Peter's sister, Nova II NovaVerse 1

Peter

Nova's been acting so different lately. I'm trying my best to juggle my own life and making sure she's adjusting alright. The day I brought home Ned and MJ, she had been acting gloomy. I learned later that Teddy had been really cruel earlier and she had learned her lungs would have issues for the rest of her life. I thought that was why she was different. But I have a feeling that it's more then that now, and I don't know what.

Some days I go to the kitchen and catch her looking at a knife. She gets lost in the reflection. Other days she hides in the bathroom after a nightmare instead of coming to me like she's usually does. She doesn't sleep anymore. Her bright eyes and smile have been replaced by dullness and annoyance.

I go into her room, crawling on the ceiling so she doesn't see me. I just got home from patrol.  But she isn't in her bed.

I hear coughing by the bathroom. I know Teddy has been hurting her, leaving her with major migraines and nosebleeds. I go to the bathroom and open the door. She's leaning over it, coughing out blood. When she sees me, I expect she panic. For her to try and hide because she would be nervous. I sit next to her and Pat her back as she edges away from me.

"Are you okay? Should I tell Bruce? How long has this been happening?" I say this to her. We've been practicing with her CI which is laying in her hair right now. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't tell," she says. It's a little odd to hear her voice when she used to never talk, but I felt comforted that she was getting better. "In my uni-uno- iniverse?" She stumbles over the words she hasn't said in ages. "Your universe... it's been happening that long?!" I start to ramble to her face, even though she probably can't understand half the things I'm saying to her.

"You couldn't actually be serious!" I start. "I'm supposed to take care of you and then this happens I thought you trusted me. I really just want to see you happy and it's been that long? This must have gotten worse if it started the day we last left your universe because that was eleven freaking months ago!"

She flinches when I yell and I apologize. "I- I didn't mean to. I just don't want to loose you again." She places a hand on my shoulder and pulls me into a hug. Her eyes warm up a little and she smiles.

"Don't tell Boose," she tries to say. Her speaking still needs improvement after so long of not hearing any language other than the gravely voice in her head. But she's advancing with it fast.

We clean up the bathroom and go to the bed, where we open a book and read together.

Mr. Stark comes in. "Alright kiddos, bedtime," he says.

"But Mr. Stark! We really really really want to read. Just a few more minutes?" He shakes his head. "No can do, Spidey. Both of you have school tomorrow. First day back, remember?"

I remember. Nova and I will be in different grades. Last year was 9th grade, but she was in a coma for most of it. So she'll have to redo it.

She still didn't want to sleep, and wants to be alone. So I leave.

But I know, in the middle of the night, like she does every night, she will take a knife in her hand.

And she will stare at it.