Light in the Dark | PETER PARKER

eight

AFTER CHURCH on Sunday, Alani, Grandma, and Ori go out to eat lunch at a little family-run diner called Cristo's. Normally the three don't go out to eat to save money, but after Alani "got a raise," Grandma decided it would be nice to treat her grandchildren.

The diner is a cute little shop with pastry desserts in a glass case and a menu full of American favorites—fries, burgers, and milkshakes. The floors are patterned with black and white checkered tiles that match the vinyl booths to create a 50s diner feel. Cristo's used to be busy all day every day, but ever since a McDonald's opened up across the street, the customers have been thinning out. Alani would never go to the fast food chain across the street in stead of Cristo's. Not only is the food so much better, but the environment is too. She has memories of coming here with her parents before Ori was born. She always got a chocolate milkshake that was bigger than her head and gave the owners a high-five whenever they came in.

Despite the outdated furnishing and old floors, Alani can't help but love the diner. It may be running low on profits, staff, and customers, but it will always feel like a home of sorts to her.

The TV set up in the corner next to the counter is the most updated item in the establishment. It constantly plays the local news channel with the volume down low.

During their meal, a news segment about Blackout plays. Alani can't hear what they're saying about her, but she tries to inconspicuously glance over at the screen to watch. A clip of her in her Blackout outfit comes across the screen as she stops a taxi from running over a child. Her black wisps stop the wheels and her hands fly out in front of her to help stop the vehicle quicker. It was a close call—if Alani was a second too late, the child would have been seriously injured.

Ori picks up a French fry and chomps on it happily. He glances over at his sister and follows her line of sight. Pointing at the screen, his eyes brighten. "Oh! That's the superhero my friends were talking about!"

Alani's eyes dart to her brother, startled. Grandma turns around in her seat and strains her eyes to see the TV.

Turning back around, Grandma says, "Superheroes aren't real, mo'opuna."

Alani bites her tongue and looks down at her burger. Ori frowns and argues, "But she has superpowers."

"Real heroes don't need super powers." Grandma dabs the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "People like her on TV do it for the attention and glory, real heroes do it to be good."

Ori nods and continues eating his fries. It takes everything in Alani to keep her mouth shut, knowing that if she opened it she would regret it. She's already on her grandma's bad side from the fight on Thursday and doesn't want to make it worse. Grandma and Ori eat their meal without a second thought of the hero on the news, but Alani's appetite is suddenly gone.

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Entrepreneurship class is different. Gwen still sits with Alani and sorts her glitter pens every morning, but Harry doesn't throw insults at her left and right. At first Alani thought he was just ignoring her, but then on Tuesday he asks her for a pencil. He doesn't demand one, and he doesn't call her a witch. Alani asks Gwen about it in between classes, suspicious she put him up to it. However, Gwen seems to be just as surprised as Alani at Harry's actions.

In a weird way, Alani kind of misses being taunted by Harry.

In Organic Chemistry, the teacher hands out a permission slip for a field trip next week to Oscorp in Manhattan, which is Harry's father's corporation. It's a company that everyone all around the world is familiar with. Workers at Oscorp perform chemical and genetic experiments that have contributed to the material students learn in class. Harry never mentions his dad or company, but everyone knows that the only reason Midtown even has a chance to visit the prestigious corporation is because of him.