
"Peter," she whispered, "you didn't promise him anything, did you?"
Peter shook his head.
"No. I said I don't know Spider-Man."
He paused.
"But Gwen... Harry is my friend."
Gwen looked at him, complex emotions swelling inside.
She knew what Peter was thinking.
He wanted to save Harry's father. But he also knew that if she gave her blood, Silk might do who-knows-what with it.
Moreover, whether her blood could actually cure the disease was still unknown.
"Peter," she said softly, "we need to find out more."
Peter nodded.
"I know."
He took her hand.
"Whatever you decide, I'm with you."
Gwen looked at him, warmth blooming in her heart.
This boy always put her first.
For the afternoon rehearsal, Gwen arrived at the music room on time.
As soon as she sat down, Mary Jane leaned over.
"Gwen! Did you see the news?"
Gwen blinked. "What news?"
"Spider-Man!" Mary Jane's eyes sparkled. "She has a new look! A white suit and a cape! It's super cool!"
Betty joined in too.
"I saw it too! The new look is just—it shows off her figure even more!"
She gestured a curve with her hands.
Gwen's face heated up slightly.
"Oh, really..."
Glory pushed up her glasses and joined the discussion.
"And that hood, white on the outside and pink on the inside, the design is very thoughtful. I don't know what the cape does, but it looks really badass."
Betty suddenly remembered something and looked at Gwen.
"By the way, you said before that Spider-Man might be a guy."
Gwen choked for a moment.
"I... that was just a guess..."
Mary Jane smiled and patted her shoulder.
"It's fine, now we know it's a girl. And she's got a great body."
Gwen looked down, pretending to organize her drumsticks.
Please, let this topic end.
That night, Gwen returned home and lay in bed.
Her mind was a mess—Kraven, Harry, Silk, and her blood.
She rolled over and took out her phone.
She sent a message to Peter.
"Still online?"
Replied instantly.
"Yeah."
Gwen thought for a moment and typed.
"Silk wanting my blood definitely isn't about saving people. What is she up to?"
Peter was silent for a few seconds on the other end.
Then a long message came through.
"I looked up some info. onto-regenerative hyperplasia is a genetic disease. If Spider-Man's blood really can cure it, it means the spider serum might have gene-repairing properties. Silk has studied spider genes for years; she definitely knows this."
"But she's not saving him herself; instead, she had Harry find you—there are two possibilities."
"First, she wants to force you to reveal your identity."
"Second, your blood has another use for her. For example—to enhance herself."
Gwen stared at the screen, her heart racing.
Enhance herself.
Silk had said her powers came from artificially bred spiders. But Gwen's powers came from the serum of that specific spider.
If she could get Gwen's blood and extract a purer serum—
How strong would she become?
Gwen didn't dare to think about it.
She typed.
"Then what about Harry?"
Peter was silent for a long time.
Finally, a message came.
"I don't know."
Gwen looked at those words, an indescribable feeling rising in her heart.
She put her phone aside and stared at the ceiling.
The chubby pigeon was still there.
She stared at it for a long time.
Then she closed her eyes.
Tomorrow is another day.