High School

After a few days,

The hallways of Midtown School of Science and Technology always felt like a disorienting maze to me. Endless stretches of gleaming lockers flanked either side as students rushed between classes, their voices echoing off the linoleum floors in a chaotic chorus.

I clutched my books tightly to my chest, trying my best to fade into the background noise as I navigated the sea of unfamiliar faces. Despite my efforts to blend in seamlessly, it seemed my exotic looks marked me as an outsider no matter where I went.

Up ahead, I spotted the familiar figure of Peter Parker chatting animatedly with his friend Ned. But rather than the 7-year-old kid according to MCU, he looked to be around my age—14 or 15 at most. Just another perplexing aberration in this strange amalgamated reality I found myself in.

My eyes were also drawn to a pair of girls who both seemed to answer the name "MJ." The first had a cloud of frizzy, dark curls, while the other, a tall, willowy redhead, looked like she could have stepped straight out of a hair product commercial. It would seem like an odd convergence of storylines from different universes.

Then there was Gwen Stacy, with her unmistakable platinum blonde hair, making her immediately recognisable, despite her updated look. Just seeing her, I am manipulating myself not to talk to her, or I would just think of her as Spider-Gwen and spill all the beans.

I turned away quickly before anyone could notice me gawking. Attracting unwanted attention was the last thing I needed right now. I just had to keep my head down and power through each day, a harsh reminder of the solitary life I now led.

"Well, there would be a new classmate joining you; I hope you welcome her. Please come in, Alice Lewis."

Well, I got Lewis as my surname because, according to my personal details, I went through an orphanage run by the Lewis family, and later it was demolished due to a certain reason, and I retained the Lewis surname from then on. 

As I stepped into my next classroom, I could feel dozens of eyes roaming in my direction immediately. So much for maintaining a low profile. Hushed whispers and pointing fingers rippled through the room as I made my way to an empty desk near the back.

"Well, well, if it isn't the new mystery girl," purred a smooth, almost predatory voice.

I looked up to see Felicia Hardy leaning over my desk, eyeing me with a sharp, appraising gaze. Even at her young age, she already exuded an aura of feline sensuality and danger.

"Don't be shy; there's no need to hide that pretty face," she continued with a slow, wicked curl of her glossed lips.

I felt heat creeping into my cheeks despite my best efforts to remain stoic. Felicia seemed to pick up on my discomfort as she reached out to toy with a lock of my long raven hair.

"I'm Felicia," she murmured throatily. "But you can call me whatever you like, gorgeous."

I swallowed hard, steeling myself against the overt flirtation. "I'm Alice. I'm just here to learn. Trying to keep a low profile...that's all."

Felicia arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in patent disbelief. "Is that so? Well, in that case, you're doing a pretty lousy job of it."

Her emerald eyes slowly raked over me in an almost hungry manner. "Everyone's dying to know more about Midtown's latest enigma, hot stuff. That air of mystery is really working for you."

I couldn't stop the flush rising in my cheeks this time as she leaned even closer. "We should get together sometime, just you and me. I'd love to get to know the real you behind that inscrutable facade."

Before I could even formulate a response, she was sauntering back to her seat, leaving me feeling equal parts flustered and deeply unsettled. High school dramas and silly flirtations from Felicia Hardy were the least of my concerns; if I couldn't even maintain a basic secret identity, there was no telling what threats could surface to derail my plans.

As the teacher droned on about the day's lesson, my mind began to drift. So, after the Charles locating incident, I had to hide for some days. Later, I even found some military personnel searching for mutants, which is most likely me.

And luckily, I got rid of them and gained a mutant inhibitor collar, which is used to catch and disable the mutant from using their abilities. And it is a good thing for me, as I think it may also hide my mutant signature. So, later, I modified it into a small and thin choker to wear around the neck.

I have to literally reconstruct the whole device into a smaller circuit using silicon, as it is most suitable to make microchips, and intru--*cough* that, I mean borrowing a highly classified lab at night while being invisible with my spider abilities. And after completing my invention, I tested it. Except for my X-gene ability, Enhanced Healing and Quantum Manipulation, I can use all other abilities, or rather only archaeid abilities with Venom Blast and invisibility.

Scanning the classroom, I took in the small clusters of students whispering and stealing sidelong glances in my direction. Already, I could sense the rumour mill churning, fueled by morbid curiosity about the mysterious new girl.

Again, as I paid attention to my surroundings, I observed Gwen and MJ with other girls huddled together near the front, their heads leaning in as they murmured and occasionally shooting furtive looks my way. Peter and Ned seemed oblivious, too engrossed in one of their nerdy discussions about some sci-fi movie. And the last MJ was in one corner with her own book.

My gaze flickered over to Felicia, who met my stare with a slow, sultry wink before returning her attention to inspecting her crimson manicure. A tight coil of dread twisted in my gut—she was clearly going to prove...problematic in more ways than one.

This high school and its socially stratified dynamics were just another challenge to be endured as I solidified my cover identity. But they also reaffirmed how crucial it was for me to maintain firm boundaries. I couldn't afford to let the distractions of teenage drama and petty social politics derail me from my larger objectives.

Steeling my resolve, I refocused on taking meticulous notes as the teacher's lecture carried on. Head down, no disruptions, no instigating attention from anyone—not the meddlesome Felicia, not the sceptics ready to pounce on even a hint of strangeness from me, not this whole bizarre, cobbled-together facsimile of a world.

Blending in wasn't just a necessity; it was a discipline all its own, one I would need to master if I hoped to survive long enough to get a handle on these wild new abilities. To grind my way towards something better than just surviving.

The school day seemed to drag on interminably as I struggled to fade into the background noise of Midtown's chaotic hallways and classrooms. By the final bell, I felt mentally drained from constantly being on guard against drawing unwanted attention.

As I packed up my books, preparing to make a hasty exit, I noticed a small group approaching my desk: Mary Jane, Gwen, Liz, and their circle of friends. Alas, the last thing I needed was to get roped into petty high school social antics.

"Hey, you're the new girl, right?" Mary Jane ventured, an overly friendly smile plastered across her face. "We haven't had a chance to properly introduce ourselves yet."

She gestured around the group as they all looked at me with thinly-veiled curiosity. "I'm Mary Jane, but you can call me MJ. And this is Gwen, Liz, Glory..."

"Well, I go by Alice."

I zoned out as she went through the obligatory names and niceties. Well, it would be good to befriend them, but I know it will be annoying later. So, I should just politely decline them. 

"We just wanted to, you know, welcome you to Midtown," Gwen chimed in with an overwhelming smile. "Help you get settled and everything since you're, uh...kind of keeping to yourself."

"Yeah, thanks...but I'm just here to learn. Thank you for your concern, but I like keeping to myself." I mumbled.

An awkward, tense silence fell over the group before Liz let out a harsh, condescending laugh. "Seriously? That's just sad. At this rate, you'll end up as big a freaky loner as that other MJ chick."

She jerked her thumb dismissively towards the back corner of the room, where Michelle Jones sat alone, face buried in a book as usual. Yeah, I would love to live like that if you all don't bother with me that much.

Before I could formulate any response, a familiar voice cut through the uncomfortable pause with just the right mixture of arrogance and sensuality.

"Hey, sorry guys, but I'm gonna have to borrow this cutie," Felicia Hardy purred as she sidled up beside me, draping one arm possessively around my shoulders. "I've got dibs for our first date, if you know what I mean."

I felt my face heating up despite myself as she shot the group a knowing smirk. The other girls looked somewhere between scandalised and vaguely impressed by her shameless bravado.

"Weel, see you later, Alice." Mary Jane huffed in obvious annoyance before flouncing away, the others trailing behind her.

As soon as they were out of earshot, I whirled on Felicia in exasperation, shrugging her arm off me. "What was that all about? I definitely didn't ask for your...help, or whatever that was!"

Rather than be cowed, she just grinned lazily back at me. "You're welcome, by the way. I just saved you from that tiresome girl-gang hazing routine."

I scowled, shouldering my bag as I started towards the exit. "Yeah, well, next time I'll take my chances flying solo. I'm pretty sure I didn't agree to be your 'date' either."

"Details, details," Felicia replied breezily as she felt herself stride beside me, utterly unfazed. "Besides, playing the damsel never really suited you, did it?"

Her emerald eyes glinted with a knowing look that made me shudder inwardly. How much did this girl actually know or suspect about me?

"Look, thanks for the...assist, I guess," I muttered begrudgingly. "But let's keep things friendly and low-key between us, okay? I'm really not looking to make a big production out of...whatever this is."

Felicia let out a low, throaty chuckle rich with meaning as we exited onto the busy New York City street.

"Oh, trust me - when it comes to you and me, low-key is pretty much impossible. And 'friendly'?" She slowly looked me over from head to toe with unabashed appraisal. "That's one way to put it, I suppose. For now..."

'Trust you? Nah, I'm not gonna trust a black kitten.'