Scene: Somewhere to Begin
"Amelia!"
Amelia hadn't known what to expect from Anya when she decided to approach her and settled to wait for her outside the elementary school. She felt like she no longer knew what to expect from anyone. But Anya bounded over to her with a wide grin and would have thrown her arms around the younger woman if her hands were free. As it was, she waved the bags and bundles of lesson plans, school work and Spider-Man lunchbox about as some sort of strange tribute.
"Congratulations! I'm so excited for you!"
Wide-eyed, Amelia couldn't help but smile. Of course Anya had heard she'd made the team. It was hardly the most pressing news going around their community, but Anya always seemed one step ahead of everybody. And she was part of their Spider family. That's why Amelia was here, after all.
"Thanks. You should come disco bowling. To celebrate."
Anya's eyes lit up even brighter somehow at the prospect and she nodded furiously.
"Um. Can we go somewhere to talk?"
Anya stopped nodding, but not grinning. "Of course." She gestured for Amelia to lead. Amelia fidgeted. She wanted Anya to choose where to go. It seemed safer. Anya cocked her head and linked arms with the current Spider-Girl; she led a willing Amelia to a rooftop a few blocks away. When she'd set her things aside and they'd settled with legs swinging Anya raised an eyebrow.
"So. What's up?"
Amelia swallowed once before answering. "Do you remember you said I could live with you if my parents threw me out?"
Anya's eyes narrowed. "Yesssss...but did they actually do it? Throw you out?" If so, she has strong words for them. She'd known Peter and Carol long enough she wasn't afraid to speak her mind -- and long enough to be disappointed. The kid was clearly going through something and she needed support, not to have the rug pulled out from under her. Even if she was a spider. No especially if she was a spider!
"No," Amelia clarified. "But I want to make sure you're ... you're like my family. And that you understand you could get in trouble for helping me." She bit her lip. "Or even listening."
"Are we overthrowing the government again?"
Amelia frowned. "It's not a joke!"
Anya shook her head. She wasn't joking. "There was a time before you were born when we had to totally overthrow the government. So there." Amelia lowered her eyes and pulled her lips in over her teeth. "What's going on?"
Amelia kept her voice low and her eyes focused on the city below. "What do you know about Mal Richards?"
Anya cocked her head again. "Pretty much nothing. Isn't she dating your cousin?"
Amelia nodded. She took a deep breath. "Mal is doing something. To all of us. And playing games and tricks and she's setting everyone up and she's behind what happened to Lindy and next time someone could get really hurt!" The more she said the more rushed and agitated -- breathless -- she sounded. She lifted her eyes to meet Anya's. "More hurt, because Lindy is hurt and so is... so is everybody! And we have to stop her. We have to do something!"
Anya listened. "What kind of something?"
Amelia bit her lip again, so hard Anya thought it should swell. She was troubled. She didn't know what Mal was doing or what to do about it. That was the whole problem. "I think... I think we have to figure out what she wants...and then make sure she doesn't get it."
Anya looked thoughtful. "Do you think she's working alone?" She was once a teenager and she knew maybe two teenagers who could do Very Bad Things without help, and though one was a Richards...it's always good to ask.
"I don't know." Amelia paused. "But...she did say she was still learning so...she should have a teacher somewhere...?"
Anya nodded. That sounded right. "I'm glad you came to me. Trusted me."
Tears sprung up in Amelia's eyes. "I'm entirely serious this is going to cause you trouble and I'm really very sorry." She was very earnest. And very upset. "But it's too important to mess up and I can't do it by myself."
Anya pulled her into a hug. Amelia felt awful about involving -- and therefore endangering -- yet another person. But the people who knew were already overburdened. And so were her parents. And Aunt Jess. And everything was only getting worse.
"What's next?" asked Anya in an attempt to keep Amelia on track and not dwelling on things she couldn't change.
"The cheer nationals are next week. We're leaving Friday. Me and Mom and Dad... I need you to watch out for Ben so he can focus on Lindy." He'd planned on coming with them, but Lindy couldn't come in the current situation and Amelia had convinced him to stay with her. They agreed Lindy needed him more. She'd said her parents and Jake could stay, too, but they felt that Amelia, and her team, deserved support.
"I promise."
"Okay." She took a breath. "Thank you. And then, I don't know, maybe we can problem solve. Like...if you think of something or see something or ...something, you make a note. And so will I."
Anya nodded. "Can I talk to Rikki about it?"
Amelia hesitated, but agreed. "Yes. She's probably already involved just 'cause she's stuck being a Barnes. But... be careful." Anya nodded. She was going to talk to Rikki in any case but she was glad Amelia was okay with it. Or okayish. Because she was trembling again.
"I should have done more when Mal first showed up."
Anya frowned. "What could you have done?"
"Something... Anything!..." Amelia started to shake. "I was too scared to say anything..."
Anya took her hands and forced her to meet her eyes. "It's easy to go back and think about all the things we could have done. But what's done is done. And there's nothing wrong with being scared. It's just your brain's way of getting you to pay attention." Amelia started to cry. Anya put her arms around her and squeezed tightly. Amelia mumbled something about being grateful she believed her. Anya wasn't certain of the words, but she understood the meaning. She clicked her tongue. "I'll always believe you."
Amelia cried harder. "I love you, Araña-madre."
Anya felt her own tears falling. She pulled the girl closer and held her until she was too tired to cry anymore.
Amelia hadn't known what to expect from Anya when she decided to approach her and settled to wait for her outside the elementary school. She felt like she no longer knew what to expect from anyone. But Anya bounded over to her with a wide grin and would have thrown her arms around the younger woman if her hands were free. As it was, she waved the bags and bundles of lesson plans, school work and Spider-Man lunchbox about as some sort of strange tribute.
"Congratulations! I'm so excited for you!"
Wide-eyed, Amelia couldn't help but smile. Of course Anya had heard she'd made the team. It was hardly the most pressing news going around their community, but Anya always seemed one step ahead of everybody. And she was part of their Spider family. That's why Amelia was here, after all.
"Thanks. You should come disco bowling. To celebrate."
Anya's eyes lit up even brighter somehow at the prospect and she nodded furiously.
"Um. Can we go somewhere to talk?"
Anya stopped nodding, but not grinning. "Of course." She gestured for Amelia to lead. Amelia fidgeted. She wanted Anya to choose where to go. It seemed safer. Anya cocked her head and linked arms with the current Spider-Girl; she led a willing Amelia to a rooftop a few blocks away. When she'd set her things aside and they'd settled with legs swinging Anya raised an eyebrow.
"So. What's up?"
Amelia swallowed once before answering. "Do you remember you said I could live with you if my parents threw me out?"
Anya's eyes narrowed. "Yesssss...but did they actually do it? Throw you out?" If so, she has strong words for them. She'd known Peter and Carol long enough she wasn't afraid to speak her mind -- and long enough to be disappointed. The kid was clearly going through something and she needed support, not to have the rug pulled out from under her. Even if she was a spider. No especially if she was a spider!
"No," Amelia clarified. "But I want to make sure you're ... you're like my family. And that you understand you could get in trouble for helping me." She bit her lip. "Or even listening."
"Are we overthrowing the government again?"
Amelia frowned. "It's not a joke!"
Anya shook her head. She wasn't joking. "There was a time before you were born when we had to totally overthrow the government. So there." Amelia lowered her eyes and pulled her lips in over her teeth. "What's going on?"
Amelia kept her voice low and her eyes focused on the city below. "What do you know about Mal Richards?"
Anya cocked her head again. "Pretty much nothing. Isn't she dating your cousin?"
Amelia nodded. She took a deep breath. "Mal is doing something. To all of us. And playing games and tricks and she's setting everyone up and she's behind what happened to Lindy and next time someone could get really hurt!" The more she said the more rushed and agitated -- breathless -- she sounded. She lifted her eyes to meet Anya's. "More hurt, because Lindy is hurt and so is... so is everybody! And we have to stop her. We have to do something!"
Anya listened. "What kind of something?"
Amelia bit her lip again, so hard Anya thought it should swell. She was troubled. She didn't know what Mal was doing or what to do about it. That was the whole problem. "I think... I think we have to figure out what she wants...and then make sure she doesn't get it."
Anya looked thoughtful. "Do you think she's working alone?" She was once a teenager and she knew maybe two teenagers who could do Very Bad Things without help, and though one was a Richards...it's always good to ask.
"I don't know." Amelia paused. "But...she did say she was still learning so...she should have a teacher somewhere...?"
Anya nodded. That sounded right. "I'm glad you came to me. Trusted me."
Tears sprung up in Amelia's eyes. "I'm entirely serious this is going to cause you trouble and I'm really very sorry." She was very earnest. And very upset. "But it's too important to mess up and I can't do it by myself."
Anya pulled her into a hug. Amelia felt awful about involving -- and therefore endangering -- yet another person. But the people who knew were already overburdened. And so were her parents. And Aunt Jess. And everything was only getting worse.
"What's next?" asked Anya in an attempt to keep Amelia on track and not dwelling on things she couldn't change.
"The cheer nationals are next week. We're leaving Friday. Me and Mom and Dad... I need you to watch out for Ben so he can focus on Lindy." He'd planned on coming with them, but Lindy couldn't come in the current situation and Amelia had convinced him to stay with her. They agreed Lindy needed him more. She'd said her parents and Jake could stay, too, but they felt that Amelia, and her team, deserved support.
"I promise."
"Okay." She took a breath. "Thank you. And then, I don't know, maybe we can problem solve. Like...if you think of something or see something or ...something, you make a note. And so will I."
Anya nodded. "Can I talk to Rikki about it?"
Amelia hesitated, but agreed. "Yes. She's probably already involved just 'cause she's stuck being a Barnes. But... be careful." Anya nodded. She was going to talk to Rikki in any case but she was glad Amelia was okay with it. Or okayish. Because she was trembling again.
"I should have done more when Mal first showed up."
Anya frowned. "What could you have done?"
"Something... Anything!..." Amelia started to shake. "I was too scared to say anything..."
Anya took her hands and forced her to meet her eyes. "It's easy to go back and think about all the things we could have done. But what's done is done. And there's nothing wrong with being scared. It's just your brain's way of getting you to pay attention." Amelia started to cry. Anya put her arms around her and squeezed tightly. Amelia mumbled something about being grateful she believed her. Anya wasn't certain of the words, but she understood the meaning. She clicked her tongue. "I'll always believe you."
Amelia cried harder. "I love you, Araña-madre."
Anya felt her own tears falling. She pulled the girl closer and held her until she was too tired to cry anymore.