Spider Quinn 07: Ashes to Ashes - Part 7
Mar. 25th, 2024 07:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fardell24Quinn heard a knock at the bedroom door. Just as well she wasn’t doing something SpiderGirl related. She opened it and found Jenna holding a hairbrush. “Jenna?”
“Quinn. I’m not going to need this anymore,” Jenna said, waving the hairbrush.
“Oh. What about Mom or Daria?”
“I thought you would appreciate it more.”
Quinn took the brush. “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “But I already have a lot of brushes.”
“Oh.”
“But I think I know someone who doesn’t have many.”
“That’s fine,” Jenna said.
But Quinn could tell that she was disappointed. “But, I could keep it.”
“You don’t have to,” Jenna said in a reassuring tone.
Quinn nodded with a smile. She decided to change the topic. “So, there’s a reason you did all this?”
“Lots of reasons,” Jenna said. “My life hasn’t been that great. I didn’t have friends at school, and I fell into the wrong crowd at College. Ended up abusing various substances, not just alcohol, and got into a few bad relationships…”
“You don’t need to say more,” Quinn said, after Jenna trailed off and was quiet.
“And I lost various family members. Which is another reason I came in here.”
“I have Mom, Daria and Stacy, Tiffany, and now Tori,” Quinn said.
“And that’s good. But you probably need more help.”
“I’ll think about that.”
“A good idea,” Jenna said. She then said good night and left the room.
Quinn then went back to what she was working on.
SpiderGirl emerged from the side bedroom window in the early hours. She then walked on the roof and sat above the spare room. She could hear sounds coming from below. Jenna was still having nightmares. But then she also was having nightmares. There were many nights when she had awoken from reliving that moment when her father became still on the side of the road beside his car. She shook her head and focused on listening to Lawndale.
She soon heard sirens near the Big Strawberry. She headed in that direction.
Peterson saw SpiderGirl arrive. “I knew you would be here,” she said.
“What do you have?” she asked.
“Overdose,” Peterson said. “A friend called it in, said that the person was tripping and wanted to climb the Strawberry. Unfortunately, the ambulance wasn’t able to make it in time.”
SpiderGirl was annoyed. It was something she saw occasionally on the news in Highland, but not yet in Lawndale. “I’ll get all the dealers!” she declared.
“I’m afraid that more would come,” Peterson said in a tone of defeat.
SpiderGirl knew that tone from those Highland news reports. She approached the victim. “Not again!” she said. “Lawndale will be CLEAN!”
“Simply saying that won’t help,” Peterson said. “I know you averted a deal yesterday, but you can’t be everywhere.”
“I know,” SpiderGirl said quietly. “But I’ll try.”
Peterson watched as the metahuman vigilante swung away. She hoped that she would be able to make some difference. She didn’t want Lawndale to get worse, although she knew that it would before things got better.
SpiderGirl patrolled various parts of Lawndale until the pre-dawn glow appeared in the eastern sky.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Friday December 15, 2000
Mayor Promises No Tolerance of Crime
Quinn couldn’t get back to sleep. The image of the dead addict was now prominent in her mind, although it wasn’t any where near as prominent as her father saying ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.
As soon as the alarm went off she jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom.
“Oh, has Jenna been keeping you awake?” Daria asked when she came out.
“A little,” Quinn said. “I do have nightmares, sometimes,” she admitted quietly.
“Me too,” Daria said. “Obviously not like yours. I miss Dad a lot.”
The two sisters then hugged. It more being Quinn throwing her hands around the other than the two actually hugging.
Daria didn’t fight it
“Thanks,” Quinn said as she released her sister from the hug.
Jenna was already ready to leave when the two sisters came down. “Thanks for having me,” she said to Helen.
“You can give me a call when you get back,” Helen said.
“I shall,” Jenna said as she hugged Helen. She waved to Daria and Quinn and then left.
“Constant change,” Quinn mused as she left the house with Daria.
“That’s life,” Daria said.
“This time last week, I wouldn’t have expected that I would dissolve the Fashion Club.”
“Wasn’t that Stacy and Tiffany as well?” Daria asked.
“Yes. But I had hoped that Sandi and I would still be friends.”
“Quinn, she has seen you change due to grief and she’s not sure what to make of it. It says a lot about the other two that they have stuck with you.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Now there’s Tori, although I don’t know her well,” Quinn said.
“I’m sure that she’ll stick around. She may have a reputation for gossip, but I haven’t heard her disparage people much.”
“That’s true.”
“And I still have Jane,” Daria said.
“I’m sure she’ll stick around.”
The day at school was relatively normal. It seemed that Sandi had paused her rumormongering.
That evening, there was another call from the Gupty’s. “Hello,” Helen said.
“Lauren Gupty here.”
“I’ll put Quinn on.”
“Thanks.”
“Mrs. Gupty?” Quinn asked when she had grabbed the phone.
“Evening Quinn. Lester and I need to be out again tomorrow night.”
“I can be there,” Quinn responded.
“Thanks.”
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Saturday, December 16, 2000
Overdose victim found at Big Strawberry
Quinn brought Jenna’s hairbrush with her to the Gupty’s. She was sure that Tricia would appreciate the gesture.
“That’s pretty,” Tricia said once Quinn took it out of her handbag.
“It belonged to a person who pretended to be an old friend of my mothers. Would you like it?”
“That person won’t mind?”
“I think she'd be happy knowing I gave it to someone with such pretty hair,” Quinn responded.
“Wait…”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ll keep it. Anyway, Tad and I finally have a Nintendo. Would you like to play?”
“I have played Mario Paint,” Quinn said.
“Sounds boring,” Tricia said.
“Not as boring as it sounds. Besides, Stacy has a PlayStation.”
After an hour or so playing Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tad and Tricia were tiring. “Time to get ready for bed.”
“Sure,” Tricia said as she turned the system off.
After leaving the Gupty’s later that night, SpiderGirl patrolled that part of Lawndale, hoping that she was making a difference. She owed Tad and Tricia, and others she babysat that much. ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,’ she thought as she passed by that house again.
“Quinn. I’m not going to need this anymore,” Jenna said, waving the hairbrush.
“Oh. What about Mom or Daria?”
“I thought you would appreciate it more.”
Quinn took the brush. “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “But I already have a lot of brushes.”
“Oh.”
“But I think I know someone who doesn’t have many.”
“That’s fine,” Jenna said.
But Quinn could tell that she was disappointed. “But, I could keep it.”
“You don’t have to,” Jenna said in a reassuring tone.
Quinn nodded with a smile. She decided to change the topic. “So, there’s a reason you did all this?”
“Lots of reasons,” Jenna said. “My life hasn’t been that great. I didn’t have friends at school, and I fell into the wrong crowd at College. Ended up abusing various substances, not just alcohol, and got into a few bad relationships…”
“You don’t need to say more,” Quinn said, after Jenna trailed off and was quiet.
“And I lost various family members. Which is another reason I came in here.”
“I have Mom, Daria and Stacy, Tiffany, and now Tori,” Quinn said.
“And that’s good. But you probably need more help.”
“I’ll think about that.”
“A good idea,” Jenna said. She then said good night and left the room.
Quinn then went back to what she was working on.
SpiderGirl emerged from the side bedroom window in the early hours. She then walked on the roof and sat above the spare room. She could hear sounds coming from below. Jenna was still having nightmares. But then she also was having nightmares. There were many nights when she had awoken from reliving that moment when her father became still on the side of the road beside his car. She shook her head and focused on listening to Lawndale.
She soon heard sirens near the Big Strawberry. She headed in that direction.
Peterson saw SpiderGirl arrive. “I knew you would be here,” she said.
“What do you have?” she asked.
“Overdose,” Peterson said. “A friend called it in, said that the person was tripping and wanted to climb the Strawberry. Unfortunately, the ambulance wasn’t able to make it in time.”
SpiderGirl was annoyed. It was something she saw occasionally on the news in Highland, but not yet in Lawndale. “I’ll get all the dealers!” she declared.
“I’m afraid that more would come,” Peterson said in a tone of defeat.
SpiderGirl knew that tone from those Highland news reports. She approached the victim. “Not again!” she said. “Lawndale will be CLEAN!”
“Simply saying that won’t help,” Peterson said. “I know you averted a deal yesterday, but you can’t be everywhere.”
“I know,” SpiderGirl said quietly. “But I’ll try.”
Peterson watched as the metahuman vigilante swung away. She hoped that she would be able to make some difference. She didn’t want Lawndale to get worse, although she knew that it would before things got better.
SpiderGirl patrolled various parts of Lawndale until the pre-dawn glow appeared in the eastern sky.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Friday December 15, 2000
Mayor Promises No Tolerance of Crime
Quinn couldn’t get back to sleep. The image of the dead addict was now prominent in her mind, although it wasn’t any where near as prominent as her father saying ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.
As soon as the alarm went off she jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom.
“Oh, has Jenna been keeping you awake?” Daria asked when she came out.
“A little,” Quinn said. “I do have nightmares, sometimes,” she admitted quietly.
“Me too,” Daria said. “Obviously not like yours. I miss Dad a lot.”
The two sisters then hugged. It more being Quinn throwing her hands around the other than the two actually hugging.
Daria didn’t fight it
“Thanks,” Quinn said as she released her sister from the hug.
Jenna was already ready to leave when the two sisters came down. “Thanks for having me,” she said to Helen.
“You can give me a call when you get back,” Helen said.
“I shall,” Jenna said as she hugged Helen. She waved to Daria and Quinn and then left.
“Constant change,” Quinn mused as she left the house with Daria.
“That’s life,” Daria said.
“This time last week, I wouldn’t have expected that I would dissolve the Fashion Club.”
“Wasn’t that Stacy and Tiffany as well?” Daria asked.
“Yes. But I had hoped that Sandi and I would still be friends.”
“Quinn, she has seen you change due to grief and she’s not sure what to make of it. It says a lot about the other two that they have stuck with you.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Now there’s Tori, although I don’t know her well,” Quinn said.
“I’m sure that she’ll stick around. She may have a reputation for gossip, but I haven’t heard her disparage people much.”
“That’s true.”
“And I still have Jane,” Daria said.
“I’m sure she’ll stick around.”
The day at school was relatively normal. It seemed that Sandi had paused her rumormongering.
That evening, there was another call from the Gupty’s. “Hello,” Helen said.
“Lauren Gupty here.”
“I’ll put Quinn on.”
“Thanks.”
“Mrs. Gupty?” Quinn asked when she had grabbed the phone.
“Evening Quinn. Lester and I need to be out again tomorrow night.”
“I can be there,” Quinn responded.
“Thanks.”
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Saturday, December 16, 2000
Overdose victim found at Big Strawberry
Quinn brought Jenna’s hairbrush with her to the Gupty’s. She was sure that Tricia would appreciate the gesture.
“That’s pretty,” Tricia said once Quinn took it out of her handbag.
“It belonged to a person who pretended to be an old friend of my mothers. Would you like it?”
“That person won’t mind?”
“I think she'd be happy knowing I gave it to someone with such pretty hair,” Quinn responded.
“Wait…”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ll keep it. Anyway, Tad and I finally have a Nintendo. Would you like to play?”
“I have played Mario Paint,” Quinn said.
“Sounds boring,” Tricia said.
“Not as boring as it sounds. Besides, Stacy has a PlayStation.”
After an hour or so playing Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tad and Tricia were tiring. “Time to get ready for bed.”
“Sure,” Tricia said as she turned the system off.
After leaving the Gupty’s later that night, SpiderGirl patrolled that part of Lawndale, hoping that she was making a difference. She owed Tad and Tricia, and others she babysat that much. ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,’ she thought as she passed by that house again.
