THE EVIL QUEEN

EVIL QUEEN

The streets of New York were cold and slippery, blanketed beneath a thick layer of snow. But fate does not stop for the whims of the weather, and death comes even when everything seems to have returned to normal.
A month had passed since a mysterious glitch in space-time had hurled some of the world's most dangerous villains into an unknown universe, along with the city's most beloved hero. Days later, they had reappeared as though nothing had happened, leaving behind more questions than answers.
Peter Parker of Earth-120703 seemed to have settled back into his usual routine as well. Or at least, that's what he believed. Then another tragedy struck: the death of his beloved Aunt May.
As the snow began to fall heavily over the streets of New York once again, Peter stood motionless before the graves of Uncle Ben and Aunt May. He was completely alone.
For a moment, he found himself longing for the days he had spent on Earth-616 alongside the other versions of himself. He missed fighting beside someone, feeling like part of a team. He missed being appreciated as Peter Parker and not just as Spider-Man. He missed having friends. And, above all, he missed her.
Gwen had been dead for eleven years. Only through the people he had met during his interdimensional journey had he finally managed to free himself from the guilt that had tormented him for so long. But that pain had never stopped following him. He still missed her every single day.
After visiting Ben and May, he did what he always did: he went to visit Gwen.
That was when he realized something was wrong.
The snow around the headstone had completely melted. More than that, a narrow trail of exposed ground stretched out from it, as though someone had opened a path by melting the snow along the way.
Peter followed the trail cautiously until he reached a large mausoleum, its door left slightly ajar. Leaning inside, he noticed soot-blackened footprints on the steps leading back outside.
Someone had come out of there carrying coal... or perhaps something so hot that it melted the snow with every step.
The most unsettling part, however, was something else: the trail ended right in front of Gwen's grave.
Peter slowly climbed the steps and threw the door open. The acrid smell of smoke hit him instantly.
The inside of the mausoleum was devastated. The walls were blackened by fire, the floor was cracked and covered with debris. A massive hole gaped in the ceiling, as though something had fallen from the sky, smashed through it, and crashed inside while still engulfed in flames.
For a moment, he wished he had someone to share the discovery with, someone to compare notes with. But he was alone.
He collected several samples of the strange soot covering the mausoleum, carefully stored them away, and made his way home.
When he reached his floor, Peter was surprised to see that the door to the apartment next to his was standing wide open.
It was unusual. That apartment had been vacant for years.
His first thought was that a burglar or a homeless person had found shelter inside. So he approached cautiously, peering through the doorway.
"Is anyone there?"
There was no answer, so he stepped inside.
The apartment had been completely renovated. The open windows let the sunlight pour in, illuminating modern furnishings that still looked almost pristine. A delicate scent of lavender and wild musk lingered in the air.
A door opened somewhere down the hallway.
"'Like new'... yeah, right..." a woman's voice muttered.
A moment later, a young woman appeared. She had striking blue eyes and long black hair that was still wet, dripping over her shoulders and onto the floor. She was wearing nothing but a large towel wrapped around her body.
Peter's eyes widened, and he immediately covered his face. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he stammered. "I saw the door open and thought nobody lived here."
He mentally prepared himself to be thrown out. Instead, the young woman burst into laughter.
"Relax. I understand human curiosity," she said with an amused smile. "I know this apartment sat empty for years, and honestly, I'm starting to understand why." Then she tilted her head slightly. "Do you live on this floor?"
Peter nodded without lowering his hands. "In the apartment next door."
She laughed again. "We're both adults. You can stop covering your eyes."
He slowly lowered his hands, visibly embarrassed.
"See?" she said with a playful smile. "The sight of my bare shoulders didn't burn your retinas."
Peter managed a nervous smile. The young woman's expression, however, suddenly changed. She took a step forward and looked at him more closely.
"Wait... you're Peter Parker!"
He looked at her in surprise. "Do we know each other?"
"We went to school together. It's just that you were too busy acting all mysterious, riding your skateboard around, and chasing after Gwen Stacy to notice the rest of the world." She held out her hand. "I'm Eve. Eve Roth."
Peter blinked a couple of times. "Eve... of course! I remember now," he said with a smile. "You've changed so much."
In truth, the memory was rather vague. He remembered an Eve Roth from his graduating class, but he doubted he had spoken more than a few words to her back in school.
"After graduation, I moved to California," she explained. "My sister had just had twins, so I went there to help her. Then I enrolled in university and ended up staying."
"What did you study?"
"Multiverse Physics."
Peter did his best not to react. The words echoed through his mind, but he pretended nothing was wrong.
Eve let out a sigh. "Too bad there wasn't also a class on how to fix a water pipe."
Peter nodded toward the bathroom. "Problems with the shower?"
"With the shower, the electrical system... pretty much everything," she sighed. "The real estate agent sold me this apartment as 'newly renovated,' but the plumbing looks like it's from the last century." Then she gave him a hopeful smile. "Any chance I could use your shower?"
Peter hesitated. "Actually... my apartment is a bit of a mess."
But that wasn't the real problem. His desk was still covered with equipment from his investigation, and his Spider-Man suit was hanging by the entrance to dry.
"Perfect," Eve said matter-of-factly. "Then you can tidy up a little while I grab some clothes and my shampoo."
Peter nodded. "Y-Yeah... sure. Take your time."
The moment he finished speaking, he rushed into his apartment. He grabbed everything that could compromise his secret and threw it into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind it.
It almost looked as though he had hidden a bomb that was about to explode.
In a way, it was even worse. Behind that door was his second life. Spider-Man's identity. The secret he had promised himself he would never share with anyone ever again.
A few minutes later, Eve knocked on the door.
Peter's apartment was shrouded in dim light. The curtains were still drawn, and the familiar smell of takeout lingered in the air, mixed with coffee that had long since gone cold.
"The bathroom's at the end of the hallway," Peter said, trying to keep her from paying too much attention to the rest of the apartment. "There might be... um... a couple of hairs in the shower. Sorry in advance."
"As long as I can wash up, that's enough for me." Eve shrugged with a smile. "Thanks so much for letting me use it, Peter." She gave him one last smile before closing herself in the bathroom.
Peter waited until the door clicked shut and let out a long sigh, leaning his back against the wall. A moment later, he realized what he was doing: he couldn't just stand outside waiting for her. He'd look like a complete creep.
He shook his head and went back into the living room, dropping onto the couch. He began drumming his fingers nervously against the armrest, searching for something to occupy his mind.
The moment the bathroom door opened, he jumped to his feet.
Eve looked at him with an amused smile. "Were you waiting for me like that the whole time?"
"What? No!" he answered far too quickly. "I mean... I just stood up. I was wondering if you needed anything else."
She suppressed a laugh. "No, thank you. You've already done more than enough." She headed toward the door. "Well then... thanks again for the shower." She opened the door and turned around one last time. "See you around, neighbor."
"Y-Yeah... see you."
When the door closed behind her, Peter let himself fall back onto the couch with a sigh.
It had been so long since the last time someone had stepped into his apartment that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a guest.
And, judging by the way he had behaved, he had probably come across as the weirdest neighbor in all of New York.
Suddenly, he remembered the soot samples he had collected from the mausoleum. He sprang to his feet and hurried to the makeshift lab in his bedroom. He had to find out what they were as soon as possible.
There was something deeply wrong about that discovery, and perhaps analyzing it would help him stop thinking about everything else.
He had just started the analysis when someone knocked on the door again.
Peter peeked through the peephole. It was Eve.
"Forget something?" he asked as he opened the door.
She shook her head. "No. Actually, I wanted to ask if I could buy you a coffee to thank you."
Peter smiled faintly. "There's no need. I know how hellish the plumbing in these old buildings can be."
"I know, but I'd really like to," she replied. "And it doesn't have to be coffee. Tea is fine too... or soup," she added with a smile.
Peter chuckled softly. "You're persistent, aren't you?"
"Fairly."
He hesitated for a moment, thinking about the computer that was still analyzing the samples.
"I'm a little busy right now. But... if you'd like, we could go get that soup tonight."
Eve's eyes lit up. "I'd love to. Actually, I have something to take care of this afternoon as well."
"Perfect. Then I'll see you tonight."
"See you tonight." With one last smile, she went back into her apartment.
Peter closed the door and stood still for a few seconds.
Then he turned toward his bedroom, where the computer was still analyzing the mysterious soot.
Normal life would have to wait a little longer.