Little Spy | Peter Parker ✓

[9]

It was not difficult to scale the building, using the adrenaline to pull myself up onto the fire escape. From there, it was an easy trip, climbing the stairs with a new determination that I myself was not so aware that I had. The only sounds came from the clangs of my feet on the steps, unavoidable even with the special footwear and training given, and my almost silent huffs into the night air.

Inga had gone quiet again.

My eyes searched rapidly for the right apartment, scanning before moving on in search of the room I had seen in photos I had had to memorise. I had thought it ridiculous, but in my mind, I was thanking Madame for that little detail, for it could potentially save me, that night.

And perhaps my decision was stupid, not anything Inga would have asked me to do, but it was what I had and I had to do more than just skulk back to my prison.

I pressed myself to the brick, willing myself to make nary a noise as I neared the right window. My breath caught in my throat and one hand found the window ledge, lifting myself up to catch a glimpse of the room inside.

Peter Parker had already found himself home before me, much to my relief, and had decided to leave the window ajar in his rush to climb inside. However, with his curtains drawn shut and only a strip of light leaking through the fabric for me to peek through, there was no use in trying to get a good look at what he was up to in there. My only condolence was that there was a way to catch any conversation or audible work being done in there. At least the boy had given me something to work with.

All I could hear was rustling and muffled noises, giving me no hint as to what he could be doing in there. I itched to peek into the bedroom to get a better look but feared he would notice the curtain moving. However, maybe if I made it appear like it was simply the wind-

"Peter?"

My hand immediately fell backwards and I clung to the outside of the fire escape, holding my breath to eliminate any noise. There was a new voice, a female one, though much older than the boy or me. From estimation and the research I had done, it was probably his Aunt May checking up on him. дерьмо.

A door opened, squeaking on its hinges. "Hi, Aunt May. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I - I just heard loud noises and a crash and I was worried. What are you doing in here?"

There was a long pause, and I was beginning to worry that he had left before I heard another reply. "I'm just...working on some homework."

"Oh, okay."

Silence. She was hesitating. The floorboards creaked, assumably his weight shifting across the bedroom floor as he waited for her to finish her thought.

I pressed myself closer to the window and prayed that somewhere, Inga was listening in, or seeing what I was seeing. The curtains had fluttered with the wind and gave me more of a look-in, a crack showing me the boy with his back turned, though not much else.

"You should go to bed, honey. There's school tomorrow and you've been looking tired lately."

"I will, Aunt May. Don't worry about me."

A loud sigh. "I try not to, but you've just been so quiet that I can't help it. I mean, after Uncle Ben's accident, you-"

"I'm fine." The boy's voice had raised higher and sounded much angrier; the death of Ben must have had an impact on him, bigger than I had originally believed. "I'm fine. Just a lot happening at school."

"Will you talk to me about it? I want to be here for you."

It was beginning to be unbearable, just standing on his fire escape and waiting for them to speak. I needed to get a better look, else there was no point in me standing there and doing nothing. Holding my breath, I reached over carefully and slid a hand under the window sill, opening the curtain just the tiniest bit so I could see what was happening.