The streets of New York were filled with people going about their nightly business. Cars contained men and women heading home from work, the traffic remained steady. Many of the citizens on the sidewalks of the streets had their noses stuck in their phones, navigating their way around by looking up every so often. Others pushed through the crowds, trying to get done whatever they needed to do at 9:38pm.

High above the streets, the sky is filled with stars. Those down below would be unable to see it, but above the buildings the view was crystal clear. The balls of light dotting the dark expanse of sky may have been far and few between, but those visible to anyone willing to take the time to look up were quite bright.

The thing about New York at night is that no one looks out for others. No one stops to help the old woman cross the street, or to pick up the fruit that a young child knocked over. And for once, Maddi is happy for this fact. As she swung from the buildings of the city, spider emblem embellished on her chest, she is glad that no one has the care to look up.

Her night had ended the way most of her nights end: a fight with Ryder. She knew that she had to leave him, that she had to save herself. But the thing about her situation is that it’s hard to get out of. And it’s even harder when you can’t fall out of love with your abuser.

Swinging up to be high above a building, Maddi landed on top of it. She stood still for a few moments, looking around at her surroundings. She grabed her mask and pulled it off, holding it in her right hand and feeling the soft breeze against her face. Sitting down, she made no noise, instead relishing in the silence that surrounded her.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. At first she wiped them away, but as they started to flow quicker she let them flow. Maddi had become used to the tears over the last year or so. When her relationship with Ryder turned sour, they became a daily occurrence. She sits in the quiet, the only noise being the sound of cars driving in the streets below.

The sound of repulsors behind her made her wipe the tears away, the tears having been on her cheeks for so long that they left stains. A soft clang of metal sounded as a person in a suit of armour landed on the roof of the building Maddi was sitting on. As the armour-clad person began to walk towards the girl sitting on the edge of the building, the metal sounds began to give way to the sounds of rubber soles.

The armour started to disappear into the new person’s skin, revealing a tanned girl with dark brown hair. Jeans and a simple salmon hoodie replaced the armour, as does a pair of black sneakers. The girl sat down beside Maddi, and they didn’t speak for minutes, letting the calming silence waft over them.

“Hi, Diya,” Maddi finally said, breaking the silence.

“You…you ok?” Diya asked, worried for her friend.

“I’ll be fine,” Maddi replied, a thin smile plastered on her lips. She never wanted Diya to see how much pain she was in.

They sat in silence for a few more moments, before a ping from Maddi’s phone cut through. It seemed to echo for longer than it should have, fading away excruciatingly slow. Maddi checked the message after seeing that it was from her brother.

“I should get going. Jensen will be home soon. I should be there when he arrives.” She stood up and pulled her mask back on, covering her face. She jumped off the side of the building and started to swing towards the apartment shared with her brother, using her webs to propel herself.

A few minutes later, Maddi landed on the wall outside of the appointment. She stuck to the wall and peered through the window just as Jensen arrived home. She moved back on the wall so that she wouldn’t be spotted, waiting until she could hear the shower start running. She proceeded to open the window and climb in, wanting to be out of costume before Jensen was finished in the shower.

She quickly pulled her suit off and shoved it in the back of a drawer, making sure that it was covered by clothes and couldn’t be seen. She then grabbed one of her brother’s oversized grey hoodies and pulled it on. This was all done just as her brother walked out of the bathroom.

He spotted Maddi and smiled, glad that she had arrived at home safely. “Dinner?”