No matter what, until Ronan pinned down who was behind this and what they wanted, he opted to hold still.
Students, the bus driver, or some stalker tailing them—didn't matter.
Ronan didn't care.
With his current tricks, he could handle any of it.
And everything he was doing had a deeper play.
So, he brushed off the spiders and fired up another game.
Not far off, Cindy Moon flicked a glance back. Seeing Ronan just shift and keep gaming, she frowned.
Did she guess wrong?
Yup—Cindy Moon was the spider puppeteer.
Her power wasn't just spider control—it mirrored Peter Parker's.
A spider bite flipped her life too.
At first, it freaked her out. She guarded the secret tight, scared to breathe a word.
Then one day, a news clip hit her TV.
A guy in red-and-blue tights, playing hero in Queens, calling himself Spider-Man.
Pundits debated if this "vigilante cop" should exist.
But Cindy Moon? She was floored.
She'd never dreamed someone else had powers—let alone ones like hers.
It terrified her.
Why? Simple—America's conspiracy mill.
One day, it's bio-weapons; the next, top brass cooking up more super-soldiers like Captain America.
Not baseless rumors either.
Cap's a living legend—America's propaganda poster boy.
Conspiracy theories sell big here.
Fact is, America does that stuff.
Cindy didn't know the details, but she worried her powers came from some lab spider that bit her after a slip-up.
Spider-Man's debut had her glued to his every move.
If he vanished, it'd mean the spider was a government toy—and he'd been nabbed.
If he kept swinging in New York, she might be safe.
After watching a while, Spider-Man didn't fade—he blew up.
Fan clubs online, photos snapped, even waving at folks.
Cindy leaned toward option two.
So, she gutsed up and dug into Spider-Man.
One quiet night, she trailed him through New York streets.
Keeping her distance, she followed until he scaled a building and slipped through a window.
She ID'd the place.
The Parker household.
By height, May Parker—out.
Left Ben Parker and Peter Parker.
Ben's old—could he pull those wild moves?
Plus, at his age, he'd likely dodge the spotlight.
So, Spider-Man was probably Peter Parker.
It was huge for Cindy—she needed 100% proof.
A month of stalking later, she nailed it.
Peter Parker was Spider-Man!
Easy—she tailed Ben, met him at his gig.
Normal dude, no weird vibes.
May? Simpler.
When Spider-Man hit the streets, Cindy saw May home all day.
Even in fan livestreams, Spider-Man swung while May popped into frame elsewhere.
Two places, two people—May's out.
That left Peter Parker.
Identity locked, but Cindy didn't rush up and spill.
She hid it, aiming to get close first.
Transferring to his school as a new kid, she laid low.
For the first half-month, no "chance" run-ins with Peter.
After that, it wouldn't look forced.
Then she showed up, flashing a rare smile.
It sparked a school stir.
The ice queen grinned at a nobody—and introduced herself.
Fit her plan perfect.
She played cold to ditch guy swarms.
Befriending Peter made no sense—unless love's illogical spark explained it.
Post-contact, they swapped chat IDs, talking now and then.
Not too close, not too far—Cindy nailed the balance.
If her goal was cracking Peter's mutation secret…
After hanging out, she found him kinda cute.
Same-species pull, maybe?
Humans with spider genes.
She might not even notice her shift in vibe.
This book club? A golden shot to cozy up to Peter.
She'd planned it all.
But meeting Peter's only school pal—Ronan, name-dropped plenty—her spider-sense screamed warnings!
This guy's dangerous!
She trusted that tingle—it'd dodged a car crash and attacks before.
So, she pegged Ronan as one of them!
Yet after watching, he acted normal—no odd moves.
Just tall, fit, hot.
Oh, and maybe loaded.
Otherwise, plain Jane.
Today, chatting with classmates, she felt eyes.
Turning, it's Peter sneaking a peek.
Not the point—the second gaze hit like needles.
She spun instinctively.
Regret hit the second she did!
Ronan's eyes flashed surprise.
Shock she caught him?
Or that she'd nabbed two stares in a row?
Either way, bad news.
She didn't want attention.
Spider-sense blared—her gut screamed run!
Her body twitched to bolt.
But she locked it down.
Can't blow her cover!
When Ronan grinned, the dread vanished.
Spider-sense flipped—raging one sec, dead the next.
Like this guy was harmless.
Baffled her.
So, after mulling, she steeled herself and approached them.
Testing if the tingle'd kick back!
Shockingly, even up close—asking to swap seats—nothing.
Even when Ronan stood, inches away—zip.
Like her spider-sense crashed.
Not him?
Cindy frowned.
To double-check, chatting with Peter, she loosed her pet spiders.
Spying on Ronan.
Smart—she didn't just target him. Three spiders, whole bus sweep.
Full scan mode.
If Ronan had powers, he'd spot them fast.
If he knew someone was solo-watching him, who knows what he'd do?
Most here were his classmates—known him forever.
Why not watch in class?
He'd suspect non-classmates quick.
Then it'd get messy.
To stay hidden, Cindy scrambled the board—everyone's a suspect.
It worked.
Spiders out, Ronan moved.
But just shifted.
When he ducked their view, Cindy risked a peek.
He'd only repositioned—nothing else.
Muddied her head more.
"Cindy?"
"Cindy?"
"You okay?"
Lost in thought, Peter's puzzled voice snapped her back.
"No worries—just zoned out from your chat."
"Oh, that guy here earlier—was that Ronan you've mentioned?"
Cindy steered it to him.
If she couldn't crack it, maybe Peter's lips would slip.
Longtime pals—more time, more mask slips.
Maybe Peter knew some tiny, ID-revealing nugget?
"Oh, you mean Ronan?"
"Yeah, that's him."
Peter blanked, then grinned.
"How'd you two get tight?"
"Spill it?"
Cindy pressed.
Peter smiled at her pretty face. "Sure can."
---
Meanwhile, gaming Ronan got a screen pop-up.
"She's digging about you."
Sender: Peter Parker. "She"? Cindy Moon, parked next to him.
Ronan's brow ticked.
Her turn-back pegged her as suspect one.
Dodging the spiders? Partly to clone-guard Gwen Stacy.
Partly to see who'd peek.
Last row—he'd catch any head-turn.
Figured it'd stay a hunch—powered folks don't slip that fast.
But Cindy glanced back instantly.
Phone-blocked, Ronan gawked.
Greenhorn move?
Or just naive?
Right then, he locked her as top pick.
Didn't faze him.
Peter's text, though? That stunned.
He'd thought Peter's "love" bug had fried his brain.
Yet here he was, cool-headed, tipping Ronan off.
Ronan clicked his tongue.
Tsk.
Kid's growing up.