Rising Power ~ p. parker

Friends Will Be Friends

*~*~*

"He's your dad?"

Taylor sipped her milkshake and silently nodded her head. Peter sat across from her in their usual diner.

Last night, Taylor sent him a single text that said: "Diner. Tomorrow. 4." and then proceeded to fall asleep for the next twelve hours. To say Peter was frustrated would have been a severe understatement. As soon as he saw the notification flash across his screen, relief washed over him. Then confusion and anger took over. He sent her about forty messages in response but never got one back.

Peter ran his fingers through his curls and kept mumbling "holy shit" under his breath. "When did you find out?"

"Friday night. That's why I left. It was a lot to take in."

"How? Mr. Stark said he didn't see you at all on Friday."

Taylor scooted the empty basket of fries to the side with her index finger. "It's a long story I'm not quite sure you wanna hear right now."

"Hey," Peter leaned forward to put his hands over hers and look her in the eyes, "try me."

Her heart fluttered at the small gesture. She pushed that feeling down and prepared to tell him the truth. After all those years of hiding and pretending, Peter deserved to have Taylor come clean.

She explained how she had always been able to feel other thoughts and emotions. Originally, she just assumed she had crazy accurate intuition. Then one day, right before they met, her powers were amplified and suddenly she could move things with her mind as well. Her telepathy only grew stronger along with the newly discovered telekinesis.

She delved into the details about the dream from the other night that felt too familiar. He was informed about what the emotional ties to the people in the dreams felt like.

"It's almost like... like I knew those people. From the nightmare," Taylor whispered, "It was too real. Like I was reliving it." She lightly shook her head and looked down at the table.

"Is it possible you were?"

"What?"

"You know, like a flashback."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I feel like that would have been something I remembered."

"Your brain does stuff like that all the time. It forgets or alters memories because it's easier to live with than the truth." Peter kept his tone soft and comforting. "Stupid little mind trick. Happened to me right after Uncle Ben. The only thing I really remember vividly was the face of the guy who did it."

She thought about his theory. When she lined the dream up with other events she remembered, it all worked out. Fragments of other memories that time erased flashed across her mind in a blur.

A joke told by an older boy.

A woman's smile.

"Damn it, Parker. I think you're right."

"Really?" He certainly wasn't used to Taylor admitting he was right. It was a welcomed feeling on the rare occasions it happened.

She muttered a quiet mhm and took another gulp of her milkshake. "I snuck out that night in the dream. Not too long after, I met you at the tree. It checks out. That's why I feel so connected to that family. It's also probably the night I got my powers."

"What do you mean?"

Taylor used her straw to play with the leftover whipped cream at the bottom of her glass. She licked the straw and explained, "mutations are usually triggered by extreme stress. Something about the adrenaline activates the mutant gene." She had done a bit of research after she got to the tower. "I think it's safe to say that staring down the barrel of a gun while your mom and brother lay dead right next to you oughta do it."