Castaway [Peter Parker]

22 - Variants

His gesture caused sparks to fly.

Hailey, Chase, and Anthony stared at the spot, stunned.

"Ned?" Hailey said.

"Do that again," Hailey instructed.

"Yeah, okay, um, I just wish we could see him. Okay... I just wish we could see Peter."

He created a whole portal.

Anthony and Hailey jumped up.

There was a figure at the end of the alley. He was wearing a Spider-Man costume.

"Salamangkero!" Lola exclaimed.

"You're right," Ned said in awe. "I am magic."

"Is that him?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, yeah, it has to be," Chase said.

"Peter. Peter!" Hailey called.

Chase, Ned, and Anthony called him as well.

"Peter!"

The figure looked lanky but muscled. He ran towards the portal and jump through it.

"Hi, hi!"

Lola exclaimed as she threw a pillow at the man. It hit him in the chest.

"No, no, no, it's okay!" he exclaimed. "I'm a nice guy!"

He sounded different.

Despite his protests, she ran off.

The person in the costume took off his mask, but it wasn't Peter. At least not Hailey's Peter. It was someone else in the Spider-Man costume.

He held his hands out in front of him, getting his bearings.

"Okay..."

"Who the hell are you?" Chase demanded.

"I'm Peter Parker," he said.

"That's not possible," Hailey said, in shock.

"I am Spider-Man... in my world," he said. "But then, yesterday, I was... I was just here. Wow..."

He took a step backward. He backed himself into a corner near the fridge.

"String theory... multidimensional reality... and matter displacement. All real?" he said, sounding excited.

"Yeah," Hailey, Chase, Anthony, and Ned confirmed.

"Knew it!" he said, growing even more excited.

Ned turned to Hailey, Chase, and Anthony.

"This has to be because of the spell," Ned said.

"The spell?" the new Peter Parker said. "Like magic spell?"

"No," Hailey quickly said.

"No, no spell," Chase said

"No spell, no," Ned added.

"Magic's real here too?" Peter Parker said.

"I mean..."

"Shut up," Hailey said, quietly to Ned.

"Stop it!" Chase snapped at Ned.

"I mean..." Ned continued, "there are magicians and stuff, but there's no like..."

"Stop it!" Hailey said. "Stop."

Hailey turned to Peter Parker.

"Prove it," Hailey said.

"Prove what?"

"That you're Peter Parker," Hailey said.

"I don't carry an ID with me," he said, "it kinda defeats the whole 'I'm a superhero' thing."