After detention (Cassie)

[Benjamin Parker]

Walking towards the detention room, Ben knew that he'd need to try and talk some sense into Cassie. She was getting into trouble and detention sometimes, and Ben always had to wait for her, but that didn't bother him too much. What bothered him was how he always got bored while waiting. To pass the time however, he had brought a screwdriver and his dad's old web-shooters, which were his now. His dad had mutated further a few years back, regaining several of his powers that he had lost, such as organic webbing and some of his old powers had gone back to their former enhanced levels. Settling himself into a chair outside the detention room, the young mutate pulled out the screwdriver and web-shooters from his bag, and he began to unscrew the screws, and checked out the inner workings.

Surprisingly, Ben saw that he could easily make both web-shooters smaller, and more wrist fitting. They would be like form-fitting bracelets with a small bit extending forward into his palm, allowing him to hide it under the sleeves of his t-shirt or shirts. While these ones were already more compact and smaller than his dad's original one, Ben could make them small enough to hide and use in case his own organic spinnerets runs out in a fight. Taking the bits of the Web-shooters that were unnecessary, and he re-constituted them, making them into the smaller versions he had visualised in his head. Smiling, he looked at his watch and saw that he had been having fun dismantling the web-shooters and he had spent fifteen minutes on them. That was his personal best for assembling or disassembling things.

Putting the screwdriver in his bag. He then slipped the web-shooters on, and he smiled a bit at how form fitting it was. The good thing about these was that he had modified them before so that he could turn the small bit that activated the artificial webbing to the side, meaning if he was wearing them he could use his organic webbing or his artificial webbing. Ben rubbed his face, thinking about the last few years. His mother and father had taught him a good deal of things on how to use his powers, and skills of the trade of being a hero or Super-Human. His dad's increased powers were also something that Ben had to aspire to, as it meant he'd be even more like his dad in a few years. Shaking off these thoughts, Ben looked at the door for the detention room, wondering if detention would be over soon, as he was beginning to get bored.

[Cassandra Storm]

<sub>Cassandra Storm was bored. Beyond bored. Super bored! …Something like that. She sat silently on her chair, writing out her homework that she hadn’t handed in. It wasn’t the worst detention she had ever had (that would have been when Wolverine had taken the detention, and she’d had to train – and boy, she was sore for days and ended up with several bruises. That had to count for like child abuse or something). Definitely not the worst, but by far the most boring. She rolled her eyes and scored out a word she had spelt wrong.

She was so close to finishing… But if she rushed it now, she knew she’d have to re-do the last bit again. Glancing at the door, Cassie hoped that Ben was waiting again. She’d have to apologise – but it wasn’t her fault! The teacher just made it so easy to talk back and joke. Running a hand through her hair, Cassie glared down at the paper in front of her. So tempted to burn it – but then she’d end up back at square one and probably have to listen to another lecture about improper use of her powers. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Her father had taught her a lot about her powers, and she had heard tales of him using his, she knew the risks and such. Kinda.

She yawned, and then grinned brightly. Last sentence. She just had to… Done! It was all done. She grinned triumphantly at the teacher, but her head was turned towards the desk, reading something. Oh, well then. She scraped her chair back as she stood up and the noise gained the attention of the teacher.

“All done?” the teacher asked. “Just place it on the desk.”

Cassie nodded, and walked towards the front of the classroom, pulling her bag onto her shoulder as she did so.

“You really need to start paying attention and watching what you’re saying Cassie, one day you could get into real trouble.”

”I know, I know. Really. And I’m sorry. I’ll try harder.”

As she spoke she moved backwards towards the door, and eventually her hand managed to grasp the handle. Quickly, she pushed down and opened the door, making her escape out. She groaned and ran a hand through her hair, before noticing the boy settled in the chair outside the room.

A bright grin grew on her face, happy that her friend had waited. ”Hey Parker, whatcha doin’?” The answer was waiting for her. But she also noticed the web shooters he had with him. Curious by nature and after being taught how to fix and mend a lot of machines and the like by her dad, Cassie knew she’d have to get him to show her how they worked later on. But not now. Now she needed to get away from the detention room.</sub>

[Benjamin Parker]

Looking at the web-shooters, Ben wondered if he would ever have to stop using them, because he'd just need to get over the problem of his organic spinnerets running out at times. However, he knew that as he got older, some of his powers would increase. His web generation was one power that had only come in with the last few months. Rubbing his hands together, he looked at the detention room. He had a feeling that Cassie would be out in a few minutes, and he was sure if it wasn't an extension of his Spider-Sense, or just his intuition. It was probably just intuition, as he was quite intuitive.

Ben's suspicion was right when the door of the room opened and out walked Cassie. He smiled back at her as she smiled. He thought about what he would say to her when she asked what he was doing. He said with a grin “Well Cassandra, waiting for you, and working on the web-shooters that you have just noticed me wearing.” He had used Cassie's full name as it annoyed her, and it was just friendly banter between them. However, he had seen a mechanics glint in her eye when she had spotted the web-shooters. He would show her how to use them later, and maybe he'd even make her a pair, so she'd have something else to use other than her normal pyrokinetic powers, ever in case she was deprived of her powers or somehow was unable to use them.

Standing up out of the chair, Ben wondered what him and Cassie were going to be doing today. They tended to just hang out, or he would attempt to tutor her. So far, the tutoring had not worked out well. She had only managed to take a few facts in, and he was happy that she had taken in at least some of those facts. Looking at her, he said “Okay, do you want to go out and see and learn how to use these web-shooters. It might be helpful in case you ever are deprived of your natural powers. Just a suggestion.” Smiling at her, he spun the activation press device of the web-shooters around, making them do a full three hundred and sixty degree turn.

[Cassandra Storm]

<sub>Cassie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the use of her full name. He knew it annoyed her, the only time her full name was ever used was when she was in trouble. Or just by her aunt Susan. She seemed to just like the name. "Har de har har, Ben. I got the waiting part. And the web shooters are lookin' pretty cool!" She grinned at him, brightly, adjusting the strap of her school bag on her shoulder. All annoyance had easily disappeared. She just wasn't that good at ever staying annoyed at him.

She grinned sheepishly a second after though. Of course he noticed her looking at them. "They look pretty interesting is all. I mean, shiny." Smiling, she began to walk along the hallway, just needed to get away from the detention room but not entirely sure where to go yet.

Cassie hung out with Ben often, they had grown up together, and so it was now natural to see them together and probably a little scary when they were apart. Partly the scary factor was due to the fact that without Ben's calm and much better influence Cass was likely to create chaos for those around her. He was like a cool, awesome Jiminy Cricket. Not that she would ever tell him that. Cassie knew she could get out of hand - and sometimes she'd blame that on being all hot-headed literally - and she was grateful that she did have someone like Ben to help her out.

At Ben's suggestion, Cassie lit up and skipped a couple of steps ahead of him, so that she could turn and walk backwards - this way she could look at him as she talked. "Seriously? I can try them out? That's so awesome! Thanks." She flashed him a warm grin, excited at the prospect at learning. Her eyes immediately looked down at the web-shooters again, her mind racing at the mechanisms involved. "You always come up with the best suggestions... But one day, I'm gonna be the one coming up with cool ideas that actually work, alright?" Smiling softly at him, she paused for just a second. Then she reached out, took his hand, "To the great outdoors, mi amigo!" And laughing brightly, the young girl began to run, hair and school bag trailing behind her. As long as no one suddenly stepped out a room, she'd be fine!</sub>

[Benjamin Parker]

Ben smiled a bit when he saw the annoyance in Cassie's eye for a second, and he stuck her tongue out at her when she stuck hers out at him. She never liked to be called by her full first name, which was why she shortened it to Cassie. Ben knew how that felt because he had shortened his name from Benjamin to Ben. However, he was letting his thoughts stray at the moment. He smiled as she complimented the web-shooters, saying they looked cool. There were a few reasons they might look cool. The main one was because it was more compact, sleek and high technological look of the web-shooters to the previous bulky and low technological look that they had once had.

Ben walked beside Cassie, and he said in a smart mouthed tone “Yeah, Shininess affects the properties of my webbing. Though, the web-shooters are very interesting” Chuckling a bit, he said “They are usually not visible, because they are generally meant to be worn under sleeves or the sleeves of my costume, when I start wearing my costume I mean.” Cassie was the only one who knew about his costume so far. He had hidden it from most people, but it had been hanging in clear view when Cassie had come into his room once to hang out with him.

Being with Cassie always made Ben happy. They had grown up together, and Ben thought that maybe he made Cassie a little bit less of a trouble maker and more like a good person. She was a good person anyway, and he felt that his influence just made her a better person. Whenever he didn't spend time with Cassie, it always felt weird, as being around her reduced his bumbling, nerdy side a good amount. He'd be a lot more nerdy, bumbling and a social outcast if he wasn't friends with Cassie.

Ben was surprised when Cassie skipped a couple of steps ahead and her face seemed to have lit up. She was walking backwards as she spoke to him. She seemed surprised that she was going to get to try out the web-shooters. The warm grin she had on her face was one Ben immediately reciprocated, happy that he could show her something that he was more skilled at her. While his powers allowed him to be good at sports, he was not the sporty type, so Cassie had the edge in that. However, he had the edge in using web-shooters and academics. Laughing when she said she'd come up with a smart idea that worked, and then ran towards the outside of the mansion. Running after her, Ben said “Si mi amigo! And you do have smart ideas that work.” Smiling, he continued to run after her, and he managed to run by her side slightly effortlessly. He was fast, but he couldn't go for extended periods, like his father could or like any other super powered kid he knew, apart from Cassie.

[Cassandra Storm]

Nodding, Cassie listened to his explanation of the web-shooters and their shininess. It did make sense. Of course, there was his smart ‘I know this tone’. Cassie smiled softly. She was smart, you couldn’t deny that. But she hardly ever showed it, or felt the need to. She knew how to do things that she needed to do – for her family, friends, even school sometimes. But Ben... He was always going to be the smart one of the pair. He knew things – and hell, he could even teach Cassie things. And that took a lot of skill and patience. She smiled brightly at him as he mentioned his costume, ”Oh, yeah. Probably a good idea to put them under the sleeves. I mean, they look pretty cool, but I think they ruin the effect of the costume.” She giggled softly under her breath. Thinking back to the time when she had seen his costume, she had to admit she was pretty impressed. It looked good. She wasn’t going to be able to have a costume until her uncle Reed made one. After all, she’d have to make something like her fathers which could stand the fire they could create. You couldn’t find that material just in any old shops.

Racing along the hallway, she reached center of the first floor. Here there was a balcony section, that looked down onto the lobby of the ground floor. There was a huge staircase, and opposite the staircase was the main steps. Just as she reached the balcony area, she immediately stopped running, allowing her momentum to slide her across to the top of the stairs quite efficiently. ”I do? Hm. Maybe, I guess I do have some ideas that work. But, y’know, those ones just mainly seem to get us into trouble.” Still smiling she made her way down the stairs.

At the bottom she peered around the back of the stairs, holding onto the banister. Behind the stairs was the rec room. In there were several sofas, a mini fridge, a TV and games console and loads of other things. Cassie’s eyes peered at the few kids inside, but none of them was her older brother Xander. She pouted for a second. It had been a few days since she’d spoken to him now. Not since that last fight between her father and him. She sighed, then shook herself and turned back to Ben with a grin. ”So, web-shooting. Sounds sporty. Sounds like my thing – but not really, cuz it’s more your thing… But you know what I meant.” She made a face. Out of the childhood friends, it was Cassie that was more of the sporty one. She couldn’t stay still and liked to be on the move and out and about. ”Think I’ll pick up on it quickly? The shooters don’t look complicated, but I’m guessing the look is quite deceptive, huh?”

[Benjamin Parker]

Ben smiled in response to Cassie's soft smile. She had a nice smile, and it always made him feel happy to see her smile. She was his best friend, his confidant and the only person, apart from his parents and half sister, that he fully trusted. However, he hid some of his fears about his powers in the future from her. He hadn't told anyone about his fears if his powers increased, or if something happened to him due to his powers. However, most of the time these fears were in the back of his mind, not bothering him unless he thought about them, which was rare, or during his dreams.

Ben smiled a bit when she commented on how they'd ruin the effect of his costume. She had seen it, and he knew she was looking forward to when she got her own costume. However, hers would need to be similar to the Human Torch's one, made of unstable molecules. He continued to run with her, easily keeping up a steady and speedy pace due to his Super-Human speed. He was thankful to have the speed of his father, as it would not be easy for him to fight if he didn't have it, as his style of fighting relied on his powers. He was also lucky to have his mother's claws to compensate for his lack of Spider wall-crawling abilities. Unlike Cassie, who managed to use her momentum to slide across to the stairs, Ben kept running, and was down the stairs before her. However, he was exhausted when he reached the bottom, and he started panting. Why didn't I get Super-Human stamina? He knew that if he took up sports, he stamina and endurance would increase...But, he was too much of a braniac to give up valuable study time for sports.

As he stood up fully, Ben wondered who or what Cassie was looking for. He had a suspicion it might be her brother, but he was not entirely sure. When she mentioned about web-shooting possibly being her thing due to it being sporty, he chuckled and said “Don't be so cocky Cassie. My dad tried to teach my mom to use them, so she'd get around easier. Its been three years, and only now does she get the hang of it. They are deceptively hard for people without Spider-Powers to use. Me and my dad, however, are the most proficient. He no longer needs them, and if my organic spinnerets ever work properly, I won't need them. But, till them, I need them as back up. Now, I think you'll learn fast, and who knows? You could use them as well.” Smiling, he then said “Come on. Lets go outside and I will show you how to use them.” Running towards the front door, he hoped Cassie would follow. Though, he knew she would.

[Cassandra Storm]

After making sure that her brother definitely wasn't there - though what she had been planning on doing if he had turned up she didn't know; Cassie walked behind the running Ben. Her hands swung gently as she walked, glancing back every now and then before she skipped ahead slightly to reach Ben just after he had opened the door to go out. "Okay, give me no hope for getting this right then. I won't be able to keep up practice for a years" She laughed brightly, "I didn't really think I would pick it up straight away, ya know."

She grinned at him as she passed him by and outside. Hopping down the couple of steps that led into the grounds she looked about, first left the right. "Where abouts do you want to go to practice. Round to where the grass maze is... Or around the other way to where the courts and other school buildings are." Cassie didn't want to make the decision, because how would she know which place was better to try out the web shooters? The graze maze and the lake beyond that were her favourite places in the grounds. The maze had those high hedges that even the tallest people couldn't see over. And though the hedges were too close together for her to go all flame-y in their, it was good to wander about it, and always quiet, which she liked at times. The lake, was pretty cool too - with a tire swing hanging from an old tree (that totally looked like the branch would snap off at some point, but so far all had been good). Though water wasn't her favourite thing (for quite obvious reasons she thought), she was still an alright swimmer, and had fun mucking about in the lake when they were allowed to do so.

She waited as patiently as could, bouncing slightly on the toes of her feet. It was a nice day out, with the sun shining brightly. And it was warm, but not overly so. She only wished she hadn't had detention so that she could have gotten outside quicker - but well, here she was now, no need to reflect on the tortures of detention now. She looked back at Ben with a smile as she waited for his answer. Sometimes Cass wasn't sure exactly what she would be doing if Ben wasn't around - he had stopped her getting into some tough and stupid situations (not all of them, she was too stubborn too listen sometimes). Their parents had been friends for years and years before either of them had been born, and hung out a lot even now - which meant plenty of time to see her best friend. It was nice to have some her age just to talk to and relax with. And who didn't mind if she sometimes set things on fire accidentally (she always put it out straight away again).

[Benjamin Parker]

Ben tended to think while he did any sort of exercise. It was because he considered exercise to stimulate his brain, and activate more brain cells. It was something that some people found weird, but he didn't mind it too much really. He was just happy that running gave him the chance to think and allowed him to work on some theories while also working on his physical attributes, like his stamina and all of his other attributes. However, he was only running right now so he could get outside and practice one of the things he loved about his powers, and also showing and teaching Cassie how to use the web-shooters. The good thing was he had adjusted these to have a second setting. That way, if a normal human or a Super-human with no super strength used them, they would be able to use them on the second setting.

Ben chuckled when Cassie laughed after saying she wouldn't be using it. “Well, you might pick them up quickly. I only mentioned it took my mom a long time, was because she had difficulty adjusting to them from her usual way of swinging around the city. It can be an adjustment, or you might be able to pick it up within a month or more. And that's only if I try and teach you twice a week.... Only if you want to learn though.” Ben smiled, wondering if Cassie would take up his offer. If she did, he'd give her the web-shooters he was wearing right now. They would be good, as they were made of a fire proof material, which his dad had devised in case he ever lent the web-shooters to Cassie's dad, or was in a fight with someone who could burn him.

When Cassie asked where he wanted to go to practice, Ben thought this through thoroughly. If they went to the grass maze, he wouldn't be able to demonstrate web-swinging that well, as he needed a solid building to web-swing. Making his decision, Ben said “How about we go around to the courts and school buildings. That way, I can teach you how to web-swing proficiently.” As he said that, he took off his web-shooters, using a quick release button which caused them to fall off. Before he had released them, however, he had set them to the secondary setting. Holding them in his hands, he handed the web-shooters to Cassie. “Slip them on, and we'll go round to the courts and practice their use. I'll demonstrate by using my own organic spinnerets.” Ben smiled a bit and said “Also, if you begin to fall after the first swing, you can always go into flame mode. The metal's made of an alloy my dad devised that makes it fire proof.” As he said that, he walked towards the courts, at a normal pace. This way Cassie could keep up with him, as he was extremely fast when he wanted to be, but only in short bursts.

[Cassandra Storm]

Cassie gave a soft sigh and adjusted the strap of her school bag as it had been starting to dig into her shoulder. The pain hadn’t bothered her, but the reminder of school and the fact that she had maths homework caused her some annoyance. She’d have to spend time later on that day doing it – perhaps she’d recruit Xander to help, as Cass was sure that Ben was going to need some time to do his own homework and not have her asking stupid questions. She tried, she did – and most of the time she got things, and she could do all the equations. Cass just didn’t understand how it worked and why she needed to know such things.

She grinned, and shrugged, ”I know what you meant Bug Boy, I know. And hey, maybe I won’t take that long. But I’ll definitely take quite some time.” Cassie yawned, stretching her arms above her head, before placing them back down by her sides. She grinned over at her best friend, ”Of course I want to learn. It’d be nice to do so. It’ll be fun! We could swing about together! Or you could swing, and I’ll half-swing and half-fly behind you. Something like that.”

”Alrighty, to the buildings and stuff.” She smiled warmly at Ben as she took the shooters, taking time to put them properly around her wrists. For a moment it felt odd and strange, but she soon got used to the feeling of them there as she wandered with Ben over to beside the courts. Cassie lifted one arm up in front of her to examine the little web-shooter, ”Flame resistant is definitely useful. I’d hate to spontaneously combust these things up.”

[Benjamin Parker]

Ben had always wanted to teach someone how to utilize the web-shooters to a good extent. However, he had always thought that it would be a side-kick of his in a few years time, or maybe even his own son or daughter if he ever had one. However, he was happy to be teaching his best friend how to use them, so that they would have something else to do other than him trying to tutor her and hanging out. He was just happy to be with his best friend, and to be teaching her something other than maths or some subjects that Cassie only payed half of her attention to.

Ben bristled a bit when she called him “bug-boy.” Technically, Spider-Boy would be more accurate, but hey, it was still a playful insult, but that didn't matter. Insulting his powers or being playful with them always made him feel uncomfortable. With a grin, he said “Okay flame-girl. Just remember, you're going to practice with me at least twice a week for a while if you want to become skilled at using these web-shooters. Besides, you don't have to worry about wall-crawling. Especially when its with these.” Raising his right hand, his claws came forward, one on each finger. Allowing them to retract, they came into view of the courts.

Rolling his neck, Ben said “Okay. You want to extend your hand first.” Extending his hand outwards, palm facing upwards, the young Parker continued. “Then, you want to press your two middle fingers inwards with a generous amount of strength.” Ben did so, and then from his wrist shot a string of webbing. It attached itself to a wall on a building. “Okay, now. What you want to do is usually wait until your in the air and then shoot some webbing onto a building. After that, you throw yourself forward.”

To demonstrate, Ben released the current string of webbing he was holding. Tensing his legs, he leapt high into the air. However, he was not above any buildings. Throwing his hand forward, he used the hand gesture and sent a string of webbing to the building. Grasping it with both hands, he threw himself forward, and let out a shout of exhilaration. Swing to the end of the school building, Ben released his webbing and landed on his feet with cat like precision. Walking back to Cassie, he grinned and said with a playful tone “Your turn Flame-girl.”

[Cassandra Storm]

Walking around to the courts and side-buildings, Cassie held one hand by her side, clicking her fingers and creating a flame, then clicking them once more to extinguish it. It was just a habit of hers that she could never really break. Even the teachers by this point had stopped trying to get her to stop. After all, she hadn’t ever burnt anything by doing so it just kind of… released energy, or stress, or whatever she wanted to release. Or at least, it had started of like that. Now it really was just a habit.

She glanced over at Ben taking note that Bug Boy had annoyed him. She had known it would of course. Cass also hoped that she knew he hadn’t taken it too seriously. Taking a small step closer she nudged him with her shoulder, grinning goofily at him as the reached the courts. Again she examined the web-shooters, then replied, ”Yes sir. Twice a week, I promise!” She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and sent him a smile. Of course she’d remember.

Taking a deep breath, Cassie calmed herself and focused as Ben tried to explain to her the procedure. She had seen it done before of course, and so had a slight idea of what to do, so as he explained she nodded, ”Okay. Got it.” She thought she had at least. It sounded a lot easier than it actually would be.

With a grin, she watched as Ben swung, then held out her right arm first. She pressed her fingers lightly where she knew she was to press, but before she could jump her fingers slipped and she shot out some web. She gave Ben a sheepish grin. ”Uh… That was just practice to see ‘em work. Mhm.” Grinning, she then did as told and jumped before letting out the webbing. And for just a second she did swing – until she lost her balance and fell.

She didn’t flame on as there wasn’t a point in – she had only made it a little bit of the ground. Cass skidded slightly, and gave a bright laugh, not at all bothered by her failed attempt. ”For a second there that was quite neat!” She nodded, grinning at Ben. ”Have to keep trying though.”

[Benjamin Parker]

Ben had noticed Cassie creating a flame, but it didn't bother him. He was used to her using her powers and generally showing off. That was why he had started clicking his fingers as well, allowing his cat claws to come out and then retract. He was always using them, either to cut wires when his tools were far away, or to carve his initials into trees, and the occasional building. Combining the claws with his super-human strength allowed him to cut wood, most materials, and even some forms of metals. Metals that were stronger than steel were some things he could not cut through. Even steel was an effort for him to cut through. These claws and his strength were the reason he could compensate for his lack of wall-crawling ability from his mutant DNA.

A grin came upon the young Parkers face when Cassie promised to come practice twice a week. He had hoped she would agree, as it would be nice for her to learn something other than academic lessons. Besides, it meant Ben could show off his powers more, and that was something he wanted to do, as Cassie was always showing off her powers. He grinned a bit when she accidentally released some webbing from the web-shooters, and she claimed that it was just a practice to see if they shooters worked. Chuckling, he said “Yeah, I'm sure that's what you were doing. I mean, if you were going to shoot a web, you'd send it to a wall.” Chuckling, Ben continued to watch her, wondering if she would show any aptitude or skill with web-swinging.

Ben was surprised that, on her first try and swinging, she managed to swing a bit. She had quickly lost her grip on the string of webbing, and landed a bit further than where she had swung from. Giving her a smile, he said “Just keep trying. You might get the hang of it.” Ben walked over to a wall, and leaned against it. He said “Try again Cassie.”

[Cassandra Storm]

She grinned sheepishly once more at his comment. Okay, perhaps she really did need to get used to these web-shooters. They weren’t like anything she had ever tried out before – and though she’d never say it to Ben, she didn’t have high hopes for being able to use it. The shooters required skill, and whilst Cassie had that in plenty of subjects and could in fact focus at will on these when she wanted to, web-shooting required a whole new level of skill that she just hadn’t tried before. Things like flying and being in the air were natural to her. The whole thing had come to her as easily as breathing, because in some ways that was just how she was programmed. That was her power and of course she could use it. And now this? She’d have to forget everything that came to her like that if she was going to just go with the swinging. ”Okay, so I maybe didn’t mean to shoot it just there. But… I totally meant to shoot it.”

After her first failed attempt, Cassie paused for a second before replying to Ben. In all honesty, she was quite certain that had been all luck. Her jumping had really made her swing that far – and doing it again would be hard. But boosted by Ben’s slight encouragement, she grinned and tried once more. She jumped, and shot, and fell – to her feet, but fell. No swing that time. ”Guess I blew the magic on my first shot, huh?” She joked. It was tough, and Cass wasn’t too bothered about her once again failure. She was really just glad to be able to get out and have a bit of fun. Lately all she seemed to have been doing with Ben was academic things, which was alright, but it just wasn’t the kind of fun she wanted to be having.

A lot of things lately just seemed to be rather serious. Take the growing fights between her brother and father. God, she hated those fights. And at least having Xander at the school meant he wasn’t around their dad too often anymore. But Cass shook herself from these thoughts and concentrated once more on her swinging. She blocked out everything, closed down the sounds coming in and focused on what she was doing. Cassie acted up and was so enthusiastic at times she didn’t think anyone, not even Ben or her father knew just how well she could focus on things. And that honestly suited her rather well.

Aiming, she jumped and shot out another webbing and it moved her forward about an inch. Again, it was probably more to do with her jumping than actually swinging – in fact it couldn’t really have been the swinging but Cassie was perfectly happy with just jumping about outside with her friend.