Tracing the Webs

Chapter 2

It was a few days later that she realized that not only had her world changed, but that she had too.

It happened when she crushed a soda can a little too easily. She had managed to snag one for free from a clothing store's promotion event in a local park. They had free snacks and drinks, so she took some, and sat ddown on a park bench to enjoy the May weather.

The days before, she had spent her time in a local library to use the computers and think of a game plan. It was strange to think of herself as homeless, but it was undeniable: she had no one and nothing in this world. She didn't know what to do with herself for awhile. She stayed at the shelter that Cindy had given her directions to, unsure of where else to stay.

The shelter was crowded, loud and as far as she could tell, she was the youngest person there. But it was clean, had showers, food, and a bed for her to sleep in. They gave her a backpack when she asked for one, and she started keeping the few items she had in there.

When the man at th counter asked for a name to write down, she impulsively and maybe suspiciously responded with, "what do I look like to you?"

He looked at her carefully, and adjusted his glasses. He hummed, "you look like a Gwen to me."

"Then you can write that down."

For her first morning in this world, she decided to spend her day in the library. She used the computers to figure out what her next moves should be. She then spent the next few days with the same routine of spending the night at the shelter and the day at the library.

She set down some general rules for herself after doing a lot of research on her situation. She knew the shelter would not be a long-term solution, so she hoped to find somewhere more permanent if she managed to get a job. Staying cool, calm and collected was also a priority. Freaking out will do her no good, and as long as she held herself together, she could figure things out. Hopefully.

She also set some rules down for her other situation. Things like "don't tell aanyone you're from another world," and, "don't tell anyone this is a fictional world."

If someone decided to look her up or find out who she is, they wouldn't get anything. She had no identity in this world, which only made her a highly suspicious person. If someone decided to take her to a lab or interrogate her, she'd have no way to defend herself.

She was just a normal nineteen year old girl, or so she thought.

Staring at the soda can that she crushed in her hand like it was paper, she tried to rationalize what she was seeing.

Maybe it was a weird can.

Maybe all that excerise finally paid off.

Maybe aluminum cans are weaker than I thought.

Maybe...

Maybe...

She took one last look at the crushed can, then tossed it away in a garbage bin.

My imagination may be in overdrive. But it couldn't hurt to test something out.

Crshhhh

Part of a cinder block crumbled under her hand as she squeezed the corner of it from where she knelt.

She had found an abandoned warehouse in her search for somewhere private, and it had many things for her to test her strength on. Unfortunately, those things all proved her theory correct: she had some kind of super strength.

What am I supposed to do with this? Now I'll be even more of a target for anyone who wants this power for themselves.

Her circumstances and knowledge of what can happen to 'enhanced' people in this world prevented her from being excited about these new abilities.