[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/iyJuAe0.png
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[center][b]Aubrey Adkins[/b][/center]
[center][b]Pacific Point, CA[/b][/center]
	I forgot how user-unfriendly the UI for this Game Genie cube was. I originally thought I could just boot the thing up, push a few buttons, and then I would be ready for my little hospital visit. But in reality, it took me fiddling around with the program until I was cutting things awfully close. I was not worried about being late, since it wouldn't take long to get there. I just wanted to be able to just click and go.

	While I was dealing with these last-minute issues, I heard my cell phone, which had been resting next to my laptop, start ringing. When I glanced over towards my phone, the caller ID identified that my mom was on the other side of the line. Of all times, why now? Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother to death. She fully supported me moving out to Pacific Point for my modeling gig, even though I, her daughter, have never lived in a different state as her before, let alone on the other side of the country. But she can also talk ears off and ever since I relocated to California, it has gotten even worse. If I’m not careful, I’m never going to be able to get to the hospital in a timely fashion.

	[color=b22222]“Hey, Mom! What’s up?”[/color] I cordially answered her call while still focusing part of my attention on my computer screen.

	“Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!” My mom gasped in relief. “I was so worried when I heard what had happened in Pacific Point.”

	[color=b22222]“I was at home the entire time, so I wasn’t in any real danger,”[/color] I lied to my own mother. I mean, what was I supposed to say? That I was not only stuck in the middle of the incident, but I was trading blows with the metahumans whom the Hounds had driven mad? Although I have a pretty solid relationship with my parents (or why else would they have allowed me to move to the West Coast), I have no idea how they would react if I told them the truth, that I’m a metahuman drider. I would hope they would be understanding, but you never know. How would you react if your little girl was now more spider than human?

	“Please just be careful. My poor heart can’t even bear that thought of something happening to you,” my mom told me. The concern in her voice was quite clear.

	[color=b22222]“Don’t worry, mom. I can handle myself.”[/color]

	I was not even sure of that, considering the rollercoaster ride that has been my life ever since I was ‘blessed’ with metahuman powers. 

	[color=b22222]“Mom, I’m going to have to head out soon, so could I call you back later?”[/color]

	“Of course!” My mother responded, “I don’t want to hold you up! Your dad and I miss you so much, so don’t hesitate to call!”

	[color=b22222]“So do I, mom. And I'll call back whenever I'm free again.”[/color]

	After I had hung up, I turned back to my computer screen. By that time, I had finally figured out what I needed to do to get the cube working. Therefore, I clicked my mouse and activated the cube that Talus had recovered from the Game Genie’s attack on Pacific Point. There was a brief moment of darkness as I was sucked into the cube before I materialized back on the chair I had been sitting in. But now, I was wearing a Spider-Gwen costume that looked more authentic than any movie wardrobe unit could produce.

	I then stood up from my chair and slid it under the desk that sat in front of it. There was just enough room that was perpendicular with the desk for a quick roundoff back handspring. Luckily, with my spider powers, I landed on my feet like a cat, without making too much noice to bother the girls living below me. Since I had spent much of my adolescence doing cheerleading, throwing up my arms upon the landing was just ingrained into my subconscious, even though there was no audience or judges to see it. I’m still figuring out how to use my gymnastic knowledge in my drider form, so it just felt nice having my powers while still looking one hundred percent human.

	It is kind of weird that they asked me to do this little stunt. Although I am a little more well known, I’m sure there are people out there with spider powers that did not include looking like one. I guess I'm a good choice because I'm a blonde, but you can't see Spider-Gwen's hair while she was in costume. Normally, I would never be caught dead dressed as my fictional archenemy, but since it is for a good cause, I could swallow my pride.

	[color=b22222]“I am such an idiot,”[/color] I exclaimed as I slapped my forehead with my hand. The reason why Spider-Gwen is my “fictional archenemy” is because Marvel blatantly copied my likeness by making the superpowered Gwen Stacy look like me. So, the staff at the hospital would be expecting a Spider-Gwen that looked like a [b]drider[/b]! That means I have to redo the hard-light transformation process all over again!

	After some frantic googling to figure out what the current Spider-Gwen’s costume looked like, especially on the spider abdomen and legs and desperate typing on the program tied to the Game Genie cube, I was finally decked out in the correct Spider-Gwen costume, now fitted to my drider physique.

	I guess I really wasn’t lying to my mom. I was going to need to really run to get to the hospital to arrive on time!