Miles Morales: New Spider Chapter 9.

---

I don't know how long I was out, but when I came to, the first thing I noticed was the sticky residue of melted Popsicle juice on my lips and clothes. My head was buzzing from the scene in front of me: my dad and Uncle Aaron were in a heated argument.

Dad was demanding to know what Aaron had done to me, his voice edged with fury, while Aaron, looking both bewildered and defensive, kept insisting he’d done nothing. He said he had just come out of the kitchen when he saw me pass out.

I needed to end this before things got out of hand.

Casually, I hid the bite mark on my arm by gripping my backpack tightly, making sure no one could see it. When Dad noticed I was awake, he immediately asked me what had happened.

Time to steer the situation.

"Dad, Uncle Aaron didn’t do anything," I said, lowering my head. I clutched my backpack even tighter to my chest, trying to sound as pitiful as possible. "I’m sorry for causing a scene." Then, for extra measure, I added a few sniffles and let some tears slip out. "I’ve just been so tired. I couldn’t sleep because I was so anxious about the letter. I’m really sorry."

Aaron shot my dad a look as if to say, "See, I told you so," but Dad wasn’t ready to let it go entirely. Still, my explanation did the trick. The tension in the room deflated as Dad turned his attention back to me.

"It’s alright, son. Your mom and I would love you no matter what," he said softly, taking my hand. "Come on, let’s go home."

"Bye, Uncle Aaron," I said, giving him a small wave.

"Stay safe, little man. No pressure," he replied, his voice returning to its usual casual tone.

As we left, I couldn’t help but think to myself, *You’re lucky you didn’t see me get bitten, Uncle Aaron. You wouldn’t have made it out alive if you had.*

I had successfully convinced everyone that I was just an anxious kid, worried about getting into school. No one had the slightest idea about the bite, and the spider was still safely contained in the box, tucked away in my backpack.

I remembered that the spider that bit Peter Parker had died shortly after. I wondered if this one would too, or if it was already dead. Either way, I wanted to study it, to learn everything I could. And if it was still alive, well, I couldn’t help but be curious about what would happen if I got bitten again.

But I wasn’t taking any chances. I wasn’t about to just let this spider sit around, hoping it would die or that Uncle Aaron might take care of it for me. No, I was smarter than that. I always carried it with me, just in case.

Now, lying in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened. I was itching to test out my new abilities. I waited until my parents were asleep, then quietly slipped out of bed and glanced at the wall. There was nothing visibly different about my hands, but I just knew.

Standing on my bed, I placed both palms on the wall and gently pulled myself up.

*Holy crap! This is awesome!*

I carefully placed my feet against the wall and pulled myself further up. I was wall-crawling, defying gravity like it was the most natural thing in the world. Every inch of my body was hyper-aware, my senses dialed up to an insane level. It was like I could feel every fiber of the wall beneath my fingers and toes, as if I was perfectly attuned to everything around me.

My weight felt like nothing, no burden at all. I could hang there indefinitely, feeling a rush of excitement and freedom like never before. If flying was the ultimate expression of freedom, then this—crawling up walls—had to be a close second.

My mind raced with possibilities. I climbed higher, reaching the ceiling and hanging upside down, using only my feet to stick to it. There was no disorientation, no vertigo—just pure, unfiltered exhilaration. My senses were so heightened that I could hear the faint rustling of rats outside in the dumpsters, my parents’ steady heartbeats as they slept, and even the tiny black ant navigating through the carpet fibers like they were towering grass blades.

I carefully made my way back down to the bed, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over me. I opened my backpack, took out the container holding the spider, and sat down.

Before I did anything else, I wanted to test one more thing. I focused on the thought of disappearing, of becoming invisible. Suddenly, my body began to fade. I could see right through my hands—*I was invisible*! This was beyond crazy.

How was my body even doing this? What had the spider bite altered? Was this some kind of accelerated evolution? Whatever it was, invisibility combined with spider powers was beyond insane.

I was too excited to sleep, but I knew I had to try out my abilities in full tomorrow. For now, I had something more pressing to do.

I opened the container, and there it was—the spider that had given me these incredible abilities. It was still alive, but just barely, clinging to life. I had a feeling it wouldn’t make it through the night if I didn’t do something now.

I bit down on a corner of my blanket, trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do. Slowly, I brought the back of my hand closer to the spider’s fangs, my heart pounding. My hand trembled slightly as I remembered the pain from the first bite, but I pushed through the fear.

I edged my hand closer to the spider, agitating it just enough. Its fangs found their mark, piercing my skin once more. The electric shock of pain was immediate, searing through my hand and up my arm. It wasn’t as intense as the first bite, but it still hurt like hell. I bit down on the blanket, taking deep breaths to manage the pain and keep myself from crying out.

The spider’s fangs finally retracted, and I watched as it curled up, losing the last of its color. It was done for. I placed the container back in my backpack and tossed it under my bed.

The pain was still throbbing in my hand, but it was manageable. I lay back, trying to sleep it off, but a wave of dizziness and nausea hit me like a truck. I barely made it to the bathroom before I started throwing up.

I heard my parents’ voices as they got out of bed, my mom coming to check on me. She gently patted my back, her voice full of concern.

"Miles, hon, are you alright?"

"Yeah, Mom," I managed to say, forcing a smile. "I think it’s just indigestion."

She walked me back to bed, bringing me a glass of water. As she smoothed my hair, I felt a wave of peace wash over me.

"It’s alright, baby. Mom’s here, okay?" she said, her voice soft and reassuring.

I drifted off to sleep with the memory of her smile in my mind, feeling blissful despite everything.